Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-10-30
THE FIGHTING PLACE.

couldn't sleep and was sittin' afore the
fire bakin' her pore jaw. A course |
couldn't sleep neither. me KNOWN that
she couldn't; and so was sittin' afore
the fire too. All OF student we heerd
somebody holler in front o. the house.
gifts 10 my feet and goes to the door, a
wonderin' who it could be that was out
a ramblin' around at that time O. night.
Plain in cold, still moonlight | seen the
figger of a tall man in solid black, who
was standin' jest beyaut the gate. He
had cyarpetbag in one hand, and his
hat in tother.
Brother" says he, "could you take
a feller in ? Pears like" he goes on.
"l've lost my way"
"Why Shore" says, "come right on
in. Never mind the dogs: they won't
bite good man."
w-I'm afear ed hain't sech power
full good man," says the stranger sort O.
pitiful like as he comes walkin up at
ween the rows O. dead mirigolds. "But, "
he adds, "I'll risk the dogs, anyhow"
"My names Grandpap Moreland," |
says when he gifts in the house.
"My names John Falway," says he,
and we shakes hands.
Ny wife she sdles around. and makes
plenty OF room afore the fire. took
Railways hat and cyarpetbag, ierked up
a chair, and axed him TO sit down, which
he done. My wife she then axed the
stranger if he'd had supper. He'd done
ct, he said, down thar at the store in
the valley.
As soon as I'd got good look at Fall
ways features knowed that thar was a
secret connected with his life. His lean
face was pale with the paleness OF worry,
his brown eyes had sort Of way-off
expression, and his mouth was sad.
reckon he thought by me lookin' at him
so hard that was expeCtin' him 10 give
a account O. hisself; for he done it-in a
way.
"'m on my road TO Flintstone HoIler, I"
he says, "whar Pm goin TO sarve the
Lord in capacity OF minister OF the
gospel"
"Flintstone HoIlerW | exclaimS.
"Why. man, that's several good miles 10
the north O. here. You shore have lost
yore way, Pm thinkin'. Say" | axes,
"have you ever been to Flintstone Hol-
ler ?"
"Well, no." says Falway; "but I've
heard that they hain't got no preacher
over thar, and | thought I'D 60 over thar
and build meetin' house for to worship
in, and fill its pulpit You see," he con-
tinues, al can with work my hands as
we'll aS.with my mouth"
"No," tells him, they hain't got no
preacher thar. But can shore say with
truth that they need one-or somebody
who can make 'em quit their everlastin'
fightin. Why" says, "thar's a fight
over thar mighty nigh every dayl You
see," explains, "four carnations O. The
RaineSes lives on one side O. the holler,
and four gen'rations O. the Barlows lives
on t'other side; and them thar two sets
is into il thick all the time. 1t begun, I've
heerd, with the close o. the Civil War.
If somethin' happens to Barlow-why.
il was Raines who done il; and same
on t'other side. The only good feature
o. their battlin'," goes on, ''is that they
don't use no weepons-and that's acause
they like TO fight so well that they want
it TO last"
Falway he looked hard and frownin'
toward the fire. and didn'tmake no COM
ment. But could see that what I'd told
him about the Flintstoners had put him to
My wife she then fixed the bed in our
spare room and axed Falway if he want
ed to 90 to sleep. He said he did, and
went. And as me and my wife we had
always been used 10 yisitin' preachers a
sayin' bedtime pra'rs we was shore made
to wonder at this man not doin' it.
The next mornin' after he'd e't FalwaY
he offered 10 pay us for keepin' him all
night; but when we seen how slim his
purse was-why, we thought we'd better
not take any money from him. We
wouldn't a thought OF it, nohow, if II
hadn't been that he hadn't made no
move towards holdin' bedtime pra'rs.
Then he thanked us and told us goodby,
picked up his cyarpetbag, and set out
acrost the mountains in the direction o.
Flintstone Holler.
"Pap," says my wife TO me as the stran-
gers tigger was swallered up amongst
the laurels, "that thar feller hain't no
more preacher than am. STILL" says
she, al somehow CANT believe that he's a
bad man."
"Old wife," says !, "yore Judgment is
always good" And with that ! lights
my pipe and makes for the barn to feed
and water my oxens, which same was
mooin' and a takin' on like they hadn't
had nothin' to eat nor drink sence they
was borned.
Well, preacher or no preacher. the Rev.
Iohn FaIway he went to Flintstone Holler,
a gittin' thar about the middle o. the
mornin'. He walked up the crlck that
flowed at the bottom o. the two big
mountainsides, Iookin' for some sign o.
human life. The cabins, you understand,
was out o. his view on account o. the
trees and laureIs. And he didn't have no
idee that thar was a dozen or so rifles
within fifty yards OF him, all of 'em cock
ed and waitin' for him to do somethin'
that would mark him as a reyenuer.
And as he walked on up the creek he
come TO dead level spot about a hun