The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-09-19
HOSTILE
va LEY
ITIlIIII by
lINIl Ames
IINlI WiIIions
lIiIIlII Copyright by
liIIIlII Ben Ames Williams.
tIlItIII WNU Service.
PROLOGUE
Copyright by
Ben Ames Williams.
WNU Service.


Will Bissell's store in Fraternity vii
lage is not only a store; but also II
is a social center and clearing house
for news of the countryside. After
supper, a dozen or a score of men are
likely to drop in there for the mail.
for a few dry groceries, or for moth
ing at all except the chance to listen
and to speak in turn. Jim Saladine
came down the hill from his farm on
the Ridge one spring evening and found
Chef McAusland there before him, and
Gay Hunt, and Luke Hills, and others.
too.
Chef, short and straight and vigor-
Gus despite his seventy years, was
speaking when Saladine came in a;
speaking, as he was apt to in the
spring, of fish and fishing. He greeted
Jim with a nod, and finished what he
had been saying.
You hear many a tale of big
trout from out there" he confessed,
grudgingly enough. But I'd rather eat
small trout anyway; and can catch
a good mess in the meadow brooks,
along toward dark any time"
Gay Hunt retorted with derisive
chuckle: "Just the same, there's some
thing funny about it that you never
went out there, liking to fish the way
you do"
So Saladine asked curiously: "Out
where, Gay?" He was a famous hunt
er of. the deer and of partridge and
he liked trout as well as any man.
"Carey's brook, out in Hostile VAL
ley" Gay explained. He pronounced
the word to rhyme with "smile," with
a long vowel in the second syllable.
Bart Carey was in here while ago
claimed that a man staying at his
place caught three two-pounders one
afternoon last week"
Now a two-pound trout is, for the
streams about Fraternity, unusual {;
and to catch three such monsters in
Saladine was interested, yet not i'm
mediately credulous.
I've heard such tales" he admit
ted. But 1 dunno. This Carey, he act
like a man to tell the truth?"
know him, don't your" Gay pro-
tested. Lives right there at Carey's
bridge. His pa used to take boarders,
folks that come for the fishing. After
the old man died, Bart and his brother
had a row and his brother pulled out
Bart's sister killed herself here year
ago"
Il don't know as 1 ever see him, "
Saladine confessed. Il never got out
to Hostile Valley" He chuckled faint
ly. Matter of fact, l always kind of
lodged the place. Didn't like the name
of it, l guess"
Chef McAusland said now: Il went
in there once. It's an awful hole.
Roads are bad and there's a tangle
of down timber along the brook enough
to drive you crazy and the mosquitoes
and black flies are awful. Once was
enough for me-"
Gay Hunt assented: "Me, l never
liked the sound of it." There was in
fact harsh asperity in the very name.
conjuring a picture of a countryside
inhabited by dour and silent folk who
looked askance at a stranger. How
come it to be called that in the be-
ginningT
Chef knew the answer to this ques-
ton, as he was apt to know all the
ancient lore of these hills. ut goes
back to the Sixties" he said. "They
had kind of war of their own out
there. They fit the draft and there
want ever a man from Hostile Valley
drafted at ALL"
And he continued: "Enoch was the
boss coon around there then. I've
heard my father tell 1t. He had a
farm on the ridge this side, and he
had four sons and one of 'em had
gone to South Carolina and married
down there. When the war started.
Enoch wrote him to come home and
this son-his name was Will-wouldn't
do it. SO Enoch made his other three
sons list and told 'em to go hunt IN
this brother of theirs and kill him for
a rebel; and Enoch, he tried to or.
ganize a company, out there in the
Valley. But he was kind of BULLDOG
ing about it, so folks got their back
up and wouldn't go for him nor any,
UOuy. SO lhSy hdu q iOuSu llHS VI IL
for a while"
Saladine asked gravely: did they
kill WHIP"
Chef shook his head. "The other
three sons all got killed their own
selves" he explained. "It was like il
was a judgment on Enoch. After the
war his head went queer from thinking
about ii and he'd have died on the
town, but this viii, he come home and
took gentle care of the old man till he
died" He added: wills grandson is
the one lives out there now. Names
viii, too. He's an able man."
Gay asked quickly: Amt his wife
the one :"
Chef nodded. "She's the one," he
agreed, in a heavy tone.
There was a moments hushed
pause; the same thought in all their
minds. Hubby Ferrin's fame, it was
clear, extended far. The men here in
the store exchanged sidelong glances
and then Luke Hills said in a hushed
tone:
I've see herr
81 was working in Seth Humphreys
steam mill out there" he explained.
1.-THE time Will Ferrin killed Seth for
chasing around after her. Nobody
blamed Will 1 guess Seth started it.
Anyhow, he shot Wills leg off; but
Will had hold of his throat by that
time and hung on. l helped lug Will
nm to Marm piprne's after The truck