Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-06-12

THE Nashville Banner has a very
interesting department, edited by X.
A. Wilson, entitled "Fins, Furs and
Feathers, aud Saturday it contained
the following we'll written article con
corning the beauties of Little Sequat-
chic river, which Is so we'll known to
manipulators of the rod and reel.
Editor Fins. Furs and Feathers:
Forty long years had been cherish
ing the hope of fishing in Little Sc
quatchie River / had heard 30 much
of the classic beauty of its environ
ment, of its blue depths of cold spring
water and the consequent fighting
quality of its fish, that I used to
dream about the fierce contests l was
to have under these ideal conditions.
at is Just over the mountain.
and almost any time will do; next
fall will be a fine time to go over
there, and between strikes battle my
soul in all the glories of Indian sum
mer. Thus l reasoned about it, and
in the autumn would match the at
fractions of spring against the fading
light with the result, one more post
ronement.
And it is not always easy to get
over the mountain" as even very
small "mole hill' presents difficulties
sometimes At any rate, did not get
there while all those years rolled by.
Vaulting ambition lured me many
times to far distant waters, but
through all that period had a feel
ing, which Amounted to absolute GER
tainty, that some time l would cast
my line over Little Sequatchie, and l
have just now returned from that long
thought of expedition.
As this charming bit of water lies
cover the mountain" from most of
your readers, probably they are not
familiar with it, and would enjoy
picture and word of description. OF
course. there is "Big Sequatchie"
and a valley by that name drained by
the larger stream, and there is the lit
tie town of Sequatchie, but we are I'M
mediately concerned with none of
these, except that the town is the
point on the Pikeville branch OF the
Nashville, Chattanooga & st. Louis
Railway, where we embarked on our
way to Fairy Land. A team with
driver is requisitioned in short order,
rs night is drawing on, and we have
couple of miles to drive. We are soon
bowling along towards our little river,
as it passes near the town, but pres
emily we swing away to the left, and
are destined not to see the stream un-
til we are quite mile and half
from town. And was so glad of that
swing. / think if had first seen the
river passing under the railroad
bridge, there would have been no
charm to it, all the glamour of ro-
nance would have fadeu away.
AS it was. we came upon the little
beauty very much as my fond fancy
had pictured it many, many times ov-
err. Twas in that quiet time of after
glow, when the world is filled with a
mystic radiance. and only music is
heard, music of which the dominant
nota is the silvery vesper song of the
hermit thrush.
On every hand a pink and white
glow came alternately from where the
different shades of wild azalea were
blooming in great profusion, while the
violets and the wild iris mingled their
purple tones in friendly rivalry. And
over all the soft light came filtering
down through a tender fabric of new !
beech leaves Those trees alone were
worth going long way to see. Let
me say, in this little aside, that the !
man who has not special admiration
for the baby leaves of the beech is
surely lacking in an important ele- ,
ment the aesthetic sense is left out of
his system, and be is so hopelessly in
artistic as to be impossible And such
is the setting for the little gem of a
river
The road is bearing away to the
right, and I am watchful and expect
ant when, of a sudder, through the
pink of the azaleas / catch gleam of
blue water. aud my right arm goes
ont and gathers in the reins and we
stop at the very brink of Little Sc
quatchie River Probably the driver
is still wondering why took the
reins, why / gazed SO steadily, and
why / had nothing to say in the pres
ence of the little river, about which
we had so much to say before reach
ing it. Oh, well, let as hope his
will understand it,
WHAT beheld was an expanse of
deep blue water, probably one hundred
feet wide and reaching away to right
and left unbroken by ripple as far rs
we could see. I had not noticed until |
now how the mountains had bsen clos
ing in on us as we advanced IN Coz
piDger's Cove, but there trey were, 50
lose that their beetling bluffs were
fairly traced on the blue water, and