The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1915-08-12

pSOPtS VI ASloSNi, ClNLlClI iOl NSy
spent there brings one in contact
with good, substantial men and wo-
men. But their environment is dil-
ierent, and consequently they are
different.
The people OF the OZarks have
been ibelsd, Some OF them are bad,
just ss some people in better sections
Of country are bad, but for the most
part they are folks not TO be ashamed
OF. They are years ahead Of the peo'
pie oI the mountain sections Of Ken
lucky and Tennessee, II ever
they learn to make the hills produce
good crops and If they ever get the
school advantages other parts oI Mis-
souri, have-there will come a new era
in the lives oI the people who reside
in the Missouri counties that border
Arkansas.
Most Of the rural homes are log
cabins and pretty substantial, COM
Portable dwelling places they are, too.
ride across country from Hollister TO
Marble Cave takes one through the
Shepherd Of the Hills" country.
Only one frame house is passed on the
trip, after leaving the railroad. The
route goes by the jim Lane cabin, by
the Matthews cabin, by Sammy's
Lookout and around Dewey Bald.
Many OF the characters in the book are
real, living Ozark mountain people,
but, strange 10 tell, few OF them live
now where they lived when the book
was written. Old Matt, who in real
life IS named Ross, has moved from
his cabin home TO CARRIER, on the rail-
road, and is postmaster Of ihe hamlet.
Jim Lanes cabin is occupied by an
Illinois photographer, who says he
bought the place in the hope that he
would get rich through the develop
ment ol lead veins supposed to be on
it. Young Matt is in California with
Harold Bell Wright, the author Of the
story. Sammy Lane, the heroine Of
the yarn, is composite Of three young
women-one Of whom had beauty,
another exceptional intelligence, and
the other a saddle pony-all residents
Of the section.
Marble Cave is one Of Missouri's
greatest natural wonders. It is said
to be second in size only 10 Mammoth
Cave. A Canadian named Lynch
owns it and acts as guide for those
who visit it. One Of the pleasures
Of trip to the cave is visiting with
the owner. He lives in a log cabin
that is cared lor by two daughters,
and that is as honey and neat as any
Fulton residence. He has travelled
the world over, almost, reads and
speaks French. and conyerses with the
ease and grace Of an habitual traveller.
On his porch is a comfortable ham
mock and table that contains mum
Der Of late magazines, and while you
turn the pages Of one Of them, waiting
for his daughters to prepare a lunch
for you, he tells you Of the difference
between stalagmites and stalactites.
The lunch is perfect in its simplicity
and cleanliness and is eaten with an
appetite shorpened by a twelve mile
drive over mountain roads and trails.
That ride! Most Of the road is
rock. It goes up and down hill and
winds around the knobs it does not
ascend. Every loot Of it has a jolt in
it, and when the end Of the journey
is reached hands and muscles are sore
from holding 10 the wagon seat to
prevent being thrown out. The worst
Of it is that good roads cannot be
built, because rains wash out the holes
as fast as they can be filled. For
every bump on the road, however,
there is compensation, because every
turn Of the wagon wheel brings new
and beautiful scene TO delight the
eye. 1t takes superlatives to tell
about the Ozark scenery-and their
use is liberty (better, license) not
granted men who make their living
writing for newspapers.
Adjectives and superlatives also are