The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-12-04
A Tragedy
of the Hills
By MRS. L. N. RAYNE.
NTHEN Charles Dickens saw an

AHEN Charles Dickens saw an
w American prairie for the first
time he wondered how any human
being could live upon it a year with
out going mad. Yet statistics show
that preponderance of evidence is
in favor of the prairies and against
the hills. The great psalmist
sang: Il will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills, from whence cometh my
help not material help, but Divine,
for those were the fgurative hills of
God, and their tops reached to Heav-
en-. The hills that give strength
also take it away, as the men and
women living on those declevities
that are bare and bleak in winter,
that lift their bald and rugged fore
heads to the eternal altitude of the
skies, can freely testify. Humanity
only accentuates the loneliness. A
house perched on the side of one of
those eternal hills is as remote as an
eagles nest. We have all viewed
such dwelling on the hillside, with
its somber background, when gazing
from car window upon the flying
panorama of travel. Whether it was
only woodman's cabin or the more
pretentious frame house with a YER
anda, our thoughts were invariably
of thankfulness that we did not live
there. For it requires superhuman
strength to live up to the hills.
In the door of a cabin on such a
hillside young woman was standing
surrounded by a trio of dogs, that
were giving tongue to their Joy at
seeing her again after half an hours
absence in search of cow which had
wandered away. Her head was Gov
cred and her face obscured by
clinging sunbonnet, which she threw
aside, revealing an almost startling
type of rustic beauty, and braids of
red-brown hair tied in girlish braids
at the nape of the neck that was the
perfection of symmetry. She was
speaking aloud either to herself or
the dogs.
"If l ever said 1 liked tn hills l
lied. An if 1 ever said l loved Hi
Dimmock why, hello, Tennessee,
what brought you back alone?"
Tennessee was beautifully
marked marked hound with long,
silken hair and a plumy tail, which
she waved in rapid gyration as she
tondled the young woman.
where's your boss-has anything
happened to him? Speak out, Tenn.
He amt fell down and hurt himself,
has hep"
But the dog was quietly licking her
hand, and she looked inside the cabin
to see if the gun hung in its place.
1t did not, so she decided in her own
mind that Tennessee had tired of the
hunt and come home, trick for
which she had been soundly trounced
within a week.
A wild, concerted rush of the dogs
revealed the fact that stranger
was approaching, man on horse
back, who put his hand to his mouth
to form trumpet, and called out.
shrilly:
Hello, the house! Call off your
dogs"
At word from the woman the
whole pack ran under the cabin floor,
snarling and growing, but obedient
to orders. Then the stranger threw
himself easily from his horse, and
advanced to the door of the cabin.
DO you know me, Nell?" he asked.
Sure" answered the girl. You
haven't changed any in two years.
But | don't know what brings you
here"
The man flushed at her words and
stammered: L saw you from the
cars, and you looked kind of Lone
some and homesick, and | thought
maybe you would be glad to see an
old friend, and that's all there is to
it."
Hi is out shooting squirrels" said
the girl. Il reckon he'll be home any
time now. He's right peart with his
gun" and she gave a forced laugh.
HAS he sobered up any living in
this wilderness?" asked the man.
Dave Harkins, you never liked Hi,
not even when you We're boys to-
gether. You prophesied when | mar
ried him he would break my heart,
but there never was a kinder hus-
band on earth than Hi Dimmock. If
you've come here to find out how we
get along, you can go back and tell
them that. If you don't want to
get into quarrel with Hi-he's the
right stuff-you will go now"
She would not even look at him
for fear she would draw a contrast
in her own mind between him with
his alert, upright figure and the sod