The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-11-27

Sill and limp; no ghost Of breeze
found Its way down there to stir them
Into movement or whisper. Banks OF
r rhododendrou. breaking into foam Of
bloom. gave the seeming Of green and
white capped waves arrested and So
hdined by some sudden paralysis of
nature. Sound itself appeared dead,
save for hushed minors that only ac-
centuated the stiffness of the Cumber.
land forest.
Now. as evening sent her warning
with gathering shadows that began to
TURK In the valleys, two mounted fig.
ures made no sound either. save when
q hoof splashed on a slippery surface
or saddle-leather creaked under the
patient scramhling OF their animals.
In front rode battered mountain
eer astride O rusty. brown mule.
The second figure came some yards
behind. carefully following In tho
others wake on mule which limped.
This, second mule bore q woman, rid
Ing astride. She was a young woman,
and IL Just now her slender shoulders
also dropped little. still even in
their droop they limited at q gallant
grace of carriage.
Ine girl was very slender and,
though conveyed by the drab mission.
airy. Good Anse" Talbot, riding
astride a lame mount and accoutered
with saddlebags and blanket-rcll, her
clothes were not of mountain calico.
but OF good fabric, skillfully tailored,
and she carried her head erect.
lndubitably this was q "furriner: ="
q woman from the other world Of
down below" But who was she, and
why had she come? AS to that, word
had gone ahead OF her and been duly
reported to the one man who knew
things hereabout; who made II a point
to know things. and whose name stocd
a. challenge to innovation In the
mountains.
When at morning she had started
out from the shack town at the end
OF the rails, bad Anse" Havey's In,
formers had ridden not far behind her
Later they had pushed ahead and re.
iAyed their message 10 their chief.
She had often heard the name OF
BAD Anse Havey. The yellow press or
Tie state. and even Of tho uaticn. was
fond Of using II. Whenever to the law
less mountains came q fresh upblazing
OF feudal hatred ana blood was let, II
was customary to say that the affair
bore the earmarks Of Bad Anse's In.
element. Certain IL was that in his
own territory this man was overlord
and dictator.
Like one OF the untamable eagles
that circled the windy crests of his
mountains. he had watched with ewes
that could gaze unhlinking into the
sun oil men who cane and went
through the highlands where his aerie
perched. Those whom he hated. un.
less they. too. werc OF the eagle breed,
'nerce and resourceful and strong of
talon. could not remain there.
. This slender young woman, astride
q mule. was coming as the aycwed
outrider OF a new order. She meant
To make war on the whole fabric Of
filiteracy and squalid ignorance which
lay intrenched here. Consequently her
arrival would interest Bad Anse Ha-
vey.
Once. when they had stopped by a
wayside mill TO let their mules pant at
the water trough. she had caught a
scrap II conversation that was not
meant for her ears; n scrap iaughingly
tossed from bearded lip to bearded
lip among the hickory-shirted loiter.
ers at the mill door.
Reckon thet thar's the fotched.in
woman what aims ter start a school
over on the head OF Tritulation."
drawled one native. IL heard tell CT
her t'other day"
With a somewhat derisive laugh an.
other had contributed:
"Mebby she haint talked thet pro-
jeck over with Bad Anse yit. Hit
mought be a right good idee fer thet
gal ter go on back down below, wnar
she b1ongs at"
The girl was thinking OF all this
now as she rode In the wake of her
silent escort.
In q moment OF almost cringing de-
spair she wished indeed that she were
back thar down below whar she
b1onged at"
Then, almcst fercely. drawing back
her aching shoulders, she cast her
eyes about on the darkening scere
and raised her voice In anxious I'm.
quiry: How much farther do we have
to ger"
The man riding ahead did not turn
his face. hut flung his answer ara.
thetically backward over his shoulder:
We got 70 keep rlcat on till we cones
ter a dweilin'hcuso. In aircin' fer
old nan Fietch McNashs cabin q
leetle tier rise Of mile frur hyar.
low rne5by he mought shelter US