Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-09
CHAPTER II.
Where the Devil Treads, Who Looks
for Snowp


for SnowP
The valley of He'll Bottom lies like
giant stocking at full stretch among the
ridges There are three ragged holes; AZ
the heel, Bald Eagle Gap, walled in on one
SIDE by Nance Mountain, and cut deep by
little stream; at the toe, Gum Run Gap,
leading into a populous valley beyond the
clutch of the ridges; and al the top. which
is puekered almost to a point. Roaring Run
Gap, the vent of a small river fed from
spring from near the instep of the stocking
The scenery of this last gap is wild and
chaotic Huge limestone hulks, weathered
into weird patterns, protrude from the SOIL.
or lie scattered about If the place had
been workshop of the Titans, VINO nau
flung aside these colossal gargoyles spoiled
in the making In places the gnaried BLOCKS
are piled helter-skelter. forming Grottoes
and ragged hollows about which grows
scurf of jumpers and laurel scrags-a place
to be avoided at all times, and especlail!
after dark. few rods further ON, the
stream, breaking in a panic from the anu
val, sinks whimpering down wild gorge
and lies sluggish and exhausted beyond.
This chaotic five acres was old Poppy
Miller's farm.
One lor was under the plough, ragged
little patch hugging the ridge as for pro-
lection, and guarded at every avenue py
the weathered rocks, which leered hideousiy
walked softly when they went to Miller :,
and they averred there was reason IL was
an uncanny hole surely, and united III
every way for agriculture. but Old Poppy
was reputed to have other and sufncieht
revenues, of which more later.
There another rip In the hosiery
well up the ankle gaping tear through
the ridge, known as Hellers Gap. Ii heo
Heller purely by accident had burst into
the valley one December afternoon In the
days when the land was King Georges, ana
he had been greatly pleased with what ne
found In the very jaws of the gap he mao
built him cabin, and in the spring he had
brought thither his young wife to make OF
1t a home. He had hewed out little farm
along the run and had built him barn,
and all had gone well until the day when
he had heard the sound of axes In the pines
down by Gum Run.
There are traditions still vivid as to how
the first band of settlers, who had come In
from Sugar Valley, had been startled on
the second day of their clearing by the ap-
partition of man griZzled and gaunt, who
had proclaimed that he was sole owner ana
proprietor and king of the valley. and who
had ordered them roughly to be gone.
Then John Hartswick. leader Of the clear
ing band. had challenged the man to show
his title deeds, which the old settler had
done promptly. and the intruders, after
looking wstfully at the goodly land, had
left the region that very night.
Then ten years had gone by. during which
time occurred the struggle along the east
ern seaboard known as the revolutionary
war.
AS to what happened next, tradition is
vague. 1t would seem that on a certain
April day John Hartswick had come again
into the valley, descending upon the old set
tier in the evening as he sat at the door
of his cabin, and producing a certain paper
which rendered the original document
worthless. AS to just what means he had
taken, tradition says nothing at all, for the
1ott -t,n NJ fta
story. know little of law. That there was
a serious defect however, in the older title
is clear, and that 1t was of real moment
and well-nigh self-evident to one whose at
tention was called to it, is proved by the
fact that Matthew Heller then and there
had been forced to admit the worthless
ness of the paper, though the admission left
him not the ground on which stood his
cabin.
Then had followed q half-hour that even
after a century is vivid in the little valley.
The old settler had sat a first In silence.
Then he had expostulated. Morally and
really the land was his. A mere technf-
cality could not deprive him of land on
which he had resided for twenty years. 1t
was his even by squatter's rights. The let
ter of the law could never destroy the spirit
He had the right on his side; he would
fight the matter IN the courts; and no jury
in the world would decide against him.
The younger man, however. had remained
firm.
title Justice by the law was an expensive
business, and he would see that this case
was no exception. He had not been idle
during the war; he had money and to spare
and he would fight for his legal right so
long as he had a farthing Then suddenly
he had assumed a benevolent look. He
would not be hard on him. He would give
him a clear title to his cottage lot and to
the few acres which he had cleared about
IT. Really he was injuring him not at ALL
for he was giving him all that he had ever
used
The patronising tone in the younger mans
voice had pierced the free-air-loving old
woodsman with knife. His helpless
ness. his total unpreparedness to fight a
legal duel involving great expense. the per-
feet justice of his claim and the barefaced
wrong forced SO brutally upon him. sent the
hot blood leaping to his head He had burst
into q paroxySm of helpless rage, and had
cursed the man with his whole soul. He
would accept not one single inch of the
land which was his own, but, nevertheless,
he would stay where he was. 1t was use
less for him to fight, fog he had no money,
but none the less he would hold his claim.
Then, In q paroxysm of rage, he had
called on the devil TO guard him and to
bring evil upon every Hartswick, or Harris
wick emissary, henceforth and forever, who
should dare to come near him. He warned
the man to beware of an internal patrol
which henceforth should surround his prem
ises and which would blast and destroy
any of his name or blood who might ever
enter the accused circle. AS for himself,
he would never, so long he lived, dehle
his foot by treading on the land that the
law decreed to a Hartswick. If the court
sustained the infamous robbery and gave
him a clear title, then, if ever once he,
Matthew Heller, set foot on one inch of
the disputed land, might the devil pounce
upon him and bear him bodily away Then,
according to tradition, the old man had
called upon all the powers of evil to make
the valley a curse to Hartswick forever
Might he never have male descendant who
was not q devil and who would not live in
hell even before he died: and might the curse
never be removed until he, the real owner,
or his descendants, should get their right
full due and be kings of the valley lands.
Then so runs the story. had come a ghast-
ly stencil OF birthstone and fire, and Harris
wick seized by panic. had fled for his
life leaving his coat-tails In the hands OF
a ffend who had snatched at him he
bolted for the door. A rife shot a mad
laugh and a volley of curses had followed
him out into the forest.
Thus ran the valley tradition.
That very winter the crew of men which
Hartswick had put IN to cut the pines had
noted strange thing All winter long
there was no track in the snow to the
Heller hut though a smoke arose daily from