Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-02-19
WeGAlldfhe
C(lMBER[ANDS
~ CHARLES NEVILLE BUCk
wiTH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM. .Pi;1I( PiOlIQGaRtsA1Pf u \
CE SCENES IN THE PLAY @SI @S2rIfS&EEaHr S&EHrs sSa,is'U

"I think ye had ought 10 60 sam
son..
The boy was astonished. He hat
avoided the subject for fear of her op
position-and tears.
Then, slowly, she went on:
There hain't nothin' in these here
hills fer We, Samson. Down thar, yei
see lots Of things thot's new-an CIVIL
lied an beautiful! Yell see lots O
gals thet ken read an write, gal:
dressed up in all kinds of fancy nix
ms" Her glib words ran out ane
ended in a sort Of inward gasp.
Compliment came hardly and awk'
wardly to Samsons lips. He reached
for the girls hand, and whispered:
II reckon / won't see no gals thet's
as purity as you be, Sally. l reckon W
knows, whether goes or stays, were
again ter git married.
Size drew her hand away, anc
laughed, a little bitterly. In the las'
day, she had ceased to be a child, ane
became a woman with all the soul
aching possibilities Of a woman's in
tuitions.
Samson" she said, Il hain't askin
We ter make me no promises. Wher
We sees them other gals-gals tibet ker
read an write-I reckon mebby vel
think different. 1 can't hardly spell
out printin' in the fust reader"
Her lovers voice was scornful Of the
imagined dangers, as recruit may pe
of the battle terrors-before he has
been under fire. He slipped his arm
about her and drew her over to him.
Honey" he said, we needn't fret
about thet. Readin' an writin' can,
make no difference fer woman
Hits mighty important fer man, but
you're a gal.'
You're a-goin' ter think diff'rent at
ter awhile" she insisted. When ye
goes, I hain't a-goin' ter be expectin
We ter come back But'-the
resolution in her voice for a moment
quavered as she added-'but GOO
L
Sally" The boy rose, and paced
up and down in the road. Air ye
goin' ter be aginst me, too? Don't ye
see that / wants ter have chanst
Can't ye trust me? I jest a-tryin
to amount to something. I'm plumb
tired of bein' ornery an no count"
She nodded.
I've done told ye," she said, wearily
tibet l thinks ye ought ter do hit
Lescott and Samson discussed the
matter frequently. At times the boy
was obstinate in his determination tc
remain; at other times he gave way
to the yearnings for change and op-
portunity.
The dance on Saturday was to be
something more portentous than a
mere frolic. It would be clan gath
ering to which the South adherents
would come riding up and down Mis-
ery and it's tributaries from nigh
about" and over yon." From fore
noon until after midnight, shuttle, JIG
and fiddling would hold high, if rough
carnival. But, while the younger folk
abandoned themselves to these diver
sions, the grayer heads would gather
in more serious conclave. Jesse Purvy
had once more beaten back DEATH
and his mind had probably been de-
vising, during those bed-ridden days
and nights, plans of reprisal. Accord
ing to current report, Purvy had an
nounced that his would-be assassin
dwelt on Misery, and was marked
down." So, there were obvious ext
gencies which the Souths must pre-
pare to meet In particular, the clar
must thrash out to definite under
standing the demoralizing report tina,
Samson South, their logical leader
meant to abandon them lat a crisis
when war clouds were thickening.
The painter had finally resolved tc
cut the GorGian knot, and leave the
mountains. He had trained on Sam
son to the last piece Of his artillery o1
argument. The case was now submit
ted with the suggestion that the DO!
take three months to consider, ano
that, if he decided affirmatively, he
should notify Lescott in advance of his
coming. He proposed sending Samson
a small library Of carefully pickeo
books, which the mountaineer eagerly
agreed to devour in the interval.
Lescott consented, however, to re-
main over Saturday, and go to the
dance, since he was curious to observe
what pressure was brought to beai
on the boy, and to have himself fina
word Of argument after kinsmen ha6
spoken.
Saturday morning came after night
Of torrential rain, which had left the
mountains steaming under a reek OF
fog and pitching clouds.
But, as the morning wore on, the
sun fought it's way to view in scraI
of overhead blue. From log cabins
and plank houses up and down Misery
and it's tributaries, men and women be-
gan their hegira toward the mill. Les
colt rode in the wake of Samson, who
had Sally on a pillow ut his back
They came before noon to the mouth
of Dryhole creek, and the house OF
Vile McCager. Already. the picket
fence was lined with tethered horses
and mules.
From the interior of the house came
the sounds of fiddling, though these
strains of Turkey in the Straw were
only by way of prelude. Lescott felt
though he could not say just what con
crete thing told him, that under the
shallow note of merry making broodeo
the major theme of troublesome
problem. The seriousness was belo"
the surface, but insiStently depressing
He saw. too, that he himself was miXec
up with it in a fashion, which might
become dangerous. when a few jug:
of white liquor had been emptied.
While the young persons danced
and "sparked" within, and the more
truculent lads escaped to the road tc
pass the Jug and forecast with youth