Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-03
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Moonshiners.
IOriginaI.l.

soldier boy in the Union army, that
region being about Jasper. Deckerd and
Shelbyville, Tenn. There was an espe-
cial reason for my going. l had been
an escaped prisoner of war and had
been hunted with bloOdhOunds up on to
the Cumberland plateau. On the west
face of the plateau not far from where
the university now stands | was taken
into mountaineers hut by girl about
fourteen years old and concealed till
my pursuers got tired of the search.
The child had retained place in my
memory. and | desired to see her again.
went to Shelbyville and proceeded
from there on horseback to the base of
the plateau and then up to where stood
the hut in which l had been concealed.
A young woman was standing at the
door and. to my surprise, recognized
me at once. She had changed SO much
from childhood to womanhood that I
did not know her. Our meeting was so
delightful that 1 remained at the place
for week. Mary's parents were dead,
and she lived with an uncle. l tried
to find out from her how he made n
living, but failed to do so.
When / left. L started to walk TO
Bridgeport, intending there to take a
train for home. The uncle offered to
| show me the way. 1 accepted his COM
pany-I did not need his guidance-and
after passing the morning with my
sweetheart. sitting beside her on rock
In view of the broad panorama of
woods and waters, villages and planta-
lions spread out beneath us. her uncle
and / set out together.
l was very much mystified as to the
mans treatment of me. Every now
and again while we walked side by
side. suddenly CHANGING up, l saw him
looking sidewise at me with a cunning
| CLEAN in his eye. Besides, l noticed
that whenever we came to dangerous
footing he invariably left me to go
first, and once when we were near a
cliff he suddenly stole up on me.
In passing down Il steep declivity, /
was in front. Suddenly the man gave
me a push, with the words There's
where we put revenue officers" l fell.
bounding from the branches of tree,
| and landed ON the ground. / was
knocked i-'sensible. but soon recovered
consciousness. picked myself up and
tottered Oh as best / could till / came
place. 1t was several days before 1
was in condition to take my departure.
The next summer l determined to go
| back To the plateau, first. to bring away
the girl whom | had found | could not
get on without; second. to get even
with her uncle. l disguised myself so
that the man at least wouldn't know
me and armed myself to the teeth. L
| =.
girl from her uncle. and induced
woman at whose house L put up to
send for my sweetheart. the girl not
knowing who had instigated the sum-
mons. While she was coming 1 went
! to the cabin. where | found her uncle.
With feigned simplicity 1 gave him to
| understand that l was a revenue officer
seeking my way to Bridgeport. He Of
! fered to accompany me, and l accept
ed. When he came to the place where
he had given me the push. he made
the attempt again; but, turning upon
him. covered him with n revolver and
walked him back to the cabin.
Meanwhile my sweetheart had gone
to Tracy and. finding that the woman
who had sent for her had nothing of
| Importance to communicate, had re-
turned and through a window had seen
me marching her uncle up to the cabin.
She being in shadow, I did not see her.
When l came within about fifty feet
of her, my revolver hanging from my
hand, the muzzle pointing to the
ground, heard Il voice:
Hands up!''
I knew some one whom l could not
see had me covered, and my hands
went up without delay. Then my girl
came out. Her uncle as soon as she
| had covered me drew u revolver. and
I was at the mercy of two weapons.
Mary" 1 said in my natural voice.
She dropped her weapon as if she
had been shot and stood trembling,
| then ran to me and, sobbing, threw her
arms around my neck.
Her uncle had confessed to her that
upon my first visit he had believed me
to be a revenue officer and had sent me
to my long home. My coming was to
her like a return from the dead.
Well, the uncle was considerably cut
up when he found / was the man he
had supposed he had killed. and for a
time was a good deal puzzled what to
do with me. We finally compromised
by my agreeing to let the matter drop.
Being a mOonshiner, he had considered
putting a revenue man out of the way
as legitimate. His niece had long
dreaded his being engaged in the illicit
business and begged him to give ii up.
1 joined my pleadings with hers and
promised if he would come to Ohio 1
would make him superintendent of
creamery / owned. He consented, and
the three of us went out to the still.
concealed in a shaded cleft, and, set
ting it on fire, watched it burn, Mary
piling on the dry twigs and laughing
and crying by turns from excess of
happiness. We also decided to burn
the home. which was worthless. and
the last sight 1 saw on the plateau was
the flames bursting out of the cabin in