The Washington herald., 1912-11-10

his "gran'pappy's gran'pappy." But the
interest Of the average mountaineer In
public or private history seldom carried
him far enough to inquire beyond the gen
erations with wnom he has . speaking
acquaintance. Little Ii known about the
first settlements. There are no tomb
stones. There are comparatively few ira
ditions. Those existing are apt to be con-
cerned exclusively with family traits and
incidents illustrative Of the courage and
generosity Of the "covites."
The pride OF birth, as well As the re-
pose Of the Vere de Veres, il the noun
taineer's also. A young man or maiden
Of matrimonial aspirations would find 1t
a serious drawback to belong to white
lvered" kin, especially II tho coveted
partner occupied the normal position in
being allied to good '.fshtin'" stock.
Any business II preceded by Q decorous
silence. Nothing 80 offends the good
taste Of the mountaineer as vulgar haste
The social side Of the mountaineer 10
charming. He IL perfectly at ease with
out being self important: he makes few
blunders and ignores those made by other
people; indeed. be is always considerate
Of cher peoples feelings. His conversa-
ton Is characterized by a gentle humor.
tinged with sarcasm. but whatever he
says gains a charm from his peculiar
may be elided, but every syllable Of
every word used is dwelt on with solemn
deliberation. He seldom argues. and
never contradicts, for to contradict Is
equivalent to "ginnin q man the lie. -
an intolerable affront which can only be
wiped out by q rife.
You are introduced to June and to the
man who means 30 much in her life At
the very rise OF the curtain. They meet
In the shadow Of the towering, whisper
ing pine, natures motif of a forest mel
ody. an idea which runs through the
play la responsive reverbeI alton. and
echo OF too low they build. who
build beneath the stars" Charlotte
Walker. barefooted in the character Of
June. and garbed in the ragged home
spun dress of a rough mountaineer's
daughter. foreshadows from the first and
greatest of all the miracles of childhood
the dawn of love and true womanhood,
but the shadow Of jealousy is thrown
across the trail when Dave. who hopes
to marry her. watches in sheer desp.ra-
ton the awakening OF her love for Jack
Eale
Step by step the story develops and
the unconscious wooing of Jack by June
sweeps onward with a freshness Of an
upland breeze: she goes to school, and
after she returns to the Cove she hears
those rumors regarding herself and Hale
ard sees the renewal of the Tolliver-
Falin feud. Her cousin Dave is accused
Of shooting Jacks partner. June. who
is in doubt as to whether Hale has been
killed by David or not, hides him IN the
bedroom. The man he did shoot Is car
ried into the cabin by June's father. and
June shows plainly her relief that it Is
not the man she loves who has been hit
hxyn h,,1I Ia nd
mards the surrender of Dave. June re-
fuses to disclose his hiding place. and
here Eugene Walters master hand Is
apparent, when he conceives the heart
gripping scene between love and duty
June sounds forth an epic on the law Of
the family and the law of the land. and
when the wounded man denies that Dave
Is the one who shot him. both Hale and
June are thankful to him for the lie.
The reconciliation comes in the morning
and June and Hale are married by the
old Justice OF the Peace, beneath the
lonely pine. ending a romance that be-
gins at sunset and closes at sunrise.
The first and fourth acts are laid un-
der the pine at sunset and sunrise: the
second at the Gap and the third in the
heroine's mountain home. Eugene Wal
ter has condensed the time Of the un-
folding of the romance of June Tol1iver
and Jack Hale, but increased the rapid
ity of action. The first act closes with
June. the little barefoot mountain girl.
on her way to school. In the second
act she learns that Jack is not thinking
seriously of a marriage she believed to
be inevitable, and returns to the noun
tains. The third act thrills with the
love story OF June and Jack Hale and
the suppression of the feud. aided by
the awakening Of June to the difference
between the duty of love and >the duty
Of the law resulting in the reunion and
marriage of the most delightful book
characters ever conceived. in the last
act.
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