The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1907-08-22
EoRE ABOUT lOKTRElT.
Another Interesting Letter From Rev.
E. E. Erwin.

There is not another like it, town
of far distances, and for the most
part in the woods, As you pass
along the road-or roads, not streets,
which generally run parallel with
the valley-you now and then catch
Q glimpse Of a cottage, or the white
canvas of a tent through the dense
foliage above or below you. Look
ing up to these cottages, when more
fully in sight of the road, they pre-
sent an unnatural appearance. One
of the younger set asked me ''why
they build the houses here with the
floors standing up toward the front,
instead of on the level"' T6Aalk
down the front steps of these cot
tages is not much fun. Half way
down, the steps to my cottage get
tired and take turn to the side.
The almost virgin forest is lux
urlantly green and dense--no open
woods-made up of various species
of oak, with chestnutpoplar, maple,
black locust, sour wood, white pine,
rhododendron, chinquepin and
smaller shrubbery. The sun hardly
sees the earth anywhere. There Is
almost perpetual silence in these
woods save for the locusts bv dav
and the katydid by night, and the
soughing of the wind laden with the
babblings of Flat Greek and Its
numerous grooming tributaries.
Springs abound, and all the water
is pure and cold. We see no wild
animals except the little brown
ground-squirrel and only an occasi-
oasl little bird. 1t is too cold here
for the mocking bird The rattle
snake is more in evidence. On noun
tain top ! came upon q typical
mountaineer With bis Winchester
rife, gazing ont over the lowlands,
and probably listening for the sound
Of his cattle-bells. To question
about rattle-snakes, be said "you can
find them mos: anywhere, especially
in the roughs,' And by the
''gQnghs' be explained that be meant
fongs places, ''like that yonder"-j
pointing to place where great rocks
were strewn in profusion, inter.
spersed with tangled underbrush
through which you could not see the
ground. And he added, "they are
the most peaceable snake that there
Is; for they amt. going to hurt you
without giving you fair notice.
But if one gets into his coil, and be-
gins to sing, you better move"
The other day I saw the skin of one
just killed near the hotel, which a
servant was washing, having sold 1t
to lady 'to make belt" 1t
struck me that it would be, in
sense, beautiful ornament; but to
wear it, an unnatural fancy. With
in thirty steps of the cottage where
1 spent my first week here, and dur
ing that time a rattle snake was
killed. The family of Mr. McGill,
(treasurer of the Presbyterian Publ
cation Committee at Richmond, Va
are tentlng there. The body OF a
fallen tree lies within few feet of
the .en.. Under the shadow of this
log the rattler was in coil. Mr. Nc
Gill's little girl standing near, heard
the ominous sound of the rattle, but
paid no heed, the woods are always
resonant of 8 similar sound, the
rasping orchestra of the locusts.
But she happened to notice the ac-
tivity of her pet dog nosing the rat
tier and saw the meaning of it all.
With a scream, and leap, she took
her pet into her arms and away;and
the men hurried there and killed the
monster.
On last Monday night We had an
enjoyable social at the hotel, fea-
ture of it being musical programme
with readings or impersonatiops by