Year: 1879

Century AgO--A Romantic Story OF


the Pluck OF a Poor Boy which Pres


aged Success.


New York Times.


On cold, clustering winter day in the
year 1922, William Allen, a pale, lank
boy ofsixteen, who had been half edu
Gated IN the local schools, and who wa:
principally noticeable for his keen blue
eyes and long faxen hair, stood in one
of the streets Of Lynchburg, V. He hao
determined to leave the town and tC
seek his fortune in the distant, but ever
then thriving State of Ohio. He had d
half-sister and brother-in-law living a.
Chillicothe, in that State. They were
his only near relatives then living, anC
he had made up his mind to go to them
How the journey was best to be accom-
| plished by weak boy, who carried al
his fortune upon his back, was the ques
ton which engrossed his attention as he
stood in the streets of Lynchburg on
that lowering winter day. While be
was yet undecided he was approach ed
by young man, roughly clad in the
costume of Kentucky hog-droyer
then most familiar in Lynchburg. which
was one Of the great pork mark cts ol
the South. In spite of his rough ap-
pearance. however, there was a certain
open and honest look about the man
which at once won strangers to him,
and when he asked young Allen to show
him where he could buy some good
tobacco, the boy, without hesitation
went somewhat out of his way to do
him the service. Going toward the shop
where the purchase was to be made,
the young drover said that he had on
the evening before disposed of all the
hogs he had driven from Kentucky
had been raid his own price for them,
and that on the next day he was going
! TO set out for his home across the noun
tains.


"And how are you going to travel?"
| asked his companion, who was himself
so anxious to make a journey in the
same direction.


"Oh Pm going to tramp it," was the
cool reply.


"Going to cross the Blue Ridge on
foot IN the middle of winter"


eyes, indeed. It's much safer than
going on horseback, and doesn't cost so
much"


Allen, through the corner of his eye,
looked at his companion, measured
him from head to foot, saw that he was
thoroughly in earnest, and then said
quietly:


81 want to cross the mountains into
Ohio. l would like TO go with you.
Will you let me?"


The drover stopped for a moment,
looked at the slim figure beside him,
| laughed, and exclaimed;


"Oh, you're joking"


"No; | am in earnest. | must cross
the mountains, no matter how CO."
"You would break down the first
day." And to this William Allen,
through firm, thin lips, and looking
fearlessly into the eyes Of the other, re-
piled:
81 will not break down: | will hold up
as long as you do and longer"


The drover was convinced. He gave
the boy his hand on it, and the next
morning the pale and cherries winter
sun saw them, with knap-sack and
blanket, setting out ON this journey
across the snow-capped and almost
painless mountains OF Virginia. Twenty
eight miles they walked that day, and
spent the night in the little town Of
Liberty. On the night Of the second
day they reached the foot of the dan
gerous and dreaded Blue Ridge, and
on the morning of the third cnmmenced
the ascent. For nine hours they
pushed on, dragging themselves pain
fully through snow.drifts and over fallen
! Mt lrI q n
fell exhausted by the wayside. Young
Allen, whose indomitable will still kept
him on his blistered and burning feet,
made great fire of the dry wood which
he was fortunate enough to find IN a
mountain nook, fed his companion
and himself with the coarse fare he had
provided at the foot of the mountain,
and then having done all he could do,
he went to sleep. The night passed
quietly, and the next morning the
travellers once more set out on their
weary tramp. So they went on from
point to point, encounterlng no great
danger, but overcoming many ditficul-
ties by the way.


When they reached little place then
known as Theases Valley, twenty-one
miles from Gallipolis, the Kentuckian
left Allen with many sadly-spoken fare
wells, and went toward his home, while
the boy, with heavy heart, set out up
on his lonely walk of four hund1 ed
miles to Chillicothe. In his path there
were but few settlements, the country
was bare and desolate, the roads broken.
indist'nct, and at times entirely blotted
out with thick coverings of snow. But
in spite of all the difficulties before him,
William Allen. was not dIsmayed.
With that all-overcoming energy and
determination to succeed which in the
years that followed made him chief
man in great nation, fresh obsta cles
only nerved him to fresh trial. All
night after leaving his companion in
the mountains the brave boy walked
on. Dense woods surrounded him on
every side; often he heard the cry oi
some wild beast, his eyelids for moments
glued themselves together in sleep, but
ne came to no habitation; he dared
not lie down, for he knew that if he did
he would never again see the light oi
an earthly sun. And still, through al
that terrible night be kept on, walking
mechanically, passing over the ground
more like a machine than. human
being. When the sunlight came be
had his reward. His weary eyes were
made glad by the sight of the broad
Ohio, and on the further bank the little
town of Gailipolis. Nearing the place
however, he found that his troubles
were not yet ended. The river was
filed with huge cakes of broken ice
| which tho swollen cI1rrent rapidlv "a r.
ried down the stream. For this