Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-11
FOUND THE RIGHT CREEK
Author of a StOr$ About "HeII-Fer-
sartain" Goes to See the
Place.


John Fox, r., once wrote a story called
"Hetl-fer- Sartain," which-so he says
made him famous Though there really Is
a Hell-fer-Sartaln creek down in the Ken
lucky mountains, the writer OF the story
had not been there until recently, when he
set out to repair the omission.
There was a church on Hell-fer-sar-
tain" writes Mr.. Fox in scribner'H, 'and
l had heard there was a Sunday school
known officially SO ths fEsll-fss ssartsln
Sunday school, and moreover that a phil
anthropical lady had offered to give this
school library provided she should be
permitted to design the book plates More
over. had heard Of the preacher Of He'll
fer-sartain. and no fitted the niche in
which imagination would place him About
him ! had heard these words:
Hes a good man an there aIn't a
word aEin' hm'-the speaker paused
1eastwise not for a long time Bout fifteen
year ago he got in a fus with fat Teller
an he an a friend o. hisn waited for him
in the lorrel an shot him, but they didn't
kill him. They're good friends now. The
preacher paid the Teller not TO prosecute
him an after the thing was over he toll
as how ben' nervous he put bullet be-
tween his teeth when he saw the fat Teller
comm an he was 80 blame nervous that
he bit the bullet In two
And he kept on preaehing?' asked
+" oh, yes, folks have never held that up
sgin him And he was still preaching on
He'll fer-Sartain. Now in the story / wrote
the creek had gotten its name from the
fighting character OF the jewellers thereon
AS the teller Of the story says TO the
listening stranger:
" Jus turn up the creek beyond the
bend thar an climb on a stump an holleI
about once'-that is one mountain method
OF issuing a ohallenge-'an' youll see how
the name come. Stranger. youll get he'll
fer sartain.'
AS I was nearing the waters OF the
same / asked mountaineer leaning on
the fence about the name and he grinned;
=" Folks say an ole bear hunter goin' up
/ the creek met another one coming down
Wizard you come from he says q
come down a devil OF a place" totheT
| Teller says. We'll" says the fust man
you're goin' into hell fer sartain now"
From that point ] was to ride up a
/ little creek that trtekled past my infor-
mants cabin and on top OF the ridge
would strike Devils Jump branch OF Hell.
! fer-sartaln. Then l could ride on dow1
to church. II was wild ride up tina
I little creek ] lost my way. recovered II
struck the head OF Devils Jump branch
/ followed the rocky path and in less thar
an hour / emerged at its mouth between
massive superimpOsed boulders to see tn,
placid stream l sought cleaning unde
more great bouldeTs below.
Il halted in the road and looked hack a
those massive, moss-groWn rhodOdendroI
tufted boulders-that branch anyhow wa
we'll named-and / couldn't help thinkin,
what perlous leap a. that point the Ok
boy would have into his domains. As
rode down l was folitely told the nam
OF ths creek % a man and bS woman
each without a Efla ana each correcting
my pronunciation 20 Hell-for-Certain--fo
the present generation OF mountaineers q
losing its dialect fast"
Persistent Adyertisins is the Road to Biz
RsturnA