The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-05-24

Nancy's
Hill-Billy

By N r. MecRATH


q. 1871, Western Newspaper UnioA)
The hill-bfly rode slowly down the
decline toward the valley, his F1ne
across. his shoulder. his hand gather
ing the reihs Of his scrubby nag into
Z loose bunch.
It was very DARK, and this wal
! well, for he was entering upon dan
gerous territory--the Tremletts'. The
Tremletts would not hesitate to shoot
at any hil1-billy found prowling round
their preserves.
! They had been hill-billies them
/ selves, until the race produced old
Abraham Tremlett, who went down
from the mountains, established his
hardware store in Jex Crossing, and
became q settled citizen and built q
~clapboarded house upon the outskirts.
A strange atayistic reversion to the
habits of settled forbears in England,
fabout the time Of the Pilgrims. The
offspring Of those sturdy rebels were
scattered In log cabins among a hun
dred glens.
Each of them, when he reached man
hood, left the parental cabin and went
forth to a neIghboring mountain,
cleared a little patch for corn, built
his log shack, set up his home-ham-
mered still, and found a wife some
where.
But wives were few and Tar be-
tween So many Of the girls had gone
into the towns to work In the cotton
mills; they stayed there and married.
and what girl In the towns would look
at a hill-billyf
The hillbilly was thinking Of the
blue eyes Of the girl he had seen q
month before In Jex Crossing, when
he had ridden tn to trade corr for q
new saddle. He was proud OF his
saddle. 1t had great wooden stir
rups and shone like 'pigskin, though It
was only calf. The hill-billy had
built his home. set up his still.
He was thinking Of her. She had
smiled at him, where other girls turned
their heads scornfully aside. "Only
a hill-hilly." He had often heard the
phrase.
There was bad blood between the
Tremletts and the hill-billies. They
knew the Tremletts had been Of their
own stock.
In her room In the Tremletts' house
Nancy Tremlett tossed re~stlessly and
thought OF the gray eyes OF the man
whom she had seen riding into Jex
Crossing.
She was only eighteen, but girls
marry young In the South, and two
men wanted her, She did not like
either OF them, but what is one to do?
Girls are expected to marry.
One was Cy Broome. the son Of her
fathers partner In the hardware store
Her father favored him. The other
Lew Kent, the sheriff. who had
sworn to drive the m%oonshine business
out Of Jex county. He vas q tall
lean man Of forty. Her father was
not in favor OF him. but he was infiu-
entail; in q away 1t was q bigger match
than with Cy Broome.
So Nancy tossed ~restlessly In her
bed and thought Of the hill-billy. She
pictured the life In the hills, the wild,
the glory OF dawn and sunset. and
the man she loved beside her.
There was an atavistic element In
her blood, too but It was the longing
for the wild her forbears had known.
A sound beneath her window sent
Der covering to the shelter Of the
When she looked up again
she saw, framed In the window. the
face Of the hill-billy.
With a great effort she concealed
her fears. This man could mean her
no harm. "What Is IT. Go awayi"
Il got z horse outside. Ell you'll
come with me we kin make Parsons
daylight
THE blood Of q thousand ances-
taken by capture stirred her.
"Wait a minute" she said.
Fearfully she dressed herself and
went to the window. Beneath It the
lill-billy sat on his scrubby nag. He
ups otACtCAfCu Out Iu6 oIA16v 1
Nancy, like a hill GIRL went down
he vines. In q moment she was
up In front OF him. and his
rms were about her.
It was growing light. A lantern
Nancy heard her fathers
rowling voice, shouts, the discharge
II Z shotgun: They, were cantefing
oward the hills. now.
Il guess they'll! get Lew Kent by the
said Nancy.
It was growing quite light when
hey neared Parsons Cap Along
he road that forks into the trail q
before It three horsemen were
iding. They signalcd them simulta.
and spurredf their horses.
In the dim dawn the rivals raced
or the gap.l The hin won. with
hundred yards to spare. He turned
nd waved q hand derisively.
In another moment the scrubby nag
1as plungings along the trail among
he rhododendron thickets, where,
Grub that he was, he could outdis-