The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1911-02-23
.GENA Of THE
APPALACHIANS

pany, of New York, has JUST issue,
a handsome publication of no pages
entitled, Gena of the Appala
chians," by Clarence Monroe Wal
lin, son of Rev. ]. H. Wallin, o
this city. The book has had ;
large sale and already the first ed
ition has been exhausted. Th'
story is cast in the mountains o
East Tennessee, central arounc
Johnson City and it will interest yol
from start to finish. In brief:
Paul Warrington, a young Ken
tuckian, returns from the west anc
adopts Knoxville as his future home
Business takes him to Blood Camp
in the Appalachian religion near Mt
Mitchell. In the absence of min.
lister he reluctantly consents to con
duct the burial service over the re.
mains of a desperate character. He
meets the only daughter of the dead
man, Gena, aged thirteen, and is
impressed with her. Warrington
was not a preacher, but he was a
Christian and gentleman. Seizing
the opportunity when all Blood
Camp was rejecting upon the frail-
ties of human life, organized a Sun
day-school and promising Gena Fill
son that he would return, departed.
She was fair and had good blood
in her veins; but endless toll was her
lot since old Jase had become her
foster father. He had been her
fathers bosom companion, was a
moonshiner and dangerous.
After an absence of two years
Warrington returns to visit the Sun
day-school and goes to the cabin of
Jase Dillenberger to pay his respects
to the master and his adopted
daughter. 1t is after nightfaIl; he
approaches the door; overhears old
Jase abusing the girl; hears the blows
bursts through the door; shoots out
his athletic fist like an iron shaft at
the old savage, feeling that it meant
death in the end. In the twinkling
of an eye he flies to the corner,
snatches the sick girl from her hard
bunk and clears the door.
Gena Filson lay sick with fever in
Blood Camp for a long period. In
the convalescent period Warrington
took his departure and Fen Green, a
youth, seized upon the
condition of Gena Fill
sons mind to push his case, but
availed himself nothing.
Slade Pemberton, the storekeeper,
was appointed her new guardian; the
cabin and three acres of old Jase fell
to Gena. She was Immediately in
stalled with Emeline Hobbs as
housekeeper. Slade Pemberton vas
a hard man of the hills, but the
songs in the Sunday-school had done
him much good lately. Hence he
bought the corn from the three
acres and suggested to Gena that
'he might have a year in some
school of music with the proceeds.
arranged scholarship
n Tusculum College; to college and
| new world went Gena Filson.
system and the associa-
ion of refined teachers fast trans
ormed her into a gentlewoman.
Commencement came; Waiting
on came for the first time. He
:ould hardly believe his eyes when
he appeared upon the rostrum.. She
vas fair the first time he had seen
Ter there in the snow; but now she
vas beautiful! College over, Gena
vent back to the hills and to the
abin. Sitting by her own bright
ire in the cabin on a September
vening, she looks into the fire and
ees the face of Paul Warrington
bove all the others in the world and
yves him. Was it too late In
uly Paul Warrington returns; the
icnic trip to Blowing Rock is made;
lany times he tries to say to her
he things that are in his heart, but
ills; then finally the engagement;
le last college year, and lastly going