Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-11-26
A Humble
Heroine.
By MARION LEWIS.
Copyrighted. 1901. by NJ. NJ. Cunningham.

. Copyrighted. 1907. by NJ. NJ. Cunningham. .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1t was one day in early spring that
he appeared on South Carolina noun
tain and stood at the door Of humble
cabin. lie was young man Of five
and twenty. and he was fair to look
upon. The girl Of twenty who was
sweeping the rough floor with switch
broom stared ut him for moment and
wondered how he had found his way
there from the other world. She had
seen men In plenty-she saw men ev-
cry day of her life. but they were not
like this man. They were rough and
unkelnpt Most Of them had long
boards. They wore homespun, and
they carried rifles wherever they went.
This man was totally different He
was dressed for the mountains, but
she had seen no such clothing up there
before. He lifted his cap to her. In
done to Il girl or woman on the
mountains If he had a corncob pipe
1t was not in sight. and he wore shoes
instead Of thick boots.
Nancy Settle could not read. The
| lcoplc she lived among did little talk.
ing When they did talk it was about
@oOnShine whisky, possums. coons and
.ther matters of local interest. She
lad never visited the town. fourteen
| lilies away. except on one occasion.
cart. tied ropes TO the animals horns
| for lines and driven her there and
| back. In town she had seen heaps Of
| houses and heaps of people, but she
| was scarce and disturbed all the time.
| she had seen what her father said
| were gentlp:aen and ladies'. and she
| remembered them ever afterward. This
| was why she said to herself as she.
| stood leaning on the handle of the
broom that the man before her muse
he Il gentleman. He asked for her IA
| ther. who was away In the woods, and
| for her neither. who was out digging
| sassafras root. and then he explained
| that he had come up the mountain TO
study nature. He would study flow
ers. the birds and tine wild animals.
and he would write of them later on.
He wanted board and lodgings. Would
| Mr.. Settle take him in?
Nancy had seen men whose rough
speech frightened her. She had seen
| others who came 10 make love to her.
| She had rlin away from both kinds
| She did not run away from this man.
who gave her his name as Williams
After the first five minutes she was
| hardly embarrassed. True, she was
| barefooted. her hair hung down hei
| back in tanglc. aud there were hooks
missing from her waist But his talk
put her ut ease He seemed TO take
| 10 notice a. her shortcomings.
lie talked OF the woods and tho
weather a@l the scenery. ana she
| foand herself talking To him lt was
so with the :..DtlIr: when Size came
| she was lI:rl featured aud GiStruSt!ul.
but the strangers courteous words
and his pleasant "ni!cs caused her to
.onk with fa.or upon him. With the
husband and father it took longN
lie was not Il moonshiner, but there
were stills in the dark ravincs belong
| ing to others. and he was Oh his guard
against strangers for the sake OF his
friends. He could have led Il revenue
officer to four different stills within n
radius of five miles, but he would
have died before pointing his finger IN
the direction of one. So he would
take the stranger In. but he would
also watch him. The man should not
move twenty rods in any direction
without being followed and spied on
| If he had come for the revenue service
then one more dead man should be
left In the forest to be covered by the
| leaves In the fall.
The coming of Williams was an
event to all. but to Nancy 1t was more
than that. An inherent something
combed and braided her hair next
morning 1t put shoes and stockings
| on her feet 1t washed her face With
soap and water, and 1t cleaned hel
finger nails and caused her mother tQ
look at her in surprise. The barefoot
ed way was good enough for the
mountaincers who came to sit ana
smoke aud talk and borrow cornmeal
but 1t was not good enough for gen
tlcman from the lowlands.
The stranger fell readily into tho
WHY'S of the people. His bed was rude
| and his fare rough. but he was salts
fed Grim men aud lanky boys came
| to stare at him and ask him brusquG
questions. but he laughed rs he an
swercd them and finally won theii
| confidence. He talked to them OF
many wonderful Inventions; he told
| them stories of sea and land; he gave
them pointers on the habits Of the
birds and animals they had lived
among all their lives and were YET
| ignorant Of. He was ready to an
swer all questions and arbitrate al
| disputes. and they had to bow to his
wisdom. For couple OF weeks lie
was followed as he moved about.
| l Ueu IL WIS uSiteu 'ii"t az "''' "''
come as II spy. With his sporting
shotgun he brought down squirrels,
rabbits and birds, and after carrying
| them home he set to work as a taxi
dermist ana stuffed and mounted them
| I'm such lifelike manner that the peo
pie Of the mountains came five miles
to see and to praise.
| And after the first two weeks Nam
cy often accompanied him In his ram
bles. Sometimes the father went
along as we'll The girl could shoot.
and she brought down many speci'
| men. She brought flowers and re-
membered the names he gave them
She found the holes Of woodchucks
and rabbits and weasels and listened
closely while he told Of the habits OF
such animals. Williams was in no
nultt lie had come L. pass the sum.
mer &, ilIc mountain. He roamed and
he rested. He visited other cabins
and rl?Ic friends OF all he came In
contact with. AS they found him one
day. so they found him the next.
There were those who could not IN
derstand Why he should interest him.
self in such pursuit-why any one
Con!d particularly care about birds
ind squirrels and fOwers-but they