The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-23
Plaintive Music From
Rogue's Ferry
By CHARLES SLOAN REID

been a passenger made II necessary
for me to stop over at CorDlns
place at the foot of YOnah. | eX-
planned my situation to Corbin, and
he agreed that his son, a lad
of eighteen, should drive me over
in a buggy. The distance was ten
miles; and as there would be full
moon in the sky, the driving was
not to be disagreeable.
We had gone halfway down the
mountainSide when a new SOUND
fell upon our ears. | caused young
Corbin to stop his mule at an ad-
vantageOuS point not far above the
river bank, in order that | might
hear the sweet, plaintive notes OF
violin which seemed to ride the
atmosphere in little ripples. The
motif seemed compounded of sad
ness and sorrow. 1t was native
mountain air that the fiddler was
playing. and it was full of the most
liquid sweetness.
"It's the fiddler of Rogue's
Ferry Corbn volunteered.
"The fiddler of Rogue's Ferry"
| became interested at once.
"Yeah. Hits Old Man Jonas Par
sOns-he goes down there to the
rock every full moon, an plays
Them old tunes
And why every full moon?"
We'll. yuh see, his sweetheart
was drowned down there some sixty
years ago"
so there is story about itP
81 reckon. Old Ephriam Mulkey
he was Ann Mulkey's daddy
kept the ferry that time He had
got rheumatic; an Ann. she done
most o the putin over. Thar was
a rope acrost 'twixt two big pop
lars; an they pulled the fat over
by the rope. They said Ann Mulkey
was the likeliest lOOkin' gal in
moren three counties-an' Jonas
Parsons was her feller. They was
jest about to marry, reckon, when
somethin' happened"
had Corbin stop the mule
again, for ] wanted to hear those
plaintive strains while l heard the
| fiddler's story.
"And something happened?" l re-
| peated after him.
"Yeah. One night two fellers
come by Old Man Mulkey's an they
was in a powerful hurry to get
acrost the river. The old man had
| been TUX that day WI the rheuma-
tlz. an couldn't ha' pulled a mite.
! SO Ann had to put the fellers over.
Both of 'em rid good hosses. They
hadn't more'n time to git acrost the
river afore two more fellers called
at Mulkey's. The old man told 'em
| that Ann was down at the river
a putin some folks acrost. 'Them's
the very chaps we're arter.' one o.
the men told Mulkey. I'm the
sheriff an them fellers are boss
thieves. They beat up a man an
tux his hosses back here about
twenty mile The sheriff an his
men struck out for the river.
"'We'll git 'em purity soon,' he
4 said. But they didn't git 'em. Stead
d O. that, they found the fat clean
gone, an the rope was trailin' down
| the stream. Ann was nowhere to
he seen. They had to git boat
furder down the river to git across
in; an when they got over they
seed that the rogues had cut the
big rope. while Ann was pullin'
\ back, | reckon. SOS them that was
arter 'em couldn't cross. Hit was
| full-moon night when all thet
happened. them sixty years ago (;
an Ann Mulkey's body waren't
ever found. The crossin' down
4 thar's been called 'Rogue's Ferry
ever sence.
"Jonas Parsons was clean flabber-
gasted at what had happened. He
moped for two days, then he got
him a pair O. guns. an went to hunt
them rogues. They said Jonas was
gone two months or more. Then
he come back one day; an folks
asked him eff he got EN- He amt
said as he did or he didn't; but
thar was some as knowed that he
got on their trail.
"Jonas an Ann had set on that
rock down by the river many an
many night in the moonlight, and
he played all O. thom old tunes for
her on the fiddle; 50 when he
come back he got to goin' down
thar an playin' 'em, every full
moon He vowed as how Ann was
listenin' from a rock cave under
the water"
"And you mean that Jonas has
kept this up for sixty years?"
"Yeah. Never misses a full moon
an he's around eighty now, l
reckon. Some say as how he's
crazy, but | don't know. He says
he'll go to Ann sometime down in
! the rock cave"
/ put out my hand toward Corbin
to enjoin silence. What new sweet
ness suddenly had come into the
music? 1t filled my soul with it's
strange plea. Now, as swiftly, came
another change. From the plaintive
strains which had poured forth,
there was quick flight of wild and
brilliant crescendo, a rhapsody Of
the most joyous noting. I clutched
young COrbin's arm. At that instant
the music broke off in the midst
of it's most climatic ecstasy. When
the echo had died away, all was
still except for the roar of the
river.
"Somethin's happened to Jonas"
declared COrbin, climbing out of