The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-01
THE EVENING STORY
A Humble Heroine.
0By Marion Lewis. }

| he appeared on a South Caroline,
| mountain and stood at the door of a
humble cabin. He was a young man
| of five and twenty, and he was fair
to look upon. The girl of twenty who
was sweeping the rough floor with a
sWltchDroom, stared at him for a mo-
ment and wondered how he had found
his way from the other world. She
had seen men in plenty-she saw men
every day of her life, but they were
not like this man. They were rough
and unkempt. Most of them had long
boards. They wore homespun and
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.
done to girl or woman on the noun
tains. If he had corncob pipe it was
not in sight, and he wore shoes in
stead of thick boots.
Nancy Settle could not read. The
people she lived among did little talk
ing. When they did talk, it was about
moonshine whisky, possums, coons
and other matters of local interest.
She had never visited the town, four
teen miles away, except on one occa-
sion. Then her father had hitched
en- OK to a cart, tied ropes to the ami
mails horns for lines and driven her
there and back. In town she had seen
heaps of houses and heaps of people,
but she was scared and disturbed all
the time. She had seen what her
father said were gentlemen and la
dies, 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 must be a gentleman. He
asked for her father, who was away
in the woods, and for her mother,
who was out digging sassafras root,
and then he explained that he had
H. ct 70 CT 6xr no
ture. He would study the flowers, the
birds and the 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 to make love to her
She had run 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 her
back in a tangle and there were hooks
missing from her waist, but his talk
no notice of her shortcomings.
He talked of the woods and the
weather and the scenery, and she
found herself talking to him. 1t was
so with the mother when she came
She was hard-featured and distrustful,
his pleasant smiles caused her to look
with favor upon him. With the hus-
band and father. it took longer He
was not a moonshiner, but there were
stills in the dark ravines belonging 10
others, and he was on his guard
against strangers for the sake of his
friends. He could have led a revenue
officer to four different stills within
radius of five miles, but he would have
died before pointing his finger in the
re he ke
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 it was more
than that An inherent something
morning. 1t put shoes and stockings
on her feet. 1t washed her face with
soap and water and it cleaned her I'm
ger nails and caused her mother to
look at her in surprise. The bare
footed way was good enough for the
who came to sit and
smoke and talk and borrow corn
meal, but it was not good enough for
a gentleman from the lowlands.
The stranger fell readily into the
and his fare rough, but he was salts
fed Grim men and lanky boys came
to stare at him and ask him brusque
questions, but he laughed as he an
swered them and finally won their
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
all their lives and were yet
~ @f To yr-ac " n p
all questions and arbitrate all disputes
and they had to bow to his wisdom. |
For a couple of weeks he was followed |
as he moved about. Then it was |
agreed that he had not come as spy. |
With his sporting shotgun he brought |
down squirrels, rabbits and birds, and |
after carrying them home he set to |
work as taxidermist and stuffed and |
mounted them in such a lifelike man |
ner that the people of the mountains
came five miles to see and to praise.
And after the first two weeks Nancy |
often accompanied him in his rambles |
Sometimes the father went along as |
we'll. The girl could shoot and she |
brought down many specimen. She |
brought flowers and remembered 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 hurry. He had |
cOIIl0 10 pass tie OAA IAAO
ain He roamed and he rested. He |
visited other cabins and made friends
Of all he came in contact with. As
hey found him one day so they found |
him the next. There were those who /
could not understand why he should |
interest himself in such a pursuit.
Why any one should particularly care
lbout birds and squirrels and flowers
but they liked and trusted the man
'or all that. It came at last that even
he owners of some of the hidden stills
alked of inviting him to visit them.
For three long months Nancy lived
n new world. There had been ply
ical and mental changes for the bet
er. Unknown to even her mother
he tried to teach herself to read.