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- margin:auto; } - div.innerbox { text-align:center; border:3px solid black; width:98%; } - .quote { font-size: 95%; margin-top: 1.0em; margin-bottom: 1.0em; } - .linegroup .group { margin: 0em auto; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Allegheny Episodes, by Henry Wharton Shoemaker - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Allegheny Episodes - Folk Lore and Legends Collected in Northern and Western - Pennsylvania, Vol XI. Pennsylvania Folk Lore Series - -Author: Henry Wharton Shoemaker - -Release Date: November 30, 2017 [EBook #56094] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALLEGHENY EPISODES *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, ellinora and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Transcriber’s Note:</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The illustrations have been re-positioned slightly to avoid falling -within a paragraph.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s <a href='#endnote'>note</a> at the end of this text -for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered -during its preparation.</p> - -<div class='htmlonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated using an <ins class='correction' title='original'>underline</ins> -highlight. Placing the cursor over the correction will produce the -original text in a small popup.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='epubonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will navigate the -reader to the corresponding entry in the corrections table in the -note at the end of the text.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c002'>INDEX</h2> -</div> -<hr class='c003' /> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='88%' /> -<col width='11%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'> </td> - <td class='c005'><span class='small'>Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Foreword</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_3'>3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Introduction</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_5'>5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Tulliallan</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>At His Bedside</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_31'>31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Prostrate Juniper</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_40'>40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Out of the Ashes</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_51'>51</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Wayside Destiny</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_64'>64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Holly Tree</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_77'>77</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Second Run of the Sap</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_96'>96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Black Chief’s Daughter</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_108'>108</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Gorilla</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_122'>122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Indian’s Twilight</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_135'>135</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Hugh Gibson’s Captivity</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_147'>147</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Girty’s Notch</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_161'>161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Poplar George</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Black Alice Dunbar</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_186'>186</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Abram Antoine, Bad Indian</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_199'>199</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Do You Believe in Ghosts?</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_219'>219</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>A Stone’s Throw</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_234'>234</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Turning of the Belt</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_247'>247</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Riding His Pony</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_265'>265</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Little Postmistress</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_271'>271</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Silent Friend</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_290'>290</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>The Fountain of Youth</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_298'>298</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>Compensations</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_310'>310</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>A Misunderstanding</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_326'>326</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>A Haunted House</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#Page_339'>339</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_002.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>OUTPOSTS OF THE ALLEGHENIES. (Photograph by W. H. Rau.)<br />Frontispiece</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='box'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c006'>Allegheny Episodes</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>Folk Lore and Legends Collected in</div> - <div>Northern and Western Pennsylvania</div> - <div class='c000'><i>By</i> HENRY W. SHOEMAKER</div> - <div class='c000'>Volume XI Pennsylvania Folk Lore Series</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_title.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='small'>“The country east of the Mississippi was inhabited by a very -powerful nation. * * * Those people called themselves Alligewi. -* * * The Allegheny River and Mountains have been -named after them. * * * The Lenni-Lenape still call the -river Alligewi Sipu, the river of the Alligewi, but it is generally -known by its Iroquois name–Ohe-Yu–which the French had literally -translated into La Belle Riviere, The Beautiful River, -though a branch of it retains the ancient name Allegheny.”</span></p> -<div class='c007'><span class='small'>–John Heckewelder.</span></div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA</div> - <div>Published by the Altoona Tribune Company</div> - <div>1922</div> - <div>Copyright: All Rights Reserved.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/unionlabel.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span> - <h2 class='c002'><i>Foreword</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The author tells me that I was his discoverer, -and that without a discoverer we cannot do anything. -Very true; one American author had to -write till he was forty-eight, and then be discovered in -Japan. Henry W. Shoemaker was discovered nearer -home, and by a humbler scholar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In my last foreword I emphasized the value of -folk-lore. Its significance grows upon me with age. -I have now come to regard it as a kind of appendix -to Scripture. Outside of mere magic, an abuse of -correspondences, as Swedenborg calls it, there is in -folk-lore a digest of the spiritual insight of the plain -people. It also contains actual facts boiled to rags. -For instance, in 1919 the dying Horace Traubel saw -in vision his life-long idol, Walt Whitman, and the -apparition was also seen by Colonel Cosgrave, who felt -a shock when it touched him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The flimsy modern paper whereon the scientific -account of this is printed will soon perish, and then -there will be nothing left but loose literary references -and memories to witness that it happened. Any skeptic -can challenge these, and the apparition will become -folk-lore. As it is in its scientific setting in the Journal -of the American Society for Psychical Research for -1921, it is a side light on the Transfiguration. For -if Whitman appeared to Traubel in 1919, and Swedenborg -appeared to Andrew Jackson Davis in 1844, why -should not the great predecessors of Christ appear also -to him?</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>Such is the value of folk-lore, and for this reason -the Armenian Church did well to attach an appendix of -apocrypha to the Holy Gospel. In such a document as -the uncanonical Gospel of “Peter” (this was not one -of the Armenian selections, but it ought to have been, -in spite of the fact that the Mother Church of Syria -had suppressed it) the life of Christ is seen in a dissolving -view, blending with the folk-lore of the time; -and let us hope that some day this valuable piece of -ancient thought will be printed with the New Testament -instead of some of the unimportant matter that -too often accompanies it.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in16'><span class='sc'>Albert J. Edmunds.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Historical Society of Pennsylvania</span>,</div> - <div class='line in11'>Philadelphia, March 1, 1921.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c002'><i>Introduction</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It is a good thing to make resolves, but a better -thing, once having made them, to keep them. On -two previous occasions the compiler of the present -volume has stated his resolve in prefaces to issue <a id='corrv.5'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='no no'>no</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_v.5'><ins class='correction' title='no no'>no</ins></a></span> -more books of the kind, but has gone ahead and -prepared more. Probably the motive that brought into -existence the first volume can be urged in extenuation -for the eleventh, namely, the desire to preserve the -folk-lore of the Pennsylvania Mountains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The contents of the present volume, like its predecessors, -were gathered orally from old people and -others, and written down as closely as possible to the -verbal accounts. In order to escape ill feeling, as in -the case with the earlier volumes, some names of persons -and places, and dates have been changed. This -has been done with the greatest reluctance, and only -where absolutely necessary. The characters are real -persons, and most of them appear under their rightful -names. Many of the legends or incidents run counter -to the accepted course of history, but tradition is preserved -for what it is worth, and the reader can draw -his own conclusions. While some of these tales end -unhappily, the proportion is not greater than in life -as we know it, and the general ascendency of right -over wrong shines through the gloomiest passages. -Life could not exist, or the world go on, unless the -majority of events ended fortuitously; it is that happy -preponderance which makes “hope spring eternal,” and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>is so often rewarded by a realization of the heart’s -desire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The various phases of the supernatural in the -ensuing pages depicts probably a more normal condition -of our relationship with the unseen world than the -crude and clumsy mediumship found in the big cities, -and may present a rational explanation of life “behind -the dark curtain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There is certainly a spiritual life, and a purely -spiritual God, and all the events of the soul are regulated -by divine laws, which have only too frequently -been confused with the physical life so subject to -chance and reversion back to chaos.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The origins of Pennsylvania folk-lore seem to the -writer like a happy blending of Indian and European -elements which would have gradually, had backwoods -conditions continued, developed into a definitely Pennsylvanian -mythology. The fact that the writer had so -many more legends in form of notes, which otherwise -would have been mislaid and come to nothing, prompted -him to break his resolve and prepare the present volume. -And, for good or ill, he has many more, dealing -with other parts of the State. What shall be their -fate? Are they worthy of perpetuation as folk-lore? -Apart from the general idea of preserving legendary -matter for future generations, there is the added reason -that the heroic lines of some of the characters appealed -to him, and, to save them from the oblivion of the -“forgotten millions,” their careers have been herein -recorded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Probably one-half of the stories were told to the -compiler by one lady–Mrs. W. J. Phillips, of Clinton -County--who spent some of her girlhood days, many -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>years ago, on the Indian Reservations in Pennsylvania -and southwestern New York.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Professor J. S. Illick, Chief of the Bureau of -Research of the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry, -is due thanks for securing many of the illustrations. -Four of the chapters–Nos. IX, XV, XXI, -XXII–are reprinted from the compiler’s historical -brochure, “Penn’s Grandest Cavern,” and the first -chapter, “Tulliallan,” was published in the “Sunbury -Daily”; otherwise none of the chapters of this book -have hitherto appeared in print.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Persons interested in more intimate details concerning -the origins and characters of the various tales -will be cheerfully accommodated “for private circulation -only.” Like James Macpherson of “Ossian,” -it can be said “the sources of information are open -to all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The compiler hopes that through this book a more -general interest in the Pennsylvania folk-lore can be -created; its predecessors have missed achieving this, -but there is always that hope springing afresh to “Godspeed” -the newest volume. No pretense at style of -literary workmanship is claimed, and the stories should -be read, not as romances or short stories, but as a -by-product of history–the folk-lore, the heart of the -Pennsylvania mountain people. With this constantly -borne in mind, a better understanding and appreciation -of the meanings of the book may be arrived <a id='corrvii.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='at'>at.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_vii.28'><ins class='correction' title='at'>at.</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>The kindly reception accorded to the previous volumes, -and also to “North Pennsylvania Minstrelsy” -by the press and by a small circle of interested readers, -if equalled by the present volume will satisfy the compiler, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>if his ambitions for a wider field of usefulness -are not to be realized.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To those of press and public who have read and -commented on the earlier volumes go the compiler’s -gratitude, and to them he commends this book, the -tales of which have had their origins mostly along -the main chain of the Allegheny Mountains and on -the western watershed. Sincere thanks are due -to Miss Mary E. Morrow, whose intelligence and -patience in transcribing the manuscripts of this and -the majority of the earlier volumes of the series has -had much to do with whatever recognition they may -have achieved, and a pleasant memory to the author, -as well.</p> - -<div class='c007'><span class='sc'>Henry W. Shoemaker.</span></div> -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Department of Forestry,</div> - <div class='line in2'>State Capitol, Harrisburg,</div> - <div class='line in4'>February 23, 1922.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>P. S.–Thanks are also due to Mrs. E. Horace -Quinn, late of Bucknell University, for her kindness -in revising the proofs.</p> -<div class='c010'>9-5-22.</div> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_011.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>I</span> <br /><i>Tulliallan</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>“Why, yes, you may accompany your Uncle -Thomas and myself to select the plate which -we plan to present to the battleship of the -line, ‘The Admiral Penn,’ which the First Lord, His -Grace, Duke of Bedford, has graciously named in -honor of your distinguished grandsire,” said Richard -Penn, pompously, answering a query addressed to him -by his young son, John.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The youth, who was about eighteen years of age -and small and slight, seemed delighted, and waited -impatiently with his father for Uncle Thomas’ arrival. -Soon a liveried footman announced the arrival of -Thomas Penn, and the brothers, after embracing, -started from the imposing mansion in New Street, -Spring Gardens (near the Admiralty Arch), accompanied -by the younger scion and a retinue of secretaries, -retainers and footmen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It so happened that the leading silversmith in -the city, James Cox, was of the Quaker faith, to which -William Penn, the famous founder of Pennsylvania, -and father of Richard and Thomas, belonged, and was -particularly pleased to be the recipient of this costly -and important order. It was an occasion of such importance -to him that his wife, sons and daughter had -come to his place of business to witness the transaction -and, perhaps, meet the aristocratic customers.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>As they entered the establishment, the tradesman -himself opened the door, bowing low as the two portly -gentlemen, with their plum-colored coats, snuff boxes -and walking sticks, entered arm in arm, followed by -the diminutive John, in a long, red coat, while the -minions of various degrees waited outside, clustered -about the gilded chairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It must be understood that these sons of William -Penn were not members of the Society of Friends, but -had assumed the faith of their grandfather, the Admiral, -and founder of the family fortunes, and young -John was nominally a member of the same faith.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The portly and self-important gentlemen were -soon absorbed in studying the various designs of silver -services, while the restless and half-interested gaze -of young John wandered about the salesroom. It was -not long in falling on the slender, demure form of -Maria Cox, the silversmith’s only daughter. Clad in -her Quaker garb and bonnet, she was certainly a -picture of loveliness, almost seventeen years old, with -deep blue eyes, dark brows and lashes, fair complexion, -with features exaggerately clearcut, made John -Penn’s senses reel in a delirium of enthusiasm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ordinarily he would have become impatient at -the delay in selecting the silver service, for the older -gentlemen were slow of decision and he was a spoiled -child, but this time he was lost in admiration and he -cared not if they remained in the shop for the balance -of the day. John Penn, himself, for a small lad was -not unprepossessing; his hair was golden, his eyes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>expressive and blue, his complexion like a Dresden -china doll’s, his form erect and very slim, yet few -girls had fancied him, for he was selfish and not -inclined to talk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Seeing that he was not assisting his elders in -selecting the silverware, Mrs. Cox, the wife, and a -woman of some tact and breeding, introduced conversation -with the young man, eventually drawing her -daughter into it, and it was a case of love quickly on -both sides.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When, after four hours of selecting and changing -and selecting again, the Penns finally accepted a design -and placed their order, John had arranged that he -was to dine with the Cox family and see the young -beauty frequently. All went well until the day appointed -for the visit to the home of the silversmith. -John Penn presented himself before his father attired -in his best red velvet coat with gold facings, white satin -knee breeches, pumps with diamond buckles, his face -much powdered, and sporting a pearl inlaid sword. -The elder Penn demanded to know the cause of the -youth’s magnificence, for ordinarily his Quaker blood -showed itself in a distaste for fancy apparel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To dine with Mr. and Mrs. James Cox and their -charming daughter, whom I much admire,” was the -calm rejoinder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, what,” fairly shouted the father, almost -having an apoplectic attack on the spot; “dining with -common tradespeople! You must be in a frenzy, son; -we’ll have you in Bedlam.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>“I don’t see why you talk that way, father,” said -John, retaining his composure. “Are we so very different? -It was only a few generations back when the -Penns were plain rural yeomen, and Madame van der -Schoulen, or Grandmother Penn, your own mother, -was she not the daughter of a Dutch tradesman?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t speak that way, lad; the servants may -hear, and lose respect,” said the father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lad had touched a sore subject, and he preferred -to let him keep his engagement rather than -to have an expose on the subject of ancestry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dinner and visit were followed by others, but -at home John’s romance did not run smoothly, and -he quickly realized that his father and Uncle Thomas, -whose heir he was to be, would never consent to his -marriage with the daughter of a silversmith. Consequently, -a trip to Gretna Green was executed, and -John Penn, aged nineteen, and Maria Cox, seventeen, -were duly made man and wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Richard Penn and his brother Thomas were -apprised of what he had done they locked him in his -room, and after night got him to the waterfront and -on a ship bound for the French coast. He was carried -to Paris and there carefully watched, but meanwhile -supplied with money, all that he could spend. Temporarily -he forgot all about Maria Cox, plunging into -the gaieties of the French Capital, gambling and betting -on horse races, the “sport of kings” having been only -recently introduced in France, until he was deeply in -debt. He became very ill, and was taken to Geneva -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>to recuperate. There he was followed by representatives -of his creditors, who threatened to have him -jailed for debt–a familiar topic in family talk to him, -for his grandfather, William Penn, despite his ownership -of Pennsylvania, had been arrested for debt -many times and was out on bail on a charge of non-payment -of loans made from his steward at the time -of his death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John wrote frantically to his father in London, -who turned a deaf ear to the prodigal; not so Uncle -Thomas. He replied that he would save the boy from -jail and pay his debts, provided he would divorce his -wife and go to Pennsylvania for an indefinite period. -John was ready to promise anything; a representative -of the Penn’s financial interests settled all the claims -in and out of Paris, and John Penn was free.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While waiting at Lille for a ship to take him from -Rotterdam to Philadelphia, the young man was advised -to come to London for a day to say good-bye to his -relatives. The packet was expected in the Thames -on a certain day, but got into a terrific storm and was -tossed about the North Sea and the Channel for a -week, and no one was at the dock to meet the dilapidated -youth on his arrival at Fleet Street.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he passed up the streets in Cheapside, to his -surprise he ran into the fair figure of his bride, the -deserted Maria Cox-Penn. He was again very much -in love, and she ready to forgive. They spent the -balance of the day together, enjoying a fish ordinary -at a noted restaurant in Bird-in-Hand Court. Over -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>the meal it was arranged that Maria should follow -her husband to America; meanwhile, he would provide -a home for her over there under an assumed name, -until he became of age, when he would defy his family -to again tear them asunder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>None of John Penn’s family had the slightest -suspicion of anything out of the usual when he -presented himself in their midst, and he returned -quietly to Lille, where he remained until the ship was -announced as ready to take him to America. He arrived -in New York during a terrible tornado, in November, -1752. At Philadelphia he evinced little interest -in anything except to take a trip into the interior. -As he had plenty of money, he could accomplish most -anything he wanted, and was not watched. On his -way to the Susquehanna country he traveled with an -armed bodyguard, as there were even then renegade -Indians and road agents abroad. A number of less -distinguished travelers and their servants were, for -safety’s sake, allowed to accompany the party. Among -them was a man of fifty-five, named Peter Allen, to -whom young John took a violent fancy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not unusual, for Peter Allen was what the -Indians recognized as a <em>gentleman</em>, although he was -only a cadet, or what we would call nowadays a “poor -relation” of the proud Allen family, the head of which -was William Allen, Chief Justice of the Province, a -man about Peter Allen’s age, and for whom Northampton -or Allensville, now Allentown, was named.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Peter Allen had built a stone house or trading -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>post, which he called “Tulliallan” after one of the -ancestral homes of the Allen family in Scotland, on -the very outpost of civilization, twenty miles west of -Harris’ Ferry, where all manner of traders, hunters, -missionaries, explorers and sometimes Indians congregated, -where balls were held with Indian princesses -as guests of honor, and the description of this place -fired John Penn’s fancy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The idea had flashed through his mind that Maria -could harbor there unknown until he became of age, -and some day, despite the silly family opposition, she -would become the Governor’s Lady. John Penn went -to Peter Allen’s, and not only found a refuge for -his bride, but liked the frontier life so well that it -was as if he had been born in the wilderness. Mountains -and forests appealed to him, and his latent -democracy found full vent among the diversified types -who peopled the wilderness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Peter Allen had three young daughters, Barbara, -Nancy and Jessie, whom he wished schooled, and John -Penn arranged that Maria should teach them and, perhaps, -have a select school for other children of the -better sort along the Susquehanna. Peter Allen was -secretly peeved at his family for not recognizing him -more, and lent himself to anything that, while not -dishonorable, would bend the proud spirit of the Proprietaries -and their favorites, one of whom was the -aforementioned “Cousin Judge” William Allen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Penn returned to Philadelphia, from where -he sent a special messenger, a sort of valet, to London, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>who met and safely escorted Maria to America. She -landed at Province Island on the Delaware, remaining -in retirement there for a month, until John could slip -away and escort her personally to Peter Allen’s.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl was bright, well-educated and sensible, -and found the new life to her liking, and her young -husband loving and considerate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was in the spring of 1754 when they reached -the stone house at the foot of the Fourth or Peter’s -Mountain, and during the ensuing year she taught -the young Allen girls and three other well-bred children, -and was visited frequently by her husband. She -assumed the name of Mary Warren, her mother’s -maiden name, which proved her undoing. All went -well until representatives of the Penns in London -learned that Maria Cox-Penn was missing, and they -traced her on shipboard through the name “Mary -Warren,” eventually locating her as the young school-mistress -at “Tulliallan.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next part of this story is a hard one to -write, as one hates to make accusations against dead -and gone worthies who helped to found our beloved -Pennsylvania; but, at any rate, without going into -whys and wherefores, “Mary Warren” mysteriously -disappeared. Simultaneously went Joshua, the friendly -Indian who lived at the running spring on the top of -Peter’s Mountain, and Arvas, or “Silver Heels,” another -Indian, whose cabin was on the slopes of Third -(now called Short) Mountain, near Clark’s Creek.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id005'> -<img src='images/i_020.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>VIRGIN WHITE PINES, WARREN COUNTY, 1912</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>It was in the early summer of 1755 when John -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>Penn, accompanied only by one retainer, John Monkton, -a white-bearded veteran of Preston, rode out of -the gateway of the stockade of John Harris’ trading -post, bound for Peter Allen’s. His heart was glad -and his spirits elated for, moody lad that he was, -he dearly loved his wife and her influence over him -was good.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the very top of the Second Mountain he drew -rein, and in the clear stillness of the Sunday morning -listened to a cheewink poised on the topmost twig of -a chestnut sprout, and viewed the scenes below him. -In an ample clearing at the foot of Fourth Mountain -he could see Peter Allen’s spacious stone mansion, -where his love was probably at that minute instructing -the little class in the beauties of revealed religion. -They would soon be united, and he was so wonderfully -happy!</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the cool morning breeze swayed the twig on -which the cheewink perched, it sang again and again, -“Ho-ho-hee, ho-ho-hee, ho-ho-hee!” in a high key, and -with such an ecstasy of joy and youth that all the -world seemed animated with its gladness, yet Penn’s -thought as he rode on was, “I wonder where that bird -will be next year; what will it have to undergo before -it can feel the warmth and sunlight of another spring?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He hurried his horse so that it stumbled many -times going down the mountain, and splashed the -water all over old Monkton in his anxiety to ford -Clark’s Creek. He lathered his horse forcing him to -trot up the steep contrefort which leads to “Tulliallan,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>though he weighed hardly more than one hundred and -twenty pounds. He drew rein before the door; no one -rushed out to greet him, even the dogs were still. He -made his escort dismount and pound the heavy brass -knocker, fashioned in the form of an Indian’s head. -After some delay, Peter Allen himself appeared, looking -glum and deadly pale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is wrong?” cried Penn who was naturally -as intuitive as a woman, noting his altered demeanor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can I tell you, sir, in the presence of your bodyguard?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Out, out with it, Allen,” shouted Penn, “I must -know <em>now</em>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mary Warren has been gone a fortnight, we -know not whither. She had taken the Berryhill children -home after classes, and left them about five o’clock -in the evening. She did not return, and we have -searched everywhere. Strange to relate, George -Smithgall, the young serving man whom you left here -to look after your apartments, and who accompanied -Mary from London is gone also; draw your own inferences.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Penn’s fair face was as red as his scarlet -cloak. Despite Allen’s urging he would not dismount, -but turned his horse’s head toward the river. He rode -to Queenaskawakee, now called Clark’s Ferry, where -there was a famous fording, and, accompanied by his -guard, he made the crossing and posted for the Juniata -country. Near Raystown Branch he caught up with -the company of riflemen and scouts organized by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>“Black Jack,” the Wild Hunter of the Juniata, who -was waiting for General Braddock’s arrival to enlist -in the proposed attack on Fort Duquesne at Shannopin’s -Town, now Pittsburg. Black Jack was no -stranger to him, having often met him at social gatherings -at Peter Allen’s, and the greeting between the -two men was very friendly. John Penn occupied the -same cabin as the Wild Hunter, and he told him his -story.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not news to me,” said Captain Jack. “I -heard it before, from Smithgall. He went through -here last week hunting for Mary.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Despite this reassuring information, Penn refused -to believe anything but that the lovely Quakeress had -proved false and eloped with the German-American -serving man. Word came in a few days that the -vanguard of General Braddock’s army had reached the -Loyalhanna, and were encamped there. Captain Jack, -with John Penn riding at his side, and followed by his -motley crew with their long rifles–Germans, Swiss, -Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Indians, half breeds, Negroes -and Spaniards–approached the luxurious quarters of -General Edward Braddock, late of the Coldstream -Guards. The portly General, his breast blazing with -decorations, wearing his red coat, was seated in a -carved armchair in front of a log cabin erected for -his especial use by his pioneers, who preceded him on -the march. A Sergeant-Major conveyed the news of -“The Wild Hunter’s” presence to the General’s Aide, -who in turn carried it to the august presence.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>“I cannot speak to such a fellow, let alone accept -him as a brother officer,” said Braddock, irritably. -“Besides, his methods of fighting are contrary to all -discipline, and I want no Pennsylvania troops. Tell -him that if he insists I will make him top-sergeant, -and place my own officers over his company.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Captain Jack was half angry, half amused, when -the rebuff was handed to him via the sergeant major.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father was a Spanish gentleman from the -Minisink, and my mother a woman of tolerably good -Hessian blood. I see no reason for such rank exclusiveness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quickly turning his horse’s head, the sturdy borderer -ordered his troop to proceed eastward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t act too rashly, Captain,” entreated Penn. -“General Braddock is ignorant of this country and -Indian methods of warfare. He may have orders not -to enlist native troops, yet without your aid I fear for -the success of his expedition. Please let me intercede -with him; he will do it when he hears that I am your -friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To the devil with him and his kind, the swinish -snob,” growled Captain Jack, while his black eyes -flashed a diabolical hatred; his Spanish temper was -uncontrollable. That night, when Captain Jack and -John Penn were seated at their camp fire at Laurel -Run, a messenger, a Major, not a Sergeant Major, -from General Braddock was announced.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Saluting, the officer asked to be allowed to speak -with John Penn, Esquire. Penn received the officer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>without rising, and was cooly civil throughout the interview, -which consisted principally of reading a letter -from Braddock, expressing deep regret “that he had -not known that the son of his dear friend, Richard -Penn, had been with –-- Jack,” and offering Penn -the captaincy of <em>Black Jack’s</em> company of scouts, -“–-- Jack to be First Lieutenant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Naturally, Captain Jack was more enraged than -ever, but he said: “Take it, John, I’ll withdraw and -turn my men, who, you know, are the best shots in the -Province, over to you. They would go through hell -for you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never fear,” replied Penn, and, turning to the -Major, he said: “Tell General Braddock, with my -compliments, that I decline to accept a commission -which he has no authority to tender. As for my companion, -Captain Jack (laying emphasis on the Captain) -the General had <em>his</em> decision earlier in the day. Goodnight, -Major.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus terminated the “conference” which might -have changed the face of history. As the result of -Braddock’s pride and folly, his defeat and death are -a part of history, known by every Pennsylvanian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Penn was wretchedly unhappy, even though -Captain Jack tried to console him, when he shrewdly -inferred that “Mary” had been kidnapped by emissaries -of his relatives, and had not eloped with a vile serving -man. His heart was too lacerated to remain longer -with the Wild Hunter, now that no active service was -to be experienced; so, accompanied by Monkton, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>veteran of Preston, he set out the next morning for -the West Branch of the Susquehanna to the unexplored -countries.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At Waterford Narrows they passed the body of -a trader recently killed and scalped by Indians.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May I draw one of his teeth, sir?” said the old -soldier, “and you can carry it in your pocket, for the -old people say ‘The only thing that can break the enchantment -of love is the tooth of a dead man’.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Penn shook his head and rode on. For a considerable -time Penn and Old Monkton visited with -Dagonando (Rock Pine), a noted Indian Chief in -Brush Valley (Centre County), for the young man, -like the founder of Pennsylvania, possessed the same -irresistible charm over the redmen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Years afterwards, in Philadelphia, speaking to -General Thomas Mifflin, Dagonando stated that had it -not been for his unhappy love affairs, John Penn -would have been the equal of his grandfather as Governor, -and prevented the Revolutionary War. But his -spirit was crushed; even a mild love affair with Dagonando’s -daughter ended with shocking disaster. Reaching -Fort Augusta, Penn became very ill; a “nervous -breakdown” his ailment would be diagnosed today. -During his illness he was robbed of his diary. He -reached Philadelphia in the fall, and almost immediately -set sail for England. He remained abroad until -1763, when he returned as Governor of Pennsylvania. -He arrived in Philadelphia on October 30, in the midst -of the terrific earthquake of that year, and on November -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>5, George Roberts in a letter to Samuel Powell, in -describing the new Chief Magistrate, says:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“His Honor, Penn, is a little gentleman, though -he may govern equal to one seven feet high.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Charles P. Keith has thus summed up Penn’s -career from the time of his first arrival in Pennsylvania: -“He was one of the Commissioners to the -Congress at Albany in the summer of 1754, and made -several journeys to the neighboring colonies. Nevertheless, -his trouble made him again despondent; he -began to shun company; he would have joined Braddock’s -army had any Pennsylvania troops formed part -of it, and perhaps have died on the field which that -officer’s imprudence made so disastrous. Some two -months after the defeat he returned to England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>On June 6, 1766, a brilliant marriage occurred in -Philadelphia. John Penn, Lieutenant Governor, aged -thirty-seven years, married Anne, the daughter of William -Allen, Chief Justice; a strange fate had united the -relative of Peter Allen of “Tulliallan” to the husband -of Maria Cox, pronounced legally dead after an absence -of eleven years in parts unknown. Commenting -on this alliance, Nevin Moyer, the gifted Historian, -remarks: “The marriage was an unpleasant one, on -his (Penn’s) account, for he was found very seldom -at home.” It was during the wedding that a fierce -electrical storm occurred, unroofing houses and shattering -many old trees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not long after this marriage when a feeling -of restlessness impelled him to start another of his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>many trips to the interior. This time it was given out -that he wished to visit Penn’s Valley, the “empire” -discovered in the central part of the province by -Captains Potter and Thompson, and named in his -honor, and Penn’s Cave, the source of the Karoondinha, -a beautiful, navigable stream, rechristened “John -Penn’s Creek.” He managed to stop over night, as -everyone of any consequence did, at “Tulliallan,” and -slept in the room with the Scotch thistles carved on -the woodwork, and saw Peter Allen for the first time -in twelve years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A foul crime had recently been committed in the -neighborhood. Indian Joshua, who used to live at the -running spring, had gone to Canada the year of Braddock’s -defeat (the year of Mary’s disappearance, Penn -always reckoned it) and had lately returned to his old -abode. He had been shot, as a trail of blood from -his cabin down the mountain had been followed clear -to Clark’s Creek, where it was lost. In fact, pitiful -wailing had been heard one night all the way across -the valley, but it was supposed to be a traveling -panther. Arvas, or Silver Heels, had also come back -for a time, but, after Joshua’s disappearance, had gone -away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maybe he killed his friend,” whispered Allen, -looking down guiltily, as he spoke what he knew to be -untruthful words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is all clear to me now, Allen,” said Penn. “I -should have believed Captain Jack, when in ’55 he told -me that my late wife was carried off to Canada by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>Indians; the kidnappers came back, and for fear that -they would levy hush money on those who had caused -my Mary to be stolen, murdered Joshua as a warning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Allen did not answer, but Penn said: “You have -kept a public house so long that you have forgotten to -be a gentleman, and I do not expect you to tell the -truth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In 1840 seekers after nestlings of the vultures -climbed to the top of the King’s Stool, the dizzy pinnacle -of the Third Mountain. There they found the -skeleton of an Indian. It was all that was left of -Joshua, who had climbed there in his agony and died -far above the scenes which he loved so dearly. The -hunters put the bones in their hunting pouches and -climbed down the “needle,” and buried them decently -at the foot of the rocks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The King’s Stool is named for a similar high point -near Lough Foyle, Ireland, and there are also King’s -Stools in Juniata and Perry Counties. The North of -Ireland pioneers were glad to recognize scenes similar -to the natural wonders of the Green Isle!</p> - -<p class='c001'>A great light had come to John Penn, but he accepted -his fate philosophically, just as he had the abuse -heaped upon him for his vacillating policy towards the -Indians. He followed up his vigorous attempt to -punish the Paxtang perpetrators of the massacres of -the Conestoga Indians at Christmas time, 1763, by promulgating -the infamous scalp bounty of July, 1764, -which bounty, to again quote Professor Moyer, paid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>“$134 for an Indian’s scalp, and $150 for a live Indian, -and $50 for an Indian female or child’s scalp.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There are not enough Indians to make hunting for -bounties in Pennsylvania a paying occupation today, so -instead there is a bounty on Wildcats and foxes, wiping -out desirable wild life to satisfy the politicians’ filthy -greed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Penn returned to Philadelphia without visiting -Penn’s Valley or Penn’s Cave or John Penn’s -Creek. He had seen them previously in 1755 when -they bore their original Indian names, and his heart -was still sad. It was not long after returning that he -again started on another expedition up the Susquehanna, -traveling by canoe, just as his grandfather, William -Penn, had done in his supposedly fabulous trip -to the sources of the West Branch at Cherry Tree, in -1700. A stop was made at Fisher’s stone house, -Fisher’s Ferry. A group of pioneers had heard of his -coming and gave the little Governor a rousing ovation. -He felt nearest to being happy when among the frontier -people, who understood him, and his trials had, -like Byron, made him “the friend of mountains”; he -was still simple at heart. In the kitchen, seated by the -inglenook, he heard someone’s incessant coughing in an -inner room. He asked the landlord, old Peter Fisher, -who was suffering so acutely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, sir,” replied Fisher, “it’s an Englishwoman -dying.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In those days people’s nationalities in Pennsylvania -were more sharply defined, and any English-speaking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>person was always called an “Englishwoman” -or an “Englishman,” as the case might be.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tell me about her,” said the Governor, with ill-concealed -curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a strange story, it might give Your Worship -offense,” faltered the old innkeeper. “They tell it, sir, -though it’s doubtless a lie, that Your Excellency cared -for this Englishwoman, and your enemies had her kidnapped -by two Indians and taken to Canada. The -Indians were paid for keeping her there until a few -years ago, when their remittances suddenly stopped -and they came home; one, it is said, was murdered -soon after. Arvas, his companion, was accused of the -crime, but he stopped here for a night, a few weeks -afterwards, and swore to me that he was guiltless. The -Englishwoman finally got away and walked all the -way back from a place called Muskoka, but she caught -cold and consumption on the way, and is on her death-bed -now. I knew her in all her youth and beauty at -Peter Allen’s, where she was always the belle of the -balls there; she had been brought up a Quaker, but my, -how she could dance. You would not know her now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want to see her,” said the Governor, rising to -his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was getting dark, so Fisher lit a rushlight, and -led the way. He opened the heavy door without rapping. -His wife and daughter sat on high-backed rush-bottomed -chairs on either side of the big four-poster -bed, which had come from the Rhine country. On the -bed lay a woman of about forty years, frightfully -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>emaciated by suffering, whose exaggeratedly clear-cut -features were accentuated in their marble look by the -pallor of oncoming dissolution. Her wavy, dark hair, -parted in the middle, made her face seem even whiter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mary, Mary,” said the little Governor, as he ran -to her side, seizing the white hands which lay on the -flowered coverlet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“John, my darling John,” gasped the dying woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Leave us alone together,” commanded the Governor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The women looked at one another as they retired. -The thoughts which their glances carried indicated -“well, after all the story’s true.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They had been alone for about ten minutes when -Penn ran out of the door calling, “Come quick, someone, -I fear she’s going.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The household speedily assembled, but in another -ten minutes “Mary Warren,” alias Maria Cox-Penn -had yielded up the ghost. She is buried on the brushy -African-looking hillside which faces the “dreamy Susquehanna,” -the Firestone Mountains and the sunset, -near where travelers across Broad Mountain pass every -day. John Penn returned to Philadelphia and took no -more trips to the interior. He divided his time between -his town house, 44 Pine Street, and his country seat -“Lansdowne.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the Revolution he was on parole. He died -childless. February 9, 1795, and is said to be buried -under the floor, near the chancel, in the historic Christ -Church, Philadelphia, which bears the inscription that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>he was “One of the Late Proprietors of Pennsylvania.” -Most probably his body was later taken to England. -His wife, <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>nee</em></span> Allen, survived him until 1813.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The other night in the grand hall of the Historical -Society of Pennsylvania in the Quaker City, a notable -reception was given in honor of the grand historian-governor, -William C. Sproul, fresh from his marvelous -restoration of the Colonial Court House at Chester. -As he stood there, the embodiment of mental and -physical grace and strength, the greatest Governor of -a generation, receiving the long line of those who came -to pay their respects and well wishes, Albert Cook -Myers, famed historian of the Quakers, mentioned that -the present Governor of the Commonwealth was standing -just beneath the portrait of John Penn, one of the -last of the Proprietaries. And what a contrast there -was! Penn looked so effete and almost feminine with -his child-like blonde locks, his pink cheeks, weak, half-closed -mouth, his slender form in a red coat, so different -from the vigorous living Governor. Penn was also -so inferior to the other notable portraits which hung -about him–the sturdy Huguenot, General Henri -Bouquet, the deliverer of Fort Duquesne in 1758 and -1763; the stalwart Scot, General Arthur St. Clair, of -Miami fame, who was left to languish on a paltry pension -of $180 a year at his rough, rocky farm on Laurel -Ridge; the courageous-looking Irishman, General Edward -Hand; and, above all, the bold and dashing eagle -face of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne. Such company -for the last of the Penns to keep! Though lacking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>the manly outlines of his fellows on canvas, who -can say that his life had one whit less interest than -theirs–probably much more so, for his spirit had felt -the thrill of an undying love, which in the end surmounted -all difficulties and left his heart master of -the field.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though his record for statecraft can hardly be -written from a favorable light, and few of his sayings -or deeds will live, he has joined an immortal coterie -led down the ages by Anthony and the beautiful -Egyptian queen, by Abelard and Heloise, Dante and -Beatrice, Petrarch and Laura, Alfieri and the Countess -of Albany, and here in Pennsylvania by Hugh H. -Brackenridge and the pioneer girl, Sabina Wolfe, and -Elisha Kent Kane, and the spiritualist, Maria Fox. -Love is a force that is all-compelling, all-absorbing and -never dies, and is the biggest thing in life, and the story -of John Penn and Maria Cox will be whispered about -in the backwoods cabins and wayside inns of the Pennsylvania -Mountains long after seemingly greater men -and minds have passed to forgetfulness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But for a few lines in the writings of Charles P. -Keith, H. M. Jenkins, Nevin W. Moyer and various -Penn biographers, such as Albert Cook Myers, the -verbal memories of ’Squire W. H. Garman, James Till, -Mrs. H. E. Wilvert and other old-time residents of the -vicinity of “Tulliallan,” all would be lost, and the inspiration -of a story of overwhelming affection unrecorded -in the annals of those who love true lovers.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>II</span> <br /> <i>At His Bedside</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>When old Jacob Loy passed away at the age of -eighty years, he left a pot of gold to be divided -equally among his eight children. It was a -pot of such goodly proportions that there was a nice -round sum for all, and the pity of it was after the -long years of privation which had collected it, that -some of the heirs wasted it quickly on organs, fast -horses, cheap finery and stock speculations, for it was -before the days of player-pianos, victrolas and automobiles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yolande, his youngest daughter, was a really attractive -girl, even had she not a share in the pot of gold, -and had many suitors. Though farm raised and -inured to hardships she was naturally refined, with -wonderful dark eyes and hair, and pallid face–the -perfect type of Pennsylvania Mountain loveliness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Above all her admirers she liked best of all -Adam Drumheller, a shrewd young farmer of the -neighborhood, and eventually married him. Three -children were born in quick succession, in the small -tenant house on his father’s farm in Chest Township, -where the young couple had gone to live immediately -after their wedding.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shortly after the birth of the last child old Jacob -Drumheller died, and the son and his family moved -into the big stone farmhouse near the banks of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>sulphurous Clearfield Creek. It was not long after -this fortuitous move that the young wife began to -show signs of the favorite Pennsylvania mountain -malady–consumption. Whether it was caused by a -deep-seated cold or came about from sleeping in rooms -with windows nailed shut, no one could tell, but the -beautiful young woman became paler and more wax-like, -until she realized that a speedy end was inevitable. -Many times she found comfort in her misfortune -by having her husband promise that in the event -of her death he would never remarry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never, never,” he promised. “I could never find -your equal again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was sincere in some respects; it would be -hard to find her counterpart, and she had made a will -leaving him everything she possessed, and he imagined -that the pot of gold transformed into a bank balance -or Government bonds would be found somewhere -among her effects.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before ill health had set in he had quizzed her -many times, as openly as he dared, on the whereabouts -of her share of the pot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is all safe,” she would say. “It will be -forthcoming some time when you need it more than -you do today,” and he was satisfied.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she grew paler and weaker Adam began to -think more of Alvira Hamel, another comely girl -whom he had loved when he railroaded out of Johnstown, -at Kimmelton, and whom he planned to claim -as his own should Yolande pass away.</p> -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_038.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SCENE IN SNYDER-MIDDLESWARTH PARK</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>Perhaps his thoughts dimly reflected on the dying -wife’s sub-conscious mind, for she became more insistent -every day that he promise never to remarry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Think of our dear little children,” she kept saying, -“sentenced to have a stepmother; I would come -back and <em>haunt</em> you if you perpetrate such a cruelty -to me and mine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adam had little faith in a hereafter, and less in -ghosts, so he readily promised anything, vowing -eternal celebacy cheerfully and profoundly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Yolande did finally fade away, she died -reasonably happy, and at least died bravely. She -never shed a tear, for it is against the code of the -Pennsylvania Mountain people to do so–perhaps a -survival of the Indian blood possessed by so many of -them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Three days after the funeral Adam hied himself -to Ebensburg to “settle up the estate,” but also to look -up Alvira Hamel, who was now living there. She -seemed glad to see him, and when he broached a possible -union she acted as if pleased at everything except -to go on to that lonely farm on the polluted Clearfield -Creek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>By promising to sell out when he could and move -to Barnesboro or Spangler, a light came in her dark -eyes, and though he did not visit the lawyer in charge -of his late wife’s affairs, his day in town was successful -in arranging for the new alliance with his -sweetheart of other days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In due course of time it was discovered that the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>equivalent of Yolande’s share of the pot of gold left -by old Jacob Loy was not to be found. “She may -have kept it in coin and buried it in the orchard,” was -some of the very consoling advice that the lawyer -gave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At any rate it was not located by the time that -Adam and Alvira were married, but the <a id='corr34.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='bridgegroom'>bridegroom</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_34.7'><ins class='correction' title='bridgegroom'>bridegroom</ins></a></span> -was well to do and could afford to wait. After a -short trip to Pittsburg and Wheeling the newly married -couple took up housekeeping in the big brick -farmstead above the creek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The first night that they were back from the -honeymoon–it was just about midnight and Alvira -was sleeping peacefully–Adam thought that he heard -footsteps on the stairs. He could not be mistaken. -Noiselessly the door opened, and the form of Yolande -glided into the room; she was in her shroud, all white, -and her face was whiter than the shroud, and her -long hair never looked blacker.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Along the whitewashed wall by the bedside was -a long row of hooks on which hung the dead woman’s -wardrobe. It had never been disturbed; Alvira was -going to cut the things up and make new garments -out of them in the Spring. Adam watched the apparition -while she moved over to the clothing, counting -them, and smoothed and caressed each skirt or waist, -as if she regretted having had to abandon them for -the steady raiment of the shroud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she came over to the bed and sat on it close -to Adam, eyeing him intently and silently. Just then -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>Alvira got awake, but apparently could see nothing -of the ghost, although the room was bright as day, -bathed in the full moon’s light.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yolande seemed to remain for a space of about ten -minutes, then passed through the alcove into the room -where the children were sleeping and stood by their -bedside. The next night she was back again, repeating -the same performance, the next night, and the -next, and still the next, each night remaining longer, -until at last she stayed until daybreak. In the morning -as the hired men were coming up the boardwalk -which led to the kitchen door, they would meet -Yolande, in her shroud coming from the house, and -passing out of the back gate. On one occasion -Alvira was pumping water on the porch, but made -no move as she passed, being evidently like so many -persons, spiritually blind. The hired men had known -Yolande all their lives, and were surprised to see her -spooking in daylight, but refrained from saying anything -to the new wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Every day for a week after that she appeared on -the kitchen porch, or on the boardwalk, in the yard, -on the road, and was seen by her former husband -many times, and also her night prowling went on as -of yore. The hired men began to complain; it might -make them sick if a ghost was around too much; -these spooks were supposed to exhale a poison much -as copperhead snakes do, and also draw their “life” -away, and they threatened to quit if she wasn’t “laid.” -All of them had seen spooks before, on occasion, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>a daily visitation of the same ghost was more than -they cared about.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had it not been for the excitable hired men, -Adam, whose nerves were like iron, could have stood -Yolande’s ghost indefinitely. In fact, he thought it -rather nice of her to come back and see him and the -children “for old time’s sake.” But the farm hands -must be conserved at any cost, even to the extent of -laying Yolande’s unquiet spirit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next night when she appeared, he made bold -and spoke to her: “What do you want, Yolande,” he -said softly, so as not to wake the soundly sleeping -Alvira at his side. “Is there anything I can do for -you, dear?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yolande came very close beside him, and bending -down whispered in his ear: “Adam,” said she, -“how can you ask me why I am here? You surely -know. Did you not, time and time again, promise never -to marry again, if I died, for the sake of our darling -children? Did you not make such a promise, and see -how quickly you broke it! Where I am now I can -hold no resentments, so I forgive you for all your -transgressions, but I hope that Alvira will be good to -our children. I have one request to make: After I -left you, you were keen to find what I did with my -share of daddy’s pot of gold. I had it buried in the -orchard at my old home, under the Northern Spy, but -after we moved here, one time when you went deer -hunting to Centre County, I dug it up and brought it -over here and buried it in the cellar of this house. It -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>is here now. There are just one hundred and fifty-three -twenty dollar gold pieces; that was my share. -The children and the money were on my mind, not -your broken promise and rash marriage, which you -will repent, and which I tell you again I forgive you -for. I want my children to have that money, every -one of the one hundred and fifty-three twenty dollar -gold pieces. I buried it a little to the east of the -spring in the cellar, about two feet under ground, in a -tin cartridge box; Dig it up tomorrow morning, and -if you find the one hundred and fifty-three coins, and -give every one to the children, I will never come again -and upset your hired men. Why I have Myron Shook -about half scared to death already, but if you don’t -find every single coin I’ll have to come back until you -do, or if you hold it back from the children, you will -not be able to keep a hireling on this place, or any -other place to which you move. Many live folks can’t -see ghosts; your wife is one of these; she will never -worry until the hired men quit, then she’ll up and -have you make sale and move to town. Be square -and give the children the money, and I’ll not trouble -you again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Yolande,” answered Adam in gentle tones, -“you are no trouble to me, not in the least. I love to -have you visit me at night, and look at the children, -but you are making the hired help terribly uneasy. -That part you must quit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr37.29'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='That’s'>“That’s</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_37.29'><ins class='correction' title='That’s'>“That’s</ins></a></span> enough of your drivel, Adam,” spoke -Yolande, in a sterner tone of voice. “Talk less like a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>fool, and more like a man. Dig up that money in the -morning, count it, and give it to the children and I’ll -be glad never to see you again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>To be reproached by a ghost was too much for -Adam, and he lapsed into silence, while Yolande slipped -out of the room, over to the bedside of the sleeping -children, where she lingered until daylight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adam was soon asleep, but was up bright and -early the next morning, starting to dress just as the -ghost glided out of the door. By six o’clock he had -exhumed Yolande’s share of the pot of gold which -was buried exactly as her ghostly self had described.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a hard wrench to hand the money over to -the children, or rather to take it to Ebensburg and -start savings accounts in their names. But he did -it without a murmur. The cashier, a horse fancier, -gave him a present of a new whip, of a special kind -that he had made to order at Pittsburg, so he came -home happy and contented.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Night was upon him, and supper over, he retired -early, dozing a bit before the “witching hour.” As -the old Berks County tall clock in the entry struck -twelve, he began to watch for Yolande’s accustomed -entrance. But not a shadow appeared. The clock -struck the quarter, the half, three quarters and one -o’clock. No Yolande or anything like her came; she -was true to her promise, as true as he had been false. -It was an advantage to be a ghost in some ways. They -were honorable creatures.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adam did not know whether to feel pleased or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>not. His vanity had been not a little appealed to by a -dead wife visiting him nightly; now he was sure that -it wasn’t for love of him or jealousy, she had been -coming back, but to see that the children got the money -that had been buried in the cellar. And at last she had -spoken rather unkindly, so the great change called -death had ended her love, and she wasn’t grieving over -his second marriage at all. However, he fell to consoling -himself that she had chided him for breaking -his word and marrying again; she must have cared -for him or she would not have said those things. -Then the thought came to him that she wasn’t really -peeved at anything concerning his marriage to Alvira -except that the children had gotten a stepmother. He -wondered if Alvira would continue to be kind to them. -Just as he went to sleep he had forgotten both Yolande -and Alvira, chuckling over a pretty High School girl -he had seen on the street at the ’burg, and whom he -had winked at.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/i_046.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>III.</span> <br /> <i>The Prostrate Juniper</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Weguarran was a young warrior of the Wyandots, -who lived on the shores of Lake -Michigan. In the early spring of 1754 he was -appointed to the body-guard of old Mozzetuk, a leader -of the tribe, on an embassy to Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, -to prevail on the holy men there, as many Indians -termed the Moravians, to send a band of Missionaries -to the Wyandot Country, with a view of -Christianizing the tribe, and acting as advisors and -emissaries <a id='corr40.11'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='betwen'>between</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_40.11'><ins class='correction' title='betwen'>between</ins></a></span> the Wyandots and allied nations -with the French and other white men, who were constantly -encroaching on the redmen’s territories.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Weguarran the youngest and the handsomest of -the <a id='corr40.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='esocrt'>escort</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_40.15'><ins class='correction' title='esocrt'>escort</ins></a></span>, was very impressionable, and across Ohio -and over the Alleghenies, he made friends with the -Indian maidens of the various encampments passed -en route.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The reception at Bethlehem was cordial, but -not much hope was held out for an immediate despatch -of Missionaries as the Moravians were anxious to -avoid being drawn into the warlike aspirations of the -English and French, preferring to promote the faith -in pacified regions, as very few of them were partisans, -but if they had a leaning at all, it was toward the -French. This was due to the fact that the French always -understood the Indians better than the English, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>were more sympathetic colonizers, and while many -French Missionaries carried forward the tenets of -Rome, there was no religious intolerance, and Missionaries -of every faith seemed to thrive under their leadership.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While at Bethlehem and Nazareth, Weguarran -was much favored by the Indian maids of those localities, -but did not wholly lose his heart until one -afternoon at the cabin of an old Christian Pequot -named Michaelmas. This old Indian, a native of Connecticut, -lived in a log cabin on a small clearing near -the Lehigh River, where he cultivated a garden of -rare plants and trees, and raised tobacco. All his -pastimes were unusual; he captured wild pigeons, -which he trained to carry messages, believing that -they would be more valuable in wartime than runners. -He also practiced falconry, owning several -hawks of race, goshawks, marsh hawks and duck -hawks. The goshawks he used for grouse, wood-cocks -and quails; the marsh hawks for rabbits, hares -and ’coons; and the duck hawks for wild ducks and -other water birds, which fairly swarmed on the Lehigh -in those days. He was a religious old man, almost -a recluse, strong in his prejudices, and was much -enthused by the Wyandot embassy, giving his waning -hopes a new burst of life for an Indian renaissance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He took a great fancy to the manly and handsome -Weguarran, inviting him to his cabin, and it -was there that the youthful warrior met the old man’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>lovely daughter, Wulaha. She was an only child, -eighteen years of age. Her mother belonged to the -Original People and was also a Christian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Love progressed very rapidly between Weguarran -and Wulaha, and as the time drew near for the embassy -to depart, the young girl intimated to her lover -that he must discuss the subject with old Michaelmas, -and secure his approval and consent, after the manner -of white Christians.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old Pequot was not averse to the union, -which would add another strain of Indian blood to the -family, but stated that a marriage could only take -place on certain conditions. Weguarran, in his conversations -with Michaelmas, had told him of his military -affiliations with the French, which had filled -the old man’s heart with joy for the hopes of a new -order of things that it seemed to kindle. When he -asked the hand of the fair Wulaha in marriage, -Michaelmas “came back” with the following proposition:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Weguarran, I am getting old and feeble,” he -said. “I may pass away any time, and I could not -bear the thought of my squaw being left alone, which -would be the case if you married Wulaha and took -her to the distant shores of Lake Michigan. However, -there are greater things than my death and my -squaw’s loneliness, the future of the red race, now -crushed to earth by the Wunnux, as we call the white -men, but some day to be triumphant. You have told -me that within this very year the French and Indians -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>are sure to engage the English in a mighty battle -which will decide the future history of the Continent. -You can marry Wulaha right after that battle, if you -are victorious; otherwise you can do as the Missionaries -tell us the Romans did–fall on your sword. -You can never return here, as I do not want my -daughter to marry and continue the race of a beaten -people. I would far rather have her die single, and -have our seed perish, for if this victory is not won, -doomed is every redman on this Continent. The only -wish of the English is to encompass our extermination. -Wulaha will remain at home until after that -battle, when you can come for her and claim her as -your own, and we will give her to you with rejoicing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you say is surely fair enough, Father -Michaelmas,” replied Weguarran, “for I would see -no future for Wulaha and myself if the English are -victorious in this inevitable battle. As soon as it is -won–and it will be won, for the high resolve of -every Indian warrior is to go in to win–I will hurry -back to the banks of the Lehigh, never stopping to -rest, sleep or eat, to tell you of the glad tidings, and -bear away my beloved Wulaha. I want to ask one -special favor of you. I have admired your wonderful -cage of trained wild pigeons, which you say will -carry messages hundreds of miles. Lend me one of -these pigeons, and as soon as the victory is won, I -will release the bird, and while I am speeding eastward -on foot, our feathered friend will fly on ahead -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>and end the suspense, and bring joy to yourself, your -squaw and Wulaha.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will gladly let you have my best trained pigeon, -or hawk, or anything I possess, if I can learn of -the victory, but in turn I will ask a favor of you. -I listened with breathless interest to your tales of the -Prostrate Junipers which grow on the shores of the -great lakes, which cover two thousand square feet, -and are hundreds of years old. You promised to -bring me a scion of one of those curious trees, so that -I might plant it in my garden of rare trees and shrubs. -Now, here will be a chance to associate it with the -great victory; pluck a stout but small scion, and if -the victory is won, affix it firmly to one of the pigeon’s -legs and let it go. If it comes back without the -twig of Juniper I will know that our cause has lost, -and while you fall on your sword, I and my family -will jump into the Lehigh.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will gladly do as you say, Father Michaelmas,” -said Weguarran, “and will send a twig that will grow, -and some day make a noble tree, and in years to come, -our people will call it Weguarran’s Victory Tree. <a id='corr44.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='The The'>The</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_44.22'><ins class='correction' title='The The'>The</ins></a></span> -fact that it is a Prostrate Tree makes it all the -more appropriate, as it will represent the English -race lying prostrated, crushed by the red race they -wronged, and by our kindly and just French allies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Weguarran was so inspired by the thought of -the pigeon messenger, the sprig of Prostrate Juniper, -and the impending victory that it assuaged his -grief at the parting from Wulaha, sending him away -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>determined to give a good account of himself in all -things.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Old Michaelmas selected a handsome cock pigeon, -with a dragon’s blood red breast–his very best -and most intelligent, and surest flyer, named Wuskawhan, -which he placed in a specially built, bottle -shaped basket, which had no lid, yet the top was too -small for the bird to escape. In this way it could -rise up and peer out, as it was carried along, and not -bruise its wing coverts or head, as it would if it flew -against the top of a square basket with a lid.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a touching parting with Wulaha, her -mother and father, the young warrior went his way -with his precious burden.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indians, even old Mozzetuk, were rapid travellers, -and in due time they reached the country of -the Prostrate Junipers on the shores of Lake Michigan. -They arrived in what seemed like an armed -camp, for all the braves had been called to arms, -which plotted to drive Indians and French to the -uttermost ends of the earth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Weguarran was quickly mobilized, and a musket -in one hand and tomahawk in the other, while on his -back he bore the sacred pigeon, he marched toward -his foes. In the excitement he had not forgotten to -slip into his pouch at his belt a sprig of the Prostrate -Juniper, which would be the emblem of the English -race prostrate under the foot of French and Indian -allies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In due course of time the army of which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>picked Wyandot warriors formed a part, met their -English foemen on Braddock’s Field, completely routing -and all but annihilating them. General Braddock -himself was shot from behind by one of his own men -in the wild stampede, and the French and Indians were -completely victorious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Surveying the <a id='corr46.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>gorey</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_46.7'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>gorey</ins></a></span> scene, every wooded glade -lying thick with dead redcoats and broken accoutrements, -Weguarran carefully opened the panther skin -pouch at his best, taking out the sprig of Prostrate -Juniper. Then he lifted the handsome wild pigeon -from its bottle-nosed cage of oak withes, and with a -light leathern string, affixed the little twig, on which -the berries still clustered, to the bird’s leg, then tossed -the feathered messenger up into the air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The pigeon quickly rose above the trees, circled -a few times, and then started rapidly for the east, as -fast as his broad, strong wings could carry him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This done, Weguarran visited his chief, obtaining -leave to proceed to Bethlehem to claim his bride, -promising to report back with her on the banks of the -Ohio as speedily as possible. The pigeon naturally -had a good start, and by the next morning was flying -over the palisaded walls of John Harris’ Trading Post -on the Susquehanna.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A love story was being enacted within those walls, -in the shadow of one of the huge sheds used in winter -to store hides. Keturah Lindsay, Harris’ niece, -an attractive, curly-haired Scotch girl, was talking -with a young Missionary whom she admired very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>much, Reverend Charles Pyrleus, the protege of Col. -Conrad Weiser.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Unfortunately they had to meet by stealth as his -attentions were not favored by the girl’s relatives, -who considered him of inferior antecedents. They -had met in the shed this fair July morning, whether -by design or accident, no one can tell, and were enjoying -one another’s society to the utmost.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the midst of their mutual adoration, the dinner -gong was sounded at the trading house, and Keturah, -fearful of a scolding, reluctantly broke away. -As she came out into the sunlight, she noticed a handsome -wild pigeon drop down, as if exhausted, on one -of the topmost stakes of the palisade which surrounded -the trading house and sheds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Keturah, like many frontier girls, always carried -a gun, and quickly taking aim, fired, making the -feathers fly, knocking the bird off its perch, and it -seemed to fall to the ground outside the <a id='corr47.19'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='stackade'>stockade</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_47.19'><ins class='correction' title='stackade'>stockade</ins></a></span>. In -a minute it rose, and started to fly off towards the -east. She had reloaded, so fired a second time, but -missed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How strange to see a wild pigeon travelling -through here at this time of year,” she thought, as carrying -her smoking firearm, she hurried to the mess -room of the big log trading house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The messenger pigeon had been <a id='corr47.27'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='greviously'>grievously</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_47.27'><ins class='correction' title='greviously'>grievously</ins></a></span> hurt, -but was determined to go “home.” On and on it went, -sometimes “dipping” like a swallow, from loss of -blood, but by sheer will power keeping on the wing. As -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>it neared the foothills of the South Mountains, near -the village of Hockersville, with old Derry Church -down in the vale, it faltered, spun about like a pin -wheel, and fell with a thud. Gulping and blinking a -few times, it spread out its wide pinions and lay on -its breastbone–stone dead–the twig of Prostrate -Juniper still affixed to one of its carmine feet. There -it lay, brave in death, until the storms and winds -shivered it, and it rotted into the ground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Weguarran was a rapid traveler, and in forced -marches came to the shady banks of the Lehigh in -three or four days. He was so excited that he swam -the stream. He brought the first news of the great -victory in the west to the surprised Michaelmas and -his friends. But where was the prized wild pigeon, -Wuskawhan? It could not have gone astray, for such -a bird’s instinct never erred. “Caught by a hawk or -shot down by some greedy fool of a Wunnux” was the -way in which old Michaelmas explained its non-appearance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The news spread to the white settlements and to -the towns, and there was consternation among all -sympathizers with the Crown–with all except a few -Moravians who were mum for policy’s sake, and the -Indians, whose stoical natures alone kept them from -disclosing the elation that was in their hearts.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id007'> -<img src='images/i_056.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A MAMMOTH SHORT-LEAF PINE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“The English never wanted the Indians civilized,” -said Michaelmas, boldly. “They drove the Moravians -out of Schadikoke and from the Housatonic when -they saw the progress they made with our people; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>were it not for the Quakers in Pennsylvania, they -would have had no place to harbor; those of us who -felt the need of these kind friends followed them in -their exile, but we can never forgive that we had to -leave the Connecticut country of our birth under such -circumstances. I am glad that our enemies were -beaten and <a id='corr49.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='annihilated.'>annihilated.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_49.7'><ins class='correction' title='annihilated.'>annihilated.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Weguarran was baptized, and he and the lovely -Wulaha were married by one of the Moravian preachers, -and started for the great lake country, which was -to be their permanent home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Michaelmas and his squaw were too old to make -the long journey, but they were happy in their garden -of rare trees and plants, the wild pigeons, the -hawks of race, and the dreams of an Indian <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>renaissance</em></span>. -They lived many years afterwards, and are -buried with the other Christian Indians at Bethlehem.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Out in the foothills of the South Mountains, -overlooking old Derry Church, in the fertile Lebanon -Valley among the pines and oaks and tulip trees, a -strange seedling appeared in the spring of 1756, different -from anything that the mountain had known -since prehistoric times. Instead of growing upward -and onward as most brave trees do, it spread out wider -and greater and vaster, until, not like the symbol of -the Anglo-Saxon prone beneath the heel of French -and Indian, it was the symbol of the all diffusing -power of the English speaking race, which has grafted -its ideals and hopes and practical purposes over the -entire American Continent. Nourished by the life’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>blood of the travelling pigeon that bore it there, it -had a flying start in the battle of existence, and today, -after all these years, bids fair to last many years -longer, to be the arboral marvel and wonder of the -Keystone State.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Well may the Boy Scouts of Elizabethtown feel -proud to be the honorary custodians of this unique tree -with its spread of 2,000 feet, for apart from its curious -appearance and charm, it has within it memories -of history and romance, of white men and red, -that make it a veritable treasure trove for the historian -and the folk-lorist, and all those who love the -great outdoors in this wonderful Pennsylvania of -ours!</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_059.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>IV.</span> <br /> <i>Out of the Ashes</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Last Autumn we were crossing Rea’s Hill one afternoon -of alternate sunshine and shadow, and -as we neared the summit, glanced through several -openings in the trees at the wide expanse of Fulton -County valleys and coves behind us, on to the interminable -range upon range of dark mountains northward. -In the valleys here and there were dotted square stone -houses, built of reddish sandstone, with high roofs -and chimneys, giving a foreign or Scottish air to -the scene. Some of these isolated structures were deserted, -with windows gaping and roofs gone, pictures -of desolation and bygone days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as the crest of the mountain was gained, we -came upon a stone house in process of demolition, -in fact all had been torn away, and the sandstone -blocks piled neatly by the highway, all but the huge -stone chimney and a small part of one of the foundation -walls. Work of the shorers had temporarily -ceased for it was a Saturday afternoon. Affixed to -the chimney was a wooden mantel, painted black, of -plain, but antique design, exposed, and already -stained by the elements, and evidently to be abandoned -by those in charge of the demolition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The house stood on the top of a steep declivity, -giving a marvelous view on four sides, almost strategic -enough to have been a miniature fortress!</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>It was the first time in a dozen years that we -had passed the site; in 1907 the house was standing -and tenanted, and pointed out as having been a temporary -resting place of General John Forbes on his -eastern march, after the successful conquest of Fort -Duquesne, in 1758. Now all is changed, historic memories -had not kept the old house inviolate; it was to -be ruthlessly destroyed, perhaps, like the McClure -Log College near Harrisburg, to furnish the foundations -for a piggery, or some other ignoble purpose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As we passed, a pang of sorrow overcame us at -the lowly state to which house and fireplace had fallen, -and we fell to recounting some of the incidents -of the historic highway, in military and civil history, -the most noteworthy road in the Commonwealth. The -further, on we traveled, the more we regretted not -stopping and trying to salvage the old wooden mantel, -but one of our good friends suggested that if we -did not are to return for it, we <a id='corr52.19'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='shauld'>should</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_52.19'><ins class='correction' title='shauld'>should</ins></a></span> mention the -matter to the excellent and efficient Leslie Seylar at -McConnellsburg, who knew everyone and everything, -and could doubtless obtain the historic relic and have -it shipped to our amateur “curio shop.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The genial Seylar, famed for his temperamental -and physical resemblance to the lamented “Great -Heart,” was found at his eyrie and amusement centre -on top of Cove Mountain, and he gladly consented -to securing the abandoned mantel. As a result it is -now in safe hands, a priceless memento of the golden -age of Pennsylvania History.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>But now for the story or the legend of the mantel, -alluded to briefly last year in the chapter called -the “Star of the Glen,” in this writer’s “South Mountain -Sketches.” The story, as an old occupant of the -house told it, and he survived on until early in the -Nineteenth Century was, that General Forbes, on -this victorious eastern march, was seized many times -with fainting fits. On every occasion his officers and -orderlies believed that the end had come, so closely -did he simulate death. But he had always been delicate, -at least from his first appearance in Pennsylvania, -though when campaigning with the gallant Marshal -Ligonier in France, Flanders and on the Rhine, -participating in the battles of Dettingen, Fontenoy -and Lauffeld, no such symptoms were noted. Although -less than fifty years of age when he started -towards the west, he was regarded, from his illnesses, -as an aged person, Sherman Day in his inimitable -“Historical Collections” states that there was “much -dissatisfaction in the choice of a leader of the expedition -against Fort Duquesne, as General Forbes, -the commander, was a decrepit old <a id='corr53.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='man.'>man.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_53.22'><ins class='correction' title='man.'>man.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>What caused his ill health history has not uncovered -at this late date. It has been said that he was an -epileptic, like Alexander and other great generals, or -a sufferer from heart trouble or general debility. His -military genius outweighed his physical frailties, so -that he rose superior to him, but it must not be forgotten -that he was aided by two brilliant officers, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>Colonel George Washington and Colonel Henry Bouquet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His immediate entourage was a remarkable one, -even for a soldier of many wars. Like a true Scotsman, -he carried his own piper with him, Donald MacKelvie, -said to be a descendant of the mighty MacCrimmons; -and his bodyguard was also headed by a -Highlander, Andrew MacCochran, who had been a -deer stalker on one of the estates owned by the General’s -father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Forbes himself, being a younger son, was not a -man of property, and Pittencrief House, his birth-place, -was already occupied by an older brother, from -whom, so Dr. Burd S. Patterson tells us, all who -claim relationship to him are descended.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The General was carried in a hammock, with frequent -stops, from Harris’ Ferry to Fort Duquesne, -and back again, borne by four stalwart Highlanders, -in their picturesque native costumes, wearing the tartan -of the Forbes clan. The deerstalker, MacCochran, -was the major domo, and even above the chief of -staff and Brigade Surgeon, gave the orders to halt -when the General’s lean weazened face indicated an -over-plussage of fatigue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was late in the afternoon as the returning army -had neared the summit of Rea’s Hill; the pipers were -playing gaily Blaz Sron, to cheer foot soldiers and -wagoners up the steep, rocky, uneven grade, with the -General in the van. The ascent was a hard one, and -the ailing commander-in-chief was shaken about considerably, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>so much so that MacCochran was glad to -note the little stone house, where he might give him -his much needed rest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Old Andrew McCreath and his wife, a North of -Ireland couple, the former a noted hunter, occupied -the house; their son was serving in the Pennsylvania -Regiment, which formed a part of General Forbes’ -expeditionary forces. The old folks were by the roadside, -having heard the bagpipes at a great distance, -eager to see the visitors, and catch a glimpse of their -hero son. They were surprised and pleased when -MacCochran signalled the halt in front of their door, -which meant that the entire procession would bivouac -for the night in the immediate vicinity. There were -several good springs of mountain water, so all could -await the General’s pleasure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Permission was asked to make the house “general -<a id='corr55.18'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='hearquarters'>headquarters</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_55.18'><ins class='correction' title='hearquarters'>headquarters</ins></a></span>” for the night, which, of course, was -quickly given, as the old couple were honored to have -such a distinguished visitor. There was a great couch, -or what we would today call a “Davenport” in front -of the fire, and there the General was laid, the room -dark, save for the ruddy glow of the roaring fire, -which illuminated every nook and corner, and made -it at once as cheerful as it was warm and comfortable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The General’s eyes were wide open, and he gazed -about the room, while his faithful domestics watched -him to anticipate every wish. When he was ill he excluded -his Staff, but kept his servants with him, and -they, with McCreath and his wife, stood in the corners -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>of the room, back of the couch, waiting for his -commands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The piper asked if he could liven his master with -a “wee tune or two,” but the General shook his head; -his sandy locks had become untied, and flapped about -his bony face; he made a motion with his hand that -indicated that he wanted to be alone, to try and get -some sleep. McCreath and his wife, and their stalwart -son, the other bearers of the hammock and litters, -and the surgeon of the expedition, Major McLanahan, -who had slipped into the room, withdrew, -leaving the piper and MacCochran standing in the -corner back of the couch, to aid the General should he -become violently ill in his sleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The General dozed, and the bodyguard became -very tired, for they had had a hard march, and sank -down on the floor, with their backs to the wall. All -was still, save for the tramp, tramp of the sentry outside -the window, or the crackle of some giant bonfire -in the general campground, or the barking of some -camp follower’s dog. The fire had died down a little, -but threw great fitful shadows, like a pall, over the -sleeping General, and caused an exaggerated shadow -of his bold profile to appear on the wall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All at once, without the slightest warning, he -jumped to his feet, with the elasticity of a youth, -and arms outstretched, seemed to rush towards the -fire. He might have tripped over the pile of cord -wood, and fallen in face foremost, had not the ever -watchful piper and MacCochran, springing forward, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>caught him simultaneously in their strong arms. They -did not find him excited, or his mind wandering, like -a man suddenly aroused from slumbers. On the contrary, -he was strangely calm. He whispered in MacCochran’s -ear:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Andy, I have seen my lady of Dunkerck. She -came out of the ashes towards me. I rushed forward -to greet her, and she went back into the hearth and -was gone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The General would say nothing further, but allowed -himself to be laid out on the couch once more, -and be covered with buffalo robes, and while he lay -quiet, he slept no more that night, but every minute -or so kept looking into the fire. At daybreak, at the -sounding of Surachan on the pipes, he was able to -start, and the balance of the march executed without -incident.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He reached Philadelphia in safety, but within a -short time after arriving there he passed away unexpectedly, -and was buried in historic Old Christ -Church, where a tablet with the following inscription -was erected in the Chancel by the Pennsylvania Chapter -of the Society of Colonial Wars: “To the Memory -of Brigadier-General John Forbes, Colonel of the -17th Regiment of Foot, born at Pittencrief, Fifeshire, -1710, died in Philadelphia, March 11, 1759.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>MacCochran was released from the army, and being -enamored of the wild mountain country in the interior -of Pennsylvania, returned to the forests. Later, -though nearly fifty years old, he enlisted and served -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>through the Revolutionary War in Captain Parr’s Riflemen. -After peace was declared he bought the little -stone house on Rea’s Hill from young McCreath, who -had served with him in the Rifle Brigade, and lived -there alone until he died about 1803. He said that he -liked the place for its memories of General Forbes, -and he was always fond of telling to his mountaineer -friends when they dropped in of an evening for a -smoke and a toddy, of his hero’s exploits in peace -and war, and more than once recounted the tale of -the wraith which appeared to the General at the fireplace, -during his eastward journey from Fort Duquesne.</p> - -<p class='c001'>General Forbes, he said, as noted previously, was -a younger son, and had entered the army early in life. -He had been too busy campaigning to marry, but not -always too busy to fall in love. Yet he was a serious-minded -man, and his romances were always of the -better sort, and would have ended happily on one or -more occasions but for the exigencies of his strenuous -<a id='corr58.20'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='compaigns'>campaigns</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_58.20'><ins class='correction' title='compaigns'>campaigns</ins></a></span>, which moved him from place to place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of all his love affairs, the one that hit him the -hardest, and lasted the longest, occurred after the -victory of Lauffeld, won by Marshal Ligonier, when, -as Lieutenant-Colonel, he was quartered with his regiment -at Dunkerck, preparatory to embarking for England. -Colonel Forbes’ billet was with one Armand -Violet, a rich shipowner, who resided in a mediaeval -chateau, which his <a id='corr58.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='weath'>wealth</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_58.28'><ins class='correction' title='weath'>wealth</ins></a></span> had enabled him to purchase -from some broken-down old family, on the outskirts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>of the town. It was built on a bare, chalky -cliff, overlooking the sea, where the waves beat over -the rocks, and sent the spray against the walls on -stormy nights, and the wind, banshee-like, moaned incessantly -among the parapets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Violet was away a good deal, and his wife was -an invalid, and peculiar, but their one daughter, Amethyst -Violet, was a ray of sunshine enough to illuminate -and radiate the gloomiest fortress-like chateau. -She was under eighteen, about the middle height, slimly -and trimly built, with chestnut brown hair, blue -eyes, and a fair complexion; her hair was worn in puffs -over her ears and brushed back from her brows, just -as the girls are again wearing it today; she was vivacious -and intelligent, and detected in the Colonel, despite -his thirty-seven years, a man of superior personality -and charm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the long wait, due to conflicting orders, and -the non-arrival of the transport, Forbes and Amethyst -became very well acquainted, in fact the Colonel was -very much in love, but would not dream of mentioning -his passion, as he deemed it folly for a man of -his years and experience to espouse a mere child. The -girl was equally smitten, but more impulsive, and less -self-contained.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Every evening the pair were together in the great -hall, sitting before the fire in the old hearth, their -glances, which often met, indicating their feelings, but -the Colonel confined his talk to descriptions of military -life, Scotland, its glens and locks and wild game, old -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>legends and ballads which he loved to recite. He was -particularly fond of repeating the old ballad of Barbara -Livingston.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One night while the wind was howling, and the -spray was lashing against the castle walls, and the -rain dashed and hissed against the panes, the time to -retire had come, and Amethyst, instead of tripping -away, sprang right into Forbes’ arms, and lay her -fluffy head against his bespangled breast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are the coldest man in the world” she sobbed, -looking up with tear-dimmed blue eyes. “What -have you meant all these nights, we two alone for -hours and hours, your eyes on only the sparks as they -swept upwards through the ‘louvre,’ and your thoughts -only on battles and mountain scenery. I love you more -than all the world, and yet you could not see it, or did -not care. I can restrain my feelings no longer; tell me -the truth, for I cannot bear the suspense and live.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Forbes revealed his love by holding her very tight, -and covering her wet, hot eyelids with kisses. “Oh, -foolish, darling Amethyst,” he said, “I love you just -as much as you care for me. I have from the first -moment I saw you, and hoped that the transport would -never come, but I am twice your age, and battered -by many hard campaigns, and while I think I could -make you happy now, ten years hence I would be an -old man, and you would despise me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Amethyst looked up into his sad, steady eyes, -saying, “I don’t care what happens ten years from -now; we might both be dead. I love you, and I want -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>you. I will give you a week to decide; if you do not, -I will jump off the highest parapet into the sea, and -you can have yourself all to yourself, and prosper if -you will with your stern Covenanter’s principles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Colonel, though moved, was too prudent a -Scot to capitulate. He took the case under advisement, -and every night for a week, though chivalrous -and charming, neglected to set the beautiful girl’s -mind at rest. Yet when he retired to his room, he -paced the floor all night, for he knew that the exquisite -girl could revive his youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fatal night arrived. Perhaps the result -might have been different if Amethyst had reminded -her lover of her threat. She was too proud to do so, -and the Colonel, thinking that she had forgotten her -rash words–to some extent at least–was mum, and -they parted gaily, Amethyst darting out of the hall -humming the old love song of Barbara Livingston -as light on foot, and apparently as light-hearted as any -carefree child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was never seen again–at least not until -Forbes saw her come out of the embers at the fireplace -on Rea’s Hill, more than thirteen years later.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the word came that her room in one of -the turrets was empty, a general search was made, revealing -the trap-door to the parapet open. In her -haste she had omitted dropping it. From that Forbes -knew that the worst had happened. When MacCochran -told it to him, standing pale and frigid by the -ancient hearth, he tried to stroke his small military -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>mustache, to show his sang-froid, but fell in a swoon -on the stone floor, lying unconscious for a week.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That was the beginning of the fainting fits that -plagued him for the rest of his life, and the commencement -of his distaste of life, which caused him -to ask for active service in America, in a new and wild -environment, far from scenes similar to the terrible -tragedy of his love and pride. And yet, out of the -fire, in distant Pennsylvania, had appeared the long lost -Amethyst Violet, perhaps as a “warning” of his fast -approaching end, to open the portals to that better -world where they would be together, and all things -be as they should.</p> - -<p class='c001'>MacCochran, philosophic and superstitious Scot -that he was, had many reasons for lingering in the -little stone house. Often he said, when he sat smoking -late at night, the shadows from the dying fire -would cast dark shapes, much like General Forbes’ -bold features, on the walls, and he felt the magnetic -spell of his old Master’s presence. Perhaps out of -the ashes would emerge Amethyst Violet, or her spirit -self, and the lovers could be re-united before his eyes -in a shadowland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But nothing ever happened so fortuitous, and the -engraved likenesses of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and -Madame d’Albany, unhappy lovers also, which hung -on either side of his Revolutionary rifle, above the -mantel, looked down on him as if in sympathy, for -his fidelity which had survived the grave. The long -looked for visitations never came; perhaps among -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>the vaults and cornices and lofts of Old Christ Church, -where the General is resting, the reunion of the lovers -has taken place, but wherever it has, the place is known -only to the spirits of Forbes and the fair Amethyst -Violet; there are no witnesses.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And now the present owner of “General Forbes’ -Fireplace,” as he calls it, is waiting to set it up in some -study or hunting lodge, beneath the skull and antlers -of the extinct Irish elk, from Ballybetag Bog, where -amid forest surroundings, in the dead of night, he can -keep vigil like MacCochran, after reading “Volumes -of Quaint and Forgotten Lore,” and maybe be rewarded -by a sight of the true lovers from out of the -ashes.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_072.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>V</span> <br /> <i>Wayside Destiny</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Like many natives of the Pennsylvania Mountains, -Ammon Tatnall was a believer in dreams -and ghosts. Even in his less prosperous days, -when life was considerable of a struggle, he had time -to ponder over the limitless possibilities of the unseen -world. Probably his faith in the so-called supernatural -was founded on a dream he had while clerking -in a hotel at Port Allegheny, during the active days -of the lumber business in that part of the Black Forest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It seemed that his mother was lying at the point -of death, and wanted him to come to her, but as she -did not know his whereabouts, was suffering much -mental anguish. Just in the midst of the dream the -alarm clock went off, but he awoke and got up with -the impression that his vision had been real. In the -office he informed the landlord of his dream. Like a -true mountain man, the proprietor merely asked him -to come back as soon as he could, such occurrences -being not unusual in his range of experience.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_074.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AMONG THE VIRGIN HEMLOCKS, BLACK FOREST. (<em>Photograph by</em> W. T. Clarke.)</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>At home, in the Wyoming Valley, he found conditions -exactly as reproduced in the dream. His sudden -coming proved the turning point in his mother’s -illness; she rallied and got well. During her convalescence, -for Tatnall remained longer than he had expected, -she told him of a story which her mother had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>told her of the straight dreaming of some of their ancestors, -pioneers of the North Branch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The woman in question, who lived many years -before, dreamed one night that her daughter who lived -in Connecticut, and who had married just as they left -for Wyoming, appeared to her with a baby in her arms. -<a id='corr65.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='she'>She</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_65.6'><ins class='correction' title='she'>She</ins></a></span> said she herself was dead and she desired the baby -to be given to the grandmother. As a sign of the reality -of the vision, she placed her hand on the wrist of -the grandmother, leaving a mark on it that could never -be effaced.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The grandmother took the long journey to Connecticut -and found that everything had happened as -told in the dream. The child grew up, and became -the wife of a well-known Methodist preacher, and was -famed throughout Northern Pennsylvania for her good -deeds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tatnall gradually advanced in life, and became -agent or traveling salesman for several wholesale lumber -concerns. He had gotten his start by being polite -to the manager of one of the companies who came -up from Pittsburg every week and stopped at the hotel. -He made a success as a salesman, and it was a matter -of quiet satisfaction to him that in ten years he <a id='corr65.23'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='rad'>had</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_65.23'><ins class='correction' title='rad'>had</ins></a></span> -sold 160,000,000 feet of lumber. But he had been too -busy to marry, too busy to have a home; was a driving, -pushing machine in the interests of his employers. -Sometimes on the trains he met with intelligent people, -but generally his associates were like himself, human -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>dynamos, but without his interest in the supernatural.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was one railway journey which he took -frequently, and on fast trains. His westbound trips -carried him through the most mountainous part of -the country in the late afternoon, but there was generally -light enough to show the various aspects of -the wild, rugged landscape. There was a little abandoned -graveyard, all overgrown, with an uneven stone -wall around it, near where the tracks crossed the river -bridge. Standing among the lop-sided and battered -tombstones, the tips of some of the older ones of -brownstone being barely visible, looking as if they -were sinking into the earth, he would always see the -figure of a young woman attired completely in grey. -The train was always traveling so fast that he counted -a different number of stones every time he went by–there -were probably a “Baker’s Dozen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a long time he thought that she must be some -particularly devoted mourner, a recently bereaved widow, -but it did seem a strange coincidence that she -should be there on the same days and hour that he -passed by in the fast train. Once he called his seat-mate’s -attention to the figure, but the companion could -see nothing, and laughingly said: “Why, you must be -seeing a ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The word <em>ghost</em> sent a thrill through Tatnall, and -after that he said no more to anyone, but conceded to -himself that the girl in grey was a wraith of some -kind. Though the train did not pass close to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>graveyard, and was always moving rapidly, he fancied -that he could discern the ghost’s type of feature, -or imagined he did; at any rate he had an exact mental -picture of what he thought she looked like, and would -pick her out in a crowd if he ever saw her in hailing -distance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This had kept up for five years, and he began to -feel that it was getting on his nerves; he must either -abandon that particular train or go to the graveyard -and investigate. He chose the latter course, and one -afternoon arrived at the nearest station, via a local -train. The graveyard was on the opposite side of the -river, and there seemed to be very little hurry on the -part of the boatman, who lived on the far shore, to -carry him across. It was late in the fall, after Thanksgiving, -and the trees were bare of leaves, and shook -and rattled their bare branches in the gusts of wind -that came out of the east.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He sat down on an old rotting shell of a dugout -by the bank, watching the cold, grey current, for the -river was high after many days of fall rains. It was -a dreary, but imposing scene, the wide, swollen river, -the wooded banks and hills beyond, and back of him, -high rocky mountains, partly covered with scrubby -growth and dead pines.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Finally, in response to frequent calling, he could -see the boat launched; it looked like a black speck -at first, and gradually drew nearer to him and beached. -The boatman was a tiny man, with a long drooping -mustache and goatee, wearing a Grand Army button; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>he was pleasant, but inquisitive, though he “allowed” -Tatnall could have no other business than to be a -“drummer” bound for the crossroads store on the opposite -bank.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tatnall had remembered a small, dingy store in -a hamlet, about half mile from the little cemetery; he -had intended going there as he wanted information -concerning the families who were buried there. Perhaps -he could learn all he wanted to know from the -riverman, and save the walk down the track to the -store, but for some reason held his tongue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boatman’s final remark was that it was strange -for anyone to be willing to pay a dollar to be ferried -across the river, when most people walked the railroad -bridge. It was trespassing on railroad property, -and dangerous to do it, but it was worth the risk, -many travelers thought.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Arriving safely across the roily current, Tatnall -paid and thanked the boatman, and started in the direction -of the little country store. In front of the store -was a row of mature Ailanthus trees, which seemed -like sturdy guards over the old stone structure, -which had once been a tavern stand. The porch was -filled with packing cases and barrels.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Tatnall opened the door, he could see a number -of habitues seated about on crates and barrels. -One of them, a white bearded Civil War Veteran, -rose up, leaning heavily on his cane, and bid the -stranger welcome. Almost before he had a chance -to engage in conversation with the regulars, he glanced -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>behind the counter, where he beheld a young woman, -who had just emerged from an inner apartment behind -the store room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the dim half-light, the dark aquiline face and -meagre figure seemed strangely familiar. She was -more Oriental than Indian in type, with that curly -hair and wonderful nose, those thin lips, and complexion, -the deep pink tone of a wild pigeon’s breast. -Where had they met before? For a moment his mind -refused to correlate, then like a flash, he realized that -she was the counterpart of the girl in grey who -haunted the little disused cemetery so regularly. And -the way she looked at him was as if they had seen -one another before; on her face was a look of mild -surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Addressing some pleasantries to her, they were -soon engaged in conversation, as if they had known -each other for years. It was getting late, time to light -lamps and fires at home, so the long-winded dissertations -of the habitues were left off, to be continued -after supper. One by one they filed out of the store; -if they had any opinion of the stranger conversing -with Elma Hacker, the store-keeper’s niece, it was -that he was probably some traveling man, “talking -up” his line of goods.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the last one had gone, and the acquaintance -had progressed far enough, Tatnall, leaning over -the counter, confided bravely the purpose of his visit -to the remote neighborhood. For five years he had -been seeing a figure in grey, in the late afternoons, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>while passing by the little graveyard in the western -express. No one else could see it, yet he was certain -that his senses were not deceiving him. Did she -know anything of this, and could she help him fathom -the mystery?</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dark girl dropped her eyes and was silent -for a moment. She was hesitating as to whether to -disclaim all knowledge, or to be frank and divulge a -story which concerned her soul.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I do know all about it, how very funny! -I, too, have had the power of seeing that figure in -grey, though very few others have ever been able to, -and many’s the time I’ve been called crazy when I -mentioned it. ‘The girl in grey,’ as you call her, -strangely enough was an ancestress of mine, or rather -belonged to my father’s family, and while I have the -same name, Elma Hacker, I don’t know whether I -was named for her or not, as my parents died when -I was a little girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It used to make me feel terrible when I was a -little girl and told about seeing the figure. I hated -to be regarded as untruthful or ‘dullness,’ but at last -my uncle, hearing of it, came to the rescue and told -me not to mind what anyone said, that, from the description, -he was sure I had seen the ghost. He had -never had the power to see her, but his father, my -grandfather had, and other members of the family.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was a sad and curious story. It all happened -in the days of the very first white settlers in these -mountains, when my ancestors kept the first stopping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>place for travellers, a Stone fortress-like house, in -Black Wolf Gap; the ruins of the foundations are -still visible, and folks call it ‘The Indian Fort.’ The -Hackers were friendly with the Indians, who often -came for square meals, and other favors from the -genial pioneer landlord and his wife. The Elma -Hacker of those days had a <a id='corr71.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sweeaheart'>sweetheart</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_71.7'><ins class='correction' title='sweeaheart'>sweetheart</ins></a></span> who lived -alone on the other side of the Gap; his name was -Ammon Quicksall, and from all accounts, he was a -fine, manly fellow, a great hunter and fighter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He would often drop in on his beloved on his -way home from his hunting trips, at all hours of the -day. One one occasion four Indians appeared at -the tavern, intimating that they were hungry, as Indians -generally were. Elma carried a pewter dish -containing all the viands the house afforded to each, -which they sat eating on a long bench outside the -door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One of the Indians was a peculiar, half-witted -young wretch who went by the name of Chansops. -He came to the public house quite often, being suspected -of having a fondness for Elma and for hard -cider. She always treated him pleasantly, but kept -him at a distance, and never felt fear of any kind in -his presence. No doubt his feelings were of a volcanic -order, and under his stoical exterior burned a -consuming passion. He was munching his lunch, apparently -most interested in his food, when Ammon -Quicksall and his hunting dogs hove in sight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Their barking and yelping were a signal to Elma, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>who rushed out of the house to greet her lover, perhaps -showing her feelings a trifle too much; though -she had no reason to imagine she should restrain -herself in the presence of the Indians. All the while -Chansops was eyeing her with gathering rage and -fury. When Elma took her lover’s arm–she must -have been a very impulsive girl–and rested her head -against his shoulder, it was too much for the irate -Indian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He jumped up, firing his pewter dish into the -creek which flowed near the house, and danced up -and down in sheer fury. His companions tried hard -to calm him, as they wanted to keep on good terms -with the <a id='corr72.14'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='inkeeper’s'>innkeeper’s</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_72.14'><ins class='correction' title='inkeeper’s'>innkeeper’s</ins></a></span> family, but he was beyond all -control. Quicksall and Elma were walking on the -path which led along the creek; their backs were -turned, and they little dreamed of the drama being -enacted behind them. The other Indians, realizing -that Chansops meant trouble, lay hold of him, but -he wrenched himself free with a superhuman strength, -threatening to kill anyone who laid hands on him -again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Old Adam Hacker, Elma’s father, finally heard -the commotion and came out, and asked in Dutch -what the trouble was all about. One of the Indians, -the oldest and most sensible, replied that it was only -Chansops having a jealous fit because he saw Elma -walking off with Quicksall. While these words were -being said, Chansops was edging further away, and -looking around furtively, saw that he had a chance to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>get away, and sprang after the retreating couple. -Bounding like a deer, he was a few paces behind -Quicksall in a twinkling of an eye. He had a heavy -old flint-lock pistol with him, which he drew and fired -point blank into the young lover’s back at two or three -paces. With a groan, Quicksall sank down on the -ground, dying before Elma could comfort him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Before Adam Hacker or the friendly Indians -could reach the scene of the horrid tragedy, Chansops -had escaped into the forests, followed by Quicksall’s -hounds yelping at his heels. He was seen no more. -The dogs, tired and dejected, re-appeared the next -day; evidently they had been outraced by the fleet -Indian runner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was a blow from which the bereaved girl -could not react. She was brave enough at the time, -but she was never the same again. She gradually -pined away, until she was about my age, she died, -and was buried not in the little graveyard, but in her -father’s yard. That was done because it was feared -that the crazy Chansops might return and dig up her -body, and carry it away to his lodge in the heart of -the forest. Quicksall was buried in the pioneer cemetery, -and that is the place where Elma Hacker of -those days evidently frequents, trying to be near her -sweetheart’s last resting place, and to reason out the -tragedy of her unfulfilled existence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a very strange story, but odder still, to me, -that you, a stranger, should have seen the apparition -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>so frequently, when others do not, and been interested -enough to have come here to unravel the mystery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a strange story,” said Tatnall, after a pause. -He was figuring out just what he could say, and not -say too much. “The strangest part is that the figure -I have been seeing is the image of yourself, bears -the same name, and my name, Ammon Tatnall, has -a somewhat similar sound, in fact is cousin-german -to ‘Ammon Quicksall.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the gloom Elma Hacker hung her pretty head -still further. She was glad that there was no light -as she did not want Tatnall to see the hot purple -flush which she felt was suffusing her dark cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The minute I came into the store,” Tatnall continued, -“you looked familiar; it did not take me a -minute to identify you as the grey lady.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you,” broke in Elma, “appear just as I always -supposed Ammon Quicksall looked.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>How much more intimate the talk would have become, -there is no telling, but just then the door was -swung open, and in came old Mrs. Becker, a neighbor -woman, to buy some bread.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must be getting moonstruck, Elma,” she -said, “to be here and not light the lamps. Why, it is -as dark as Egypt in this room, and you were always -so prompt to light them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Elma bestirred herself to find the matches, and -soon the swinging lamps were lit, and the store aglow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again the door was thrown open, and Elma’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>uncle came in. He was Adam Hacker, namesake of -the old-time landlord, and proprietor of the store. -Mrs. Becker got her bread and departed, and Elma -introduced Tatnall to the storekeeper. Soon she explained -to him the stranger’s business, to which the -uncle listened sympathetically. At the conclusion he -said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is really curious, after all these years, to have -an Adam Hacker, an Elma Hacker and an Ammon -Tatnall–almost Quicksall–here together; if Chansops -was here it would be as if the past had risen -again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us hope there’ll be no Chansops this time,” -said Tatnall. “Let us feel that everything that was -unfulfilled and went wrong in those old days is to be -righted now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a bold statement, but somehow it went -unchallenged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe in destiny, the destiny of wayside cemeteries, -of chance and opportunity,” he resumed. “It -can be the only road to true happiness after all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How happy we’d all be,” said Elma demurely, -“if through all this we could only lay the ghost of my -poor ancestress, the grey lady.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing that is started is ever left unfinished,” -answered Tatnall. “And we of this generation become -unconscious actors in the final scenes of a drama -that began a couple of centuries ago. In that way -the cycle of existence is carried out harmoniously, -else this world could not go on if it was merely a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>jumble of odds and ends, and starts without finishes; -as it is, everything that is good, that is worthwhile, -sometimes comes to a rounded out and completed fulfillment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The moon, which had come out clear, was three -parts full, and shed a glowing radiance over the rugged -landscape. After supper Ammon and Elma strolled -out along the white, moon-bathed road. Coming -to a cornfield the girl pointed to a great white oak -with a plume-like crest which stood on a knoll, facing -the valley, the river, and the hills beyond; they -climbed the high rail fence, and slipping along quietly, -seated themselves beneath the giant tree. Of the -many chapters of human life and destiny enacted beneath -the oak’s spreading branches, none was stranger -than this one. There until the flaming orb had -commenced to wane in the west, they sat, perfectly -content. “Oh, how I like to rest on the earth,” said -she. “How I love to be here, and look at your wonderful -face,” he whispered, as he stroked the perfect -lines of her nose, lips, chin and throat.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_087.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>VI</span> <br /> <i>The Holly Tree</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It was while on a mountain climbing trip in the -French Alps, when stormstayed at a small inn -at Grenoble, that a chance acquaintance showed -The Viscount Adare a copy of “The Travels of Thomas -Ashe,” a book which had recently appeared in -London and created a sensation in the tourist world. -The Viscount had already perused “Travels Beyond -the Alleghenies,” by the younger Michaux, but the -volume by Ashe, so full of human interest, more than -sharpened his old desire to travel in the United -States, now that a stable peace between the young -republic and the Mother Country was a matter of -some years standing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mountains, as described by both Michaux -and Ashe, seemed stupendous and inspiring, wild -game and mighty forests were everywhere, and a -glimpse might be caught of the vanishing redmen, -without journeying as far west as the Mississippi -River.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thomas Ashe excelled in descriptions of the life -along the mountain highways, though nothing could -be more vivid than Michaux’s pen picture of his feast -on venison cooked on the coals on the hearth at Statler’s -stone tavern on the Allegheny summits, near -Buckstown. This ancient hostelry is, by the way, still -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>standing, though misnamed “The Shot Factory,” by -modern chroniclers, much to the disgust of the accurate -historian of Somerset County, George W. -Grove.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All during his trip among the Alps of Savoy, and -Dauphiny, The Viscount Adare was planning the excursion -to Pennsylvania. His love of wild scenery -was one compelling reason, but perhaps another was -Ashe’s description of his meeting and brief romance -with the beautiful Eleanor Ancketell, daughter of the -innkeeper on the Broad Mountain, above Upper -Strasburg, Franklin County.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was well along in August, the twenty-first to -be exact, when Ashe’s book was first shown to him, -therefore it seemed impracticable to make the journey -that year, but the time would soon roll around, -and be an ideal outing for the ensuing summer. From -the time of his return to London, until almost the date -set for the departure, The Viscount Adare busied -himself reading every book of American travel and -adventure that he could lay his hands on, besides accumulating -a vast outfit to take along, although the -trip was to be on foot, and without even a guide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Needless to say, with such an interesting objective, -the year passed very rapidly, not that The Viscount -had no other interests, for he had many, being -a keen sportsman and scientist, as well as a lover of -books, paintings and the drama.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was on the twenty-third of August, a little -over a year after his first acquaintance with the writings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>of Ashe, that The Viscount embarked for Philadelphia, -on the fast sailing ship “Ocean Queen.” -Very few Englishmen went to America for pleasure -in those days as the sting of the Revolution was still -a thorn in their sides. Many Britishers did go, but -they were mostly of the commoner sort, immigrants, -not tourists.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount Adare, even before sailing, had his -itinerary pretty well mapped out. He would tarry a -week in Philadelphia to get rid of his “sea legs,” then -proceed by carriage to Louisbourg, then beginning to -be called Harrisburg, and go from there to Carlisle, -Shippensburg, and Upper Strasburg, at which last -named place he would abandon his conveyance, and -with pack on back, in true Alpine fashion, start overland, -traversing the same general direction of Michaux -and Ashe towards Pittsburg. At Pittsburg he -planned to board a flat boat and descend the Ohio, -thence into the Mississippi, proceeding to New Orleans, -at which city he could set sail for England.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was an ambitious trip for a solitary traveler, -but as he was known by his Alpinist friends as “The -Guideless Wonder,” some indication may be divined -of his resourcefulness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The journey across the Atlantic was interesting. -A school of whales played about the ship, coming so -close as to create the fear that they would overturn it. -The Captain, a shrewd Irishman, was not to be daunted, -so he ordered a number of huge barrels or casks -thrown overboard, which immediately diverted the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>attention of the saurians, with the result that a smart -breeze coming up, they were left far astern.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A boat, said to be a pirate, was sighted against -the horizon, but fortunately made no attempt to come -close, heading away towards the Summer Islands, -where, say the older generation of mountain folks, -arise all the warm south breezes that often temper -wintry or early spring days in the Pennsylvania Highlands, -with blue sky and fleecy clouds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount Adare was pleased with these trifling -adventures, and more so with ocean travel, as -it was his first long sea voyage, though he had crossed -the Channel and the Irish Sea scores of times.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He debarked in Philadelphia after a voyage lasting -nearly six weeks, consequently the green foliage -of England was replaced by the vivid tints of Autumn -on the trees which grew in front of the rows -of brick houses near the Front Street Landing Wharf. -He had letters to the British Consul, who was anxious -to arrange a week or two of social activity for the -distinguished traveler, but The Viscount assured him -that he must be on his way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ride in public coaches to Lancaster and Harrisburg -was accomplished without incident. His fellow -travelers were anxious to point out the various -places of interest, the fine corn crops, livestock and -farm buildings, but the Englishman was so anxious to -get to the wilds that this interlude only filled him with -impatience.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_092.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BARK-PEELERS AT WORK. BLACK FOREST</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>He was impressed not a little by the battlefields -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>of Paoli and Brandywine, but most of all by the grove -where the harmless Conestoga Indians were encamped -when surprised and massacred by the brutal Paxtang -Boys. The word “Indians” thrilled him, and -whetted his curiosity, which was somewhat appeased -on his arrival at Harrisburg by the sight of five Indians -in full regalia, lying on the grass under John -Harris’ Mulberry Tree, waiting to be ferried across -the river.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He tarried only one night at Harrisburg, then -hiring a private conveyance, started down the Cumberland -Valley, where he most admired the many -groves of tall hardwoods–resting at Carlisle and -Shippensburg–as originally planned. At Carlisle, he -was waited on at his inn by a German woman, who -explained to him that she was none other than “Molly -Pitcher,” or Molly Ludwig, the intrepid heroine of the -Battle of Monmouth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was on a bright autumnal morning that, with -pack on back, and staff in hand, he started for the -heights of Cove Mountain, towards the west country. -On the way he passed a small roadside tavern, in -front of which a few years before had played a little -yellow-haired boy, with a turkey bell suspended -around his neck so that he could not get lost. The -German drovers who lolled in front of the hostelry -were fond of teasing the lad, calling him “Jimmy mit -the bells on,” much to the youngster’s displeasure. -His mother was a woman of some intellectual attainments, -and occasionally would edify the society -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>folk of Mercersburg by reciting the whole of Milton’s -“Paradise Lost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In time this boy became known as James Buchanan, -the only Pennsylvanian to occupy the Presidential -chair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were many taverns along the road, considering -the wildness of the country, and The Viscount -thought how much history and tradition was -being made about their inglenooks and <a id='corr82.9'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='home-garths,'>home-garths.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_82.9'><ins class='correction' title='home-garths,'>home-garths.</ins></a></span> -The forests of chestnuts, yellow pine and rock oak, -the grand scenery of distant valleys and coves, interested -him more, and the occasional meetings with -the mountain people along the way, whom he enjoyed -conversing with, about the local folk-lore, game and -Indians. On many of the log barns and sheds were -nailed bear paws, deer horns and wolf hides, and the -hieroglyphics and signs, to ward off witches, were -keenly interesting to his inquiring gaze.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was amazing how the road wound in serpentine -fashion among the mountains; the distance could -have been much shortened, he thought.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One morning a backwoodsman with a black beard -that hung almost to his feet, explained to him the -“short cuts,” or paths that went down the steep slopes -of the mountains, lessening the distance of the regular -roads followed by the packers around the elbows -of the mountain ravines.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount Adare enjoyed these “short cuts” -hugely. They reminded him of his Alpining days, -and they led him right through the forests, under the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>giant oaks and pines where he saw many unusual -looking birds, such as Pileated Woodpeckers and Carolina -Paraquets, while occasionally a Deer or Gray -Fox crossed his path. He had reached the bottom of -a ravine where a stream headed at a big spring, while -taking one of these “short cuts,” when he came in -sight of a clearing which contained a corn field, a -pasture lot or commons, a log house, log barn, and -a smaller log cabin, that looked like a smoke-house. -Smoke was issuing from an opening in the roof of -the tiny structure, which might have passed for a -child’s play house, modelled after the larger log -dwelling. As he neared the little hut, which reminded -him of an Alpine <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>baracq</em></span>, and which stood close to -the path, the door opened and two most curious looking -figures emerged. In old England he had seen -sweeps, but these were more grotesque and grimier -than any he could recall. As he drew nearer, he perceived -that while one appeared to be a man, the other -was a young woman. Both were entirely unclad, save -that the woman’s locks were covered by a homespun -cap of the tam <a id='corr83.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='o’shanttr'>o’shanter</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_83.22'><ins class='correction' title='o’shanttr'>o’shanter</ins></a></span> pattern. Both were literally -black, from head to foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they saw the traveler, the woman ran back -into the cabin, pulling the door shut, while the “Jim -Crow” man waited in the path until joined by the -<a id='corr83.27'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='surpised'>surprised</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_83.27'><ins class='correction' title='surpised'>surprised</ins></a></span> Viscount.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is all this, my good man,” he queried, -“been cleaning your chimney and fallen through it -into a barrel of tar?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>“Oh, no,” said the grimy mountaineer, smiling, -his teeth looking very white against his swarthy visage. -“My business is to make lamp black, and my -friend and I have been sweeping down the walls, collecting -the output this morning, and boxing it, and -had just finished when you appeared in sight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fellow made no attempt to apologize for his -outlandish appearance, but stood there in the sunlight -like an imp of darkness, chatting with the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want to keep your lady friend penned -up in there any longer,” said The Viscount, as he -started to move away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, don’t go,” said the maker of lamp black, -“I don’t know why she acts that way; stay and have -dinner with us. We never let a stranger go by without -furnishing him with some food.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ordinarily, The Viscount Adare, unconventional -as he was, would have scurried away from such -grimy surroundings, but there was something that -appealed to him about the lamp black maker’s lady, -even in her coat of ebony grime, that made him decide -to tarry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thanks, I will stay,” he replied, “but I’ll go to -the barn so as to give your ‘friend,’ as you call her, -a chance to come out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you bother to do that,” said the black man. -“She is acting foolish today; don’t give her the satisfaction -to move a step. She never minded showing -herself to anybody before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>These last words were secretly pleasing to the -Viscount, as it showed that the young woman recognized -in him a person of superior sensibilities, but -he hurried to the barn until he knew that she had -been given time to escape to the house. But he could -not help hearing the lamp black maker loudly chiding -her for modesty, a trait she had never displayed -previously. Pretty soon he saw the fellow making -trips to the spring, carrying water buckets into the -house. The Viscount sat on the doorstep of the barn, -watching the juncos flying about among the savin -bushes in the clearing, or his eyes feasting on the cornelian -red foliage of the sassafras trees on the hill, -inwardly speculating if with her black disguise washed -off, the young woman, whose higher nature he -had aroused, would be as good looking as he imagined -her to be. He made a mental picture of her loveliness, -ranking her close beside that of high bred beauties -of his own land, of the types depicted by Romney, -Kneller and Lely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not long before he saw her emerge from -the house, all washed and scrubbed, with her hair -neatly combed, clad in a spick and span “butternut” -frock. As she came towards him, he noted that she -was a trifle above the average height, and her feet, -despite the rough brogans she wore, were very small. -He saw, to his amazement, that she was the counterpart -of his mental picture, only more radiantly lovely. -When she drew near, she asked him, her face -lighting up very prettily, as she spoke, if he would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>like to come to the house to rest, that she would soon -prepare dinner, and hoped that he would not be too -critical of her humble efforts as a cook.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her eyes seldom met his, but he could see that -they were large and grey-brown, with delicately penciled -black brows, and black lashes. Her face was -rather long and sallow, or rather of a pinkish pallor. -Her hair was cameo brown, her nose long and -straight, the lines of her mouth delicate and refined, -with lips unusually thin. He had noticed, as she came -towards him, that her slender form swayed a little -forward as she walked, reminding him of the mythical -maiden Syrinx, daughter of the River God, whom -the jealous-hearted Pan changed into a reed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount Adare was far more disconcerted -than his hostess, as he followed her to the log house. -Just as they approached the door she whispered, “I -hope that you will forgive the awful exhibition I made -of myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Indoors she sat down on one of the courting -blocks by the great open hearth, where pots of various -sizes hung from the cranes. The man, who was still -trying to get the lamp black out of his curly hair and -beard, was only partially dressed, and looked all the -world like pictures of the lascivious Lupercalian Pan -himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Englishman felt strangely at ease in the -cabin, watching the slender, reed-like girl prepare the -meal, and enjoyed the dinner with his humble entertainers.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>Shortly after the repast another bearded backwoodsman -appeared at the door. The lamp black -maker had an appointment to go with him to some -distant parts of the Shade Mountains to examine -bear pens, and asked to be excused. He would not be -back until the next day; it was nothing unusual for -him to leave his friend alone for a week at a time on -similar excursions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount was in no hurry to go, as never -had a woman appealed to him as did the lamp black -maker’s young assistant. Perhaps it was the unconventional -character of their first meeting that shocked -his love into being; at any rate he was severely smitten; -probably John Rolfe was no more so, on his first -glimpse of the humane Pocohontas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the two hunters had gone, the young woman -sat down on the other courting block, on the opposite -of the inglenook, and The Viscount decided -to ask her to tell him the story of her life. She colored -a trifle, saying that no one had ever been interested -in her life’s history before, therefore, she might -not repeat it very well.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She had been born at sea, of parents coming from -the northern part of Ireland. They had settled first -in the Cumberland Valley, then, when she was about -a dozen years old, decided to migrate to Kentucky. -They had not gotten much further than the covered -bridge across the Little Juniata, when they were ambushed -by robbers, and all the adult members of the -party, her parents and an uncle, were slain. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>children were carried off, being apportioned among -the highwaymen. She fell to the lot of the leader -of the band, Conrad Jacobs, who took more than a -fatherly interest in her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was a middle-aged married man, but he openly -said that when the girl was big enough, he would -chase his wife away and install her in her place. But -she was kindly treated by the strange people, even -more so than at home, for her mother had been very -severe and unreasonable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she was fifteen she saw signs that the outlaw -was going to put his plan into effect–to drive -his wife out into the forest, like an old horse–and -probably would have done so, but for Simon Supersaxo, -the lamp black man, who came to the highwayman’s -shanty frequently on his hunting trips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The robber became jealous of the young Nimrod -and threatened to shoot him if he came near the -premises again. A threat was as good as a promise -with such people, so Supersaxo was ready to kill or -be killed on sight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He met the highwayman one evening in front of -McCormick’s Tavern, and drawing the bead, shot -him dead. He was not arrested, but feted by all the -innkeepers for ridding the mountains of a dangerous -deterrent to travel, while she, her name was Deborah -Conner, went to help keep house for him, along with -the outlaw’s widow, but in reality to help make lamp -black.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That was four years before. Since old Mother -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>Jacobs had died and Deborah, now nineteen years -of age, was being importuned by Supersaxo to marry -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Previous to the Englishman’s coming that morning, -she had never felt any shame at working in the -lamp black hut with her employer, or appearing before -passers-by unclad, but now a great light had -come to her; she was free to confess that she was -changed and humiliated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount looked her over and over, and far -into those wonderful stone grey eyes that mirrored -a refined soul lost in the wilderness. Then he made -bold to speak:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deborah”, he said, “since you have been so frank -with me in telling the story of your life, I will freely -confess to you that I loved you the minute my -eyes rested on you, even in your unbecoming homespun -cap, and lamp black from head to foot. I -realize that your being here is but an accident, and -my coming the instrument to take you away. I will -marry you, and strive always to make you happy, -if you will come away with me, and I will take you -to England where, among people of refined tastes, -you will shine and always be at peace.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Deborah opened her thin delicate mouth in surprise, -and her eyes became like grey stars. “Really, -do you mean that”? she said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I mean every word,” replied The Viscount -Adare.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know that I feel differently towards you than -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>any man I have seen, so I must love you, and I will -always be happy with you,” resumed the girl. “And -while I owe Simon Supersaxo a deep debt of gratitude -for saving me from being forced into marrying -that horrid old road-agent, I owe myself more, and -you more still. I will go with you whenever you are -ready to take me, no matter what my conscience will -tell me later. Though I’ll say to you honestly that I -never thought there was any life for me further than -to make lamp black, until you came.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She explained to him that at Christmastime the -lamp black man always went with a party of companions -on a great elk hunt to the distant Sinnemahoning -Country, and if The Viscount would return then, she -would arrange to meet him at a certain place at a -certain day and hour, and go away with him. “There -is a little clearing or old field on the top of the ridge, -beyond this house,” and pointing her slender white -hand, showed to him through the open door. “Meet -me there on the day before Christmas, and I will be -free to go away with you rejoicing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The balance of the visit was passed in pleasant -amity, until towards nightfall, when The Viscount -shouldered his pack and seized his staff, and started -away, not for Pittsburg, but eastward again. Deborah, -her slender reed-like figure swaying in the -autumn breeze, walked with him to the edge of the -clearing. She kissed him goodbye among the savin -bushes, and he kissed her many times in return, until -they parted at the carnelian-leafed sassafras trees -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>on the hill, and he commenced the ascent of the -steep face of Chestnut Ridge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The trip back to Philadelphia was taken impatiently, -but with a different kind of impatience; he -wanted the entire intervening time obliterated, until -he could get back to his strange exotic mountain love. -In Philadelphia he engaged passage for England the -first week in January, and wrote letters abroad to -complete the arrangements for taking his wife-to-be -to his ancestral home. He could never forget the last -afternoon in the Quaker City. Christmas was coming, -and the spirit of this glad festival was in the air, -even more so than in “Merrie England.” He was -walking through Chancellor Street when he came upon -two blind Negro Christmas-singers, former sailors, -who had lost their sight in the premature explosion -of a cannon on the deck of a frigate on the Delaware -River during the Revolutionary War. He -stopped, elegant gentleman that he was, listened enraptured -to their songs of simple faith: “Praise God -From Whom All Blessings Flow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If they had so much to be thankful for,” he -mused, “how much more have I, with lovely Deborah -only a few days in the <a id='corr91.25'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='future.'>future.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_91.25'><ins class='correction' title='future.'>future.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he gave them each five shillings and moved -on. A little further down the street, he met an old -Negro Woman selling sprigs of holly with bright -red berries. He bought a sprig. “I’ll take it to Deborah,” -he said to himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He returned to Harrisburg by the stage coach, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>accompanied by a Negro body-servant well recommended -by the British Consul. At Harrisburg he -purchased four extra good horses. With these and -the Negro he retraced his previous journey. He -left the Negro and the horses at McCormick’s Tavern, -continuing the balance of the journey on foot, -his precious sprig of holly, with the bright red berries, -fastened on the top of his staff, that had often -been decked with the <em>edelweiss</em> and the Alpine rose. -Deborah had said that she knew all the mountain -paths back to McCormick’s, so they could reach there -quickly, and be mounted on fast horses almost before -her employer missed them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His heart was beating fast as he neared his -trysting place, the little clearing on the ridge, the -morning before Christmas. Peering through the -trees, he observed that Deborah was not there, but -surely she would soon come, the sun was scarcely -over the Chestnut Ridge to the east! A grey fog -hung over the valley, obscuring the little cabin in -the cove.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He waited and waited all day long, but no Deborah -appeared. He walked all over the top of the -ridge to see if there were other clearings, lest he had -gotten to the wrong one. There were no others, just -as she had said. Cold beads of perspiration stood -out on his forehead; he was angry; he was jealous; -the day was closing bitterly cold. “The woman that -I want, she will not come.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Finally as the sun was going down behind the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>western summits of the Alleghenies, he untied the -sprig of holly from the end of his mountain-staff, -and bending over, stuck it in the fast freezing earth, -a symbol of his faithless adventure, and started down -the mountain, straight towards Deborah Supersaxo’s -cabin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the foot of the hill he met her coming towards -him–her face was deadly pale, her thin lips white -as death–instantly his hate changed to tender love -again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kill me if you wish,” she cried out before he -had time to speak, and held out her arms to show her -non-resistance, “for I have been unworthy. I broke -my faith with you, and was not going to come; I repented -at leaving Supersaxo, who had been so good -to me when I was in distress. I was going to leave -you in the lurch. Then, then,” and here tears trickled -down her ghastly cheeks, “I was sitting on the courting -log by the fire, commending myself for my loyalty, -when a few minutes ago one of his friends came -in to say that the day before yesterday, while looking -at somebody’s bear pen near the Karoondinha, it -fell in on him and broke his neck. I was just coming -up the hill to tell you, if you were still waiting, how -wicked I had been to you, and how I had been punished. -Kill me if you wish, I can never be happy -any more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Viscount Adare did not hesitate a moment, -but flinging down his staff, he rushed to the girl and -caught her in his arms. “Doubly blessed are we this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>night, dear Deborah, for there is now no impediment -to our happiness; no misdirected sense of duty can -cast a shadow on the joy that lies before us. I want -you now more than ever before, after this final trial, -and you must come with me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never say must again,” said Deborah, sweetly, -looking up into his eyes, “I am your willing slave; I -will go with you to the ends of the earth: I want to -redeem this day by years of devotion, years of love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Picking up his staff, The Viscount Adare and -the mountain girl resumed their journey, past the -now deserted log house and the lamp black shack -where they had first met, up the steep mountain, and -off towards McCormick’s Tavern, near where, in a -deep pine grove, the Negro body-servant would be -waiting with the horses.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That is all that has been recorded in the mountains -concerning the lamp black girl and The Viscount -Adare. In England there is an oil painting of a -certain Viscountess of the name that bears a striking -resemblance to the one time Deborah Conner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Up on the ridge, in the little clearing, one or -more of the seeds of the sprig of holly took root, and -grew a fine tree. In order that this story may be -localized, it is said that this is one of the points -furthest north of any specimen of the native holly in -Pennsylvania. In time it died off, but not before -other scions sprang up, and there has always been a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>thrifty holly tree on the hill, as if to commemorate a -lover’s tryst, whose heart when on the point of breaking -from hideous despair, found the fullness of his -happiness suddenly, and whose story is an inspiration -to all aching hearts.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_108.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>VII</span> <br /> <i>The Second Run of the Sap</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The selective draft, according to Dr. Jacobs, a -very intelligent Seneca Indian, residing on the -Cornplanter Reservation in Warren County, -was practiced by Pennsylvania Indians in some of -their earlier conflicts, notably in the bloody warfare -in the Cherokee country.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the war against the Cherokees, there was a -popular apathy at home, as it was not undertaken to -repel an unjust invasion, but for the purpose of aggression, -after the murder of a number of Cherokees -by the Lenape, and as such did not appeal to -the just and patient tribesmen in general.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order to increase the invading armies beyond -the limits of the volunteer quotas of warriors and -chiefs, who were of patrician antecedents, the draft -was resorted to, with the result that a formidable -host departed for the Southland, ravaging the enemy’s -country, and bringing in many prisoners.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Cherokees were not completely vanquished, -as they were victorious in some of the conflicts, and -also made numerous prisoners. Some of these were -tortured to death, others were adopted by families -that had lost their sons, while a few escaped and -made their way Northward.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_110.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE FALLEN MONARCH, PORTAGE CREEK</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The war was followed by the usual period of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>upheaval and reconstruction, and the moral code of -the redmen suffered as much as did modern civilization -as an aftermath of the world war. Many Cherokee -prisoners were brought to Pennsylvania and put -at menial work, or bartered as slaves while others -intermarried with the northern tribes, so that Cherokee -blood become a component part of the make-up -of the Pennsylvania aboriginies. The Cherokee legends -and history lingered wherever a drop of their -blood remained, so that the beginnings of some, at -least, of our Pennsylvania Indian folk-lore hark back -to the golden age of the Cherokees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They certainly have been the martyr-race, the -Belgians of the North American Indians, even to the -time of their brutal expulsion from their Carolina -homes during the Nineteenth Century by U. S. troops -at the behest of selfish land-grabbers, and sentenced -to die of exhaustion and broken hearts along the -dreary trek to the distant Indian Territory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Among the bravest and most enthusiastic of the -Pennsylvania invaders was the young warrior In-nan-ga-eh, -chief of the draft, who led the drafted portion -of the army against the Cherokee foemen. He -was of noble blood, hence himself exempt from the -draft, but he was a lover of war and glory, and rejoiced -to lead his less well-born, and less patriotic -compatriots into the thick of battle. Although noble -rank automatically exempted from the draft, the -young scions of nobility enlisted practically to a man, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>holding high commissions, it is true, yet at all times -bold and courageous.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In-nan-ga-eh was always peculiarly attractive to -the female sex. Tall, lithe and sinewy, he was a -noted runner and hunter, as well as famed for his -warlike prowess. At twenty-two he was already the -veteran of several wars, notably against the Ottawas -and the Catawbas, and thirsted for a chance to humble -his southern rivals, the Cherokees. He wished -to make it his boast that he had fought and conquered -tribes on the four sides of the territory where he -lived, making what is now the Pennsylvania country -the ruling land, the others all vassal states.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was indiscriminate in his love making, having -no respect for birth or caste, being different from -his reserved and honorable fellow aristocrats, consequently -at his departure for the south, he was -mourned for by over a score of maidens of various -types and degrees. If he cared for any one of these -admirers, it was Liddenah, a very beautiful, kindly -and talented maiden, the daughter of the noted wise -man or sooth-sayer, Wahlowah, and probably the most -remarkable girl in the tribe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That she cared for such an unstable and shallow-minded -youth to the exclusion of others of superior -mental gifts and seriousness of purpose, amply -proved the saying that opposites attract, for there -could have been no congeniality of tastes between the -pair. Temperamentally they seemed utterly unsuited, -as Liddenah was artistic and musically inclined, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>a chronicler of no mean ability, yet she would have -given her life for him at any stage of the romance. -She possessed ample self-control, but when he went -away her inward sorrow gnawing at her heart almost -killed her. She may have had a presentiment of what -was in store!</p> - -<p class='c001'>During invasions of this kind, communication -with home was maintained by means of runners who -carried tidings, good or bad, bringing back verbal -lists of the dead, wounded and missing, some of which -they shamefully garbled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In-nan-ga-eh was decorated several times for -conspicuous bravery, and was reported in the vanguard -of every attack, until at length came the shocking -news of his ambush and capture. Over a score -of the most beautiful maidens along the Ohe-yu and -Youghiogheny were heartbroken to distraction, but -none more so than the lovely and intellectual Liddenah. -This was the crowning blow, her lover taken by -his cruel foes, being perhaps boiled alive, or drawn -and quartered. Seated alone in her lodge house by -the banks of The Beautiful River, she pictured all -sorts of horrors befalling her beloved, and of his own -deep grief at being held prisoner so far from his -homeland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a humiliation to be captured, and by a -band of Amazons, who begged permission to entrap -the fascinating enemy. Finding him bathing in a -deep pool, they surrounded it, flinging at him slightly -poisoned darts, which made him partially overcome -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>by sleep, so that he was only able to clamber out on -the bank, there to be secured by his fair captors and -led in dazed triumph to their chief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Chieftain was elated at the capture, and -treated the handsome prisoner with all the deference -due to his rank. Instead of boiling him in oil, or -flaying him, he was feted and feasted, and the warlike -bands became demoralized by catering to his -pleasure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not long before the chief’s daughter, Inewatah, -fell in love with him, and as her illustrious -father, Tekineh, had lost a son in the war, In-nan-ga-eh -was given the choice of becoming the chief’s adopted -son or his son-in-law. He naturally chose the latter, -as the wife-to-be was both beautiful and winning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The war resulted in defeat for the Cherokees, -although the old chief escaped to fastnesses further -south with his beautiful daughter and alien son-in-law. -All went well for a year and a half after the -peace when In-nan-ga-eh, began to feel restless and -listless for his northern mountains, the playground of -his youth. He wanted to go on a visit, and asked -the chief’s permission, giving as his word of honor, -his love for the chieftain’s daughter, that he would -properly return.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Cherokee bride was as heartbroken as Liddenah; -she had first asked that she might accompany -him on the trip, which was refused, but she accepted -the inevitable stoically outwardly, but with secret -aching bosom.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>In-nan-ga-eh was glad to get away; being loved -too much was tiresome; life was too enervating in -the warm sunshine on Soco Creek; he liked the camp -and the hunting lodge; love making, too much of it, -palled on him. He wanted to be let alone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Accompanied by a bodyguard of selected -Cherokees, he hurriedly made his way to the North. -One morning to the surprise and delight of all, he -appeared at his tribal village by the Ohe-yu, as gay -and debonair as ever. As he entered the town almost -the first person he saw was Liddenah. She looked -very beautiful, and he could see at one glance how -she loved him, yet perversely he barely nodded as he -passed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he was re-united with his parents, who -treated him as one risen from the dead, his sisters began -telling him about the news of the settlement, of -his many friends, of Liddenah. Her grief had been -very severe, it shocked her mother that she should -behave so like a European and show her feelings to -such an extent. Then the report had come that he -had been put to death by slow torture. “Better that,” -Liddenah had said openly in the market place, “than -to remain the captive of barbarians.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once it was taken for granted that he was dead, -Liddenah began to receive the attentions of young -braves, as they came back from the South laden with -scalps and other decorations of their victorious campaign -against the Cherokees. Liddenah gave all to -understand that her heart was dead; she was polite -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>and tolerant, but, like the eagle, she could love only -once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was one young brave named Quinnemongh -who pressed his suit more assiduously than the rest, -and aided by Liddenah’s mother, was successful. -The pair were quietly married about a year after -In-nan-ga-eh’s capture, or several months before he -started for the North, leaving his Cherokee bride at -her father’s home on the Soco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quinnemongh was not such a showy individual -as In-nan-ga-eh, but his bravery was unquestioned, -his reliability and honor above reproach. He made -Liddenah a very good husband. In turn she seemed -to be happy with him, and gradually overcoming her -terrible sorrow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When In-nan-ga-eh had passed Liddenah on entering -the village, he had barely noticed her because -he supposed that he could have her any time for the -asking. When he learned that she was the wife of -another, he suddenly realized that he wanted her very -badly, that she was the cause of his journey Northward. -The old passion surged through his veins; -it was what the bark-peelers call “the second run of -the sap.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Through his sisters, who were among Liddenah’s -most intimate friends, he sought a clandestine meeting -with his former sweetheart. They met at the -“Stepping Stones,” a crossing near the headwaters -of Cowanshannock, in a mossy glade, which had formerly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>been his favorite trysting place with over a -score of doting maidens in the ante-bellum days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liddenah, inspired by her great love, never looked -more beautiful. She was probably a trifle above -the average height, gracefully, but solidly made. Her -skin was very white, her eyes dark, her hair that of -a raven, while her aquiline nose, high cheek bones and -small, fine mouth made her resemble a high-bred -Jewess more than an Indian squaw, a heritage perhaps -from a remote Semitic origin beyond the Pacific. -She showed openly how happy she was to meet In-nan-ga-eh, -until he told her the story of his tragic love, -how she had broken his young heart by cruelly marrying -another while he languished in a Southern prison -camp. In vain she protested that, on all sides came -seemingly authentic reports of his death; he was -obdurate in the destiny he had decreed. Quinnemongh -must die by his hand, and he would then flee -with the widow to the country of the Ottawas. The -hot blood surging in his veins, like a second flow of -sap in a red maple, must be appeased by her submission.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liddenah was horrified; she came of eminently respectable -ancestry, she admired Quinnemongh, her -husband, almost to the point of loving him, but where -that affection ended, her all-pervading obsession for -In-nan-ga-eh began and knew no limitations in her -being.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tonight”, said In-nan-ga-eh, scowling dreadfully, -“I will surprise the vile Quinnemongh in his lodge -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>house, and with one blow of my stone war-hammer -crush in his skull, then I will scalp him and meet you -at the stepping stones, and by the moonlight we will -decamp to the far free country of the Ottawas, his -scalp dangling at my belt as proof of my hate and my -bravery”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liddenah gave a reluctant assent to the fiendish program -when they parted. On her way home through -the forest path her conscience smote her with Mosaic -insistence–the blood of her ancestors, of the Lost -Tribe of Israel, would not permit her to sanction the -murder of a good and true warrior. She would -immolate herself for her family honor, and for her -respect for Quinnemongh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Arriving at the lodge-house she went straight to -Quinnemongh and confessed the story of her meeting -with the perfidious In-nan-ga-eh, all but the homicidal -part. Quinnemongh was not much surprised, as he -knew of her great love for the ex-Cherokee prisoner, -and In-nan-ga-eh’s capricious pride.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quinnemongh”, she said, between her sobs, for, like -a white girl, she was tearful, “I was to meet In-nan-ga-eh -tonight, when the moon is over the tops of the -trees, by the stepping stones, and we were to fly together -to the country of the Ottawas. You present -yourself there in my stead, and tell the false In-nan-ga-eh -that I have changed my mind, that I am true to -my noble husband”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Needless to say, Quinnemongh was pleased at this -recital, and promised to be at the ford at the appointed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>time. Like most persons under similar circumstances, -he was eager to be on his errand, and departed early, -armed with his favorite scalping knife. Liddenah -kissed and embraced him, calling him her “hero”, and -once he was out of sight, she darted into his cabin -and lay down among his blankets and buffalo robes, -covering herself, all but the top of her brow, and -huddling, all curled up, for the autumnal air was chill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The moon slowly rose higher and higher until it -reached the crowns of the giant rock oaks along the -edge of the “Indian fields”. The gaunt form of In-nan-ga-eh -could now be seen creeping steadily out of -the forest, bounding across the clearing and, stone axe -in hand, entered the cabin where he supposed that -Quinnemongh was sleeping. A ray of shimmery -moonlight shone full on the upturned forehead of his -victim. Animated by a jealous hate, he struck a -heavy blow with his axe of dark diorite, crushing in -the sleeper’s temples like an <a id='corr105.19'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='egshell'>eggshell</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_105.19'><ins class='correction' title='egshell'>eggshell</ins></a></span>. Leaving the -weapon imbedded in his victim’s skull, he deftly cut -off the long bushy scalp with his sharp knife, and, -springing out of the hut, started off on a dog-trot towards -the stepping stones, waving his bloody, gruesome -souvenir.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He approached the fording with the light of the -full moon shining on the waters of the brook; he was -exultant and grinding his teeth in lustful fury. Who -should he see there–not the fair and yielding goddess -Liddenah, but the stalwart form of the recently -butchered and scalped Quinnemongh. Believer in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>ghosts that he was, this was almost too much of a visitation -for him. Pausing a minute to make sure, he -rushed forward brandishing the scalp in one hand, his -knife, which caught the moon’s beams on its blade in -the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wretch”! he shrieked at Quinnemongh, “must I -kill you a second time to make you expiate your sin -at marrying Liddenah”?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quinnemongh, who stood rigid as a statue at the -far side of the ford, replied, “You have not killed me -once; how dare you speak of a second time”?</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whose scalp have I then”? shouted In-nan-ga-eh, -as he continued to rush forward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not mine surely”, said Quinnemongh, as he felt -his comparatively sparse locks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as the men came face to face it dawned on both -what had happened, and with gleaming knives, they -sprang at one another in a death struggle. For half -an hour they fought, grappling and stabbing, kicking -and biting, in the shallow waters of the ford. Neither -would go down, though Liddenah’s scalp was forced -from <a id='corr106.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='In-nan-ag-eh’s'>In-nan-ga-eh’s</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_106.22'><ins class='correction' title='In-nan-ag-eh’s'>In-nan-ga-eh’s</ins></a></span> hand, and got between the breasts -of the two combatants, who pushed it, greasy and -gory, up and down as they fought. They literally -stabbed one another full of holes, and bit and tore at -their faces like wild beasts; they carved the skin off -their shoulders and backs, they kicked until their shin -bones cracked, until finally both, worn out from loss -of blood, sank into the brook and died.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the morning the scalped and mutilated form of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>Liddenah was discovered among the gaudy blankets -and decorated buffalo robes; a bloody trail was -followed to the stepping stones, where the two gruesome -corpses were found, half submerged in the red, -bloody water, in an embrace so inextricable, their -arms like locked battling stags’ antlers that they could -not in the rigidity of death be separated. Foes though -they were, the just and patient Indians who found -them could do nothing else but dig a common grave in -the half-frozen earth, close to the stepping stones, and -there they buried them together, with Liddenah’s soggy -scalp and their bent and broken knives, their bodies to -<a id='corr107.13'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='comingle'>commingle</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_107.13'><ins class='correction' title='comingle'>commingle</ins></a></span> with earth until eternity.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_122.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>VIII</span> <br /> <i>Black Chief’s Daughter</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It was the occasion of the annual Strawberry Dance -at the Seneca Reservation, a lovely evening in June, -when, after a warm rain, there had been a clear -sunset, and the air was sweet with the odor of the grass, -and the narrow roads were deep with soft, brown mud -and many puddles of water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the long, grey frame Council House all was -animation and excitement. The grim old Chief, -Twenty Canoes, decked out in his headdress of feathers, -followed by the musicians with wolf-skin drums -filled with pebbles had arrived, and taken places on -the long bench that ran almost the entire length of -the great hall. Other older and distinguished Indians, -Indian guests from the Cornplanter Reservation in -Pennsylvania, and from the New York Reservations -at Tonawanda, and the Geneseo, and a few white visitors, -including the Rev. Holt, the Town Missionary -and Attorney Vreeland, the agent, with their families, -completely filled the lengthy bench.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indian dancers, male and female, gaily attired, -had been gathering outside, and now, with the first -rattle of the drums, filed into the room and began to -dance. As the first loud tattoo was heard, the dancers -commenced shaking their shoulders, holding their arms -rigid, and the “Shimmy” of decadent New York and -Philadelphia of nearly half a century later, was rendered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>effectively by its originators, the rhythmic aborigines. -As they danced in single file around the visitors’ -bench and past the Chief, to the beat of the wolf skin -drums, they melodiously chanted, first the men, and -then the women: “Wee-Wah, Wee-Wah, Wee-Wah, -Wanna; Wee-Wah, Wee-Wah, Wee-Wah, Wanna.” -At times the women joined in the general song, -swelling the volume of the melody, until it drowned -out the drum-beats. The windows were open and -the perfume of lilacs was wafted in on the evening -breeze, as the swaying files of Indian braves and -maidens shimmied around and around. Among the -white visitors was one young man who was particularly -impressed, as he was there not out of idle curiosity, -but to study the manners and customs of the last of the -Senecas, in order to write his doctor’s thesis at the -University, the subject being “The Later History of -the Seneca Indians in New York.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Christian Trubee, for that was his name, had -always been interested in the redmen, a natural -heritage from pioneer and frontiersman ancestors who -had fought the Indians all along the Allegheny Mountains -and in the Ohio River basin. He had lately -come to Steamburg, putting up at Pat Smith’s “long -house,” where he had quickly become acquainted with -Simon Black Chief, a handsome Indian youth who -picked up a living as a mountebank among the frequenters -of the ancient hostelry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Simon was a wonderful runner, and if he could -interest the lumber buyers and the traveling men, would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>match himself against a little black mare owned by -Smith and usually ridden by the landlord’s stepson, -for a half mile or mile, and generally beat his equine -rival. Other times he would ride the horse at a gallop, -without saddle or bridle, over the common between the -hotel and the Erie Railroad Station, picking up handkerchiefs, -cigars and quarter dollars off the greensward -without ever once losing his <a id='corr110.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='equilibrum'>equilibrium</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_110.8'><ins class='correction' title='equilibrum'>equilibrium</ins></a></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the evening in question, he invited the young -student to accompany him to the Strawberry Dance at -the Council House, and passing by the one-roomed -board shack where he lived, his sister, known as Black -Chief’s Daughter, came out and joined them, so that -the trio proceeded single file to the scene of the festivities. -Neither Simon nor his sister danced that evening, -but sat near their distinguished guest, explaining as -best they could the methods and art of the performers, -for they were very proud of the Indian dancing and -music. As the evening progressed, Christian Trubee -found himself admiring the Indian maid at his side -more than he did the shimmying hordes on the floor, -or the quaint picturesqueness of the unique ceremonial.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Black Chief’s daughter was certainly the best -looking girl present, almost more like an American than -an Indian in appearance, for her profile was certainly -on refined lines, and it was only when looking her full -in the face did the racial traits of breadth of the bridge -of the nose, flatness of lips and deep duskiness of complexion -reveal themselves. Her dark eyes were very -clear and expressive, her teeth even and white, her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>neck and throat graceful, and her form long, lithe and -elegant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Christian Trubee liked her very much, and was -entirely absorbed by her at the time of the last beat -of the drums when, with a loud yell, the dance concluded, -and the now limp and perspiring Indian dancers -crowded out of doors into the cool moonlight. On the -way back Simon Black Chief led the way, his long hair -blowing in the breeze, his sister following. Trubee did -not follow single file, but walked beside the fair damsel. -She was as tall as he was, though she wore deerskin -shoes without heels. When they parted, in the long -lush grass, before the humble cabin, she promised to -show him some of the interesting spots on the reservation–the -grave of Blacksnake, the famous chief -and orator, the various tribal burial places, and a visit -to King Jimmerson, who alternated with Twenty -Canoes as President of the Seneca Nation, to see the -silver war crowns of Red Jacket, Blacksnake and The -Cornplanter, and to Red House to meet Jim Jacobs, -the venerable “Seneca Bear Hunter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>All of these excursions duly came to pass, about -one a day, as the weather turned steadily clear, day -after day, when the Keewaydin blew, and the distant -mountains along The Beautiful River wore a purple -green, and fleecy white clouds tumbled about in the -deep blue sky. On these excursions Black Chief’s -Daughter seemed to be the equal of her brother and -Trubee as a pedestrian, was never tired, always cheerful -and anxious to explain the various points of interest.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>At one of the graveyards she pointed out the last -resting place of an eccentric redman known as “Indian -Brown,” with two deep, round holes in the mound, -made according to his last wishes, because he had been -such a bad Indian in life, that when the Devil came -down one hole to get him, he would escape by the -other!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The three young people got along famously on the -trips and Trubee was absorbing an unusual amount of -aboriginal history and lore, and under the most pleasant -circumstances. While he never said a word of affection -or even compliment to Black Chief’s Daughter, he felt -himself deeply enamored, and often, in his quiet moments, -pictured her as his wife. Once or twice came -the answering thought, how could he, a man of so much -education and refinement, take for life a mate who -could not read, and whose English was little better -than a baby’s jargon? Where would he take her -to? Would she like his life, for surely he could -not become a squaw man on the reservation? On -the other hand, she was gentle, sympathetic and -thoughtful, and the blood of regal Indian ancestors -gave her a refinement that sometimes education does -not convey. But he was happy in the moment, as are -most persons of adaptability of character. He was at -home in any company, or in any circumstances, and had -he been old enough to enlist, would have made a brilliant -record in the Civil War; as it was he was but ten -years of age when the conflict ended.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_128.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>READY FOR THE LOG DRIVE, KETTLE CREEK</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>As the days wore on, each one more delightful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>than its predecessor, Simon Black Chief and his sister -vied with one another to plan trips to points of interest. -One evening Simon asked his white friend if he had -ever seen a wolf-house, the local Indian method of -trapping these formidable animals.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What was it like, and where was there one?” was -Trubee’s instant reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A wolf-house,” said Simon, "is a walled trap like -a white man’s great, big mouse-trap, with a falling -door. There is still one preserved over at the Ox -Bow, at the tall, stone mansion called ‘Corydon,’ -across the Pennsylvania line."</p> - -<p class='c001'>Trubee’s interest was aroused, not only in the -wolf-house, but the “tall stone mansion” and its possible -occupants. Simon explained to him that an -English gentleman lived there, a son-in-law of one of -the heads of the Holland Land Company. He had -been a great hunter in his earlier days, following -exclusively the methods taught him by the Indians. -It was a longer trip than any yet attempted, but Trubee -secured Pat Smith’s little black mare and two other -horses, so that the trio departed on horseback for the -distant manor house. Black Chief’s Daughter, who -rode astride, was a skillful and graceful horsewoman, -even though her mount was a poor excuse of horseflesh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The trip along The Beautiful River was very enjoyable, -and at length they came in sight of “Corydon” -on the hill, above the river, a great, high, dark stone -structure, ivy grown, standing in a group of original -white pines, some of these venerable monarchs being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>stag-topped, while others had lost their crests in sundry -tempests. There was a private rope ferry across the -river, but they rode the horses through the stream, -which was so deep in one place that the animals were -forced to swim. They rode into the grounds, past the -huge stone gate posts, up the hill, under the dark pines. -As they neared the front door, the portico designed -by the famous Latrobe, several dogs which looked like -Scottish deerhounds rushed down from the porch and -began to leap about <a id='corr114.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='tht'>the</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_114.10'><ins class='correction' title='tht'>the</ins></a></span> horses’ throatlatches, barking -loudly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Trubee checked his horse, and asked Simon, who -was acquainted with the family, to dismount and inquire -if he might inspect the wolf-house, which stood on a -heathy eminence behind the garden. Once wolves had -been so plentiful and so bold that five of the monsters -had been caught in the trap in the space of three -months.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before Simon Black Chief could dismount, two -figures emerged from the house, a young man and a -young woman. Trubee’s quick glances made mental -pictures of both. The man was about thirty-five years -of age, short and thickset, with blond hair parted in -the middle, a small mustache and “Burnsides,” decidedly -military in his bearing. The girl was of -medium height, possibly twenty years of age, decidedly -pretty, with Sudan brown hair, hazel eyes, clear cut -features, a fair complexion and wearing a flowing -Mother Hubbard gown of prune-colored brocade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Trubee rode up to them, bowing, reining his horse, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>which he turned over to Simon and, dismounting, apologized -for his intrusion. He explained how the Indian -had told him of the curious wolf-house back of the garden -and how it would help him in his researches to see -it. The girl graciously offered to show it to him, but -first invited the Indian girl to dismount and rest. The -young man remained talking to the Indian, but the -Seneca maid continued to sit on her horse, rigid and -silent as a Tanagra. On the way to the wolf-house, -Christian Trubee introduced himself, and, being able -to mention several mutual acquaintances, which put -him on an easy footing with the fair chatelaine of -“Corydon”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The charming girl told him that she was Phillis -Paddingstowe, the daughter of the lord of the manor, -which made Trubee feel like saying how natural it was -to find <em>Phillis</em> at <em>Corydon</em>! The young military-looking -man, “the little Colonel” she called him, was Lieutenant -Colonel Thomas Caslow, who had served with General -Huidekoper, “the hero of Gettysburg” in that immortal -conflict, and was at Corydon for a few days on a trout -fishing trip. The old garden through which they passed -on the way to the wolf-house was full of boxwood trees, -which had been brought from Bartram’s gardens in -Philadelphia by wagon to Warren, and up the Ohe-yu -in flat boats. They gave a spicy, aromatic odor to the -summer afternoon atmosphere. The wolf-house was -falling to decay, but Trubee took out his note book and -sketched it and recorded its dimensions. It was surprising -that wolves should come so close to a habitation, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>but Phillis stated that when she was a baby they -had actually killed and eaten three of her father’s -favorite Scotch deerhounds in one night, though they -were chained to kennels at the rear of the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>By the time they had returned from their inspection, -Clement Paddingstowe, Phillis’ father, had appeared, -and supplemented his daughter’s cordial invitation -that they stay to tea. Trubee might have remained, -but Black Chief’s Daughter, though she was -again urged by Phillis and her father, <a id='corr116.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='semed'>seemed</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_116.10'><ins class='correction' title='semed'>seemed</ins></a></span> disinclined -to partake of the hospitality. They rode down -the drive all a changed party. The Indian girl had -heard Trubee accept an invitation to return to “Corydon” -in the near future, and noted his admiring glances -at her fair person; she felt for the first time that she -stood no chance against a white girl of gentle blood, -though her own native antecedents were of as noble -quality, for was she not Black Chief’s Daughter, and -the granddaughter of the undefeated warrior, Destroy-Town?</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was silent and hung her head the whole way -back to Steamburg. Phillis, though delightfully courteous -by nature, seemed a trifle distant to the little -Colonel that evening. Simon Black Chief was piqued -at himself for having brought unhappiness to his sister. -Christian Trubee was in love with Phillis Paddingstowe. -Nevertheless, the young collegian was too much -a man of the world not to value the kindnesses bestowed -on him by Simon and his Sister, their parents -and other Indians of the reservation, to become suddenly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>cold and indifferent. Yet, alone, he wondered -why he had ever for a minute contemplated marrying -an Indian girl, and how slight would be their spiritual -intercourse? Yet he was here underrating Black -Chief’s Daughter, who was not of the earth-earthy, -and had called herself to him “an imaginative person.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He tried to be polite and attentive to the Indian -girl, but she noted that on several occasions where she -planned trips for certain days, he demurred on account -of engagements at “Corydon.” His manner was different; -the Indian girl, uncannily intuitive, would not -be deceived. The summer wore along, and Trubee saw -that he could not keep up pleasing Black Chief’s -Daughter, a break must come somehow. And the -neglected maiden, unknown to him, was reading his -every thought, and prepared to make that break <a id='corr117.16'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='first'>first.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_117.16'><ins class='correction' title='first'>first.</ins></a></span> -She had brought some late huckleberries to Pat Smith’s -wife at the long house, where she was told that Trubee -had been absent for three days at “Corydon”; that it -was rumored he would marry Clement Paddingstowe’s -daughter in the Fall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she walked along the path between the yellow, -half-dead grasses, swinging the little iron pot that had -contained the berries, she began planning for the dissolution -of her unhappy romance. There were many -May apples or mandrakes ripening in the low places, -and, stooping, she uprooted several plants, half filling -the pot with them. Then she left the trail, and started -across the meadow toward a group of ancient hemlock -trees, beneath which was the Cold Spring. Near the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>spring were large, flat stones laid up like seats, and the -remains of some stone hearths where the Indians often -roasted corn. She had her flints and steel with her, -and gathered enough dry twigs and punk to light a -fire. Then she sat down on one of the flat stones -and, with her hands over her face, she reviewed the -story of her love for Trubee. He had cared for her -at first; that was consolation, but she was helpless -beside the white rival; red blood was as nothing beside -blue. Then she nervously tramped out the fire, as if -to start on again. This life was a very little thing, -after all; if her dream had failed in this existence, -better end it, and come back again and fulfill it, even -as a flower or bird; it was impossible to prevent living -again. She began to munch the roots of the May apples -which she had gathered, and then began to walk across -the fields toward the graveyard which contained the -tomb of “Indian Brown,” the bad man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she came near the road which led to “Corydon” -she made an effort to run across it, but in the middle -of it a dizziness seized her, then a sharp pain, and she -staggered and dropped in a heap, the dust rising from -the dry highway as she fell. The sand got in her eyes, -nose and mouth as she lay on the path, her legs twisting -in convulsive spasms. The sun was beginning to sink -close to the tops of the long, rolling summits of the -western mountains as the form of a horseman came in -sight away down the long stretch of level road. It was -Christian Trubee returning from “Corydon,” flushed -with the progress of his love making with the fair and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>dainty Phillis Paddingstowe. He saw a black object -in the road; a wool sack fallen from some wagon, was -his first conjecture. Coming closer, he perceived it to -be a human being, a woman, Black Chief’s Daughter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He threw the bridle rein over the little mare’s head -and sprang to the ground. As he caught the limp form -of the Indian girl in his arms, she half opened her eyes -and looked up at him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Oh, Mr. Trubee, let me be, I pray of you; let me -stay here and die; I haven’t anything more to live for -since we visited at ‘Corydon’."</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man did not know how to answer her, -for he was honest always. He lifted her on the saddle -behind him, holding the long, lean arms around his -waist, while her head bobbed on his shoulder, and -started the little trappy black at a trot for the long -house. It was supper time as he neared the old hotel. -In order to avoid attention, he rode up to the kitchen -door, at the back of the house. A small, ugly, very -black colored boy, with a banjo, from Jamestown, was -strumming a Negro melody to amuse the cooks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Get on this horse quick, boy,” Trubee called to -him, as he dismounted with his limp burden, “and bring -over Doctor Forrester; Black Chief’s Daughter is in a -bad way from poison.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pat Smith’s wife and the other cooks ran out, and, -taking in the situation at a glance, carried the almost -unconscious but uncomplaining girl into the house -where they laid her on a bench in the dance hall, all -unknown to the guests, munching their huckleberry -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>pie in the nearby dining room. The Doctor’s buggy -was standing in front of his cottage, and putting his -horse to a gallop he raced the little Negro back to the -hotel. It did not take him long, as he was a noted -herbalist, to diagnose the case as poison from May -apple root, very deadly, but a drastic Indian emetic, -administered just in time, preserved her life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a grisly scene in the bare, cheerless ball -room; Black Chief’s daughter, all undressed, lay on -a bench, while Old Black Chief, her father, and Taleeka, -her mother, Simon, Pat Smith, his wife, his daughter, -Sally Ann, Doctors Forrester and Colegrove, and -Christian Trubee stood near her, or coming and going, -most of them holding lighted candles, which cast fretful -shadows against the walls and close-shuttered windows -of this scene of much former ribald merrymaking. All -present knew why the girl had sought to take her life, -yet not a single accusing word was uttered. All wanted -to save her–for what? Later she was carried into one -of the adjoining guest rooms and put to bed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Somewhat later Pat Smith’s wife, a motherly -woman, met Trubee in the hall, saying to him:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Won’t you please let me whisper to her that you -are happy her life is saved, and that you will marry her -as soon as she is able?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man hesitated, then faltered: “I rather -you’d not say it just now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she was almost to the door he ran after her, -saying: “Tell her what you suggested, in my presence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He followed her into the room. The landlady -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>bent over the stricken girl and gave her the message. -Black Chief’s daughter looked up at Trubee, and -trying to smile, said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t do it; all I ask is that everything be as it -was before you came to the Reservation.” -“ said the young man, "that I return -to the University, having everything as it was -before we went to the Strawberry dance, or before -you took me to ‘Corydon’".</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is exactly my meaning”, the girl whispered -faintly. “Then all will be well”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I can gather my things together and make -the three o’clock train east this morning; it is only -right that I should go; I have made everybody unhappy -since I came here.” -“replied Black Chief’s daughter, "only -me, and then only since the trip to ‘Corydon’."</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a lingering hand clasp they parted, and -Christian Trubee, like one dazed by his unsuccessful -tilt with Fate, moved off towards his room, not knowing -whether to be glad or sorry, but secretly eased in -spirit for accepting the only course that would extricate -him from his triangular dilemma.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After he was gone, Black Chief’s daughter fell -into a peaceful slumber and did not wake, even when -the roaring express train, with its blazing headlight -slowed down at Steamburg for its solitary eastbound -passenger.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>IX</span> <br /> <i>The Gorilla</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>If Sir Rider Haggard was a Pennsylvanian he would -doubtless lay the scenes of his wonderful mystery -stories in Snyder County. It is in that ruggedly -picturesque mountainous county where romance has -taken its last stand, where the old touches the new, and -hosts, goblins and witches and memories of panthers, -wolves and Indians linger in cycle after cycle of imaginative -reminiscences. Every now and then, even -in this dull, unsympathetic age, when the world, as -Artist Shearer puts it, “is aesthetically dead”, Snyder -County is thrilled by some new ghost, witch, panther -or mystery story. The latest of these in the last days -of 1920 and the first of 1921–the giant gorilla–has -thrilled the entire Commonwealth by its unique horror.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The papers have told us how a gigantic man-ape -escaped from a carnival train near Williamsport, and -seeking the South, fled over the mountains to Snyder -County, where it attacked a small boy, breaking his -arm, held up automobiles, rifled smoke houses and -the like, and then appeared in Snyder Township, -Blair County, still further South, his nocturnal ramblings -in that region proving an effective curfew for -the young folks of a half-dozen rural communities.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This story sounds thrillingly interesting, but as -gorillas live on fruit, and do not eat flesh, the animal -in question would have starved or frozen to death at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>the outset of his career in the Alleghenies, and there -the “X”, unknown quantity of the real story begins. -The newspapers have only printed the most popular -versions of the gorilla mystery, only a fraction of the -romance and folk-lore that sprang up mushroom-like -around the presence of such an alien monster in our -highlands. Already enough has been whispered -about to fill a good sized volume, most of it absolutely -untrue, yet some of the tales, if they have not hit the -real facts, have come dangerously close to it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Let the readers judge for themselves. Probably -one of the most widely circulated versions among the -Snyder County mountaineers, the hardy dwellers in -the fastnesses of the Shade, Jack’s and White Mountains, -is the one about to be related. It is too personal -to warrant promiscuous newspapers publication, -and even now all names have been changed and localities -altered, but to a Snyder County Mountaineer “all -things are plain”. This is the “authoritative”, confidential -Snyder County version, unabridged:</p> - -<p class='c001'>To begin with, all the mountain people know -Hornbostl Pfatteicher, whose log cabin is situated -near the heading of Lost Creek, on the borders of -Snyder and Juniata Counties. He has never been -much of a worker, living mostly by hunting and fishing, -prospering greatly during the days when the -State raised the bounty on foxes and wild cats to an -outrageously extravagant figure–but no one cares; -let the hunter’s license fund be plundered and the -taxpayers be jammed.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>He was also very noticeable during the Spring -and Fall forest fires, which never failed to burn some -art of his mountain bailiwick annually. He was -opposed to Forester Bartschat, regarding him as too -alert and intuitive, and made valiant efforts through -his political bosses to have him transferred or removed. -He was regular in his politics, could always -have a hearing at Harrisburg, and though an ardent -fisherman, saw no harm in the dynamiting or liming -of streams, and upheld the right of “the interests” to -pollute the waterways with vile filth from paper mills -and tanneries. In other words he was, and probably -is, typical of the professional mountaineer that the -politicians, through the nefarious bounty laws, have -maintained in the <a id='corr124.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='foretsts'>forests</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_124.15'><ins class='correction' title='foretsts'>forests</ins></a></span>, to the detriment of reforestation -and wild life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hornbostl, about 1915, was in love with a comely -mountain girl, Beulah Fuchspuhr, the belle of Lost -Creek Valley, but he was away from home so much, -and so indifferent, and so much in his cups when in -the neighborhood that she found time to become -enamored of a tie-jobber named Heinie Beery, and -ran away with him to Pittsburg.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the flu epidemic, about the time of the -Armistice, she was seized with the dreaded malady, -and passed away, aged twenty-eight years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hornbostl was in the last draft, but the Armistice -was signed before he was called to the colors, -much to the regret of the better element, for he was -the sole pro-German in the mountains–a snake in a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>brood of eaglets–and all allowed he should have been -given a chance to fight his beloved Kaiser. Though -his name had a Teutonic flavor, he was only remotely -of German ancestry, and should have known better -than to root for a despotism–he, above all others, -whose sole creed was personal liberty when it came -to interfering with his “vested rights” of hunting and -fishing out of season, and all other privileges of a -lawless backwoodsman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After attending the funeral of his wife in Pittsburg, -he took the train to Philadelphia, and while -there the news of the Armistice was received, consequently -his grief was assuaged by this very satisfying -information. He boarded on one of the back -streets in the southern part of the Quaker City, in a -rear room, which looked out on an alley where there -were still a number of private stables or mews, occupied -for the most part by the horses and carriages -of the aristocracy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hornbostl liked to sit at the window after his -day’s work at Hog Island, smoking his stogie and -watching the handsome equipages coming and going, -the liveried colored coachmen, the long-tailed horses, -with their showy brass mounted harness, with jingling -trappings, the animated groups of grooms, stable -boys and hangers-on. Some of the darkies kept -game roosters, and these occasionally strutted out into -the alley and crowed when there was bright sunshine -and the wind came from the “Summer Islands”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One afternoon he saw a strange spectacle enacted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>at the stable opposite his window. A large collection -of moth-eaten and dusty stuffed animals and birds were -unloaded from a dray–stuffed elks, horns and all, -several buffalo heads, four timber wolves, with a red -bear like they used to have in Snyder County, a golden -eagle, with tattered flopping wings and a great -black beast that stood upright like a man were the -most conspicuous objects. A crowd of mostly Negro -children congregated as the half a hundred mangy -specimens of this “silent zoo” became too much for -Hornbostl, and putting his stogie between his teeth, -sallied out the back door, hatless and in his shirt -sleeves, a brawny rural giant who towered above the -puny citified crowd.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was greatly interested in that huge black -beast which stood upright, and could not quite classify -it, though its hair was like that of a black bear in its -summer pelage. He sought out the tall Negro coachman -who was in charge of the stable, and asked why -a museum was being unloaded at that particular -moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yer see its jest dis way”, said the darkey, confidentially, -“old Major Ourry have died an’ ’is heirs dey -didn’t want de stuff about, so dey sent ’em down to de -stable fer me to put in de empty box stalls”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the conversation progressed the Negro intimated -that the aforementioned heirs would be glad -to sell any or all of the specimens at a reasonable -figure.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>“I’ll give you ten dollars for that big animal that -looks like a cross between a Snyder County black bear -and a prize fighter”, said Hornbostl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The <em>gorilla</em>, you mean”, interposed the darkey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I mean the gorilla”, answered the backwoodsman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s yours”, said the Negro with a grin, for he -was to get half of the proceeds of all sales. He wondered -why the uncouth stranger wanted a stuffed -gorilla, but of all the animals in the collection, he was -most pleased to get rid of that hideous effigy, the man-ape -that might come to life some dark cold night and -raise ructions with the horses.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hornbostl offered five dollars more if the Negro -would box the monster, and they finally arranged to -box it together, and keep it in the stable until he would -be let out at Hog Island. Eventually they got it to -the freight station, billed to Meiserville.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the time of the purchase it is doubtful if -Hornbostl had any definite idea of what he was going -to do with his “find”, all that came later. Hornbostl -was glad to return to his mountain home, and sank -complacently back in his seat on the 11.30 A. M. -train for Selim Grove Junction. It was an uneventful -trip, for he was an unimaginative person, taking -everything as a matter of course, though he did notice -an unusually pretty high school girl with a wonderfully -refined face and carriage, who got off the train -at Dauphin, and followed her with his eyes as she -walked along the street back of the station and across -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>the bridge that spans Stony Creek, until the moving -train shut her from view behind Fasig’s Tavern. He -thought that he had never seen anything quite so lovely -before; if his late sweetheart who had run away -had been one quarter as beautiful and elegant she -would be worth worrying about.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He reached Meiserville well after dark, for it -was almost the shortest day of the year, and put up -there for the night. In the morning he inquired at -the freight office for his consignment, but hardly expected -it that soon. He had to wait three days before -it arrived, but when it did, he secured a team which -hauled it to his mountain retreat, depositing the crate -in front of his door. After the teamster with his -pair of heavy horses, decked out with jingling bells, -departed, Hornbostl unpacked his treasure, and the -huge, grinning man-ape stood before him, seven feet -tall. It was set up on a platform with castors, so he -ran it into the house, leaving it beside the old-fashioned -open fireplace, where he used to sit opposite -his mother while they both smoked their pipes in the -old days.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_146.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>LAST RAFT IN THE WEST BRANCH OF SUSQUEHANNA</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>That night after supper, when the raftered room -was dark, save for one small glass kerosene lamp, and -the fitful light of the embers, the mountaineer sat and -smoked, trying to conjure up the history of the hideous -monster facing him across the inglenook. Instead -of evolving anything interesting or definite, the -evil genius of the man-ape, as the evening progressed, -seemed to take complete possession of him. He became -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>filled with vicious, revengeful thoughts; all the -hate in his nature was drawn to the surface as the -firelight flashed on the glass eyes and grinning teeth -of the monstrous jungle king. All at once the maelstrom -of nasty thoughts assumed coherent form, and -he realized why he had brought the gorilla to Snyder -County.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had heard since going to Philadelphia that -the hated Heinie Beery had taken a tie contract on the -Blue Knob, the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania, -somewhere on the line between Blair and Bedford -Counties. He wanted to kill his rival, and now -would be a chance to do it and escape detection. He -would dress himself up in the hide, and proceed overland -to Snyder Township, reconnoitre there, find his -victim and choke him to death, which the Negro -coachman had told him was the chief pastime of live -gorillas in the African wilds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suiting the action to the word, he drew his long -knife and began cutting the heavy threads which -sewed the hide over the manikin. He soon had the -hide lying on the deal floor, and a huge white statue -of lath and plaster of Paris stood before him, like an -archaic ghost. He did not like the looks of the manikin, -so pounded it to a pulp with an axe to lime his -kitchen garden. The hide was as stiff as a board, but -between the heat of the fire and bear’s grease he had -it fairly pliable by morning. By the next night it -was in still better shape so he donned it and sewed -himself in. Physically he was not unlike the man-ape, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>gross about the abdomen, sloping shouldered -and long-armed, while his prognathous jaw and -retreating forehead were perfect counterparts of the -gorilla’s physiognomy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Arming himself with a long ironwood staff, he -started on his journey towards the Blue Knob country. -He had to cross the Christunn Valley in order -to get into Jack’s Mountain, which he would follow -along the summits to Mount Union. It was a dark, -starless night, and all went well until he suddenly -came upon the scene of a nocturnal wood chopping -operation. The wood-cutter, a railroader, had no -other chance to lay in his winter’s fuel supply than -after dark, and by the light of a lantern placed on a -large stump had already stacked up a goodly lot of -cordwood. His son, a boy of fourteen, was ranking -the wood. At the moment of the gorilla-man’s appearance -in the clearing the man had gone to the -house for a cup of hot coffee, leaving the lad alone at -his work. The boy heard the heavy footfalls on the -chips, and thinking his father was returning, looked -up and beheld the most hideous thing that his eyes had -ever looked upon. He uttered a shriek of terror, but -before he could open his lips a second time the “gorilla” -was upon him, slapping his mouth until the -blood flowed, with one brawny paw, while he wrenched -his arm so severely with the other that he left it -limp and broken, hanging by his side. Then the -monster, looking back over his shoulder, loped off -into the deep forest at the foot of Jack’s Mountain.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>The boy, more dead than alive from fright, was -found a few minutes later by his father, to whom he -described his terrible assailant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After that the man-ape was more careful when -he traveled, although he was seen by half a dozen persons -until he got safely to the vicinity of “the Monarch -of Mountains”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Blue Knob is a weird and impressive eminence -around which many legends cluster, some of them -dating back to Indian days. Its altitude at the new -steel forest fire tower is 3,165 feet above tide.“is a beautiful word -picture of the disappearance of two little tots on the -slopes of Blue Knob, from the gifted pen of Rev. -James A. Sell, of Hollidaysburg.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Heinie Beery was living alone in a small shack -on Poplar Run, a stream which has its heading on the -slopes of Blue Knob, not far from the home of the -mighty hunter, Peter Leighty. Since the loss of his -wife he was gloomy and taciturn, and refused to live -with his choppers and teamsters in their big camp -further down in the hollow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While searching for Beery, the man-gorilla was -seen by several of the woodsmen, and the lonely -camp was almost in a panic by this savage visitation. -The man-ape was glad that his outlandish appearance -struck terror to all who saw him, else he might have -been captured long before. He watched his chance -to get Beery where he wanted him, and in the course -of several days was rewarded. Meanwhile he had -to live <a id='corr131.31'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='somewhow'>somehow</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_131.31'><ins class='correction' title='somewhow'>somehow</ins></a></span>, and at dead of night broke into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>smoke-houses and cellars, eating raw eggs and butter -when hunger pressed him hard. In some ways it was -no fun playing gorilla on an empty stomach.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One Sunday afternoon Beery, after eating dinner -with his crew at their camp near the mouth of -the hollow, started on a solitary ramble up the ravine -which led past the small shanty where in the local -vernacular, he “bached it” towards the top of the -vast and mysterious Blue Knob. Little did he know -that the man-ape was waiting behind his cabin, and -followed him to the summit, which he reached about -dusk, and sat on a flat rock on the brink of a dizzy -precipice watching the lights flashing up at Altoona -and Johnstown, the long trains winding their way -around Horse Shoe Curve. He heard the brush -crack behind him, and looking around beheld the -hideous monster that he had supposed his workmen -had conjured up out of brains addled by too much -home-brew.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Heinie Beery was a fighting Dutchman, but on -this occasion his curly black hair stood straight on -end, and his dark florid face became as ashen as -death. He lost his self-control for an instant, and -in this fatal moment the giant “gorilla” gripped him -behind the shoulders and sent him careening over the -precipice “to take a short cut to Altoona”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a shout of glee the monster turned on his -heel, his mission accomplished, to return along the -mountains and through the forests to his cabin near -the sources of Lost Creek. He was seen by a number -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>of children at Hollidaysburg and Frankstown, -late at night, frightening them almost out of their -wits; he terrified several parties of automobilists -near Yellow Springs; he had all of Snyder Township -in an uproar before he had passed through it, but he -eventually got to Shade Mountain safe and sound.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once on his home mountains, overlooking Lewistown -Narrows, a strange remorse overcame him; he -began to regret his folly, his odd caprice. He sat on -a high rock near the top of the mountain, much in the -attitude of Rodin’s famous “Penseur”, and began to -sob and moan. It was a still night, and the trackwalkers -down in the valley heard him and called to -him through their megaphones. But the more they -called the worse he groaned and shrieked, as if he -liked to mystify the lonely railroad men. At length -he got up and started along the mountain top, wailing -and screaming like a “Token”, until out of hearing -of the trackwalkers and the crews of waiting -freight trains. He had played a silly game, made a -<em>monkey</em> of himself and was probably now a murderer -in the bargain. He could hardly wait until he got to -his cabin to rip off the hideous, ill-smelling gorilla’s -hide, and make a bonfire of it. He hoped that, if no -evil consequence befell him as a result of his mad -prank, he would be a better man in the future.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, as he neared his cabin, all his good resolves -began to ooze out of his finger tips. By the -time he reached the miserable cabin he decided to -stick to his disguise, and continue the adventure to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>the end, come what may. If he would be shot down -like a vile beast, it would only be retribution for -Heinie Beery hurled off the crag of Blue Knob, without -a chance to defend himself. The night was long; -he would travel until morning and hide among the -rocks until night, picking up what food he could along -the way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In his northward journey he had many thrilling -experiences, such as crossing the covered bridge at -Northumberland at midnight, riding on the trucks of -a freight train to Jersey Shore and frightening fishermen -at Hagerman’s Run. When last seen he was -near the flourishing town of Woolrich, frightening -old and young, so much so that a young local sportsman -offered a reward of “five hundred dollars dead, -one thousand dollars alive”, putting the Snyder -County gorilla in the same category with the Passenger -Pigeon as a natural history curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And in this terrible disguise Hornbostl Pfatteicher -is expiating his sins, black as the satanic form -he has assumed, and when his penance is over to be -shed for the newer and better life.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>X</span> <br /> <i>The Indian’s Twilight</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>According to Daniel Mark, born in 1835, -(died 1922), when the aged Seneca Indian, Isaac -Steel, stood beside the moss-grown stump of the -giant “Grandfather Pine” in Sugar Valley, in the early -Autumn of 1892, he was silent for a long while, then -placing his hands over his eyes, uttered these words: -“This is the Indians’ Twilight; it explains many -things; I had heard <a id='corr135.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='from from'>from</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_135.10'><ins class='correction' title='from from'>from</ins></a></span> Billy Dowdy, when -he returned to the reservation in 1879, that the tree -had been cut by Pardee, but as he had not seen the -stump, and was apt to be credulous, I had hoped that -the report was untrue; the worst has happened.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the venerable Redman turned away, and -that same day left the secluded valley, never to return.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The story of the Grandfather Pine, of Sugar -Valley, deserves more than the merely passing mention -already accorded it in forestry statistics and the -like. Apart from being probably the largest white -or cork pine recorded in the annals of Pennsylvania -sylviculture–breast high it had to be deeply notched -on both sides, so that a seven foot cross-cut saw could -be used on it–it was the sacred tree of the Seneca Indians, -and doubtless of the earlier tribes inhabiting the -country adjacent to the Allegheny Mountains and the -West Branch Valley.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a familiar landmark for years, standing as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>it did near the mouth of Chadwick’s Gap, and could be -seen towering above its fellows, from every point in -Sugar Valley, from Schracktown, Loganton, Eastville -and Carroll.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Professor Ziegler tells us that the maximum or -heavy growth of white pine was always on the winter -side of the inland valleys; the biggest pines of Sugar -Valley, Brush Valley and Penn’s Valley were all along -the southern ridges.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Luther Guiswhite, now a restauranteur in Harrisburg, -moving like a voracious caterpillar easterly -along the Winter side of Brush Valley, gradually destroyed -grove after grove of superb original white -pines, the Gramley pines, near the mouth of Gramley’s -Gap, which Professor Henry Meyer helped to “cruise”, -being the last to fall before his relentless juggernaut.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ario Pardee’s principal pineries were mostly -across the southern ridge of Nittany Mountain, of -Sugar Valley, on White Deer Creek, but the tract on -which the Grandfather Pine stood ran like a tongue -out of Chadwick’s Gap into Sugar Valley, almost to -the bank of Fishing Creek. It is a well known story -that after the mammoth pine had been cut, Mike Courtney, -the lumberman-philanthropist’s woods boss, offered -$100 to anyone who could transport it to White -Deer Creek, to be floated to the big mill at Watsontown, -where Pardee sawed 111,000,000 feet of the -finest kind of white pine between 1868 and 1878.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The logs of this great tree proved too huge to -handle, even after being split asunder by blasting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>powder, crushing down a number of trucks, and were -left to rot where they lay. Measured when prone, -the stem was 270 feet in length, and considering that -the stump was cut breast high, the tree was probably -close to 276 feet from root to tip. The stump is still -visible and well worthy of a visit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In addition to boasting of the biggest pine in the -Commonwealth, one of the biggest red hemlocks also -grew in Sugar Valley, in the centre of Kleckner’s -woods, until it was destroyed by bark peelers in 1898. -It dwarfed the other original trees in the grove, mostly -superb white hemlocks, and an idea of its size can be -gained when it is stated that “breast high” it had a -circumference of 30 feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Billy Dowdy, an eccentric Seneca Indian, -was in Sugar Valley he told ’Squire Mark the story -of the Grandfather Pine, then recently felled, and -while the Indian did not visit the “fallen monarch” on -that occasion, he refrained from so doing because he -said he could not bear the sight. The greatest disaster -that had yet befallen the Indians had occurred, -one that they might never recover from, and meant -their final elimination as factors in American history.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dowdy seemed unnerved when he heard the story -of the demolition of the colossal pine, and it took several -visits to the famous Achenbach distillery to -steady his nerves so that he could relate its history to -his old and tried friend the ’Squire. In the evening, -by the fireside, showing emotion that rarely an Indian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>betrays, he dramatically recited the story of the fallen -giant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Long years ago, in the very earliest days of the -world’s history, the great earth spirit loved the evening -star, but it was such an unusual and unnatural attachment, -and so impossible of consummation that the -despairing spirit wished to end the cycle of existence -and pass into oblivion so as to forget his hopeless -love. Accordingly, with a blast of lightning he opened -his side and let his anguish flow away. The great -gaping wound is what we of today call Penn’s Cave, -and the never ending stream of anguish is the wonderful -shadowy Karoondinha, now renamed John Penn’s -Creek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As time went on fresh hopes entered the subterranean -breast of the great earth spirit, and new aspirations -towards the evening star kindled in his heart of -hearts. His thoughts and yearnings were constantly -onward and upward towards the evening star. He -sought to bridge the gulf of space and distance that -separated him from the clear pure light of his inspiration. -He yearned to be near, even if he could not -possess the calm and cold constellation so much beyond -him. He cried for an answer, but none came, -and thought that it was distance that caused the coldness, -and certainly such had caused the great disappointment -in the past.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His heart was set on reaching the evening star, to -have propinquity with the heavens. Out of his strong -hopes and deep desires came a tall and noble tree, growing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>in eastern Sugar Valley, a king among its kindred, -off there facing the shining, beaming star. This tree -would be the symbol of earth’s loftiest and highest -aspirations, the bridge between the terrestrial and the -celestial bodies. It was earth’s manliest, noblest and -cleanest aspiration, standing there erect and immobile, -the heavy plates of the bark like gilt-bronze armor, the -sparse foliage dark and like a warrior’s crest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indians, knowing full well the story of the -hopeless romance of the earth spirit and the evening -star, or <em>Venus</em>, as the white men called it, venerated -the noble tree as the connecting link between two manifestations -of sublimity. They only visited its proximity -on sacred occasions because they knew that the -grove over which it dominated was the abode of -spirits, like all groves of trees of exceptional size and -venerable age.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cutting away of most of the bodies of original -pines has circumscribed the abode of the spiritual -agencies until they are now almost without a lodgement, -and must go wailing about cold and homeless -until the end of time, unless spiritual insight can -touch our materialistic age and save the few remaining -patches of virgin trees standing in the valley of -the Karoondinha, the “Stream of the Never Ending -Love”, now known by the prosaic cognomen of “Penn’s -Valley”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Tom Motz tract is no more, the Wilkenblech, -the Bowers and the Meyer groves are all but annihilated. -Where will the spirits rest when the last original -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>white pine has been ripped into boards at The -Forks, now called Coburn? No wonder that Artist -Shearer exclaimed, “The world is aesthetically <a id='corr140.3'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='dead”!'>deal!”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_140.3'><ins class='correction' title='dead”!'>deal!”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indians were greatly dismayed at the incursion -of white men into their mountain fastnesses, so -contrary to prophecy and solemn treaties, and no -power seemed to stem them as they swept like a plague -from valley to valley, mountain to mountain. The -combined military strategy and bravery of Lenni-Lenape, -Seneca, Cayuga, Tuscarora and Shawnee failed -before their all-conquering advance. How to turn -back this white peril occupied the mind and heart of -every Indian brave and soothsayer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening just as Venus in the east was shedding -her tranquil glory over the black outline of the -pine covered ranges of the Nittanies, a mighty council -of warriors and wise men, grave and reverent, assembled -under the Grandfather Pine. Hitherto victory, -while it had rested with the white invaders, had not -been conclusive; there was still hope, and the Indians -meant to battle to the end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was during this epochal conclave that a message -was breathed out of the dark shaggy pigeon-haunted -tops of the mighty tree. Interpreted it meant -that the Indian braves and wise men were reminded -that this great pine reached from heaven to earth, and -by its means their ancestors used to climb up and down -between the two regions. In a time of doubt and -anxiety like this, the multitudes, conferring beneath -the tree, were invited to ascend to hold a council with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>the stars, to exchange views and receive advice as to -how the insidious white invader could be kept in -proper bounds, and to preserve the glory and historic -dignity of the Indian races. The stars, which were -the spirits of undefeated warriors and hunters and -huntresses of exceptional prowess–their light was the -shimmer of their silvery targets–had always been the -allies of the red men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In solemn procession the pick of the assemblage -of Indian warriors and wise men ascended the mighty -tree, up, up, up, until their forms became as tiny -specks, and disappeared in the dark lace-like branches -which merged with the swart hues of the evening -heavens. They set no time for their return, for they -were going from the finite to the infinite, but they -would be back to their beloved hills and valleys in -plenty of time, and with added courage and skill, to -end the regime of the pale faced foes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Every wife and mother and sweetheart of a warrior -who took this journey was overjoyed at the privilege -accorded her loved one, and none begrudged being -left behind to face the enemy under impaired leadership, -or the risk of massacre, as in due course of time -the elite would return from above and rescue them -from their cruel tormentors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Evidently out of space, out of time, was almost -the equivalent of “out of sight, out of mind” for all -who had witnessed the chosen band of warriors and -warlocks ascend the pine, even the tiny babes, reached -maturity and passed away, and yet they had not returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>or sent a message. The year that the stars fell, -in 1833, brought hopes to the anxious ones, but never -a falling star was found to bring tidings from that -bourne above the clouds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Generation after generation came and went, and -the ablest leaders still were absent counseling with the -stars. Evidently there was much to learn, much to -overcome, before they were fully fledged to return and -battle successfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The succeeding generations of Indian braves -fought the white foes as best they could, yet were ever -being pushed back, and they were long since banished -from Sugar Valley where grew the Grandfather Pine. -Occasionally those gifted with historic lore and -prophecy journeyed to the remote valley to view the -pine, but there were no signs of a return of the absent -Chieftains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a long and weary wait. Were they really -forsaken, or were there affairs of great emergency in -the realm of the evening star that made them tarry so -long? They might be surprised on their return to -find their hunting territories the farms of the white -men, their descendants banished to arid reservations -on La Belle Riviere and beyond. They had left in the -twilight; they would find the Indians’ Twilight everywhere -over the face of the earth. It was a sad prospect, -but they never gave up their secret hope that -the visitors to strange lands would return, and lead a -forlorn hope to victory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then came upon the scene the great lumberman, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>Ario Pardee. The bed of White Deer Creek was -“brushed out” from Schreader Spring to Hightown, -to float the millions of logs that would pile up wealth -and fame for this modern Croesus. What was one -tree, more or less–none were sacred, and instead of -being the abode of spirits, each held the almighty dollar -in its heart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pardee himself was a man of dreams and an -idealist, <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>vide</em></span> Lafayette College, and the portrait of his -refined and spiritual face by Eastman Johnson, in the -rotunda of “Old Pardee”. Yet it was too early a day -to care for trees, or to select those to be cut, those to -be spared; the biggest tree, or the tree where the buffaloes -rubbed themselves, were alike before the axe and -cross-cut; all must fall, and the piratical-looking Blackbeard -Courtney was the agent to do it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Perhaps trees take their revenge, like in the case -of the Vicar’s Oak in Surrey, as related by the diarest -Evelyn–shortly after it was felled one of the choppers -lost an eye and the other broke a leg. Mike Courtney, -it is reported, ended his days, not in opulent ease lolling -in a barouche in Fairmount Park with Hon. Levi -Mackey, as had been his wont, but by driving an ox-team -in the wilds of West Virginia!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Grandfather Pine was brought to earth after -two days of chopping by an experienced crew of -woodsmen; when it fell they say the window lights -rattled clear across the valley in Logansville (now -Loganton). It lay there prone, abject, yet “terrible -still in death”, majestic as it sprawled in the bed that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>had been prepared for it, with an open swath of forest -about that it had maimed and pulled down in its fall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crowds flocked from all over the adjacent valleys -to see the fallen monarch, like Arabs viewing the lifeless -carcass of a mighty lion whose roar had filled -them with terror but a little while before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then came the misfortune that the tree was found -to be commercially unprofitable to handle, and it was -left for the mould and the moss and the shelf-fungi to -devour, for little hemlocks to sprout upon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Billy Dowdy was in the West Branch Valley -trying to rediscover the Bald Eagle Silver Mine–old -Uriah Fisher, of the Seventh Cavalry, can tell you all -about it–when the story was told at “Uncle Dave” -Cochran’s hotel at Pine Station that Mike Courtney -had conquered the Grandfather Pine. It is said that -a glass of the best Reish whiskey fell from his nerveless -fingers when he heard the news. He suddenly -lost all interest in the silver mine on the Bald Eagle -Mountain, which caused him to be roundly berated -by his employers, and dropping everything, he made -for Sugar Valley to verify the terrible story. ’Squire -Mark assured him that it was only too true; he had -strolled over to Chadwick’s Gap the previous Sunday -and saw the prostrate Titan with his own eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indians’ twilight had come, for now the -picked band of warriors and warlocks must forever -linger in the star-belt, unless the earth spirit, out of -his great love, again heaved such a tree from his inmost -creative consciousness.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_164.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A FENCE OF WHITE PINE STUMPS, ALLEGHENIES</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span><a id='corr145.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Somtimes'>Sometimes</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_145.1'><ins class='correction' title='Somtimes'>Sometimes</ins></a></span> the Indians notice an untoward bright -twinkling of the stars, the evening star in particular, -and they fancy it to be reassuring messages from their -marooned leaders not to give up the faith, that sometimes -they can return rich in wisdom, fortified in courage, -ready to drive the white men into the sea, and over -it to the far Summer Islands. When the stars fell on -the thirteenth of November, 1833, it was thought that -the starry hosts were coming down en masse to fight -their battles, but not a single steller ally ever reported -for duty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Old John Engle, mighty Nimrod of Brungard’s -Church (Sugar Valley), on the nights of the Northern -Lights, or as the Indians called them, “The Dancing -Ghosts”, used to hear a strange, weird, unaccountable -ringing echo, like exultant shouting, over in the -region of the horizon, beyond the northernmost -Allegheny ridges. He would climb the “summer” -mountain all alone, and sit on the highest summits, -thinking that the wolves had come back, for he wanted -to hear them plainer. In the Winter of 1859 the distant -acclamation continued for four successive nights, -and the Aurora covered the entire vault of heaven with -a preternatural brilliance. Great bars of intensely -bright light shot out from the northern horizon and -broke in mid-sky, and filled the southern skies with -their incandescence. The sky was so intensely red that -it flared as one great sheet of fire, and engulfed the -night with an awful and dismal red light. Reflected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>on the snow, it gave the earth the appearance of being -clothed in scarlet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The superstitious Indians, huddled, cold and half-clad, -and half-starved in the desert reservations, when -they saw the fearful glow over beyond Lake Erie, -and heard the distant cadences, declared that they -were the signal fires and the cries for vengeance of -the Indian braves imprisoned up there in star-land, -calling defiance to the white hosts, and inspiration to -their own depleted legions, the echo of the day of reckoning, -when the red men would come to their own -again, and finding their lost people, lead them to a new -light, out of the Indians’ twilight.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i_167.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XI</span> <br /> <i>Hugh Gibson’s Captivity</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>After the brutal massacre, by the Indians, of -the Woolcomber family, came fresh rumors -of fresh atrocities in contemplation, consequently -it was considered advisable to gather the -women and children of the surrounding country -within the stockade of Fort Robinson, under a strong -guard, while the bulk of the able-bodied men went -out in companies to reap the harvest. Some of the -harvesters were on guard part of the time, consequently -all the men of the frontier community performed -a share of the guard duty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Among the most energetic of the guardsmen was -young Hugh Gibson, son of the Widow Gibson, a -name that has later figured prominently in the public -eye in the person of the Secretary of the American -Legion at Brussels, who endured a trying experience -during the period of the over-running of the Belgian -Paris by the hordes of blood-thirsty Huns, as rapacious -and merciless as the red men of Colonial Pennsylvania.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hugh Gibson, of Colonial Pennsylvania, was -under twenty, slim and dark, and very anxious to -make a good record as guardian of so many precious -lives. As days wore on, and no Indian attacks were -made, and no fresh atrocities committed by the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>blood-loving monster, Cooties, the terror of the lower -Juniata Valley, even the punctilious Gibson relaxed a -trifle in the rigidity of his guardianship.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was near the end of the harvest when the -majority of the men announced that they would remain -away over night at a large clearing on Buffalo -Creek, as it would be difficult to reach the fort by -nightfall and be back at work by daybreak the next -morning. Hugh Gibson was made captain of the -guard and placed in charge of the safety of the stockade -full of refugees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All went well with Gibson and his fellow pickets -until about midnight, when the Indians launched a -gas attack. The wind being propitious, they built a -fire, into which they stirred a large number of oak -balls, and the fumes suddenly engulfing the garrison, -all became very drowsy, with the result that the nimble -redskins rushed in on the defenders, who were -gaping about, thinking that there must be a forest -fire somewhere, but too dazed and semi-conscious to -think very succinctly about anything.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the guards saw that it was red men, and -not red fire, they roused themselves as best they -could, and fought bravely to save the fort and its -inmates. By throwing firebrands into the stockade, -the women and children, and cattle, were stampeded, -and by a common impulse burst open the gates, and -dashed past the defenders, headed for the creek, to -escape the threatened conflagrations. Then the Indians -closed in, and in the darkness, amid the crackling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>of the fire–for a forest fire was now in progress, -and part of the stockade wall was blazing, amid war -whoops and shrieks of hatred and agony, the barking -of dogs, the bellowing of cattle running amuck, -rifle shots, the crack of tomahawks on defenseless -skulls, the midnight air resounded with uncouth and -horrible medley.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fight continued all night long, until the approach -of dawn, and the danger of the forest fire cutting -them off made the Indians decamp. They did -not stop until in the big beaver meadow at Wildcat -Valley, they paused long enough to take stock of -prisoners, and to count wounded and missing. They -had captured an even dozen prisoners, and as the light -grew stronger they noticed that they had one male -captive, his face almost unrecognizable with soot, and -mostly stripped of clothing, who proved to be none -other than the zealous Hugh Gibson himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a strange company that moved in single -file towards the Alleghenies, eleven women and one -man, all tied together with leather thongs, like a party -of Alpinists, one after another, not descending a -monarch of mountains, but descending into captivity, -into the valley of the <a id='corr149.24'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='shadow,'>shadow.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_149.24'><ins class='correction' title='shadow,'>shadow.</ins></a></span> The Indians were -jubilant over the personnel of their captives. In -addition to Hugh Gibson, late captain of the guard, -they had taken Elsbeth Henry, daughter of the -most influential of the settlers, a girl of rare beauty -and charm, who had enjoyed some educational advantages -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>among the Moravians at Nazareth, the -pioneers of women’s education in America.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gibson had for a year past, ever since he first -appeared in the vicinity of Fort Robinson, admired -the uncommonly attractive girl, and being ambitions -in many ways, aspired to her hand. She had never -treated him with much consideration, except to be -polite to him, but she was that to everyone, and could -not be otherwise, being a happy blend of Huguenot -and Bohemian ancestry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The minute that Gibson saw that Elsbeth was -his fellow prisoner he forgot the chagrin at being -the sole male captive, and congratulated himself in -secret on the good fortune that would make him, for -a year or more, the daily companion of the object of -his admiration. He would redeem the humiliation -of this capture by staging a sensational double -escape, and then, after freeing the maiden, she -could not fail to love him and agree to become his wife. -He was, therefore, the most cheerful of prisoners, and -whistled and sang Irish songs as he marched along at -the tail end of the long line of captives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It seemed as if they were being taken on a long -journey, and he surmised that the destination was Fort -Duquesne, to be delivered over to the French, where -rewards would be paid for each as hostages. He -could see by the deference paid to Elsbeth Henry -that the redmen recognized that they had a prisoner of -quality, and as she walked along, away ahead of him, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>whenever there was a turn in the path, he would note -her youthful beauty and charm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was not very tall, but was gracefully and -firmly built. Her most noticeable features were the -intense blackness of her soft wavy hair, and the -whiteness of her skin, with minute blue veins showing, -gave her complexion a blue whiteness, the color of -mother of pearl almost, and Gibson, being a somewhat -poetical Ulster Scot, compared her to an evening sky, -with her red lips, like a streak of flame, across the -mother of pearl firmament, her downcast eyes, like twin -stars just appearing!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The further on the party marched the harder it -was going to be to successfully bring her back in safety -to the Juniata country, through a hostile Indian territory, -for he had not the slightest doubt that he would -outwit the clumsy-witted redmen and escape with her. -It might be best to strike north or northwest, out of -the seat of hostilities, and make a home for his -bride-to-be in the wilderness along Lake Erie, and never -take her back to her parents. But then there was his -mother; how could he desert her? He must go back -with Elsbeth, run all risks, once he had escaped and -freed her from her inconsiderate captors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a few days he learned that the permanent -camp was to be on the Pucketa, in what is now Westmoreland -County. Cooties was located there, and -since his unparalleled success in massacring whole -families of whites, he was apparently again in favor -with the Indian tribal Chieftains. He was to take -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>charge of the prisoners, and when ready, would lead -them to Fort Duquesne, or possibly to some point -further up La Belle Riviere, to turn them over to the -French, who would hold them as hostages.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was in the late afternoon when the party filed -into Cooties’ encampment, at the Blue Spring, near -the headwaters of the beautiful Pucketa. Cooties -had been apprised of their coming, and had painted -his face for the occasion, but meanwhile had consumed -a lot of rum, and was beastly drunk, so much so that -in his efforts to drive the punkis off his face, which -seemed to have a predilection for the grease paint, he -smeared the moons and stars into an unrecognizable -smudge all over his saturnine countenance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he sat there on a huge dark buffalo robe, a -rifle lying before him, a skull filled with smoking -tobacco on one side, and a leather jug of rum on the -other, smoking a long pipe, his head bobbing unsteadily -on its short neck, he made a picture never to be forgotten. -The slayer of the Sheridan family was at -best an ugly specimen of the Indian race. He was -short, squat–Gibson described him as “sawed off”; -his complexion was very dark, his lips small and thin, -his nose was broad and flat, his eyes full and blood-shot, -and his shaven head was covered with a red cap, -almost like a Turk’s fez.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was too intoxicated to indicate his pleasure, if -he felt any, at the arrival of the prisoners. In front -of where he sat were the embers of a campfire, as the -weather–it was early in March–was still very cold. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>He had the prisoners lined up in front of him beyond -the coals, while he squatted on his rug, eyeing them as -carefully as his bleared, inebriated vision would permit. -Calling to several of his henchmen, he had them -fetch fresh wood and pile it beside the embers, as if a -big bonfire was to be started <a id='corr153.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='later,'>later.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_153.6'><ins class='correction' title='later,'>later.</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as they were in the midst of bringing the -wood, a group of six stalwart Indians rushed on the -scene, literally dragging a rather good-looking, dark-haired -white woman of about thirty years, whose face -showed every <a id='corr153.11'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='signs'>sign</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_153.11'><ins class='correction' title='signs'>sign</ins></a></span> of intense terror. From words that -he could understand, and the <a id='corr153.12'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='grestures'>gestures</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_153.12'><ins class='correction' title='grestures'>gestures</ins></a></span>, Gibson made -out that this woman had belonged to another batch of -prisoners, but before she could be delivered at Shannopin’s -Town had somehow made her escape.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To deliver a body of prisoners short one of the -quota had brought some criticism on Cooties, and he -was in an ugly frame of mind when she was brought -before him. There was an ash pole near the wood -pile, to which prisoners were tied while being interrogated, -and Cooties ordered that the unfortunate -woman should be strapped to it. The Indian warriors, -needless to say, made a thorough job and bound -her to it securely, hand and foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though she saw twelve or more white persons, -the bound woman never said a word, and the captives -from Fort Robinson and other places were too terror-stricken -to address a word to her. They stared at her -with that look of dumb helplessness that a flock of -sheep assume when peering through the bars of their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>fold at a farmer in the act of butchering one of their -number. Sympathy they may have felt, but to express -it in words would have availed nothing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once tied to the tree, Cooties ordered that the -wood be piled about her feet. It was ranked until -it came almost to her waist. Then the cruel warrior -turned to his victim, saying to her in German, “It’s -going to be a cold night; I think you can warm me up -very nicely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he grinned and looked at each of his other -prisoners menacingly. Silas Wright in his excellent -“History of Perry County” thus quotes Hugh Gibson -in describing the scene then enacted: “All the prisoners -in the neighborhood were collected to be spectators -of the death by torture of a poor, unhappy -woman, a fellow-prisoner who had escaped, and been -recaptured. They stripped her naked, tied her to a -post and pierced her with red hot irons, the flesh -sticking to the irons at every touch. She screamed -in the most pitiful manner, and cried for mercy, but -the ruthless barbarians were deaf to her agonizing -shrieks and prayers, and continued their horrid cruelty -until death came to her relief.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After this fiendish episode, the Fort Robinson -prisoners were sick at heart and in body for days, -and most of them would have dropped in their tracks -if they had been compelled to resume the long, tedious -western journey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It appeared that in the foray on Fort Robinson -one young Indian had been slain; rumor among the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>Indians had it that he had been shot by mistake by -a member of his own party. At any rate his parents, -who lived near Cooties’ camp-ground, took his end -very hard, and the squaw, who was Cooties’ sister, -demanded the adoption of Hugh Gibson to take the -place of her lost warrior son. This was a good point -for Gibson, although the warrior’s father, Busqueetam, -acted very coldly towards him, and he feared he might -some day, in a fit of revenge and hate, take his life. -However, the young white man, by making every -effort to help his Indian foster parents, who were very -feeble and unable to work, won their confidence, and -also that of Cooties, who requisitioned him to do all -sorts of errands and work about the encampment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day Busqueetam was in a terrible state of -excitement. His spotted pony, the only equine in the -camp, and the one that he expected to give to Cooties -to ride with chiefly dignity through the portals of the -Fort had strayed off in the night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Most of the Fort Robinson and other prisoners -who had been brought in from various directions -since their arrival, to make a great caravan of captives -to impress the commanders at Shannopin’s Town, like -a Roman triumph, were allowed their liberty during -the daytime. At night they were all tied together -as they lay about the campfire, not far from the charred -stump of the ash pole where the poor white woman -had been burned to death, and where the small Indian -dogs were constantly sniffing. There were about -twenty-five prisoners, all told, and with these were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>tied about half a dozen guards, and all lay down in a -circle about the fire, guards and prisoners sleeping at -the same time. It was a different system from that -of the whites, for if a prisoner got uneasy or tried to -get up, he or she would naturally pull on the leather -thongs, and rouse the guardians and other prisoners. -The thongs were around both wrists, so a prisoner was -tied to the person on either side.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hugh Gibson managed to have a few words with -Elsbeth, when he heard of the horse’s disappearance. -Much as he would like to have talked to her, few words -passed between them during the captivity. Elsbeth -was naturally reserved, and had never known Hugh -well before, and he was playing for big stakes, and -saw how the Indians resented any hobnobbing among -their prisoners. He managed to whisper to her that -he would volunteer to hunt for Busqueetam’s missing -pony, but would return at night and wait for her in -the Panther Glade, a dense Rhododendron thicket -through which they had passed on their way to the -campground; that she should gnaw herself free with -her teeth, and that done, with her natural agility and -moccasined feet, could nimbly spring away into the -darkness and escape to him. He thought he knew -where the pony was hiding, and she could ride on the -animal to civilization. And now let Gibson tell the -adventure in his own words:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At last a favorable opportunity to gain my liberty. -Busqueetam lost a horse and sent me to hunt -him. After hunting some time, I came home and told -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>him I had discovered his tracks at some considerable -distance, and that I thought I would find him; that I -would take my gun and provisions and would hunt -him for three or four days, and if I could kill a deer -or a bear, I would pack home the meat on the horse.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hugh Gibson, the privileged captive, strolled out -of camp with a business-like expression on his lean -face, and carrying Cooties’ favorite rifle. He took a -long circle about through the deep forest, and at dark -was ensconced in the Panther Glade, to wait the fateful -moment when Elsbeth, his beloved, would come -to him, and as his promised wife, he would lead her -to liberty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a cold night, and his teeth chattered as he -squatted among the rhododendrons waiting and listening. -The wolves were howling, and he wondered if -the girl would feel afraid!</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the usual time the various prisoners and their -guards were lashed together, and lay down for their -rest around the embers of the campfire. Most of them -were short of coverings, so they huddled close together. -Not so Elsbeth, for Cooties looked after her and provided -her with four buffalo robes, which she would have -loved dearly to share with her less favored fellow prisoners, -but they would not allow it. The Indians made -the captives work hard during the day cutting wood, -dressing furs and pounding corn. They did not feed -them any too well, as game was scarce and ammunition -scarcer, so all were tired when they lay down by the -campfire’s soothing glow.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>One by one they fell asleep, all but Elsbeth, who, -covering her head with the buffalo robes, began to -gnaw on the leather thongs as if they were that much -caramel, first this side, then the other. She felt like -a rodent before she was half through, and her pretty -pearl-colored teeth grew shorter and blunter before she -was done. It was a gigantic task, but she stuck to it -bravely, and some time during the “wee, sma’” hours -had the delicious sensation of knowing she was free, -even though she felt horridly toothless and sore-gummed -in her moment of victory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Like a wild cat she slipped out from under the -buffalo robes, wiggled along among the wet leaves and -moss, then crawled to her feet and was off like a -deer towards the Panther Glade, regardless of the -howling of the wolves. Hugh Gibson’s quick sense of -hearing told him she was coming, and he walked out -so that he stood on the path before her, and clasped her -white shapely arms in heartfelt congratulations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now that we are free,” he said, “I will take you -to the pony in three hours’ travel. I want to arrange -the one final detail to make this reunion always -memorable for us both. We have shared common -hardships and perils; we have plotted and planned -for freedom together. Let us guarantee that our -lives shall always be together, for I love you, and -want you to be my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Elsbeth drew herself back out of his grasp, and -a shudder went through her supple little frame. “Why -I have never heard the like of what you say, much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>as I have appreciated all you have done; ours was -only a common misfortune. I could not care for you -that way, even though recognizing your bravery, -your foresight and your kindliness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment Hugh Gibson was so angry that -he felt like leading her back to Cooties, where she -would probably have been received with open arms, -and be burned at the stake, but he finally “possessed -his soul” and accepted the inevitable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They found the pony by morning, but it took -some maneuvering to capture the wily beast, and -packed him across the Kittanning Path, where, at Burgoon’s -Run, they came upon a party of traders headed -by George McCord, who had lately come from -the Juniata.</p> - -<p class='c001'>McCord told them the details of the conflict at -Fort Robinson, of the shocking killing of Widow Gibson, -Robert Miller’s daughter, James Wilson’s wife, -John Summerson, and others, on that bloody night of -gas, forest fires, smoke and surprises.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the turning point in Hugh Gibson’s life; -his mother gone, and not a sign of weakening in Elsbeth -Henry’s mother-of-pearl countenance; in fact, -the indistinct line of her mouth was more like a -streak of crimson flame than ever. A new light had -dawned for him out of these shocking misfortunes; -his purpose would be to redeem his inactivity at Fort -Robinson, his overconfidence, his over self-esteem, by -going at once to Carlisle to secure a commission in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>the Royal American Regiment of Riflemen. He left -Elsbeth in charge of the McCord party who would -see her back to her distracted parents, while he -tramped over the mountains towards Reastown and -Fort Littleton, by the shortest route to the Cumberland -Valley.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i_181.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id009'> -<img src='images/i_182.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BILL BREWER, “HICK” PREACHER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XII</span> <br /> <i>Girty’s Notch</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The career of Simon Girty, otherwise spelled -Girtee and Gerdes, has become of sufficient interest -to cause the only authoritative biography -to sell at a prohibitive figure, and outlaw or renegade -as he is called, there are <a id='corr161.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='postoffces'>postoffices</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_161.6'><ins class='correction' title='postoffces'>postoffices</ins></a></span>, hotels, streams, -caves and rocks which perpetuate his name throughout -Pennsylvania.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Simon Gerdes was born in the Cumberland Valley -on Yellow Breeches Creek, the son of a Swiss-German -father and an Irish mother. This origin -guaranteed him no high social position, for in the -old days, in the Cumberland Valley, in particular, -persons of those racial beginnings were never accepted -at par by the proud descendants of Quakers, -Virginia Cavaliers, and above all, by the Ulster Scots. -After the world war similar beginnings have correspondingly -lowered in the markets of prestige, and a -century or more of gradual family aggrandizement -has gone for nil, the social stratification of pre-Revolutionary -days having completely re-established itself.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr161.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Unfortunely'>Unfortunately</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_161.22'><ins class='correction' title='Unfortunely'>Unfortunately</ins></a></span> for Simon Gerdes, or Girty, as he -was generally called, he was possessed of lofty ambitions, -he aimed to be a military hero and a man of -quality, like the dignified and exclusive gentry who rode -about the valley on their long-tailed white horses and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>carried swords, and were accompanied by retainers -with long rifles. There must have been decent blood -in him somewhere to have brought forth such aspirations, -but personally he was never fitted to attain -them. He had no chance for an education off there -in the rude foothills of the Kittochtinnies; he was -undersized, swarthy and bushy headed; his hands -were hairy, and his face almost impossible to keep -free of black beard. Analyzed his features were not -unpleasant; he had deepset, piercing black eyes, a -prominent aquiline nose, a firm mouth and jaw, and -his manner was quick, alert and decisive.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such was Simon Girty when his martial dreams -caused him to leave home and proceed to Virginia -to enlist in the Rifle Regiment. A half century of -Quaker rule in Pennsylvania had failed to disturb -the tranquility of the relations between whites and -Indians, but in the Old Dominion, there was a constant -bickering with the redskins along the western -frontier.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Girty was a sure shot, he was eagerly accepted, -and in a short time was raised to the grade of -Corporal. Accompanied by a young Captain-lieutenant -named Claypoole, he was sent to the Greenbrier -River country to convey a supply train, but owing -to the indifference of the officer, the train became -strung out, and the vanguard was cut off by Indians, -and captured, and the rearguard completely routed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Girty happened to be the vidette, the Captain-lieutenant, -who was in the rear and should have come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>up and seen that his train traveled more compactly, -had a splendid opportunity to shift the blame. An -investigation was held at Spottsylvania, presided over -by a board of officers recently arrived from England, -who knew nothing of border warfare, and were sticklers -for caste above everything else.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Someone had to be disciplined, and if a fellow -could be punished and a gentleman exculpated, why -then of course, punish the fellow. This was speedily -done, and Girty was taken out before the regiment, -stripped of his chevrons, denounced by the Colonel, -forced to run the gauntlet, Indian style, and drummed -out of camp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Girty, though humiliated and shamed, felt glad -that he was not shot; he would have been had he been -actually guilty of neglect; he was punished as badly -as an innocent man dare be punished to shield a guilty -superior. After receiving his dishonorable discharge, -Girty sorrowfully wended his way back to the parental -home on the Yellow Breeches, his visions of glory -shattered. He did not tell his parents what had happened, -but they knew that something had gone wrong, -and pitied him, as only poor, lowly people can pity -another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Henry Fielding, a gentleman born and bred, has -said: “Why is it that the only really kindly people -are the poor,” and again, “Why is it that persons in -high places are always so hard?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>About this time Simon Girty found work breaking -colts on the estate of an eccentric character named -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>Gaspar, known in the Cumberland Valley as “French -Louis,” who resided near the mouth of Dublin Gap, -on the same side of the trail, but nearer the valley -than the present Sulphur Springs Hotel. All that -remains of his ambitious chateau is the chimney, -which was recently photographed by Professor J. S. -Illick, head of the research bureau of the State Department -of Forestry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“French Louis” Gaspar was a Huguenot, a Gascon, -and prided himself on a resemblance to Henry -of Navarre, and wore the same kind of fan-shaped, -carefully brushed beard. His wife was also of French -origin, a member of the well-known Le Tort family, -and a woman of some education and character. They -had several daughters, all of whom married well, and -at the time of Girty’s taking employment, but one was -at home–the youngest–Eulalie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was a slim, dark girl, with hair and eyes as -black as Girty’s, a perfect mate in type and disposition. -It is a curious thing while unravelling these -stories of old time Pennsylvania, that in seeking descriptions -of the personal appearance (which is always -the most interesting part) of the persons figuring -in them at an early day, scarcely any blondes are -recorded; the black, swarthy Indian-like visages so -noticeable to strangers traveling through Pennsylvania -today, were also prevalent, commonly met with -types of our Colonial period.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Eulalie Gaspar could see that there was something -on Girty’s mind, and tried to be kind to him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>and encourage him, but she asked no questions, and -he volunteered no information. If he had not received -such a complete social setback at Spottsylvania, -the youth might have aspired to the girl’s hand, but -he now was keenly aware of the planes of caste, realizing -that he stood very low on the ladder of quality.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He seemed to be improving in spirits under the -warm sun of encouragement at Chateau Gaspar, as -“French Louis” liked to call his huge house of logs -and stone, for the Huguenot adventurer was much of -a Don Quixote, and lived largely in a world of his -own creation. Eulalie, hot-blooded and impulsive, -often praised his prowess as a horseman, and otherwise -smiled on him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a great sale of Virginia bred horses -being held in the market place at Carlisle, and, of -course, “French Louis” mounted on a superbly <a id='corr165.17'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='comparisoned'>caparisoned</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_165.17'><ins class='correction' title='comparisoned'>caparisoned</ins></a></span>, -ambling horse, and wearing a hat with a -plume, and attended by Simon Girty, were among -those present.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The animals ranged from packers and palfreys -to fancy saddlers of the high school type, and although -Gaspar had every stall full at home, and some wandering, -hobbled about the old fields, he bought six -more at fancy prices, and it would be an extensive -task to return them safely to the stables at the “Chateau”.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was near the close of the sale when a young -Virginian named Conrad Gist or Geist, one of the -sellers of horses, who had been a sergeant in Girty’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>regiment, and witnessed his degradation at Spottsylvania, -came up, and in the presence of the crowd, -taunted young Simon on being court-martialed and -kicked out of camp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Girty, though the humiliating words were said -among divers of his friends, bit his lips and said nothing -at the time. Later in the tap room, when “French -Louis” was having a final jorum before starting -homeward, the Virginian repeated his taunts, and -Girty, though half his size, slapped his face. Gist -quickly drew a horse pistol from one of the deep pockets -of his long riding coat, and tried to shoot the affronted -youth. Girty was too quick for him, and in -wresting the pistol from his hand, it went off, and -shot the Virginian through the stomach. He fell to -the sanded floor, and was soon dead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Other Virginians present raised an outcry, in which -they were upheld by those of similar social status in the -fraternity of “gentlemen horse dealers” residing at -Carlisle. Threats were made to hang Girty to a tree -and fill him full of bullets. He felt that he was lucky -to escape in the melee, and make for the mountains. -Public opinion was against him, and a reward placed -on his head. Armed posses searched for him for -weeks, eventually learning that he was being harbored -by a band of escaped redemptioners, slaves, and gaol -breakers, who had a cabin or shack in the wilds along -Shireman’s Creek. It was vacated when the pursuers -reached it, but they burnt it to the ground, as well as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>every other roof in the wilds that it could be proved -he had ever slept under.</p> - -<p class='c001'>By 1750 he became known as the most notorious -outlaw in the Juniata country, and pursuit becoming -too “hot”, he decided to migrate west, which he did, -allying himself with the Wyandot Indians. He lived -with them a foe to the whites, more cruel and relentless, -the Colonial Records state, than his adopted -people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some of his marauding expeditions took him -back to the Susquehanna country, and he made several -daring visits to his parents, on one of which he -learned to his horror and disgust, that Eulalie Gaspar, -while staying with one of her married sisters at -Carlisle, had met and married the now Captain Claypoole, -the author of his degradation, who had come -there in connection with the mustering of Colonial -troops.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During these visits Girty occupied at times a -cave facing the Susquehanna River, in the Half Fall -Hills, directly opposite to Fort Halifax, which he -could watch from the top of the mountain. The -narrow, deep channel of the river, at the end of the -Half Fall Hills, so long the terror of the “up river” -raftsmen, became known as Girty’s Notch. The sinister -reputation of the locality was borne out in later -years in a resort for rivermen called Girty’s Notch -Hotel, now a pleasant, homelike retreat for tired -and thirsty autoists who draw birch beer through -straws, and gaze at the impressive scenery of river -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>and mountain from the cool, breezeswept verandas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the most imposing of all is the stone face -on the mountain side, looking down on the state road -and the river, which shows clearly the rugged outlines -of the features of the notorious borderer. An -excellent photograph of “Girty’s Face” can be seen -in the collection of stereoscoptic views possessed by -the genial “Charley Mitchell” proprietor of the Owens -House, formerly the old Susquehanna House, at Liverpool.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was after General Braddock’s defeat in 1755 -that Captain, now Major Claypoole, decided to settle -on one of his parental estates on the Redstone River, -(now Fayette County) in Western Pennsylvania. Being -newly wedded and immensely wealthy for his day, -he caused to be erected a manor house of the showy -native red stone, elaborately stuccoed, on a bluff overlooking -this picturesque winding river. He cleared -much land, being aided by Negro slaves, and a horde -of German redemptioners.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When General Forbes’ campaign against Fort -Duquesne was announced in 1757, he decided to again -try for actual military laurels, though his promotion -in rank had been rapid for one of his desultory service; -so he journeyed to Carlisle, and was reassigned -to the Virginia Riflemen, with the rank of Lieutenant -Colonel of Staff.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was undecided what to do with his young -wife in his absences, but as she had become interested -in improving “Red Clay Hall,” as the new estate was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>called, he decided to leave her there, well guarded by -his armed Virginia overseers. The Indians had been -cleared out of the valley for several years, and were -even looked upon as curiosities when they passed -through the country, consequently all seemed safe on -that score.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, while Lieutenant-Colonel Claypoole -was at Carlisle, before the Forbes-Bouquet Army -had started westward, an Indian with face blackened -and painted, in the full regalia of a chief, appeared at -the door of “Red Clay Hall” and asked to see the lady -of the manor, with whom he said he was acquainted–that -she would know him by the name of Suckaweek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was considered peculiar, and he was told to -wait outside, until “her ladyship” could be informed -of his presence. Eulalie Gaspar Claypoole, clad in a -gown of rose brocade, was in her living room on the -second story of the mansion, an apartment with high -ceilings and large windows, which commanded a -view of the Red Stone Valley, clear to its point of -confluence with the lordly Monongahela. She was -seated at an inlaid rosewood desk, writing a letter to -her husband, when the German chief steward entered -to inform her of the strange visitor waiting on the -lawn, whom she would know by the name of Suckaweek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Taking the quill pen from her lips, for she had -been trying to think of something to write, the dark -beauty directed the steward to admit the visitor at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>once, and show him into the library. Hurrying to a -pier glass, she adjusted her elaborate apparel, and taking -a rose from a vase, placed it carefully in her sable -hair, before she descended the winding stairway.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Suckaweek” (Black Fish), which was a pet -name she used to call Girty in the old days, was waiting -in the great hall, and the greeting between the ill-assorted -pair seemed dignified, yet cordial. They -spent the balance of the afternoon between the library -and strolling over the grounds, admiring the extensive -views, dined together in the state dining room, -and the last the stewards and servants saw of them, -when informed their presence would be no longer -required, was the pair sitting in easy chairs on either -side of the great fireplace, both smoking long pipes -of fragrant Virginia tobacco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the morning the Indian and Madame Claypoole -were missing, and an express was sent at once -to Carlisle to acquaint the Colonel with this daring -abduction of a lady of quality. The news came as a -great shock to the young officer, who obtained a leave -of absence and a platoon of riflemen to engage in the -search for his vanished spouse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The marriage had seemed a happy one, but in -discussing the case with his father-in-law, “French -Louis,” indiscreetly admitted that his daughter had -once seemed a little sweet on Simon Girty, the outlaw. -All was clear now, the motive revealed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the truth, the lovely “Lady” Claypoole, as -she was styled by the mountain folks, had gone off -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>with the seemingly uncouth renegade, Simon Girty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Why she had done so, she could never tell, but -doubtless it was a spark of love lain dormant since -the old days at Chateau Gaspar, when she had seen -the young outlaw breaking her father’s unmanageable -colts, that furnished the motive for the elopement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the glade, where at an early hour in the morning, -Girty and his fair companion joined his entourage -of Indians and white outlaws, Simon, in the presence -of all, unsheathed his formidable hunting knife, -a relic of his first campaign against the Indians when -he belonged to the Virginia “Long Knives,” and cut -a notch on the stock of his trusty rifle, which was -handed to him by his favorite bodyguard, a half Jew, -half Indian, named Mamolen, a native of Heidelberg -in Berks County.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Although during the past eight years he had personally -killed and scalped over a hundred Indians -and whites, Girty had never, as the other frontiersmen -always did, “nicked” his rifle stock.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Turning to Lady Claypoole with a smile, he said: -“Some day I will tell you why I have cut this notch; -it is a long and curious story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order to have her safe from capture or molestation, -Girty took the woman on a lengthy and perilous -journey to Kentucky, “the dark and bloody -ground.” To the country of the mysterious Green -River, in what is now Edmonson County, land of -caves, and sinks, and knobs, and subterranean lakes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>and streams, amid hardwood groves and limestone, -he built a substantial log house, where he left her, -protected only by the faithful Mamolen, while he returned -to fight with the French and Indians along -the banks of the Ohe-yu, “The Beautiful River.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The defeat of the allied forces by the British, -and the abandonment of Fort Duquesne, were sore -blows to Simon Girty’s plans and hopes, but his position -and prestige among the Indians remained undimmed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Claypoole, though promoted to full Colonel, did -not take part in any of the battles, being intermittently -off on leave, hunting for his recreant wife, and -spluttering vengeance against “that snake, that dog, -Girty,” as he alternately called him. It seemed as if -the earth had swallowed up the lovely object of the -outlaw’s wiles, for though Girty himself was heard -of everywhere, being linked with the most hideous -atrocities and ambushes, no Indian prisoner, even -under the most dreadful torture, could reveal the -Lady Claypoole’s whereabouts. The reason for that -was only two persons in the service knew, one was -Mamolen, the other Girty, and Mamolen remained -behind with the fair runaway.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not until after the final collapse of the -French power in 1764, and the western country was -becoming opened for settlement, that Colonel Claypoole -received an inkling of Eulalie’s whereabouts. -It did not excite his curiosity to see her again, or -bring her back, but merely fired his determination the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>more to even his score with Girty. When he was -sober and in the sedate atmosphere of his correctly -appointed library on Grant’s Hill, in the new town of -Pittsburg, he realized how foolish it would be <a id='corr173.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='to to'>to</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_173.4'><ins class='correction' title='to to'>to</ins></a></span> -journey to the wilds to kill “a scum of the earth,” -he a gentleman of many generations of refined ancestry, -all for a “skirt” as he contemptuously alluded -to his wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But when in his cups, and that was often, he -vowed vengeance against the despoiler of his home, -and the things he planned to do when once he had -him in his clutches would have won the grand prize -at a Spanish Inquisition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>If it was Girty’s destiny to notch his rifle once, -Nemesis provided that Colonel Claypoole should also -have that rare privilege. At a military muster on -the Kentucky side of Big Sandy, during the Revolutionary -War, Simon Girty boldly ventured to the outskirts -of the encampment, to spy on the strength and -armament of the patriot forces, as he had done a -hundred times before. Colonel Claypoole, riding on -the field on his showy, jet black charger, noticed a -low-brewed face, whiskered like a Bolshevik, peering -out through a clump of bushes. Recognizing him -after a lapse of over a quarter of a century, he rode -at him rashly, parrying with the flat blade of his -sabre, the well directed bullet which Girty sent at -him. Springing from his mount, which he turned -loose, and which ran snorting over the field, with -pistol in one hand, sabre in the other, he rushed into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>the thicket, and engaged his foe in deadly combat. -He was soon on top of the surprised Girty, and -stamping on him, like most persons do with a venomous -snake, at the same time shooting and stabbing him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When his frightened orderly, leading the recaptured -charger, rode up, followed by a number of excited -officers and men, and drew near to the thicket, -they were just in time to see Colonel Claypoole emerging -from it, red-faced but calm, carrying a long rifle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see you have put a notch in it already,” said -one of his companions, as he eagerly wrung his hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I perceive,” replied the Colonel, “but it was -hardly necessary, for I have only killed a snake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There are some who say that Colonel Claypoole’s -victim was not Simon Girty at all, but merely a -drunken settler who was coming out of the bushes -after a mid-day nap, and a coincidence that the fellow -was armed with a rifle on which there was a -single nick. Yet for all intents and purposes Colonel -Claypoole had killed a good enough Simon Girty, and -had his rifle to prove it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Other reports have it that Simon Girty survived -the Revolution, where he played such a reprehensive -part, to marry Catharine Malott, a former captive -among the Indians, in 1784, and was killed in the -Battle of the Thames, in the War of 1812.</p> - -<p class='c001'>C. W. Butterworth in his biography of the Girty -family, says that Simon, in later life, became totally -blind, dying near Amlerstburg, Canada, February 18, -1818, was buried on his farm, and a troop of British -soldiers from Fort Malden fired a volley at his grave.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XIII</span> <br /> <i>Poplar George</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>“I have been reading your legends of the old days -in the ‘North <a id='corr175.3'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='American,”'>American,’”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_175.3'><ins class='correction' title='American,”'>American,’”</ins></a></span> said the delegate to -the Grange Convention, stroking his long silky -mustache, “and they remind me of many stories that -my mother used to tell me when I was a little shaver, -while we were living on the Pucketa, in Westmoreland -County. There was one story that I used to like -best of all. It was not the one about old Pucketa -the Indian warrior for whom the run was named, but -about a less notable Indian, but more esteemed locally, -known as ‘Poplar George.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It isn’t nearly as interesting an Indian story as -the one that Emerson Collins tells, of the time when -his mother, as a little girl on the Quinneshockeny, went -to the spring for a jug of water, finding a lone Indian -sitting there all by himself, looking as if he was -in deep thought. As he made no move to molest her, -she filled her jug, and then scampered back to the -house as fast as she could tote the jug there.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She was a little shy about telling of her strange -experience, but finally, when she mentioned the subject, -her mother said, ‘maybe the poor fellow was -hungry.’ Quickly spreading a ‘piece,’ she hurried -back to the spring, but no Indian was to be found, -only a few prints of his mocassined feet in the soft -earth by the water course. If it hadn’t been for those -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>footprints she would have always felt that she had -not seen a real live Indian, but a ghost.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was the last Indian ever heard of on the -Quinneshockeny, and he had probably come back to -revive old memories of his happy childhood. No, -Poplar George was hardly like Emerson Collins’ ‘last -Indian,’ as he, my mother averred, was part Indian, -part ghost. He was also the last Indian that ever -visited the Pucketa, which had been a famous stream -in its day for redmen, from the time when old Pucketa, -himself, came there to spend his last days, after -having been driven out from his former hunting -grounds at the head of Lost Creek, which runs into -the ‘Blue Juniata’ above Mifflintown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The principal part of this story revolves around -two large trees that used to stand near the Pucketa, -one a big tulip or ‘whitewood’ tree, hollow at the butt, -so much so that a half grown person could hide in it, -and a huge water poplar tree, or ‘cottonwood,’ a rare -tree in Pennsylvania, you know, that stood on lower -ground directly in line with it, but on the far side of -the creek, which ran parallel with the road. It wasn’t -much of a road in those days, I’m told, isn’t much of -one yet, little better than a cow path, with grass and -dandelions growing between the wagon tracks, and -worn foot-path on the creek side of it. Many’s the -time I’ve gone along that path to and from school, or -to fetch the cows.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id010'> -<img src='images/i_200.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AGED FLAX-SPINNER AT WORK, SUGAR VALLEY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“In my boyhood there were two big stumps which -always arrested my attention, the stumps of the ‘cottonwood’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>and the tulip which I have already mentioned. -The native poplar stump, which was chopped -breast high for some reason, had been cut before my -day, but the tulip tree had stood a dead stab for many -years, and was not finally cut until my babyhood. I -was too young to recall it, and its stump had been -sawed off almost level with the ground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When my mother was old enough to notice -things, say along six, or seven or eight years of age, -both trees was standing, and despite their venerable -age, were thrifty and green; the hollow trunk of the -tulip did not seem to lessen its vitality. Trees in -those days, of all kinds, were pretty common, and regarded -as nuisances; the farmers were still having -‘burning bees’ in the spring and fall when all hands -would join in and drag with ox-spans the logs of the -trees that had been cut when they were clearing new -ground, and making huge bonfires, burn them like a -modern section foreman does a pile of old railroad -ties, and by the way, the time is going to come soon -when tie burners will be as severely condemned as -the instigators of the ‘burning bees’ in the olden days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Trees were too plentiful to attract much attention -or create affection or veneration, but these two -trees had a very special human interest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Long after the Indians passed out of our country -they came back as ghosts or ‘familiars,’ just as -the wolves, panthers and wild pigeons do, so that the -stories of folks seeing them after they became extinct, -while not literally true, are in a sense <a id='corr177.30'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='correct,'>correct</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_177.30'><ins class='correction' title='correct,'>correct</ins></a></span>. Closely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>associated with the life of the big cottonwood was -an old Indian, mother said; he wasn’t a real live Indian, -yet not a ghost, was probably a half ghost, half -Indian, if there could be any such thing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The tulip tree was inhabited by a very attractive -spirit, an Indian girl, an odd looking one too, for her -smooth skin was only a pumpkin color and her eyes -a light blue. They all called her ‘Pale Eyes,’ and -she was described as slight, winsome and wonderfully -pretty. The Indian man, because he spent so -much time under the cottonwood or water poplar, became -generally known as ‘Poplar George.’ He would -appear in the neighborhood early in the spring, in -time to gather poke, milkweed, dandelion and bracken -for the farmer’s wives, and to teach the young folks -to fish, to use the bow and arrow, and snare wild -pigeons and doves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was a sure sign of spring when the young -people would see him squatting before a very small -fire of twigs under the still leafless branches of the -ancient poplar tree. He would remain about all summer -long, helping with the harvest, so he must have -been real flesh and blood, in a sense, and in the fall he -gathered nuts, and later cut some cordwood for those -who favored him–but in truth he never liked hard, -downright work overly much.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He was a creature of the forests and streams. -When he went away in the fall, after the wild pigeons -had left, he always said that he wintered south, on -the Casselman River, where the weather was not so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>severe, in that wonderful realm of the Pawpaw, the -Persimmon and the Red Bud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Often when he took the young folks of the -neighborhood on fishing trips, and his skill with the -angle and fly were unerring, the pretty Indian maiden, -‘Pale Eyes,’ would turn up, and be with the party all -day. When asked who she was, he would sometimes -say that she was his daughter, other times his <a id='corr179.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='neice'>niece</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_179.8'><ins class='correction' title='neice'>niece</ins></a></span>, or -grand-daughter, but when anyone asked of ‘Pale -Eyes,’ she would shake her pretty head, indicating -that she only spoke the Indian language. Poplar -George could speak Dutch and a little English.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No one knew where Poplar George slept, if it -wasn’t in the open, under the cottonwood tree. If -he slept in barns, or under haystacks, no one had ever -seen him coming or going, but a detail like that, mattered -nothing as long as he was kindly and harmless, -and took good care of the children.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He was a master of woodcraft, much like that -old Narragansett Indian ‘Nessmuk,’ who furnished -the late George W. Sears with his inspiration as well -as <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">‘nom de plume.’</span> Poplar George could call the wild -birds off the trees, so that they would feed on the -ground before him, the squirrels and even the shy -chipmunks climbed all over him, and extracted nuts -from his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The old Indian was an odd person to look at, so -my mother said; of medium height, meagre, wrinkled -and weazened, tobacco colored, with little black shoe-button -eyes, and a sparse mustache and beard. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>dressed in rags, and was often bare-footed, yet he -never complained of the cold. He was always jolly -and cheerful, had always been the same; he had been -coming to the Pucketa Valley for several generations -before my mother’s day; in fact, no one could remember -when he hadn’t been there, but that wasn’t saying -much, as it was a new country, dating only from the -time when Pucketa and his tribesmen had enjoyed it -as a hunting ground for big game.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Once when some hunters killed a bear, they were -going to nail the paws on the end of a log barn, but -Poplar George begged for them, and invited the children -to a feast of ‘bear paw cutlets’ under the cottonwood -tree. My mother sat beside ‘Pale Eyes,’ -and took a great fancy to her; she was able to talk -with her in sign language, and Poplar George, seeing -how well they got on together, occasionally interpreted -for them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Mother managed to learn that ‘Pale Eyes’’ -abode was in a huge hollow tulip tree, but that she, -too, wintered in the south, but beyond the Maryland -line. Those were all gloriously care-free, happy days, -and my mother, in later life, never tired talking about -them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Once in the fall when the buckwheat harvest -was in progress, millions of wild pigeons came in, and -mother could never forget the sight of old Poplar -George sitting on a ‘stake and rider’ fence, with a -handsome cock pigeon resplendent with its ruddy -breast, <a id='corr180.30'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>pearched</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_180.30'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>pearched</ins></a></span> on one of his wrists, while it pecked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>at some buckwheat seeds in his other hand. Beside -him sat the demure ‘Pale Eyes,’ a speckled squab of -the year in her lap, stroking it, while other pigeons, -usually so wild, were feeding in the stubble about -them, or perched on the stakes of the fence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Some of the boys of sixteen years or thereabouts, -grown lads they seemed to my mother, wanted -to be attentive to ‘Pale Eyes,’ but she was so shy that -she never let them get close to her. As it was a respectable -backwoods community, and all minded their -own business, no further efforts were made to have -her mingle in society.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"There was a rich boy, Herbert Hiltzheimer from -Philadelphia, whose father was a great land owner, -and who sometimes came with his parents to stay with -their Agent while inspecting their possessions, who, -at first sight of ‘Pale Eyes,’ fell violently in love with -her. On rainy days he was not allowed out of doors, -and sent word to Poplar George that ‘Pale Eyes’ -should go to the Agent’s house, and play with him. -Old Poplar George replied that he was willing if his -niece would consent, but she always ran away into the -depths of the forest, and was never once induced to -play with him indoors. She did not dislike the city -boy, only was very timid, and was afraid to go inside -of a house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"My mother was made a confidante of by Herbert<a id='corr181.28a'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='( who'>,who</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_181.28a'><ins class='correction' title='( who'>,who</ins></a></span> -offered her five dollars, a <a id='corr181.28b'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>collosal</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_181.28b'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>collosal</ins></a></span> sum in -those days, if she would induce ‘Pale Eyes’ to at least -come into the Agent’s yard, and play with him alone. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>He had her name cut on everything, even on the window -frames, and wrote verses about her which he -carried in his pocket, and sometimes tried to read to -her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"In the fall he was taken back to Philadelphia to -school, but said that, the evening before, when he -walked up the lane, weeping over his misfortune, he -opportunately met the fair Indian maid alone at the -tulip tree, and actually kissed her. She broke away -and ran into the hollow trunk, and while he quickly -followed her into the aperture, she had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The lands on which the cottonwood and the tulip -tree stood were a part of a farm belonging to -’Squire George Garnice, an agreeable, but easy going -old gentleman, who never learned to say ‘no’ to any -one, though not much to his detriment for he was -very generally respected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"One fall some of the Fiedler boys suggested to -him, that he let them go on his property and cut up a -lot of old half-dead good-for-nothing trees for cordwood -and of course he assented. The first tree they -attacked was Poplar George’s favorite, the mighty cottonwood. -They were skilled axemen, and cut a level -stump but too high for these days of <a id='corr182.24'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='conservation'>conservation.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_182.24'><ins class='correction' title='conservation'>conservation.</ins></a></span> -Soon the big poplar was down, and the boys were -trimming off the sweeping branches. Before cutting -into stove lengths, they hopped across the creek and -started on their next victim, the hollow tulip tree, the -home of ‘Pale Eyes.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>"One of the boys, the youngest, Ed, had gotten -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>a new cross-cut saw, and begged them to try it on -the tulip. They notched, and then getting down on -their knees, started to saw a low stump, for some reason -or other. They had sawed in quite a distance on -both edges of the hollow side when they heard a piteous -shrieking and wailing down the road, toward -the old ’Squire’s barn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Leaving saw, axes and wedges, they ran to -where the cries came from, and to their horror, found -‘Pale Eyes’ lying on the grassy bank beside the road -at the orchard, her ankles terribly lacerated, front and -back, clear in to the bones, and bleeding profusely. -On this occasion she was able to speak in an intelligible -tongue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Run quick to the ’Squire’s, and get help,’ she -said, in Pennsylvania German; ‘I am dying, but I -want something to ease this dreadful pain.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The sympathetic boys, without waiting to inquire -where she received her <a id='corr183.19'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>grevious</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_183.19'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>grevious</ins></a></span> hurts, scurried -down the road and through the ’Squire’s gate. The -old gentleman was in his library, drawing up a legal -document, when the long, lanky youths, hatless and -breathless, burst in on him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Oh, sir,’ they chorused, ‘the Indian girl, ‘Pale -Eyes,’ you know, has cut herself, and is dying up the -road, and wants help.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The ’Squire always kept an old-fashioned remedy -chest in his desk, so seizing it, and adjusting his -curly wig, so that it would not blow off, he ran out -after the nimble mountaineers. As they left the gate -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>they saw old Poplar George running across the orchard -in the direction of the wounded girl. Evidently -he, too, had heard her cries.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"When they reached the spot where marks on -the greensward showed where ‘Pale Eyes’ had been -lying, she was nowhere to be found, neither was -Poplar George. There were no signs of blood, only -a lot of sawdust like comes from the workings of a -cross-cut saw.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The old ’Squire was nonplussed, but consented -to accompany the boys to the scene of their wood -cutting operations. ‘Pale Eyes’ was not there either, -nor Poplar George. The newly formed leaves of the -cottonwood–it was in the month of May–although -the tree had only been cut and sawed into but an -hour before, were scorched and withered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The ’Squire showed by his face how heartbroken -he was to see the two picturesque trees so -roughly treated, but he was too kindly and forgiving -to chide the boys for their sake. As he was standing -there, looking at the ruin, a number of school children, -among them my mother, came along, for it was -during the noon recess, or dinner hour. They saw -the butchered trees, and learned of the events of the -morning; several of them, prosaic backwoods youngsters, -though they were, shed bitter tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Dry your eyes,’ the ‘’Squire urged them, ‘else -your people will think that the teacher licked you.’ -Then they all chorused that it was a shame to have -ruined the retreats of Poplar George and ‘Pale Eyes.’</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>“Evidently ’Squire Garnice was wise in the lore -of mysticism, for he shook his head sadly, saying, -‘Never mind, you’ll never see Poplar George nor ‘Pale -Eyes’ again.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was a dejected company that parted with -him at his gate. The old ’Squire was right, for never -more was anything seen or heard of Poplar George -and the mysterious ‘Pale Eyes.’ They must have -been in some unknowable way connected with the -lives of those two trees, the cottonwood and the tulip–their -lives or spirits maybe, and when they were -cut into, their spirits went out with them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I knew of a wealthy man who had a cedar tree -in his yard, that when he fell ill, the tree became -brown, but retained a little life. Finally it was cut -down as an eyesore, and the gentleman died suddenly -a few days afterward. That tree must have contained -a vital part of his spirit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By fall the tulip tree looked as if it had been -dead for years, and the bark was peeling off. As the -wood of the poplar would not burn, and set up a fetid -odor, the Fieldler boys never bothered to finish cutting -down the hollow tulip tree, of which the shy -wood sprite, ‘Pale Eyes,’ had been the essence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Much of the mystery and charm of that old -grass-grown way along the gently flowing Pucketa -had vanished with its Indian frequenters. But the -memory of Poplar George and ‘Pale Eyes’ will never -be forgotten as long as any of those children who were -lucky enough to know them, remain in this world."</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XIV</span> <br /> <i>Black Alice Dunbar</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Down in the wilds of the Fourth Gap, latterly -used as an artery of travel between Sugar -Valley and White Deer Hole Valley, commonly -known as “White Deer Valley,” a forest ranger’s -cabin stands on the site of an ancient Indian -encampment, the only clearing in the now dreary -drive from the “Dutch End” to the famous Stone -Church. Until a dozen years ago much of the primeval -forest remained, clumps of huge, original white -pines stood here and there, in the hollows were hemlock -and rhododendron jungles, while in the fall the -flickers chased one another among the gorgeous red -foliage of the gum trees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now much is changed; between “Tom” Harter -and “Charley” Steele, and other lumbermen, including -some gum tree contractors, little remains but -brush and slash; forest fires have sacrificed the remaining -timber, and only among the rocks, near the -mouth of the gap, can be seen a few original yellow -pines, shaggy topped in isolated grandeur. Some day -the tragic Indian history of White Deer Hole Valley -will come to its own, and present one of the most -tragic pages in the narrative of the passing of the -red man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was into this isolated valley, that terminates -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>in Black Hole Valley, and the Susquehanna River, -near Montgomery, that numbers of the Monsey Tribe -of the Lenni-Lenape, called by some the Delaware -Indians, retreated after events subsequent to the -Walking Purchase, made them outcasts on the face -of the earth. It was not long afterwards that warlike -parties of their cruel Nemesis, the Senecas, appeared -on the scene, informing the Monseys that they had -sold the country to the whites, and if they stayed, it -was at their peril.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Even at that early day white men were not wholly -absent; they came in great numbers after the Senecas -had sold the lands of the Lenni-Lenape to the -“Wunnux,” but even coincident with the arrival of -the Delawares, a few white traders and adventurers -inhabited the most inaccessible valleys.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexander Dunbar, a Scotchman, married to a -Monsey woman, arrived in White Deer Hole Valley -with the first contingent of his wife’s tribes-people, -settling near the confluence of White Deer Hole Creek -and South Creek. Whether he was any relation to -the Dunbar family, who have long been so prominent -in this valley is unknown, as his family moved further -west, and the last heard of them was when his -widow died and was buried in the vicinity of Dark -Shade Creek, Somerset County.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dunbar was a dark, swarthy complexioned man, -more like an Indian than a Celt, and dressed in the -tribal garb, could easily have passed off as one of the -aboriginies. At one time he evidently intended to remain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>in the Fourth Gap, as in the centre of the <a id='corr188.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='greensword'>greensward</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_188.1'><ins class='correction' title='greensword'>greensward</ins></a></span> -which contained the Indian encampment, he -erected a log fortress, with four bastions, the most permanent -looking structure west of Fort Augusta. In it -he aimed to live like a Scottish Laird, with his great -hall, the earthen floor, covered with the skins of panthers, -wolves and bears, elk and deer antlers hanging -about, and a huge, open fireplace that burned logs of -colossal size, and would have delighted an outlaw -like Rob Roy MacGregor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the Seneca Indians penetrated into the valley -they were at a loss at first to ascertain Alexander -Dunbar’s true status. If he was related to the -prominent Scotch families identified with the Penn -Government, he would be let alone, but if a mere -friendless adventurer, he would be driven out the -same as any one of the “Original People.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dunbar was a silent man, and by his taciturnity -won toleration for a time, as he never revealed his -true position. When the Senecas became reasonably -convinced that, no matter who he had been in the -Highlands of Scotland, he was a person of no importance -in the mountains of Pennsylvania, they began -a series of prosecutions that finally ended with -his murder. This took its first form by capturing all -members of the Lenni-Lenape tribe who ventured -into the lower end of the valley, for those who had -settled further down, and on the banks of the Susquehanna -and Monsey Creek had moved westward -when they learned that they had been “<em>sold out</em>.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>However, the residents of Dunbar’s encampment occasionally -ventured down South Creek on hunting -and fishing expeditions. When the heads of half a -dozen families, and several squaws, young girls and -children had been captured, over a dozen in all, and -put into a stockade near the present village of Spring -Garden, and rumor had it that they were being ill-treated, -Alexander Dunbar, carrying a flag of truce, -set off to treat with the Seneca Council, at what is -now Allenwood, with a view to having them paroled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The unfortunate man never reached the Senecas’ -headquarters, being shot from ambush, and left to -die like a dog on the trail, not far from the Panther -Spring, above the present John E. Person residence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While the surviving, able bodied Monseys could -have risen and started a warfare, they deemed it prudence -to remain where they were, and to make Sugar -Valley, and the valleys adjacent to White Deer -Creek, their principal hunting grounds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While Dunbar had lived, squaw man, though he -was, he was the leader of the Indians among whom -he resided, else they would never have permitted his -erecting a pretentious fortress in the midst of their -humble tepees of hides and poorly constructed log -cabins. At his death the leadership devolved on his -eighteen-year-old daughter, “Black Agnes,” his widow -being a poor, inoffensive creature, a typical Indian -drudge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Black Agnes” was even darker complexioned -than her father, but was better looking, having fine, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>clear cut features, expressive dark eyes which flashed -fire, although she was much below medium height, in -fact, no bigger than a twelve-year-old child. She -wore her hair in such a tangled way that her eyes, -lean cheeks and white throat were half hidden by the -masses of her sable tresses. She usually attired herself -in a blue coat and cape, a short tan skirt trimmed -with grey squirrel tails, and long Indian stockings. -She was in miniature a counterpart of Miriam Donsdebes, -the beautiful heroine of one of the chapters in -this writer’s book “South Mountain Sketches.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>While it may have given the Senecas added cause -to repeat their jibe of “old women” at the Lenni-Lenapes, -for not avenging Dunbar’s death, it was a case -of living on sufferance anyway, and foolish to have -attacked superior numbers. The Senecas always had -white allies to call on for arms and ammunition, while -from the first, the Delawares were a proscribed people, -slated to be run off the earth and exterminated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During this lull, following the Scotchman’s murder, -which the Senecas would have doubtless have disavowed, -an embassy appeared at the Dunbar stronghold -to ask “Black Agnes’” hand in marriage with a -young Seneca warrior named Shingaegundin, whom -the intrepid young girl had never seen. While it -would have been extremely politic for “Black Agnes” -to have accepted, and allied herself with the powerful -tribe that had wronged her people, she sent back -word firmly declining.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the emissaries departed through the gate of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>the stockade, she turned to her warriors, saying, in the -metaphorical language of her race: “The sky is overcast -with dark, blustering clouds,” which means that -troublesome times were coming, that they would have -war.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The embassy returned crestfallen to Shingaegundin, -who was angry enough to have slain them all. Instead, -he rallied his braves, and told them that if he -could not have “Black Agnes” willingly, he would <a id='corr191.9'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='take take'>take</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_191.9'><ins class='correction' title='take take'>take</ins></a></span> -her by force, and if she would not be a happy and -complaisant bride, he would tie her to a tree and starve -her until she ceased to be recalcitrant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The bulk of the Monseys having departed from the -valleys on both sides of the Susquehanna, to join others -of their tribe at the headwaters of the Ohe-yu, left the -Dunbar clan in the midst of an enemy’s country, so that -it would look like an easy victory for Shingaegundin’s -punitive expedition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Black Agnes” had that splendid military quality of -knowing ahead of time what her adversaries planned -to do–whether “second sight” from her Scotch blood, -or merely a highly developed sense of strategy, matters -not. At any rate, she was ready to deal a blow at her -unkind enemies. Therefore she posted her best marksmen -along the rocky face of the South Mountains, on -either side of Fourth Gap. Behind these grey-yellow, -pulpit-shaped rocks, the tribesmen crouched, ready for -the oncoming Senecas. “Black Agnes” herself was in -personal command inside the stockade, where she was -surrounded by a courageous bodyguard twice her size. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>The women, old men and children, were sent to the top -of the mountain, to about where Zimmerman’s Run -heads at the now famous Zimmerman Mountain-top -Hospice. At a signal, consisting of a shot fired in the -air by “Black Agnes” herself, the fusillade from the -riflemen concealed among the rocks was to begin, to -make the Fourth Gap a prototype of Killiecrankie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In turn the entrance of the Senecas into the defile -was to be announced by arrow shot into the air by a -Monsey scout who was concealed behind the Raven’s -Rock, the most extensive point of vantage overlooking -the “Gap.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When “Black Agnes” saw the graceful arrow speed -up into space, she again spoke metaphorically, “The -path is already shut up!” which meant that hostilities -had commenced, the war begun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little war sprite timed her plot to a nicety. When -the Senecas were well up in the pass, and surrounded -on all sides by the Monseys, whom they imagined all -crowded into the stockade, “Black Agnes” fired her -shot, and the slaughter began. The Senecas began -falling on all sides, thanks to the unerring aim of the -Monsey riflemen, but they were too inured to warfare -to break and run, especially when caught in a trap.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shingaegundin, enraged beyond all expression at -again being flouted by a woman, and a member of the -tribe of “old women,” determined to die gamely, and -within the stockade which harbored “Black Agnes.” -He seemed to bear a charmed life, for while his -cohorts fell about him, he plunged on unhurt. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>gate of the stockade was open, and “Black Agnes” -stood just within it, directing her warriors, a quaint -but captivating little figure, more like a sprite or fairy -than one of flesh and blood.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_218.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>OLD CONESTOGA WAGON, BRUSH VALLEY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Shingaegundin espied her, and knew at a glance that -this must be the woman who the wise men of his tribe -had selected to be his bride, and the cause of this senseless -battle. His was a case of love at first sight, the -very drollness of her tiny form adding to his passion, -and he ran forward, determined to be killed holding her -in his arms and pressing kisses on her dusky cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such thoughts enhanced his ambition and courage, -and he shouted again and again to his braves to pick -themselves up and come on as he was doing. Dazed -with love, he imagined in a blissful moment that he -would yet have the victory and carry “Black Agnes” -home under his arm like a naughty child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just outside the palisade he was met by three of -Agnes’ bodyguard, armed with stone hatchets. None -of his warriors were near him; shot and bleeding, they -were writhing on the grass, while some were already in -the hands of the Monsey braves, who had come down -from their eyries, and were dexterously plying the -scalping knives. Few of the mutilated Senecas uttered -cries, although as the scalps were jerked off, it was -hard to suppress involuntary sobs of pain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Black Agnes” saw nothing in the long, lank form -of Shingaegundin to awaken any love; she detested -him as belonging to the race that had sold her birthright -and foully murdered her father, and she called -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>to her warriors: “Suffer no grass to grow on the war-path,” -signifying to carry on the fight with vigor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shingaegundin was soon down, his skull battered -and cracked in a dozen places. Even when down, his -ugly spirit failed to capitulate. Biting and scratching -and clawing with his nails like a beast, he had to have -his skull beaten like a copperhead before he stretched -out a lifeless, misshapen corpse. As he gave his last -convulsive kick the Monsey warriors began streaming -through the gates, some holding aloft scalps dripping -with blood, while others waved about by the scalp locks, -the severed heads of their defeated foemen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Never had such a rout been inflicted on the Senecas; -perhaps “Black Agnes” would be a second Jeanne -d’Arc, and lead the Lenni-Lenape back to their former -glories and possessions!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The victorious Monseys became very hilarious, hoisting -the scalps on poles, they shimmied around “Black -Agnes,” yelling and singing their ancient war songs, -the proudest moment of their bellicose lives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Black Agnes” was calm in triumph, for she knew -how transitory is life or fame. Biting her thin lips, -she drew her scalping knife and bent down over the -lifeless form of Shingaegundin, to remove his scalp in -as business-like a manner as if she was skinning a -rabbit. Addressing the grinning corpse, she said: -“Bury it deep in the earth,” meaning that the Seneca’s -injury would be consigned to oblivion. Then, with rare -<a id='corr194.29'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='dexiterity'>dexterity</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_194.29'><ins class='correction' title='dexiterity'>dexterity</ins></a></span>, she removed the scalp, a difficult task when -the skull has been broken in, in so many places.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>Holding aloft the ugly hirsute trophy, she almost -allowed herself to smile in her supreme moment of success. -Her career was now made; she would rally the -widely scattered remnants of the Delawares, and fight -her way to some part of Pennsylvania where prestige -would insure peace and uninterrupted happiness. But -in these elevated moments comes the bolt from the blue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of the panic-stricken Senecas, bolting from the -ignominious ambush of his fellows, had scrambled up -the boulder-strewn side of the mountain, taking refuge -behind the Raven’s Rock, lately occupied by the chief -lookout of the Monseys–he who had shot the warning -arrow into the air. Crouching abject and trembling -at first, he began to peer about him as the fusillade -ceased and smoke of battle cleared. He saw his slain -and scalped clansmen lying about the greensward, and -in the creek, and the awful ignominy meted out to his -<a id='corr195.18'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='lion-heared'>lion-hearted</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_195.18'><ins class='correction' title='lion-heared'>lion-hearted</ins></a></span> sachem, Shingaegundin. At his feet lay -the bow and quiver full of arrows abandoned by the -scout when he rushed down pell mell to join in the -bloody scalping bee.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sight of “Black Agnes” holding aloft his chieftain’s -scalp, the horribly mutilated condition of Shingaegundin’s -corpse, the shimmying, singing Monseys, -waving scalps and severed heads of his brothers and -friends, all drew back to his heart what red blood ran -in his veins.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Black Agnes” stood there so erect and self-confident, -like a little robin red-breast, ready for a potpie, -he would lay her low and end her pretensions. Taking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>careful aim, for he was a noted archer, the Seneca let -go the arrow, which sped with the swiftness of a passenger -pigeon, finding a place in the heart of the brave -girl. The tip came out near her backbone, her slender -form was pierced through and through. The slight -flush on her dark cheeks gave way to a deadly pallor, -and, facing her unseen slayer, “Black Agnes” Dunbar -tumbled to the earth dead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dancing, singing Monseys suddenly became a -lodge of sorrow, weeping and wailing as if their hearts -would break. The Seneca archer could have killed -more of them, they were so bewildered, but he decided -to run no further risks, and made off towards his encampment -to tell his news, good and bad, to his astounded -tribesmen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When it was seen that “Black Agnes” was no more, -and could not be revived, the sorrowful Monseys dug -a grave within the stockade. It was a double death for -them, as they knew that they would be hunted to the -end like the <em>Wolf Tribe</em> that they were, and they had -lost an intrepid and beloved leader.</p> - -<p class='c001'>According to the custom, before the interment, -“Black Agnes’” clothing was removed, the braves deciding -to take it as a present to the dead girl’s mother, -to show how bravely she died. They walled up the -grave and covered the corpse with rocks so that wolves -could not dig it up, graded a nice mound of sod over -the top, and, like the white soldiers at Fort Augusta, -fired a volley over her grave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night there was a sorrowing scene enacted at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>the campground near the big spring at Zimmerman’s -Run. The grief-stricken mother wanted to run away -into the forest, to let the wild beasts devour her, and -was restrained with great difficulty by her tribesmen, -who had also lost all in life that was worth caring for, -peace and security.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With heavy hearts they started on a long journey -for the west, carrying the heart-broken mother -Karendonah in a hammock, to the asylum offered to -them by the Wyandots on the Muskingum. The bereaved -woman carried the blood-stained, heart-pierced -raiment of her heroic daughter as a priceless relic, -and it was in her arms when she died suddenly on the -way, in Somerset County, and was buried beside the -trail, on the old Forbes Road. The Monseys, however, -took the costume with them as a fetich, and for years -missionaries and others interested in the tragic story of -“Black Agnes” Dunbar were shown her blue jacket -with the hole in the breast where the arrow entered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That arrow pierced the hearts of all the Monseys, -for they became a dejected and beaten people in their -Ohio sanctuary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While it is true that most of the very old people who -lived in the vicinity of the Fourth Gap have passed -away, it may yet be possible to learn the exact location -of the cairn containing the remains of “Black Agnes” -and place a suitable marker over it. One thing seems -certain, if the tradition of the Lenni-Lenape that persons -dying bravely in battle reach a higher spiritual -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>plane once their souls are released, her ghost will not -have to hunt the hideous, burnt-over slashings that -were once the wildly romantic Fourth Gap; it has gone -to a realm beyond the destructive commercialism of -this dollar-mad age, where beauty finds a perpetual -reward and recognition.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id011'> -<img src='images/i_225.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XV</span> <br /> <i>Abram Antoine, Bad Indian</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Abram Antoine, a Cacique of the Stockbridge -Tribe of Oneida Indians, had never before -while in Pennsylvania been off the watershed -of the Ohe-yu, or “The Beautiful River,” called -by the white men “Allegheny,” until he accepted the -position of interpreter to a group of chiefs from the -New York and Pennsylvania Indians, to visit “The -Great White Father,” General Washington, at Mount -Vernon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While the General had not been President for several -years, and was living in retirement at his Virginia -home, the red Chieftains felt that his influence would -be such that he could secure redress for their wrongs. -Cornplanter had been on many such missions, and -come home elated by promises, few of which were ever -fulfilled in any shape, and none in their entirety, consequently -he declined to accompany the mission on what -he termed a “fool’s errand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Abram Antoine, through life in New England, New -York and Canada, had become much of a linguist, -speaking English and French with tolerable <a id='corr199.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='flueney'>fluency</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_199.22'><ins class='correction' title='flueney'>fluency</ins></a></span>, -besides being well versed in the Seneca and other Indian -tongues. He was a tall, handsome type of redman, -powerfully muscled, his career on “The Beautiful -River,” where he rafted and boated between the Reservations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>and Pittsburg, and his service as a ranger -for the Holland Land Company, had developed his -naturally powerful form to that of a Hercules. Previously -he had served in the American Navy, during -the Revolutionary War, which had instilled in him a -lifetime respect for the name of Washington. He was -eager therefore to act as interpreter on an occasion -which would bring him into personal contact with the -Father of his Country.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indians took the usual overland route, coming -down the Boone Road, to the West Branch of the -Susquehanna at the mouth of Drury’s Run; from there -they intended <em>hiking</em> across the mountains to Beech -Creek, there to get on the main trail leading down the -Bald Eagle Valley to Standing Stone (now Huntingdon), -and from thence along the Juniata to Louisbourg, -then just beginning to be called Harrisburg. It -had been an “open winter” thus far.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the West Branch they met an ark loaded with -coal, bound for Baltimore, in charge of some Germans -who had mined it in the vicinity of Mosquito Creek, -Clearfield County, near the site of the later town of -Karthaus. A friendly conversation was started between -the party of Indians on shore and the boatmen, -with the result that the pilot of the ark, Christian -Arndt, invited the redmen to climb <a id='corr200.26'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='abroard'>aboard</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_200.26'><ins class='correction' title='abroard'>aboard</ins></a></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The invitation being accepted with alacrity, the ark -was steered close to the bank, and the Indians, running -out on an uprooted snag which hung over the water, all -leaped on the deck in safety. It made a jolly party -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>from that moment on. The time passed happily, and -many were the adventures and experiences <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>en route</em></span>. -No stops of any consequence were made except at the -mouth of Mianquank (Young Woman’s Creek), and -Utchowig (now Lock Haven), until the Isle of Que -was reached, where other arks and flats and batteaux -were moored, and there were so many persons of -similar pursuits that a visit on dry land was in order.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was much conviviality at the public houses of -Selin’s Grove, and the Germans amused themselves -trying to carry on conversations with the native Pennsylvania -Dutchmen, dusky, dark-featured individuals, -who saw little affinity between themselves and the fair, -podgy “High Germans.” In wrestling and boxing -matches, throwing the long ball, running races, and -lifting heavy weights, the Germans were outclassed by -the native mountaineers, but they took their defeats -philosophically. A shooting match was held, at which -all the Indians except Abram Antoine held aloof, but -his marksmanship was so extraordinary that he managed -to tie the score for the up-river team. This was -a consolation for the Germans, and they left the Isle of -Que well satisfied with their treatment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Other arks left their moorings at the same time, -mostly loaded with grain or manufactured lumber from -the Christunn and the Karoondinha, and the fleet was -augmented by a batteau loaded with buffalo hides, at -the mouth of the West Mahantango. This was the last -consignment of Pennsylvania bison hides ever taken to -Harrisburg, the animals having been killed at their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>crossing over the Firestone or Shade Mountains, the -spring previous.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a picturesque sight to see the fleet of arks -and other boats coming down the noble river, the flood -bank high, driving up flocks of water birds ahead of -them, while aloft like aeroplanes guarding a convoy of -transports, sailed several majestic American Eagles, -ever circling, ever drifting, and then soaring heavenward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Out from the Juniata came several more arks, consequently -the idlers in front of the rivermen’s resorts -at “The Ferry,” as some of the old-timers still called -Harrisburg, declared that they had never seen a flood -bring in a larger flotilla at one time. All, however, -were anxious to get in before the river closed up for -the winter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the up-river ark with its load of Teutons and -redmen made its moorings for the night near the John -Harris tree, they noticed that all the flags were at half-mast–there -were many displayed in those days–and -there was a Sunday calm among the crowds lolling -along the banks in the wintry sunshine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who’s dead?” inquired Abram Antoine, as he -stepped on the dock; his naval training had made him -alert to the language of the flag.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“<em>General Washington</em>,” was the awed reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The big Stockbridge Indian’s jaw dropped, his lifetime -ambition of conversing with the “first in the hearts -of his countrymen,” and the purpose of the mission had -been thwarted by a Higher Will.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>Turning to the gaudy appareled chief behind him, -he conveyed the unhappy message. The Indians shook -their heads so hard that their silver earrings rattled, -and were more genuinely sorry that Washington was -no more than the failure of their quest. All ashore, -they held a conclave under the old Mulberry tree, deciding -that there was no use to go any further, but -would spend a day or two in the thriving new town, -Louisbourg or Harrisburg, whichever it was proper to -call it, and then return home. There was no use going -to Philadelphia again, and a new prophet sat in the -chair of the Father of his Country at the Nation’s -Capitol.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The party then separated for the present, most of -them hurrying to the nearest tavern stands to refresh -thirsts made deeper by the sharp, fine air on the river. -Abram Antoine stood undecided, one hand resting on -the trunk of the historic Mulberry, a crowd of small -boys watching him open-mouthed and wide-eyed, at a -respectful distance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pretty soon he was accosted by a very old, white-bearded -Dutchman, with a strip of soiled gray silk on -the lapel of his coat, which indicated that he was a -veteran of the Royal American Regiment of Riflemen -that had figured at Fort Duquesne in 1758. Abram -Antoine had seen many such veterans in and about -Pittsburg, and held out his hand to the aged military -man. The old soldier signalled with his cane that the -Indian come and sit with him on a nearby bench, which -he did, and they passed an hour pleasantly together.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>The conversation turned principally to soldiering, -and then to firearms, and all the ancient makes of -rifles were discussed, and their merits and demerits -compared. The veteran allowed that the best rifle he -had ever owned was of Spanish make, the kind carried -by the Highlanders in the campaigns of 1758 and -1763; it was of slim barrel, light and easily handled, -and unerring if used by a person of tolerable accuracy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was one gunsmith in the alley over yonder, a -veteran of the Revolution, named Adam Dunwicke, -who made a rifle close to the early Spanish pattern. -It was the best firearm being turned out in the State of -Pennsylvania. The gunsmith, anyhow, was a man -worth knowing, as his shop was filled with arms of -many makes and periods, and he liked to talk with -any one who was an enthusiast on guns.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Abram Antoine was fired by what the veteran told -him, and as it was still early in the afternoon, asked if -he would escort him thither. It would be fine if he -could get an extra good rifle as a souvenir of his ill-starred -trip to Mount Vernon. The old man had too -much time on his hands as it was, and was only too glad -to pilot the redman to the workshop. They made a -unique looking pair together, the old soldier, bent and -hobbling along on his staff, the Indian, tall, erect, and -in the prime of life. Their high, aquiline noses, with -piercing, deep-set eyes, were their sole points of physical -similarity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they reached the gunshop, in the dark, narrow -alley that ran out from Front Street, the veteran -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>banged the grimy knocker, and it was almost instantly -opened by Dunwicke himself, a sturdy man of medium -height, who wore great mustaches, had on a leather -apron and his sleeves were rolled up, revealing the -brawny biceps of a smith.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Standing by the gunmaker, in the shadowy, narrow -entry, was a very pretty girl in a dark blue dress. She -was as tall as the smith, but very trim and slight, and -her chestnut brown hair was worn low over her ears, -throwing into relief her pallid face, and the rather -haunted, tired look in her fine grey eyes, the marvelous -smooth lines of her chin and throat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A third figure now emerged from the gloom, a small -Negro boy, to whom the girl was handing a letter, with -her trembling white hands. As the Indian, the veteran -and the gunsmith withdrew into the workroom, Abram -could hear her saying to the lad, as she closed the door -by way of added emphasis: “Tell him to be sure and -come.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He could hear the footsteps of the girl as she went -upstairs, and henceforth he lost most of his interest in -the question of obtaining a rifle of the Spanish design. -All his <em>designs</em> were elsewhere, and he was glad when -the smith suggested they visit another room on the -opposite side of the entry, to look at several sets of -extra large horns of the grey moose or elk, which had -recently come down on an ark from somewhere up -Tiadaghton.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As they crossed the hallway, Abram Antoine looked -up the flight of stairs–there were three that he could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>make out–wondering on which floor the fair apparition -retired to; he presumed pretty near the roof, as -he had not heard her on the loose laid floor above the -workshop.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they returned to the gun shop, the Indian, -knowing the smith well enough by then, inquired who -the lady was whom they had seen in the entry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I don’t quite know what she is,” he replied. -“She stays upstairs, under the roof; you know that the -upper floors of this building are let for lodgers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Instantly a life’s story, tragic or unusual, grouped -itself about his image of the girl, and his heart was -filled with yearning. He was hoping against hope -that she would come down again. He had no excuse to -go up, but several times while the smith was chatting -with the veteran of the Royal Americans, he managed -to wander across the hall, looking up the well towards -the grimy skylight, and then took another perfunctory -glance at the huge antlers standing against the wall. -He prolonged his stay as long as he could, saying -that he liked to watch gunmakers at work, and having -ordered and paid for a costly rifle, he felt that his -presence was justified.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was well into the gloaming when “knock, knock, -knock” on the front door resounded through the hollow -old building. Abram Antoine’s blood ran cold; he -could have shot the visitor if he was the slender girl’s -recalcitrant lover, but fervently hoped that, whoever it -was, would have the effect of bringing her downstairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>True enough, before he could get to the door at the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>smith’s heel, he heard the light, familiar footsteps, and -the girl, trying to look unconcerned, was the first to -turn the lock.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was only Simon Harper, a big, lean hunter from -Linglestown, over by the Blue Mountain, who had -come to take delivery of a rifle made to order.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I am so disappointed,” said the girl, as she -turned to run upstairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The smith was escorting his swarthy customer into -the shop. Abram Antoine’s opportunity had come, if -ever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you have the letting of the rooms upstairs?” he -said, politely, hat in hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl looked at him; it was probably the first -time during the afternoon that she had noticed his presence, -so pre-occupied she had been.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” she said, softly; “the lady lives on the next -landing, but I saw her going out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Abraham was well aware how closely she had been -watching that doorway! “Are there any vacancies?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl dropped her head as if in doubt about carrying -on the conversation further, then replied: “I -think there are.” -“said the Indian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whether it was loneliness or desperation at the non-arrival -of the person to whom she had sent the letter, -or the tall redman’s superlative good looks and genteel -demeanor–for a handsome man can attempt what a -plain one dare never aspire–at any rate without another -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>word, she turned and led the way up the long, -steep stairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was with no sense of surprise that she brought -him to the top of the house, into her own garret, with -its two small dormer windows which gave a view in -the direction of the Narrows at Fort Hunter, and the -broad, majestic river. There was a narrow bed with a -soiled coverlet, a portmanteau, a brass candlestick, and -two rush-bottomed chairs, and nothing else in it. In -those days lodgers washed at the well in the back yard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both sat down as if they had known each other all -their lives; the frigid barrier of reserve of a few minutes -earlier had broken down. They were scarcely -seated when the ominous “Clank, clank, clank,” that -the girl had been listening for so intently all afternoon, -resounded up the dismal vault of the stairway.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Casting a frightened look at the big Indian, as much -as to say, “What will <em>he</em> say if he finds you here?” she -bounded out of the room, descending the steps two or -three at a time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Abram Antoine did not take the hint to retire, if -such was meant, and sat stolidly in the high-backed, -rush-bottomed chair, in the unlighted room. It was -only a few minutes until she returned, her face red, all -out of breath, carrying the same letter which he had -seen her hand to the colored boy earlier in the afternoon.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_236.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>OLD SCHELLSBURG CHURCH, LINCOLN HIGHWAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in town, don’t know when he will return,” she -was chanting to herself, as she came through the open -door. She started back, as if surprised to find her new -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>champion <em>still</em> there. Without speaking, she dropped -down on the bed, facing him, fanning her flushed cheeks -with the envelope, although the little room was quite -cold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sorry that your letter was undelivered,” said -Abram Antoine, after a considerable silence. There -was another pause, and then the girl, still clutching the -fated letter, revealed her story of embarrassment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It isn’t a long story,” she began. "My name is -Ernestine de Kneuse. My father is the well-known -miller and land-owner at New Berlinville, in Berks -County–Solomon de Kneuse. About a year ago a -young stranger, Carl Nitschman, I think a High German, -came to the town, stopping at the ‘Three Friends’ -Inn, which it was rumored he was to purchase. While -negotiating, he naturally met many of the leading people. -He was handsome and engaging, and all the girls -went wild over him. It gave me a fiendish pleasure to -think that he favored me above the rest, and one afternoon -I cut my classes at the Select Academy, where I -was in my third year, and went walking with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"My father, who belonged to the old school, had a -hatred for any one who might even consider going into -the liquor business, saw us together and told mother. -On reaching home, although I was eighteen and had -not had even a spanking for several years, and thought -I had outgrown it, my mother took me to my room and -administered a good, sound ‘scotching’ with the rod.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Previously they had forbidden the young man the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>house, and when I informed him how I was treated, he -told me if I was disciplined again, to run away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Not long afterwards I was kept in at school, and -mother accused me of meeting my lover. I told her to -go to the school and find out for herself, which she did, -but nevertheless that evening my mother visited me in -my room with the strap, and walloped me until I was -black and blue from shoulders to ankles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Meanwhile Carl’s negotiations for the purchase of -the tavern had fallen through, and he was preparing to -leave for Reading. Through one of my girl friends -who was not so strictly raised, I communicated to him -the story of this latest indignity, begging him to take -me with him. He replied that he would be traveling -about for some time before settling down there, but as -soon as he was located, he would send me his address, -and to come.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"I recall the morning of his departure, how I crawled -out of bed before dawn, and pressed my tear-stained -face against the window lights as he climbed on the -coach at the inn, which was across the street from -where we lived, and settling down among his goodly -store of bags and boxes, was driven away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Weeks passed, and I eventually got a letter through -one of my girl friends whose parents were less strict, -that he had gone to Harrisburg, and I should join him -there. By exercising a great amount of ingenuity, I -got out of the house, and on the night stage for Reading, -during one of the terrible Equinoctial rains, -making close connections with another stage for Harrisburg, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>and I came to my present abode a month before, -but have never once seen Nitschman in the interval.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve now learned that my parents are on my track, -and will reach town tonight; I have spent my last cent, -and my letters to Nitschman receive no satisfactory -answers. I am now penniless, and cannot pay my -lodging, have eaten nothing all day, and have no place -to go. I would not return for all the world and subject -myself to an irate mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indian was much interested by the recital, and -told her that he had loved her the minute he laid eyes -on her, and would marry her if she would return with -him to his home, which adjoined the Cornplanter Reservation, -in Warren County. “I will marry you right -away if you will accept.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pressed and harassed on all sides, and hungry as -well, Ernestine, looking up into the handsome face of -the redman, capitulated. Closing up her scanty belongings -in the shabby portmanteau, she went down to the -landlady and settled her bill in full out of a “Double -Eagle” which Abram gave her, and then the pair -quickly left the building. The gunshop was locked, -and dark, the veteran of the Royal Americans and the -smith had forgotten all about their Indian friend and -gone their ways regardless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They soon found the leading hotel stand, where they -enjoyed a good supper and learned of a preacher who -would marry them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as they were about to leave the tavern the stage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>from Reading and Stitestown pulled in, horses and -running gear all spattered with mud and slush. Among -the first to clamber out was old Solomon de Kneuse and -his wife, but they gave them the slip in the darkness -and confusion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the manse, after the ceremony, the clergyman -mentioned that his brother was to be a juryman the -next day at the trial of Nitschman, the highwayman, -who had held up and robbed the aristocratic McAfee -family on the road to York Springs. “May he pay -dearly for interfering with quality,” he added, seriously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ernestine hung her head; she understood now why -it was she had been unable to see her lover since she -came to the town; he had been in jail, and perhaps she -was stung with some tiny feelings of remorse to have -renounced him so quickly. However, necessity knows -no law, but she thought she knew her man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before daybreak the newly married couple were ensconced -in the stage bound for Northumberland and -Williamsport, and in due course of time reached their -future home, just across the river from Corydon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>None of the other Indians returned for several -weeks. When they did, they were miserable looking -objects from drink, and Abram half blamed himself -for not looking after them, but love had blinded him to -everything else. He provided a comfortable home for -his bride, and as an agent for the Holland Land Company, -mingled with respectable people, who were considerate -to his wife. Among these were the family of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Philip Tome, that indomitable Indian-looking Nimrod, -author of “Thirty Years a Hunter,” whose prowess -in the forests of Northern Pennsylvania will never be -forgotten while memory of the big game days lasts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ernestine was really happy, and did not aspire to -any different lot. Though she was fearless, she hated -to be left alone when her husband was absent on inspection -trips, and he generally managed to have an -Indian boy or girl–one of the O’Bails or Logans–remain -with her when he was away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In due time his handsome Spanish-type rifle, with its -stock inlaid with mother-of-pearl and silver, like the -gun of some Moorish Sheik, reached him, and of it he -was justly proud, partly because it was the instrument -of his meeting Ernestine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the first anniversary of their wedding he killed a -fine stag with it on the Kinzua, while hunting with -Philip Tome. It was in the fall of the second year of -their marriage that Abram Antoine was called <a id='corr213.19'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='away away'>away</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_213.19'><ins class='correction' title='away away'>away</ins></a></span> -during a heavy flood in the Ohe-yu, which flowed -in front of their house. Old Shem, the one-eyed, half-breed -ferryman, had difficulty in getting him across -in the batteau, so swift was the angry current. He was -to be gone, as usual, several days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the night when she was expecting him home, -Ernestine heard a loud knocking at the kitchen door. -Opening it she beheld Old Shem standing outside, the -rain dripping from his hat and clothing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Missus Antoine,” he wheezed, “Abram is over to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>the public house at Corydon, a very sick man, and -wants you to come to him at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ernestine was horrified, but, jerking down her -cloak from the nail on which it hung, ran out into the -storm, and followed the aged ferryman down the steep -bank to the landing. The wind was bellowing terribly -among the almost bear hickories and butternuts along -the shore, the current was deep, dark and eddying.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When one-third the way over, Old Shem looked up, -saying: “Missus, it hain’t Abram that’s sick; it’s your -<em>other</em> man, Mister Nitschman, what wants you.” -“shouted Ernestine. “I never had -any other man. Take me back home at once, you -treacherous old snake in the grass.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then a pile of buffalo robes in one end of the -deep batteau stirred, and the form of a man arose–Carl -Nitschman, back from jail.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Talk sensibly, Ernestine,” he said. “I have come -for you, and will forgive everything. You know you -belong to me; your going off with that Indian was all -a hasty mistake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ernestine glared at him and again ordered the ferryman -to take her home. Instead he seemed to be trying -to reach the Corydon shore the faster. Just then -Nitschman stepped forward, with arms outstretched, -as if to seize her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The slight and supple Ernestine sprang up on the -gunwale, the boat tipped; she either fell or jumped into -the dark, swirling current. She was gone before an -effort could be made to save her, and the two frightened -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>men, white as ghosts, pulled for the light which -gleamed through the storm, in the tavern window at -Corydon, with redoubled energy. With a thud the -prow hit the muddy bank and slid on shore.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To their surprise Abram Antoine was standing on -the bank. The one-eyed ferryman began to cry, a -strange thing for any one of Indian blood. “I was -fetching your wife across to meet you and she fell in -the river.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then Nitschman, who had climbed out of the -boat, was passing by Antoine, who seized him by the -collar. “Who is this son of –--?” demanded the six-foot -Indian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was then that the ferryman broke down completely -and confessed all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Antoine shook his captive like a rat, and slapped his -face many times, eventually tumbling him into the mud -and kicking him like a sack of flour. Then, picking up -an oar, he beat the ferryman over the head until he -yelled for mercy. The noise roused the habitues of -the hotel, and as the victims were shouting “murder,” -the local Constable, who ran the hotel, placed Abram -Antoine under arrest, beginning his fatal brand as -“Bad Indian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nitschman did not appear to press the charge next -day, and the ferryman apologized for his part in the -affair, so Abram was free, minus his beautiful wife -and his reputation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was beginning with that terrible tragedy that he -began to find solace at the tap room of the public house -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>at Corydon. Philip Tome and even old Cornplanter -himself tried his best to save him, but he became an -Indian sot, losing his position with the land company, -his home and his self-respect. All that he held on to, -and that because being an Indian he was sentimental, -was his Spanish rifle with the inlaid stock. He spent -more and more of his time in the forests, shunning -white people and fraternizing only with his own kind. -He made a protege out of young Jim Jacobs, a Seneca -hunter of unusual ability, and they spent many weeks -at a time in the forests.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To him he confided that before he died he would -literally have Nitschman’s scalp, have the blood atonement -against the destroyer of his happiness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A score of years had to pass before he met the ex-highwayman -face to face. He had heard of the early -exploits of this modern Claude Du Val, who was supposed -to have reformed, and his blood boiled that such -a villainous wretch could wander about scot free.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was in the fall of the year, about 1822 or thereabouts, -when the great county fair was in progress at -Morris Hills, one of the leading towns above the New -York State line, adjacent to the Indian reservations. -All manner of persons were attracted by the horse -races, displays of cattle, Indian foot races and lacrosse -games, as well as the more questionable side shows and -gambling performances.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Abram Antoine’s Indian friends had been sobering -him up for weeks, and he presented a pretty good -appearance for a man of over sixty, when he appeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>to challenge all comers in tests of marksmanship with -the rifle. Never had “The Chief,” as everybody called -him, done better than the afternoon of the first day of -the fair. The wild pigeons were flying high overhead -in the clear, blue atmosphere of that fine crisp autumn -day, but whenever he turned his rifle upwards he -brought one down for the edification and applause of -the crowd.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as he had shot a pigeon, his keen eye noticed a -medium-sized, fair-haired man, loudly dressed, edging -hurriedly through the throng, as if trying to get away. -Antoine had never seen Nitschman except that night -when he had trampled him into the mud, but this fellow’s -size and general demeanor Corresponded with -his mental conception of the one that he had ever afterwards -regretted that he had not slain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Moving with rapid strides through the crowd, pigmies -beside his giant stature, he blocked his little enemy’s -further progress. “Nitschman, I believe you are,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no; that hain’t my name,” spluttered the short -man, coloring to the roots of his faded yellow hair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, it is, Chief,” yelled a young Indian who was -standing close by.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That confirmation was all that Abram Antoine, bad -Indian, wanted. Swinging his rifle above the crowd, -he brought it down with terrific force on the head of -his foe, crashing right through his high, flat brimmed -beaver hat and shattering the lock.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To use the language of Jim Jacobs, Nitschman fell to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>the turf like a “white steer,” and laid there, weltering -in blood, for he was dead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All the latent hate and jealousy in the crowd against -Indians immediately found vent, and an angry mob -literally drove Abram Antoine, bad Indian, out of the -fair grounds to the town lockup. It was some time -during 1823 that he expiated his crime on the gallows.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id011'> -<img src='images/i_247.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XVI</span> <br /> <i>Do You Believe in Ghosts?</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>A. D. Karstetter, painstaking local historian, -tells us that there was no more noteworthy -spot in the annals of mountainous Pennsylvania -than the old Washington Inn at Logansville. Built -after the fashion of an ancient English hostelry, with -its inn-yard surrounded by sheds and horse stables, it -presented a most picturesque appearance to discerning -travelers. The passage of time had <a id='corr219.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='oblierated'>obliterated</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_219.10'><ins class='correction' title='oblierated'>obliterated</ins></a></span> it, long -before the great fire on June 24, 1918, swept the town, -removing even the landmarks which would have showed -where the old-time inn was situated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Many are the tales, grave or gay, clustered about its -memory, far more, says Mr. Karstetter, than were -connected with the Logan Hotel, run by the Coles, -which was erected at a much later day, just when the -old coaching days were passing out, and the new era -coming in. All of the history that grew up about the -Washington Inn ante-dated the Civil War, while that -of the Logan Hotel was of the period of that war and -later. This gives one a good mental picture of the type -of legend interwoven with the annals of the ancient -Washington Inn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A winter rain had set in, just at dusk, as the great -lumbering five-horse coach (three wheelers and two -leaders) from Hightown entered the straggling outkirts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>of Logansville. The post boy on the boot blew -his long horn vociferously, waking the echoes up -Summer Creek, then back again, clear to the “Grandfather -Pine” at Chadwick’s Gap.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A whimsical old German, who worked at Jacob -Eilert’s pottery, picked up his old tin horn that he used -to blow as a boy when wolves or Indians were about, -and answered the clarion in cracked, uncertain notes. -Lights glimmered in cabin windows, and many a tallow -dip, fat lamp or rushlight was held aloft to get a good -view of the coach as it swirled along through the mud, -and its crowded company. Everybody was standing -up, buttoning their coats and gathering together their -luggage, as the big, clumsy vehicle checked up under -the swinging sign, on which was painted the well-loved -features of the Father of His Country.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old landlord, his wife and the hostlers and -stable boys and household help were outside to assist -the travelers to alight and show them into the comfortable -glow of the lobby.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When do you start out in the morning?” all were -asking of the rosy-cheeked driver, although the hour -for continuing the journey west from Logansville was -printed in big letters on the rate card at the posting -office at Hightown, as “Sharp, 6.00 A. M.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the candle-lit lobby, by a blazing fire of maple -logs, the travelers surveyed one another, the landlord -and their surroundings. They were an even dozen in -number, nine men and three women. Some of the men -were hunters and had their Lancaster rifles with them; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>the others commercial travelers. The women were also -engaged in business pursuits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The stage was the sole means of penetrating into the -back country, and the canals and the Pennsylvania -Central Railroad (now known as the Main Line) the -only methods of crossing the Keystone State in those -early days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A good supper was served–hickory smoked ham and -eggs, hot cakes and native grown maple syrup, and -plentiful libations of original Murray “Sugar Valley” -whiskey, which put the huntsmen and the drummers in -capital humor. After the meal they brought out their -pipes and sat in groups about the fire in the great, low-ceilinged -room. The three women, who were middle-aged -and of stolid appearance, sat together, talking in -undertones.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All at once, when the fire suddenly spluttered up, -one of the drummers, a big, black-bearded fellow, said -loudly enough so that all could hear–he was evidently -trying to make the conversation general–"In the -mountains they say that it’s a sign of a storm when the -fire jumps up like that."</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I guess we’re having it,” said another of the -travelers, a little man with gray side whiskers, dryly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, as wide shadows fell across the floor, another -of the men, a hunter, ventured the remark: “Do you -believe in ghosts?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a pause, as if no one wanted to take up -such a very personal topic before strangers. It was -in the days when the Fox sisters were electrifying all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>of Pennsylvania, including the celebrated Dr. Elisha -Kane, with their mediumship, so that it was as popular -a topic then as now, in the days of Sir Oliver Lodge -and Mrs. Herbine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At length one of the men, also a hunter, from Berks -County, broke the silence by asking if any one present -had heard the story of the Levan ghost of Oley Township, -in Berks; if not, he would tell it. None had ever -heard it, so he told of the young Levan girl who had -lost her father, to whom she was particularly attached.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening, while milking, she was seized with a -very strong feeling that her father was near, which -feeling kept up for a week, growing stronger daily. At -last one evening she went into her room–the house -was built all on one floor–and she saw her father, as -natural as life, seated on an old chest that had come -from France, for the Levans were Huguenot refugees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl did not seem to be afraid to see her father, -about whom a light seemed to radiate, and they conversed -some time together, mostly on religious topics. -Her mother and sisters, who were in another room, -heard her talking, and the voice which sounded like -that of the departed, and came to the door, which was -ajar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who are you talking to?” the mother inquired.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To father–he is here; come in and see him,” replied -the girl, calmly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The family was afraid to enter, remaining outside -until the conversation had finished and the ghost vanished. -When the girl rejoined them, the side of her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>face that had been turned to her father was slightly -scorched or reddened, as if she had been close to a fire. -And that tenderness of skin remained as long as she -lived.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While other versions of the story have appeared, -this is the way it was told that stormy night in the -Washington Inn in the long ago.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ice having been broken, one of the women spoke -up, saying that the part of the story which told of the -girl’s face being burned by the <em>aura</em> from the ghost -interested her most, that over in the Nittany Valley -there was a case in the old Carroll family of a woman -who had an only child which she loved to distraction, -but which unfortunately died. The mother took on -terribly, and during the night when she was sitting up -with the little corpse, besought it to prove to her that -the dead lived, if only for just one minute.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the midst of her weeping and wailing, and romping -about the cold, dimly-lit room, the dead child rose -up in its little pine box and motioned its sorrowing -mother to come to it. The woman ran to the coffin and -the little one touched her forehead with its finger, -which burned her like a red-hot poker. Then it sank -back with a gasp and a groan, and was dead again. -Ever afterwards there was a sore, tender spot on the -woman’s forehead where the corpse had touched it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then another of the women told how she had been -selling Bibles in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, -and one of the wheels of her carriage became -dished from the bad roads. She had tried to put up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>with a mountaineer who would not take her in, and -gave her the choice of sleeping in the barn with the -team and the driver, or to occupy a room in a deserted -Negro “quarters” across the road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All night long she had been annoyed by her candles -being blown out and the door blowing open, though she -locked it time and again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a commonplace sort of a ghost story, and one -of the hunters yawned at its conclusion. The evening’s -reminiscences might have ended then and there if the -third woman traveler, the youngest and sturdiest of -the lot, who thus far had been the quietest, turned to -the landlord, who sat smoking in the settle, with a -couple of his guests, asking him if he remembered the -Big Calf.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you know about the Big Calf?” he said, -quizzically, looking at the woman in order to see if he -could recognize her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know as much as you do, I reckon,” she said. “I -lived in this town for a year learning millinery with -Emilie Knecht.” -“said the landlord.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I surely am,” responded the woman, “and I knew -you well, Jakey Kleckner, in those days.” -“said the boniface, sitting up very straight.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_254.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>INTERIOR OF SCHELLSBURG CHURCH</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“Long years ago,” began the business woman, "when -this public house was first opened, the landlord’s cow -gave birth to an unusual calf. At six weeks it was as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>big as most heifers of six months, and it was handsome -and intelligent, a brown-gray color–‘Brown Swiss’ -they called the breed. All the drovers and cattle buyers -in the mountains wanted that calf for a show, and her -fame spread all over the ‘five counties.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>"There were two buyers from out about Greensburg -that came in all the ways to get her, but the price was -too steep. They hung around all day, drinking with -the landlord in the tap room, and though he took too -much in this drunken bout, kept enough of his wits -with him to refuse to lower the price one shilling. The -next morning he had to go away on important business, -and in the afternoon the drovers returned, telling the -landlord’s wife that they had met her husband on the -road, and he had consented to accept a lower figure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The woman replied that while she was sorry her -‘man’ had shown such weakness to change his mind so -quickly, when on leaving he had told her that he had -been sickened by the importunities of the two strangers -the day before, yet she claimed, the calf as hers and it -would not leave the premises for any price, and except -over her dead body. She prized it especially since she -had also raised the mother, which had recently been -killed by a wandering panther.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The men departed in an ugly mood. When the -boniface returned in the evening he was indignant at -what his wife told him; he had not met the drovers on -the road, and if he had, the calf was not for sale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Shortly after his arrival a German Gypsy, one of -the Einsicks, appeared in the inn-yard with a big she-bear, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>a brown one, which he took about the mountains -to dance and amuse the crowds at public houses, fairs -and political meetings. The stables were full, but after -some arguing the landlord consented to let the bear -occupy the box stall where he kept the Big Calf, which -he removed to the smoke house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"During the night, which was very dark, the covetous -drovers returned, and, not knowing of the Big Calf’s -changed quarters, one of them went into steal it. In -the darkness the bear seized him and hugged him almost -to death. His companion, vexed at his slowness -in fetching out the Big Calf, called to him, and he made -known his predicament.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"There was no way to free the captive but to begin -clubbing the bear, which set up such a loud growling -that it aroused the owner and the landlord, who ran out -with pistols, just in time to see the two would-be cattle -thieves decamping from the inn-yard. They both fired -after them, but the scoundrels got off scot free. They -never returned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The Big Calf grew into a very handsome cow, and -was the pride of the mountain community. It was -always brought in from pasture at night and milked, -lest it share its mother’s fate and be pulled down by a -Pennsylvania lion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"One evening, while the landlord’s only daughter, a -very pretty, graceful girl, was driving the cow home, -she was joined by a handsome, dark-complexioned -young man, mounted on a superb black horse. He -accompanied her to the stables, where he watched her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>milk, and then put up for the night at the inn. Next -day he became very sick, and several doctors were called -in, who bled him, but could not diagnose his ailment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Meanwhile he proposed marriage to the landlord’s -daughter, who nursed him, pretending that he was a -young man of quality from Pittsburg, which flattered -the innkeeper and his daughter mightily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"All this while he was trying to learn if the landlord -kept any large sum of money in the house. It was not -long until the girl confided to him that her father had -gone into debt buying a farm in Nippenose Bottom, -as he wanted to retire from the tavern business. It -was there where he was when the two dishonest drovers -from Greensburg had returned and tried to euchre his -wife out of the Big Calf.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Satisfied that there was no booty in the house, the -fellow rose one morning before daybreak, dressed -quietly, although the girl was in the room, wrote a -note to her which he left on the clothes press, and made -his escape. The wording of the letter ran about as follows:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Dearest Love:–I am sorry to have left without -saying goodbye, but my intentions were not sincere, -for while I admired your beauty and good sense, which -none can deny, I was only here to find out where your -father kept his money. But since he has none, and has -gone into debt, I need remain no longer. I thank you -for all the information you gave me, and for your -kind attentions. Gratefully yours, David Lewis.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The poor girl had been one of the dupes of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>celebrated ‘Lewis the Robber,’ or some one impersonating -him, as he had many <em>alter egos</em>, some more daring -than himself, and understudies. If half the stories told -of his exploits were true, he would have had to be a -hundred years old to do them, and get to so many -places.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"At any rate, the pretty girl was frightfully cut up -by her misfortune, and took to the bed lately vacated -by ‘Lewis.’ She had told all of her friends that she -was to marry in a fortnight, and go to live in a big -house on Grant’s Hill, Pittsburg, and it was all terrible -and humiliating. Rather than let the real story get out, -the girl’s parents connived with her to say that word -had been brought that the young gentleman, while -riding near Standing Stone Town, had been thrown -from his horse and killed. Hence when the girl was -able to reappear, she was dressed in black, as if in -mourning for her dashing sweetheart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The first time she came out of doors she went for a -walk alone just about dusk, so that not many people -would be abroad, towards the lower part of the village. -She was never seen or heard of again. There was no -stream or pool big enough for her to drown herself in; -a panther could hardly have dragged her off and not -left signs of a struggle; she might have fallen in a -cave or sink, it is true. At all events, it seemed as if -the earth had swallowed her up. Perhaps Lewis, or -whoever he was, came back after her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"When I came to Logansville to learn millinery with -Emilie Knecht, I lived in her house over the store, just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>across the way from this hotel; the building was burned -down afterwards. How such a gifted milliner came -to settle off here in the mountains I could never tell, -but I suppose mountain ladies must have nice hats just -like those in the valleys.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"We became good friends, and very confidential, -though at that time she was over thirty years of age -and I was at least a dozen years younger. She would -never tell where she came from, except that it was -down country, and there seemed to be something on -her mind which weighed on her terribly. Though I -think she was the loveliest looking woman I have ever -seen, she cared absolutely nothing for the men. As -she believed in ghosts, and so did I, we compared experiences.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"I told her of a ghostly episode which left a deep -impression on my childish nature, which happened -when I was six years old. My father worked in the -mines, and was on ‘night shift.’ Mother locked the -doors and we all went to bed. Mother’s room adjoined -mine and my sister’s. After we were in bed for some -time, but not yet asleep, a man–he seemed to be black–came -to the door which led from mother’s room to -ours, and smiled at us. He drew back, re-appeared -and smiled again, or rather grinned, showing his white -teeth; it was a peculiar smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"I wanted to call mother, but sister, who was eight, -said I must not speak, I must keep very still.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Next morning we asked father what time he came -home, and he said ‘not until morning.’ We told our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>experience, but father and mother seemed to think we -had only imagined it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"But two persons do not imagine the same thing at -the same time. Besides, we were not afraid. I have -often wondered what it was. My sister died shortly -after that. Could it have been a ‘warning,’ I wonder?</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The pretty milliner’s story was even more startling -and unusual. She declared that her grandmother’s -ghost had come to her bedside every night since she -was a small child. She said that she never feared it, -but took it as a matter of course. I think that these -nightly visitations took a whole lot out of her. I can -see her yet running down the steep, narrow stairs in -the mornings to the shop where I was working–I was -always an early riser–her face looking as if it had -been whitewashed, more so perhaps because her hair -and eyes were so dark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"She was often nervous and irritable, and I laid it all -to the vital force which the ghost must be drawing out -of her to materialize, but she said it was only her liver -which made her so dauncy. I begged her to let me -sleep with her, that I did not think that the ghost -would come if I was present, and if it did it could draw -on some of my vitality, as I was a big, strong, hearty -girl. She would not let me sleep with her, saying that -she had gotten used to the ghost.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"One evening Miss Knecht and I were invited to a -chicken and waffle supper at the home of old Mrs. -Eilert, wife of the potter, whose house was the last -one in town. In those days there was quite a distance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>not built up between the potter’s home and the rest of -the village. The holidays were approaching, and we -were getting ready for the Christmas trade, consequently -stayed later in the shop than we had expected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"As I said before, Mrs. Eilert lived at the extreme -end of town. When we were a few squares from home -we noticed a woman dressed in mourning who seemed -to be following us, or at least going in our direction. -She was an entire stranger to us, and we wondered -where she could be going; so each house we came to I -would look back to see whether she entered. When -we were half a square from where we were going, we -passed a house which stood back pretty far from the -road. There was considerable ground to the place, -and a high board fence all around. After we passed -the gate I turned, as before, to see whether this woman -would enter. She did not. I watched her until she was -past the gate quite a ways. I turned and told my companion -she had <em>not</em> entered, and immediately turned to -look at her again, and she was gone!</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Where could she have gone in those few seconds in -which I was not looking at her? Everywhere there was -open space–nowhere for her to hide. Had she jumped -the fence she could not have gotten out of sight in those -few seconds. I have often wondered since what it was.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"When we reached the Eilert home I noticed that -Miss Knecht was in a highly unstrung condition, more -so than I had ever seen her before. We told the story, -and the old potter smiled grimly, saying: ‘You surely -have seen the ghost of the landlord’s daughter who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>disappeared, all dressed in black, after being jilted by -the robber.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Emilie shook her pretty dark curls, muttering that -she feared it was something worse. She was afraid -to go home that night, and we spent the night with our -friends; yet she would not remain unless given a room -by herself. In the morning she was in a most despondent -mood; she had not seen her grandmother–what -could it mean?</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The woman in black must have been her ‘familiar’ -leaving her, warning her to that effect, and not the -ghost of the landlord’s daughter after all, she maintained. -I tried to reassure her that she would see her -grandmother once she was in her own room, but next -morning brought the tidings that the faithful spirit was -again absent. This continued for a week, my friend -becoming more nervous and despondent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"One morning she did not come downstairs, so at -eight o’clock I went up after her, to see if she were ill. -The bed was empty, and had not been slept in. I -searched the house and found her lying dead on a miserable -cot in the cellar–beautiful in death–which an -elderly Dutchman sometimes occupied, when cutting -wood and taking care of the garden for us. She had -drunk a potion of arsenic that she had bought some -months before to poison rats which infested the cellar, -but her lovely face was not marked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I left town shortly afterwards, and have never been -back until tonight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>The burly commercial traveler who had started the -general conversation stroked his long black beard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"I guess it is time for all of us to retire. I don’t -think we need to ask this lady again, ’Do you believe -in ghosts?‘"</p> - -<div class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i_264.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XVII</span> <br /> <i>A Stone’s Throw</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>When land warrants were allotted to Jacob -Marshall and Jacob Mintges, of the Hebrew -colony at Schaefferstown, there were elaborate -preparations made by these two lifelong friends to -migrate to the new country of the Christunn. That the -warrants were laid side by side made the situation -doubly pleasant, a compensation in a measure for any -regrets at leaving the banks of the beautiful Milbach. -The country was becoming too closely settled, opportunities -were circumscribed, and the liberality of the -Proprietary Government should be taken advantage of.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the two groups of pioneers were ready to start -for the new home, it was like some scene from the -patriarchal days of the Old Testament. The long, lean, -gaunt, black-bearded Jews, black-capped, cloaked to -their heels, and carrying big staffs, led the way, followed -by their families and possessions of live stock, -farming and household utensils. Each head of a family -had an Indian and Negro servant or two, which added -to the picturesqueness of the caravans. Dogs, part -wolf, herded the flocks of sheep, goats and young cattle, -while the women rode on mares, the foals of which -trotted along unsteadily at their sides.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rachel, Jacob Marshall’s handsome daughter, was -mounted on a piebald filly; on her back was slung her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>violin, a genuine Joseph Guarnerius, with which she -discoursed sacred music around the campfire in the -evenings, just as her ancestors may have done on some -harp or cruit in remote days in Palestine or in the Arabian -highlands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These German Jews, who came to Pennsylvania in -1702 to re-convert the Indians, whom they believed to -be the lost tribe of Israel, back to the ancient faith of -Moses, while destined to fail as proselyters, became -one of the potent root sources of the so-called Pennsylvania -Dutch, “The Black Dutch” of the Christunn, -Philadelphia, New York and the World.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Pennsylvania Dutch are the most adaptable race -in the world, altering the spelling of their names, their -genealogies and traditions with every generation. They -find success in all callings and in all walks of life like -the true Nomads that they are. A Pennsylvania Dutchman’s -lineage is kaleidoscopic any way–possibly -German, Jewish, probably Indian, with sure admixtures -of Dutch, Quaker, Swiss, Scotch-Irish, Greek, Bohemian, -Spanish or Huguenot. And there were some -propagandists shallow enough to try to line them up -with Kaiserism in the days just anterior to the World -War, and call them “Pennsylvania Germans.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Their very swarthiness and leanness, the intenseness -of their black eyes, gave the lie to any Teutonic affiliations, -despite the jargon that they speak. And what a -race of giants they have produced–Pershing, Hoover, -Gorgas, Schwab, Replogle, Sproul, the Wanamakers, -Newton Diehl Baker, Jane Addams–a group as potent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>as any other in the sublime effort of making the world -“safe for democracy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the pilgrims reached the Karoondinha, they -were met by the local agents and surveyors of the Proprietors, -who escorted them to their new estates, which -were bounded on the south by the Christunn, now renamed -“Middle Creek,” and on the north by the craggy -heights of the culminating pinnacle of Jack’s Mountain, -the famed “High Top,” climbed by the Pennsylvania -Alpine Club, August 24, 1919.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A large gray fox, or Colishay, having led Mintges‘ -dogs away from the camp, caused this “Father in Israel” -to be absent during the critical moments when -the line between his property and that of Marshall was -being confirmed by the Proprietary surveyors. When -he returned, exultingly swinging the fox’s pelt above -his head and looking all the world like a lower Fifth -Avenue fur jobber, the day was almost spent and the -surveyors were gathering up their instruments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Marshall, who was a kindly and just man, tried to -explain to his friend, before the sun went down, just -where the line was blazed. It seemed fair enough at -the time to Mintges. Later on, when alone one day, -he walked over the line, comparing it with the warrant, -and it did not seem to satisfy him as much. He believed -that the surveyors had deviated a rod or two all -along, to his disadvantage. Doubtless if such was the -case, it had been due to their haste to get through, for -they had a daily grind of similar cases, but Marshall, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>he thought, should have compelled them to follow the -parchment drafts, and not uncertain instruments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nevertheless, he decided to say nothing to his friend; -they had always been good intimates, why should their -relations be jeopardized for a paltry rod or two. -Mintges confided the mistake to his wife, and later on -to his children. It was unfortunate, but where <a id='corr237.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='there there'>there</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_237.7'><ins class='correction' title='there there'>there</ins></a></span> -were so few neighbors it was hardly worth a fight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Mintges grew older the matter began to prey on -his mind, to obsess him. It worried him until his head -ached, and he could not drive it away. Marshall and -his heirs were profiting at his expense; it should not be -allowed to rest that way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The surveyors had placed a great stone at the upper -corner of the line, at the slope of the mountain, and -there Jacob Mintges repaired one moonlight night, -armed with a crowbar, and reset the stone two rods -on the alleged domain of Jacob Marshall. Mintges was -an old man at the time, rabbinical in appearance, and -he chuckled and “washed his hands” as he stood and -viewed the fruits of his labor. A wrong had been -quietly righted; why hadn’t he done it twenty years ago?</p> - -<p class='c001'>It so happened that Jacob Marshall went out for -chestnuts a week or so after Mintges’ performance, -and saw the altered position of the stone. Instead of -hastening to his friend’s house and asking him for a -frank explanation, he, not being conscious of any -wrong-doing, moved the stone back to its original position, -to rebuke the presumptuous Mintges. Then he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>stood admiring his work, while <a id='corr238.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='the'>he</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_238.1'><ins class='correction' title='the'>he</ins></a></span> stroked his long -black beard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A few weeks later Mintges and his sons went to the -mountain to brush out a road on which to haul logs -with their oxteams in the winter-time. One of the -boys, named Lazarus, called his father’s attention to -the stone’s position. It made the old man “see red,” -and he would not rest until, with the aid of his sons, it -was again set where he felt it should rightfully be.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this produced a coolness, almost a feud, between -the two families, which kept up until Jacob Mintges -died at the age of eighty years. Jacob Marshall, friend -of his youth and companion of his “trek” to the wilderness, -did not attend the obsequies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not many nights afterwards when reports -were made on all sides that Mintges’ spook was abroad, -walking about the fields and lanes adjacent to Jacob -Marshall’s home, his arms holding aloft a great block -of stone. Marshall saw the apparition several times, -but shunned it as he had the living Mintges the last -years of his life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>What he wanted was very plain, for sometimes the -night wind wafted the mournful words down Marshall’s -bedroom chimney (for he always kept his windows -nailed shut): “Where shall I put it; oh, where shall -I put it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ghost began his hauntings in the spring, kept it -up all summer, fall, winter, then another spring and -summer. He had affixed himself to the family, Marshall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>thought, as he racked his brain to lay the troublesome -night prowler.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was during the fall of the second year that a big -party of moonlight ’coon hunters went up the lane -which led between the Marshall and Mintges farms, -headed for the rocky heights of Jack’s Mountain. In -the party was Otto Gleim, the half-witted drunkard of -Selin’s Grove, little, dumpy, long-armed High German, -high-shouldered Otto Gleim, who was left at the foot -of the mountain to hold one of the lanterns.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gleim was half full on this occasion, as it was in the -cider season, and he staggered about under the aged -chestnut trees, while his wits revolved in his head with -the speed of an electric fan. He felt lonesome, sick -and uncomfortable. It was a relief to see a great, tall -figure, with a long, black beard, approaching him, -holding aloft a huge stone. It looked like “Uncle Jake” -Marshall at first; no, it wasn’t–it was no one else but -the late “Uncle Jake” Mintges, his neighbor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the gaunt figure drew nearer, it began groaning -and wailing: “Where shall I put it; oh, where shall I -put it?” in tones as <a id='corr239.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='melancohly'>melancholy</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_239.22'><ins class='correction' title='melancohly'>melancholy</ins></a></span> as those of the Great -Horned Owl on a New Year’s Eve.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Put it where it belongs,” spluttered Otto Gleim, the -drunkard, with a gleam of super-human prescience, -and lo and behold, the ghost set the stone where it had -been for twenty years after the surveyors had placed -it there. Then the apparition vanished, and Gleim, in -a matter-of-fact way, sat down on the cornerstone, -where he waited until the ’coon hunters returned.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>Jake Mintges’ ghost ceased to wander and lament, -but instead allied itself closely with Jake Marshall’s -family as private stock banshee, warning, token or -familiar. Whenever a disaster was due to any member -he would show his grinning tusks, as much as to say: -“Now, make the best of what is coming; life is short -anyway.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No doubt his visits of forewarning strengthened the -nerves of the family to face trouble with a greater degree -of equanimity; in all events the poor old fellow -meant it that way. Old and young, rich and poor, in -cities or in the wilds, wherever the blood of Jacob -Marshall flowed, the ghost of Mintges was in evidence -at the climacteric moments of their lives. They were -all used to him, and never resented his visits or tried -in any way to lay him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The scene shifts to one of the last to encounter this -strange old ghost. It is in a great city, in a high-ceilinged, -yet gloomy room, furnished in the plush -and mahogany of the middle eighties of the last century. -A very dark girl, with full pouting lips and -black eyes, half closed and sullen, yet beautiful in the -first flush of youth withal, is seated on one of the upholstered -easy chairs. Standing in the bay window -facing her is a very tall man, equally dark, his drooping -black mustache and long Prince Albert coat making -him appear at least ten years older than the twenty-eight -which was his correct age.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_272.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>LOOKING TOWARDS SUMMER CREEK GAP FROM LOGANTON</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>On a centre table, with a top of brown onyx, on -which were also several bisque ornaments, lay an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>ancient violin and bow, a veritable Joseph Guarnerius. -It was made of a curious piece of spruce which, when -growing in some remote forest of Northern Italy, had -been punctured by a “Gran Pico” or large green woodpecker, -and the wood stained, giving a unique and picturesque -touch to this specimen of the skill of the old -master of Cremona.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have determined to go home tonight,” said the -dark girl, with decision, “and nothing can stop me. -When any of our family see the face of Jacob Mintges, -it means disaster to some one near to us; my mother -and her old parents, whom I left so suddenly, may be -grieving to death; I will go to them tonight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tall man fumbled with his long fingers among -the tassels on the back of a chair in front of him, as if -trying to frame up a decisive answer. “This is what I -call base ingratitude,” he faltered at length, in high, -almost feminine tones. “Just when I have had your -musical talent developed, turning you from a common -fiddler to a finished artiste, and having you almost -ready to make your stage debut as a popular juvenile, -you leave me in the lurch, and all because you imagined -you saw a ghost–<em>imagined</em>, I say, for there are -no such things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dark girl sat perfectly still, biting her full red -lips, her immoble face as if made of ivory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you, anyway?” she finally responded; -“nothing but what my father called a mountebank; he -hated them, an <em>actor</em>, and I owe you nothing but contempt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>for having brought me here to be your plaything -while my youth and good looks last.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, as she got up and started towards a door, -the tall man darted after her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll not let you make a fool of yourself,” he hissed, -theatrically. Catching her by the wrists, he attempted -to detain her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sit down; we must have this out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was almost as tall as he, and very muscular, and -the Jewish strain in her blood was hot. The pair -struggled about the room, until the man in his anger -seized the old violin and hit her a heavy blow over the -head. She sank down on the floor in a limp mass, and -the man, picking up his brown Fedora, ran out of the -room and down the long flight of stairs and out into -the street. The girl was not badly hurt, only stunned, -and came to herself in about fifteen minutes. She saw -that she was alone, and the Guarnerius was around her -neck.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gathering herself up, her first thought was for the -violin, and tying the smallest chips in her handkerchief -she went to the inner room and began to pack a large -portmanteau. Then she put on her hat, veil and cloak -and, locking the apartment door and slipping the key -in her grip, she left the house and hurried down town -towards the railroad depot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was dark when she reached there, and she quickly -boarded a local, to wait in the suburbs until the night -sleeping car train for Derrstown made its stop there. -All went well, and by midnight she was boarding the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>sleeper and was soon afterwards undressed and under -the sooty-smelling blankets in a lower berth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She did not know how long she had been sleeping -when the train suddenly stopped with a jerk and she -was awake. Looking around, she saw a face peering -through the curtains. It was not the porter, but the -leering, open mouth, old Jacob Mintges himself, tusks -and all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Twice now in twenty-four hours he had come to her, -for the night previous she had waked just in the gray -half light before dawn, and had seen him standing -grinning by her bedside.</p> - -<p class='c001'>An inexperienced person might have screamed, but -not so Eugenie Carlevan, the great-great-granddaughter -of Jacob Marshall. When their eyes met, Mintges -quickly withdrew, and the girl, wide awake, began -thinking over the past years of her life, as the train -again started to roll on into the night. She had always -been fond of music and theatres. The violin given to -her on her sixth birthday by her grandfather Marshall -had become the evil genius of her destiny. Her father -had died and her mother was too much of a drudge to -control her. She had attended every circus, burlesque, -minstrel show or dramatic performance that had come -to the town where she had lived, since she was thirteen -years old.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the young Thespian who called himself Derment -Catesby had come to Swinefordstown, where she -was visiting an aunt, with the “Lights O’London” -Company, she had fallen violently in love with him, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>had made his acquaintance, and he, struck by her imperious -beauty and musical predilections, had asked -her to go away with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She had joined him a few days later in Sunbury, -bringing her precious violin, and traveled with him to -the great city. There the actor soon signed up to play -in repertoire at a stock company. She liked him well -enough, despite his vanity and selfishness, for he was -very handsome. It was before the days when actors -were clean-shaven like every servant, and looked much -like other people. However much she had loved him, -Jacob Mintges’ ghost had revealed a more pressing -duty twice, and she was on her way home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon she fell asleep again, and did not wake until -the porter’s face appeared to notify her that the train -was leaving Sunbury. Her mother lived with her aged -parents out near Hartley Hall, among the high mountains; -it would be a relief to see those lofty peaks and -wide expanse of vision once more, after the cramped -outlook of the city. How peculiarly sweet the air -seemed, with the sun coming up behind the fringe of -old yellow pines and oaks along the river! What refreshing -zephyrs were wafted from those newly-ploughed -fields. The bluebirds and robins were singing -in the maple trees about the station. On a side-track -stood the little wood-burner engine, with its -bulbous stack, puffing black smoke, ready to pull its -train of tiny cars out to the wonderful, wild mountain -country, the land of Lick Run Gap, the Lost Valley, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>the High Head, Big Buffalo, Winklebleck and -Shreiner!</p> - -<p class='c001'>How well she remembered the first time she had seen -that wood-burner, as a little tot, going on a visit with -her father and mother. It was in the golden hour, and -deep purple shadows fell from the station roof athwart -the golden light on the platform!</p> - -<p class='c001'>All these thoughts were crowding through her head -until the bell on the little engine reminded her that the -L. & T. train was soon to depart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She reached home in time for dinner, was received -with no enthusiasm, for her mother and grandparents -were true mountaineers, and their swarthy faces -masked their feelings, yet she was made to feel perfectly -welcome.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nobody had died, no one was sick, the house hadn’t -burned down, evidently the trials foretold by Jake -Mintges were yet to come.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That afternoon she showed the broken violin to her -grandfather, who took it to his workbench in an out-house -to repair it, undaunted by the seeming endlessness -of the reconstruction.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Eugenie seemed perfectly contented to be at home, -She had had enough of the <em>bizarre</em>, and reveled again -in the humdrum. Five or six days after her return -the weekly county paper appeared at the house, with -its boiler plate front page and patent insides. Some -instinct <a id='corr245.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='mad'>made</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_245.28'><ins class='correction' title='mad'>made</ins></a></span> her open the wrapper as it lay on the -kitchen table. On the front page she saw the likeness -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>of a familiar face, the well-known full eyes, oval -cheeks, rounded chin and drooping mustache, Derment -Catesby. Then the headlines caught her eyes, “Handsome -Actor Shot to Death by Insanely Jealous Husband -at Stage Door.” Then she glanced at the date and -the hour. It was the night that she had taken the train–the -very moment, perhaps, that Jacob Mintges’ grinning -face had looked through the curtains of her berth. -Yes, the murderer had waited a long time, as the victim -had tarried in the green-room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Eugenie sucked her full lips a moment, then looked -hard at the picture and the whole article again. Then -she turned to her mother and grandparents, who were -seated about the stove.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Say, folks,” she said, <a id='corr246.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='coldly,,'>coldly,</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_246.15'><ins class='correction' title='coldly,,'>coldly,</ins></a></span> “there’s the fine gent -I went away with from Swinesfordstown. I got out -in time, the very night he was murdered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother and the old people half rose in their -chairs to look at the wood cut.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you know he was playing you false?” said -the old grandfather.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did I know, gran’pap?” she replied. “Why, -the night before, Jake Mintges came to me, and I knew -<em>something</em> was due to go wrong, and home was the -place for little me. You see I missed it all by a stone’s -throw.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>"You’re right, ‘Genie’," said the old mountaineer. -“Mintges never comes to us unless he means business.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XVIII</span> <br /> <i>The Turning of the Belt</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>There are not many memories of Ole Bull in the -vicinity of the ruins of his castle today. Fifteen -years ago, before the timber was all gone, there -were quite a few old people who were living in the -Black Forest at the time of his colonization venture, -who remembered him well, also a couple of his original -colonists, Andriesen and Oleson, but these are no more. -One has to go to Renovo or to Austin or Germania to -find any reminiscences now, and those have suffered -through passing from “hand to mouth” and are scattered -and fragmentary. They used to say that the -great violinist was, like his descendants, a believer in -spiritualism, and on the first snowy night that he occupied -his unfinished mansion, chancing to look out he -saw what seemed to him a tall, white figure standing -by the ramparts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fearing that it was some <em>skeld</em> come to warn him of -impending disaster to his beloved colony, he rushed out -hatless, only to find that it was an old hemlock stab, -snow encrusted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Disaster did come, but as far as local tradition goes -Ole Bull had no warning of it. The hemlock stab -which so disturbed him has been gone these many years, -but a smaller one, when encased in snow, has frightened -many a superstitious wayfarer along the Kettle Creek -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>road, and gone on feeling that he had seen “the ghost -of Ole Bull.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But unaccountable and worthy of investigation are -the weird strains of music heard on wild, stormy nights, -which seem to emanate from the castle. Belated -hunters coming down the deep gorge of Ole Bull Run, -back of the castle, or travelers along the main highway -from Oleona to Cross Forks, have heard it and refused -to be convinced that there is not a musician hidden -away somewhere among the crumbling ruins. The -“oldest inhabitants,” sturdy race of trappers, who antedated -Ole Bull’s colonists, declare that the ghostly musician -was playing just the same in the great virtuoso’s -time, and that it is the ghost of a French fifer, ambushed -and killed by Indians when his battalion was -marching along the “Boone Road” from Fort Le Boeuf -to the memorable and ill-starred attack on Fort Augusta -at Sunbury in 1757.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the mention of “Boone Road” another question is -opened, as there is no historic record of such a military -highway between Lake Erie and the West Branch of -the Susquehanna River. The afore-mentioned very -old people used to say that the road was still visible -to them in certain places; that there could be no doubt -of its existence and former utilization.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Daniel Boone, if he be the pioneer of that name who -first “blazed it out,” was a very young man during the -“French and Indian War,” and his presence in that -part of the country is a mooted question. Perhaps it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>was another “Boone,” and a Norseman, for many -persons named “Bonde” or “Boon” were among the -first Swedish settlers on the Lanape-Wihittuck, or Delaware -River, unconsciously pioneering for their famous -cousin-German, Ole Borneman Bull.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In all events, the French fifer was shot and grievously -wounded, and his comrades, in the rout which ensued, -were forced to leave him behind. After refreshing -himself at the cold spring, which nearly a century -later Ole Bull named “Lyso”–the water of light–he -crawled up on the hill, on which the castle was afterwards -partly erected, to reconnoitre the country, but -dropping from exhaustion and loss of blood, soon died. -The wolves carried away his physical remains, but his -spirit rested on the high knoll, to startle Ole Bull and -many others, with the strains of his weird, unearthly -music.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It seems a pity that these old legends are passing -with the lives of the aged people, but the coming of Ira -Keeney, the grizzled Civil War veteran, as caretaker -for the handsome Armstrong-Quigley hunting lodge, -on the site of one of the former proposed <em>fogderier</em> -Walhalla, has awakened anew the world of romance, of -dashing exploits in the war under Sheridan and Rosecrans, -of lumbering days, wolves, panthers and wild -pigeons, all of which memories the venerable soldier -loves to recount.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yet can these be compared with the legend that Ole -Bull, seeing a Bald Eagle rise from its nest on the top -of a tall oak near the banks of Freeman’s Run, named -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>the village he planned to locate there Odin, after the -supreme <a id='corr250.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='diety'>deity</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_250.2'><ins class='correction' title='diety'>deity</ins></a></span> of the Scandinavian mythology, who -took the form of an eagle on one period of his development. -His other settlements or <em>herods</em> he called Walhalla, -Oleona and New Bergen. Planned at first by -the French to be a purely military route for ingress to -the West Branch country, but owing to the repulse at -Fort Augusta, very infrequently traversed by them, if -at all, it became principally an overland “short cut” for -trappers, traders, travelers and settlers, all of whom -knew its location well.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Who could have laid out such an intricate road over -high mountains and through deep valleys, unless a military -force, is hard to imagine, even if for some strange -reason it was never written into “history.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the Revolutionary War there was naturally an -unsettled state of affairs, and many farmers and adventurers -turned their thought to the country west of the -Allegheny Mountains and River, as the land of opportunity, -consequently there was much desultory travel -over the Boone Road. Unemployment prevailed everywhere, -and hordes of penniless ex-soldiers, turned -adrift by their victorious new nation, traveled backwards -and forwards along all the known highways and -trails, picking up a day’s work as best they could, their -precarious mode of living giving them the name of -“cider tramps.” A few more reckless and blood thirsty -than their fellows, claimed that the country which they -had freed owed them a living; if there was no work -and no pensions, and they could not get it by hook -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>they would take it by crook. In other words, certain -ex-service men, became strong-arm men, road agents, -or highwaymen, whichever name seems most suitable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Boone Road, in a remote wilderness of gloomy, -untrodden forests, made an ideal haunt for footpads, -and when not robbing travelers, they took their toll -from the wild game, elks, deer, bears, grouse and wild -pigeons which infested the region. Law and order had -not penetrated into such forgotten and forbidding -realms, and obscure victims could report outrages and -protest to a deaf and dumb government. How long it -was before these robbers were curbed is hard to say.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One story which the backwoods people about Hamesley’s -Fork used to tell dates back to five years after -the close of the Revolution, about 1788. Jenkin Doane, -possibly a member of the same family that produced the -Doane outlaws in the Welsh Mountains, was one of the -notorious characters along the Boone Road. Like others, -he was an ex-soldier, a hero of Brandywine and -Paoli, but his plight was worse, for just before peace -was declared, when a premature rumor to that effect -had reached his company, lying at Fort Washington, -he had assaulted and beaten up an aristocratic and -brutal officer who was the terror of the line. For this -he had been sentenced to death, but later his sentence -was commuted, and finally, because there were no satisfactory -jails for military prisoners, he was quietly released, -<em>sans h. d.</em> and the ability to make a livelihood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He finally became a wagoner and hired out with a -party of emigrants going to Lake Erie, who traveled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>over the Boone Road. He saw them safely to their -destination, but on his return journey tarried in the -mountains, hunting and fishing, until his supplies were -gone, when he turned “road agent.” He evidently had -a low grade of morals at that time, for he robbed old -as well as young, women as readily as men. He was -fairly successful, considering the comparative lightness -of travel and the poor class of victims financially.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In an up-and-down country, where feed and shelter -were scarce, he kept no horse, but traveled afoot. He -had no opportunity to test his heels, as he never ran -away, all his attacks being followed by speedy capitulation. -If a trained force of bailiffs had been sent out -to apprehend him, doubtless he could have been caught, -as he had his favorite retreats, where he lingered, -waiting for his prey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were not many such places in the depths of -the seemingly endless forests of giant and gloomy -hemlocks and pines, places where the sun could shine -and the air radiated dryness and warmth. One of his -best-liked haunts was known as the Indian Garden, -situated in an open glade among the mountains which -divide the country of Kettle Creek from that of Drury’s -Run.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Art.” Vallon, one of the oldest hunters on Kettle -Creek, who died recently, once described the spot as -follows: “More than sixty years ago my father on a -hunting trip showed me a clearing of perhaps half an -acre, which he told me was called ‘The Indian Garden.’ -I visited it many times afterwards on my trapping excursions. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>It impressed me as very unusual, being entirely -free from undergrowth, except the furze grass -one sees on poor, worked-out land.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr253.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='It'>“It</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_253.4'><ins class='correction' title='It'>“It</ins></a></span> was a perfect square of about half an acre, and -was surrounded by the deep, primeval forest. There -was a fine spring not very far away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was there that Jenkin Doane and two other reckless -characters who had served with Simon Girty and acted -as his henchmen lolled for hours in the sun, waiting for -victims. It was there that he usually maintained his -“camp fire” and at night slept on the ground in a sleeping -bag of buffalo hides.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One night in the late winter, when there were still -patches of snow on the ground, Doane dreamed very -vividly of a girl whom he had never seen. He could -hardly realize he had been dreaming when he awoke -and sat up looking about him, to where his vision was -cut off by the interminable “aisles of the forest.” He -seemed to be married to her, at least they were together, -and he had the pleasure of saving her life from drowning -in a deep torrent where she had gone, probably to -bathe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had never seen a person of such unusual beauty. -Her hair was dark and inclined to curl, complexion -hectic, her eyes hazel, but the chief charm lay in the line -of her nose and upper lip. The nose was slightly -turned up at the end, adding, with the curve of her -upper lip, a piquancy to an expression of exceptional -loveliness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All the day he kept wishing that this charming young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>woman might materialize into his life; he could not -bring himself to believe but that such a realistic vision -must have a living counterpart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was during the morning of the second day, when -he had about given up hope, that he saw coming towards -him, down a steep pitch in the Boone Road–it -is part of the Standard Oil Pipe Line now–a young -woman on horseback, wearing a red velvet hat and a -brown cloak. She was mounted on a flea-bitten white -horse of uncertain age and gait. Close behind her rode -two elderly Indians, also indifferently mounted, who -seemed to be her bodyguard, and between them they -were leading a heavily-laden pack-horse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He quickly turned his belt, an Indian signal of -great antiquity, which indicated to his companions that -they would make an attack.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as the white horse touched fairly level ground -he commenced to stumble and run sideways, having -stepped on a rusty caltrop or “crow’s foot” which the -outlaws had strewn across the trail at that point for -that very purpose. Seeing the animal’s plight, the -young equestrienne quickly stopped him and dismounted. -She had been riding astride, and Doane -noticed the brown woolen stockings which covered her -shapely legs, her ankle-boots of good make, as she -rolled off the horse’s back.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she stood before her quivering steed, patting his -shoulder, Doane and his companions drew near, covering -the three with their army muskets. It was then to -his infinite surprise he noticed that the girl in brown, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>with the red hat, was the heroine of his dream, though -in the vision she had been attired in black, but the -gown was half off her shoulders and back when he -drew her out of the water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It would have been hard to tell who was most surprised, -Doane or the girl. Much as he admired her -loveliness, there had been the turning of the belt, which -meant there could be no change of purpose; his comrades -were already eyeing the well-filled packsaddles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The frightened Indians had dismounted, being -watched by one of the outlaws, while Doane politely -yet firmly demanded the whereabouts of her money. -Lifting her cloak and turning her belt, she disclosed -two long deerskin pouches, heavy with gold. Unbuckling -them, she handed them to Doane, while tears -began to stream down her cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You may take it, sir,” she sobbed, "but you are -ruining my chances in life. I am partly Indian, Brant’s -daughter, grand-daughter of the old Brant, and my -father had arranged a marriage for me with a young -officer whom I met during the war, and I love him -dearly. Though I told him of my love, he would not -marry me without a dowry of $3,000, and it took my -father five long years to gather it together. I would -not care if I did not love him so much. I was on my -way to his home at the forks of Susquehanna, and now -you have destroyed all my hopes."</p> - -<p class='c001'>The brigand’s steely heart was for a moment -touched. “Brant’s daughter,” he said, “you Indian -people know the turning of the belt, which means that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>what is decided on at that moment must be carried out; -before I saw who you were I resolved to rob you. It -must be done, for I have two partners who will demand -their shares.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>"You said ‘before you knew who I was,’" broke in -the girl, her tearful, <a id='corr256.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='piquaint'>piquant</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_256.6'><ins class='correction' title='piquaint'>piquant</ins></a></span> face filled with curiosity. -“You never saw <em>me</em> before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, yes, I did,” replied Doane, “in a dream a couple -of nights ago.” -“she said, as a final -appeal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid not,” he answered, as his comrade -started to open one of the pouches. Then he paused, -saying: “I will not take all. I’d not take anything from -<em>you</em> except that I have these partners. I will retain -half for them, and let you go on your way with the rest. -Your good looks–for you are truly the prettiest thing -I ever laid eyes on–will outweigh with your lover a -paltry fifteen hundred dollars in gold.” -“cried the girl -weeping afresh. “He does not love me; he only wants -the gold. I am the one that loves, and am lost and discarded -without the dowry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile one of the outlaws had drawn the caltrop -from the horse’s frog, and having smeared it with -bear’s grease, the animal was walking about in a fairly -comfortable manner.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_290.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AN ALLEGHENY EPISODE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The girl stood looking at Doane. He was young, -strong, and had a fairly decent face. How could he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>be so cruel? Then she looked at his partners, low-browed -wretches, who were already muttering at the -delay, and she realized there was no hope. Doane gave -up his share, and tossed the other of the bags of gold -to his “pals,” then ordered the girl and her escort to -proceed. He said that he would accompany her to the -river, to where the danger of meeting other highwaymen -would be passed. The girl traveled on foot the -entire distance, to ease her horse over the rough, uneven -trail, walking side by side with the highwayman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They parted with civility, and on Doane’s side with -deep regret, for the dream had inflamed his soul, and -the reality was so startlingly lovely that he was deeply -smitten. Before he had reached the river he wished -that he had shot his grasping companions, rather than -endanger this beautiful creature’s future happiness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That was an unlucky turning of the belt,” he said to -himself, as he retraced his steps towards the Indian -Garden.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brant’s daughter rode with a heavy heart the balance -of the journey, for she knew her lover’s nature. The -Indian bodyguards were equally downcast, for they had -sworn to <a id='corr257.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='deilver'>deliver</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_257.22'><ins class='correction' title='deilver'>deliver</ins></a></span> her safe and sound at the forks of the -Susquehanna.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she reached the handsome colonial gray stone -house, on a headland overlooking the “meeting of the -waters,” her lover, a handsome upstanding youth, with -a sports suit made of his old officer’s buff uniform, and -surrounded by a pack of his hunting dogs, came out to -greet her. His manner was not very cordial. With -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>penetrating eyes he saw that she was disturbed over -something, so he quickly asked if she suffered from -fatigue after the long overland journey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, Major,” she replied, “I am not at all tired in -body, but I am in heart. I cannot postpone the evil -moment. On the Boone Road we were stopped by three -highwaymen, armed, who took from me half of my -dowry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Major’s handsome countenance darkened. “Why -did you not tell them you needed it to get married?” he -blurted out angrily. “A pretty wench like you could -have honey-foogled them to keep it.” -“replied the girl, confidently, “and -for that reason the chief of the band, a very pretty man, -let me keep the one-half, but he had to retain the rest -for his companions.” -“ -“I think I came off well,” she said, hanging her pretty -head, her cheeks all crimson flush. She was sitting on -the horse, her feet dangling out of the stirrups, her -skirts turned up revealing those shapely legs, and he -had not asked her to dismount.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Major drew nearer, with an angry gesture. “I -have a mind to smack your face good and hard for your -folly,” he stormed. “What do you think I have been -waiting for, a paltry <em>fifteen hundred dollars</em>?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brant’s daughter turned her belt and handed him the -pouch of gold, which he threw down testily. It was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>quickly picked up by one of his German redemptioner -servants, who carried it into the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aren’t you going to ask me to come in?” pleaded -the now humiliated love-sick girl. “You can slap me -all you want. Punish me any way you will,” offering -him her stiff riding crop, “only don’t cast me <a id='corr259.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='off”'>off.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_259.6'><ins class='correction' title='off”'>off.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come down if you wish; I don’t care,” he mumbled -in reply. “I wouldn’t exert myself enough to whip you, -but your hide <em>ought</em> to be tanned for your stupidity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Cut to the heart, yet still loving abjectly, she slid off -the horse and meekly followed the imperious Major -into the mansion. During the balance of the afternoon, -and at supper, and until she begged to be allowed to -retire, she was reviled and humbled in the presence of -his redemptioners. He declared that no one man in a -thousand, in his station of life, would consider marriage -with a person of Indian blood; that it was worth twice -three thousand dollars, the figure he had originally -named. Nevertheless, he had carefully put the money -bag in his strong box, even though saying nothing -about setting a date for a marriage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was shown into an unfinished room. There was -no bed, only a few chairs, and two big walnut chests. -Tearful and nervously unstrung, she took off her shoes -and, wrapping herself in her cloak, lay down on the -cold wooden floor. She could have called for blankets, -and doubtless gotten them, but her pride had rebelled -and she resolved to make the best of conditions. She -could not sleep, and her mind was tortured with her -love for the Major, anger at his ungrateful conduct, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>and an ever-recurring vision of the highwayman on -the Boone Road. She heard the great Irish clock in -the hall below strike every hour until one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suddenly she got up, her face brightened with a new -resolve. Tying her shoes together, she threw them -them across her shoulder and tiptoed to the door, which -she opened softly, and went downstairs. Her Indian -bodyguards were sleeping on the stone floor in the -vestibule, wrapped in their blankets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exundos,” she whispered in the ear of the oldest, -“get me out of this; I am going to go away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The trusty redskin, who always slept with one eye -open, nudged his comrade, Firequill, and made their -way to the door. It was locked and chained, and the -key probably under the Major’s pillow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Exundos was determined to redeem his record. He -rushed upstairs to where a portly German was sleeping -in the officer’s antechamber. He knocked the valet -senseless with the butt of his horse pistol. Then he -sprang like a panther over the prostrate body into the -Major’s apartment. In a moment he had gagged him -with the caltrop extracted from the horse’s foot, then -bound him hand and foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The key was under the pillow. In five minutes the -fugitives were on the front lawn, surrounded by the -Major’s pack of yelping, snarling hounds. Getting by -them as best they could, the trio made for the bluffs, -found a dugout in which they crossed the river, and -were soon in the shelter of the friendly mountains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the morning the Major’s other servants who slept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>in quarters near the stables, found the half-dazed bodyguard -with a bloody head, and their gagged and helpless -master. Once released, the Major decided not to -send a posse after the runaways; he was heavily in -debt, and needed that pouch of fifteen hundred dollars -in gold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brant’s daughter, after her fortuitous escape, was -not completely happy. She had longed for the Major -for five years, and had almost gotten him as the result -of severe privations. It was pretty hard to lose him -now. She was going home defeated, to die unwed. -Her feelings became desperate when she reached the -Boone Road, with all its haunting memories.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she clambered up the steep grades, and the Indian -Garden came into view, she reached down and turned -her belt, the symbol of resolution. No one was about -as she passed the garden, which made her heart sink -with loneliness for some strong man’s love.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Kettle Creek was reached and crossed near -the Cold Spring, she decided to rest awhile. After a -meal, which she barely tasted, she told the Indians that -she was going for a little walk in the woods.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am safe now,” she said, bitterly; “I have no gold.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Past the Cold Spring she went, on and on up the -wild, narrow gorge of what is now called Ole Bull Run, -where a dark and dismal hemlock forest of colossal proportions -bent over the torrent, keeping out the light of -day.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While she was absent, who should appear at the -Cold Spring but Doane, with his colleagues in crime.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>“So he took her after all, with only half the money,” -he said, almost regretfully, to the Indians.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know,” replied one of the bodyguard. “He -was very ugly when he heard it, wanted to slap her, -and she ran away in the night, leaving horses, saddle-bags -and gold. Oh, she felt terribly, for she truly loved -the monster.” -“said Doane, in surprised tones.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Indian pointed up the dark gorge of the run. -That moment the outlaw thought of his dream, of his -rescuing her from an angry torrent. Motioning to her -guards to follow, he made haste along the edges of the -stream, slipping often on the moss-grown rocks. Half -way to the top of the gigantic mountain, he heard the -roar of a cascade. There was a great, dark, seething -pool beneath. Just as Doane came in sight of this he -beheld, to his horror, Brant’s daughter, hatless and -cloakless, plunging in. It was like a Dryad’s immolation!</p> - -<p class='c001'>With superhuman effort he reached the brink and -sprang after her. He caught her, as she rose the first -time, by her profuse brown hair, but as he lifted her -ashore a snag or branch tore her shirtwaist, so that her -shoulder and back were almost completely bare, just -as in the dream. Aided by the faithful Indians, he laid -her tenderly among the moss and ferns, and poured -some rum from a buffalo horn flask down her throat. -She revived and opened her pretty hazel eyes quizzically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Am I at the Indian Garden?” she said.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>“You are with the one who turned his belt there,” -answered Doane; “only this time I don’t want anything -for my comrades. I only want you for myself.” -“said Brant’s daughter, having now fully recovered the -power of speech. “When I came back to the Garden -and you were not there, I turned my belt.” -“said Doane, “for that last -resolve has brought us together. I should have known -from the beginning my destiny was revealed in that -dream.” -“said -the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course I will, anywhere with you, and never -follow the road again, or anything not strictly honorable. -Wrongdoing, I see now, is caused by the preponderance -of the events of life going against us. Where -things come our way, and there is joy, one can never -aspire to ill. Wrong is the continued disappointment. -I could never molest a soul after I saw you, and have -lived by hunting ever since. I made my partners return -the purse of gold; it shall go to your father to buy a -farm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brant’s daughter now motioned to him that she felt -like sitting up, and he propped her back against an old -cork pine, kissing her pretty plump cheeks and shoulders -many times as he did so. “And that scoundrel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>would have smacked you,” he thought, boiling inwardly. -Then taking her cold hands in his, he said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Out of evil comes good. I do not regret this one -robbery, for if I had not taken that gold for my comrades, -some one would have robbed me of you!”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id012'> -<img src='images/i_299.jpg' alt='SHAWANA' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XIX</span> <br /> <i>Riding His Pony</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>When Rev. James Martin visited the celebrated -Penn’s Cave, in the Spring of 1795, it was related -that he found a small group of Indians -encamped there. That evening, around the campfire, -one of the redskins related a legend of one of the curiosities -of the watery cave, the flambuoyant “Indian -Riding Pony” mural-piece which decorates one of the -walls.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Spirited as a Remington, it bursts upon the view, -creates a lasting impression, then vanishes as the power -skiff, the “Nita-nee,” draws nearer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>According to the old Indians, there lived not far -from where the Karoondinha emerges from the cavern -a body of aborigines of the Susquehannock tribe who -made this delightful lowland their permanent abode. -While most of their cabins were huddled near together -on the upper reaches of the stream, there were straggling -huts clear to the Beaver Dams. The finding of -arrow points, beads and pottery along the creek amply -attests to this.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Among the clan was a maiden named Quetajaku, not -good to look upon, but in no way ugly or deformed. -In her youth she was light-hearted and sociable, with a -gentle disposition. Yet for some reason she was not -favored by the young bucks. All her contemporaries -found lovers and husbands, but poor Quetajaku was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>left severely alone. She knew that she was not beautiful, -though she was of good size; she was equally certain -that she was not a physical monster. She could -not understand why she could find no lover, why she -was singled out to be a “chauchschisis,” or old maid. -It hurt her pride as a young girl, it broke her heart -completely when she was older.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gradually she withdrew from the society of her -tribal friends, building herself a lodge-house on the -hill, in what is now the cave orchard. There she led a -very introspective life, grieving over the love that might -have been. To console herself she imagined that some -day a handsome warrior would appear, seek her out, -load her with gifts, overwhelm her with love and carry -her away to some distant region in triumph. He -would be handsomer and braver than any youth in the -whole country of the Karoondinha. She would be the -most envied of women when he came.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This poor little fancy saved her from going stark -mad; it remedied the horror of her lonely lot. Every -time the night wind stirred the rude hempen curtain -which hung before the door of her cabin, she would -picture it was the chivalrous stranger knight come to -claim her. When it was cold she drew the folds of her -buffalo robe tighter about her as if it was his arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As time went on she grew happy in her secret lover, -whom no other woman’s flame could equal, whom no -one could steal away. She was ever imagining him -saying to her that her looks exactly suited him, that -she was his ideal.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>But like the seeker after Eldorado, years passed, -and Quetajaku did not come nearer to her spirit lover. -But her soul kept up the conceit; every night when she -curled herself up to sleep he was the vastness of the -night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On one occasion an Indian artist named Naganit, an -undersized old wanderer appeared at the lonely -woman’s home. For a living he decorated pottery, -shells and bones, sometimes even painted war pictures -on rocks. Quetajaku was so kind to him that he built -himself a lean-to on the slope of the hill, intending to -spend the winter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the long winter evenings the old woman confided -to the wanderer the story of her unhappy life, -of her inward consolation. She said that she had longed -to meet an artist who could carry out a certain part of -her dream which had a right to come true.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she died she had arranged to be buried in a -fissure of rocks which ran horizontally into one of the -walls of the “watery” cave. On the opposite wall she -would like painted in the most brilliant colors a portrait -of a handsome young warrior, with arms outstretched, -coming towards her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Naganit said that he understood what she meant -exactly, but suggested that the youth be mounted on a -pony, a beast which was coming into use as a mount -for warriors, of which he had lately seen a number in -his travels on the Virginia coast, near Chincoteague.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This idea was pleasing to Quetajaku, who authorized -the stranger to begin work at once. She had saved -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>up a little property of various kinds; she promised to -bestow all of this on Naganit, except what would be -necessary to bury her, if the picture proved satisfactory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The artist rigged up a dog-raft with a scaffold on -it, and this he poled into the place where the fissure -was located, the woman accompanying him the first -time, so there would be no mistake. All winter long -by torchlight, he labored away. He used only one -color, an intensive brick-red made from mixing sumac -berries, the pollen of the Turk’s Cap Lily, a small root -and the bark of a tree, as being more permanent than -that made from ochers and other ores of stained earth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Marvelous and vital was the result of this early impressionist; -the painting had all the action of life. The -superb youth in war dress, with arms outstretched, on -the agile war pony, rushing towards the foreground, -almost in the act of leaping from the rocky panel into -life, across the waters of the cave to the arms of his -beloved.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It would make old Quetajaku happy to see it, she -who had never known love or beauty. The youth in -the mural typified what Naganit would have been himself -were he the chosen, and what the “bachelor maid” -would have possessed had nature favored her. It -was the ideal for two disappointed souls.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Breathlessly the old artist ferried Quetajaku to the -scene of his endeavors. When they reached the -proper spot he held aloft his quavering torch. Quetajaku, -in order to see more clearly, held her two hands -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>above her eyes. She gave a little cry of exclamation, -then turned and looked at Naganit intently. Then she -dropped her eyes, beginning to cry to herself, a rare -thing for an Indian to do!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The artist looked at her fine face, down which the -tears were streaming, and asked her the cause of her -grief–was the picture <em>such</em> a terrible disappointment?</p> - -<p class='c001'>The woman drew herself together, replying that it -was grander than she had anticipated, but the face of -<a id='corr269.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Niganit’s'>Naganit’s</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_269.10'><ins class='correction' title='Niganit’s'>Naganit’s</ins></a></span>, and, strangely enough, the face she had -dreamed of all her life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But I am not the heroic youth you pictured”, said -the artist, sadly. “I am sixty years old, stoop-shouldered, -and one leg is shorter than the other.” -“ -<a id='corr269.18'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Niganit'>Naganit</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_269.18'><ins class='correction' title='Niganit'>Naganit</ins></a></span> looked at the Indian woman. She was not -hideous; there was even a dignity to her large, plain -features, her great, gaunt form.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have never received such praise as yours. I -always vowed I would love the woman who really understood -me and my art. I am yours. Let us think -no more of funeral decorations, but go to the east, -to the land of war ponies, and ride to endless joy -together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>Quetajaku, overcome by the majesty of his words, -leaned against his massive shoulder. In that way he -poled his dog-raft against the current to the entrance -of the cave. There was a glory in the reflection from -the setting sun over against the east; night would not -close in for an hour or two. And towards the darkening -east that night two happy travelers could be -seen wending their way.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_305.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XX</span> <br /> <i>The Little Postmistress</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It was long past dark when Mifflin Sargeant, of -the Snow Shoe Land Company, came within sight -of the welcoming lights of Stover’s. For fourteen -miles, through the foothills on the Narrows, he had not -seen a sign of human habitation, except one deserted -hunter’s cabin at Yankee Gap. There was an air of -cheerfulness and life about the building he had arrived -at. Several doors opened simultaneously at the signal -of his approach, given by a faithful watchdog, throwing -the rich glow of the fat-lamps and tallow candles -across the road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The structure, which was very long and two stories -high, housed under its accommodating roofs a tavern, -a boarding house, a farmstead, a lumber camp, a general -store, and a post office. It was the last outpost of -civilization in the east end of Brush Valley; beyond -were mountains and wilderness almost to Youngmanstown. -Tom Tunis had not yet erected the substantial -structure on the verge of the forest later known as -“The Forest House.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A dark-complexioned lad, who later proved to be -Reuben Stover, the son of the landlord, took the horse -by the bridle, assisting the young stranger to dismount. -He also helped him to unstrap his saddle-bags, carrying -them into the house. Sargeant noticed, as he passed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>across the porch, that the walls were closely hung with -stags’ horns, which showed the prevalence of these -noble animals in the neighborhood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Old Daddy and Mammy Stover, who ran the quaint -caravansery, quickly made the visitor feel at home. It -was after the regular supper-time, but a fresh repast -of bear’s meat and corn bread was cheerfully prepared -in the huge stone chimney.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man explained to his hosts that he had -ridden that day from New Berlin; he had come from -Philadelphia to Harrisburg by train, to Liverpool by -packet boat, at which last named place his horse had -been sent on to meet him. He added that he was on his -way into the Alleghenies, where he had recently purchased -an interest in the Snow Shoe development.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After supper he strolled along the porch to the far -end, to the post office, thinking he would send a letter -home. A mail had been brought in from Rebersburg -during the afternoon, consequently the post office, and -not the tavern stand, was the attraction of the crowd -this night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The narrow room was poorly lighted by fat-lamps, -which cast great, fitful shadows, making grotesques -out of the oddly-costumed, bearded wolf hunters present, -who were the principal inhabitants of the surrounding -ridges. A few women, hooded and shawled, were -noticeable in the throng. In a far corner, leaning -against the water bench, was young Reuben, the hostler, -tuning up his wheezy fiddle. As many persons as -possible hung over the rude counter, across which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>mail was being delivered, and where many letters were -written in reply. Above this counter were suspended -three fat-lamps, attached to grooved poles, which, by -cleverly-devised pulleys, could be lifted to any height -desired.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id013'> -<img src='images/i_308.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SETH NELSON, JR., AFTER A GOOD DAY’S SPORT</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The young Philadelphian edged his way through the -good-humored concourse to ask permission to use the -ink; he had brought his favorite quill pen and the paper -with him. This brought him face to face, across the -counter, with the postmistress. He had not been able -to see her before, as her trim little figure had been -wholly obscured by the ponderous forms that lined the -counter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Instantly he was charmed by her appearance–it was -unusual–by her look of neatness and alertness. Their -eyes met–it was almost with a smile of mutual recognition. -When he asked her if he could borrow the ink, -which was kept in a large earthen pot of famous Sugar -Valley make, she smiled on him again, and he absorbed -the charm of her personality anew.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though she was below the middle height, her figure -was so lithe and erect that it fully compensated for the -lack of inches. She wore a blue homespun dress, with -a neat checked apron over it, the material for which -constituted a luxury, and must have come all the way -from Youngmanstown or Sunbury. Her profuse -masses of soft, wavy, light brown hair, on which the -hanging lamps above brought out a glint of gold, was -worn low on her head. Her deepset eyes were a transparent -blue, her features well developed, and when she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>turned her face in profile, the high arch of the nose -showed at once mental stability and energy. Her complexion -was pink and white. There seemed to be always -that kindly smile playing about the eyes and lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she pushed the heavy inkwell towards him he -noticed that her hands were very white, the fingers -tapering; they were the hands of innate refinement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Almost imperceptibly the young man found himself -in conversation with the little postmistress. Doubtless -she was interested to meet an attractive stranger, one -from such a distant city as Philadelphia. While they -talked, the letter was gradually written, sealed, weighed -and paid for–it was before the days of postage stamps, -and the postmistress politely waited on her customers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had told her his name–Mifflin Sargeant–and she -had given him hers–Caroline Hager–and that she was -eighteen years of age. He had told her about his prospective -trip into the wilds of Centre County, of the -fierce beasts which he had heard still abounded there. -The girl informed him that he would not have to go -farther west to meet wild animals; that wolf hides by -the dozen were brought to Stover’s each winter, where -they were traded in; that old Stover, a justice of the -peace, attested to the bounty warrants–in fact, the -wolves howled from the hill across the road on cold -nights when the dogs were particularly restless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her father was a wolf hunter, and would never allow -her to go home alone; consequently, when he could not -accompany her she remained over night in the dwelling -which housed the post office. Panthers, too, were occasionally -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>met with in the locality–in the original surveys -this region was referred to as “Catland”–also huge red -bears and the somewhat smaller black ones.</p> - -<p class='c001'>If he was going West, she continued in her pretty -way, he must not fail to visit the great limestone cave -near where the Brush Mountains ended. She had a -sister married and living not far from it, from whom -she had heard wonderful tales, though she had never -been there herself. It was a cave so vast it had not as -yet been fully explored; one could travel for miles in it -in a boat; the Karoondinha, or John Penn’s Creek, had -its source in it; Indians had formerly lived in the dry -parts, and wild beasts. Then she lowered her voice to -say that it was now haunted by the Indians’ spirits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And so they talked until a very late hour, the crowd -in the post office melting away, until Jared Hager, the -girl’s father, in his wolfskin coat, appeared to escort her -home, to the cabin beyond the waterfall near the trail -to Dolly Hope’s Valley. She was to have a holiday -until the next afternoon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The wolf hunter was a courageous-looking man, -much darker than his daughter, with a heavy black -beard and bushy eyebrows; in fact, she was the only -brown-haired, blue-eyed one in the entire family connection. -He spoke pleasantly with the young stranger, -and then they all said good night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t forget to visit the great cavern,” Caroline -called to the youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I surely will,” he answered, “and stop here on my -way east to tell you all about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>“That’s good; we want to see you again,” said the -girl, as she disappeared into the gloomy shadows which -the shaggy white pines cast across the road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Young Stover was playing “Green Grows the -Rushes” on his fiddle in the tap-room, and Sargeant -sat there listening to him, dreaming and musing all the -while, his consciousness singularly alert, until the closing -hour came.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night, in the old stained four-poster, in his tiny, -cold room, he slept not at all. “Yet he feared to -dream.” Though his thoughts carried him all over the -world, the little postmistress was uppermost in every -fancy. Among the other things, he wished that he had -asked her to ride with him to the cave. They could have -visited the subterranean marvels together. He got out -of bed and managed to light the fat lamp. By its sputtering -gleams he wrote her a letter, which came to an -abrupt end as the small supply of ink which he carried -with him was exhausted. But as he repented of the -intense sentences penned to a person who knew him so -slightly, he arose again before morning and tore it to -bits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a white frost on the buildings and ground -when he came downstairs. The autumn air was cold, -the atmosphere was a hazy, melancholy gray. There -seemed to be a cessation of all the living forces of nature, -as if waiting for the summons of winter. From -the chimney of the old inn came purple smoke, charged -with the pungent odor of burning pine wood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a strange sadness he saddled his horse and resumed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>his ride towards the west. He thought constantly -of Caroline–so much so that after he had traveled -ten miles he wanted to turn back; he felt miserable -without her. If only she were riding beside him, the -two bound for Penn’s Valley Cave, he could be supremely -happy. Without her, he did not care to visit -the cavern, or anything else; so at Jacobsburg he -crossed the Nittany Mountains, leaving the southerly -valleys behind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He rode up Nittany Valley to Bellefonte, where he -met the agent of the Snow Shoe Company. With this -gentleman he visited the vast tract being opened up to -lumbering, mining and colonization. But his thoughts -were elsewhere; they were across the mountains with -the little postmistress of Stover’s.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Satisfied that his investment would prove remunerative, -he left the development company’s cozy lodge-house, -and, with a heart growing lighter with each mile, -started for the east. It was wonderful how differently–how -vastly more beautiful the country seemed on -this return journey. He fully appreciated the wistful -loveliness of the fast-fading autumn foliage, the crispness -of the air, the beauty of each stray tuft of asters, -the last survivors of the wild flowers along the trail. -The world was full of joy, everything was in harmony.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again it was after nightfall when he reined his horse -in front of Stover’s long, rambling public house. This -time two doors opened simultaneously, sending forth -golden lights and shadows. One was from the tap-room, -where the hostler emerged; the other from the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>post office, bringing little Caroline. There was no mail -that night, consequently the office was practically deserted; -she had time to come out and greet her much-admired -friend. And let it be said that ever since she -had seen him her heart was agog with the image of -Mifflin Sargeant. She was canny enough to appreciate -such a man; besides, he was a good-looking youth -though perhaps of a less robust type than those most -admired in the Red Hills.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After cordial greetings the young man ate supper, -after which he repaired to the post office. By that time -the last straggler was gone; he had a blissful evening -with his fair Caroline. She anticipated his coming, -being somewhat of a <em>psychic</em>, and had arranged to spend -the night with the Stovers. There was no hurry to -retire; when they went out on the porch, preparatory -to locking up, the hunter’s moon was sinking behind -the western knobs, which rose like the pyramids of -Egypt against the sky line.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sargeant lingered around the old house for three -days; when he departed it was with extreme reluctance. -Seeing Caroline again in the future appeared like something -too good to be true, so down-hearted was he at -the parting. But he had arranged to come back the -following autumn, bringing an extra horse with him, -and the two would ride to the wonderful cavern in -Penn’s Valley and explore to the ends its stygian depths. -Meanwhile they would make most of their separation -through a regular correspondence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Despite glances, pressure of hands, chance caresses, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>and evident happiness in one another’s society, not a -word of love had passed between the pair. That was -why the pain of parting was so intense. If Caroline -could have remembered one loving phrase, then she -would have felt that she had something tangible on -which to hang her hopes. If the young Philadelphian -had unburdened his heart by telling her that he loved -her, and her alone, and heard her words of affirmation, -the world out into which he was riding would have -seemed less blank.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But underneath his love, burning like a hot branding -iron, was his consciousness of class, his fear of the -consequences if he took to the great city a bride from -another sphere. As an only son, he could not picture -himself deserting his widowed mother and sisters, and -living at Snow Shoe; there he was sure that Caroline -would be happy. Neither could he see permanent -peace of mind if he married her and brought her into -his exclusive circles in the Quaker City.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he was an honorable young man, and his love was -real, making her truly and always happy was the solitary -consideration. These thoughts marred the parting; -they blistered and ravaged his spirit on the whole -dreary way back to Liverpool. There his colored servant, -an antic darkey, was waiting at the old Susquehanna -House to ride the horse to Philadelphia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man boarded the packet, riding on it to -Harrisburg, where he took the steam train for home. -In one way he was happier than ever before in his life, -for he had found love; in another he was the most dejected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>of men, for his beloved might never be his own.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He seemed gayer and stronger to his family; evidently -the trip into the wilderness had done him good. -He had begun his letter-writing to Caroline promptly. -It was his great solace in his heart perplexity. She -wrote a very good letter, very tender and sympathetic; -the handwriting was clear, almost masculine, denoting -the bravery of her spirit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the winter he was called upon through his -sisters to mingle much with the society of the city. He -met many beautiful and attractive young women, but -for him the die of love had been cast. He was Caroline’s -irretrievably. Absence made his love firmer, yet -the solution of it all the more enigmatical.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The time passed on apace. Another autumn set in, -but on account of important business matters it was not -until December that Sargeant departed for the wilds of -mountainous Pennsylvania. But he could spend Christmas -with his love.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This time he sent two horses ahead to Liverpool. -When he reached the queer old river town he dropped -into an old saddlery shop, where the canal-boat drivers -had their harness mended, and purchased a neat side -saddle, all studded with brass-headed nails. This he -tied on behind his servant’s saddle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two horsemen started up the beautiful West -Mahantango, crossing the Shade Mountain to Swinefordstown, -thence along the edge of Jack’s Mountain, -by the gently flowing Karoondinha, to Hartley Hall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>and the Narrows, through the Fox Gap and Minnick’s -Gap, a slightly shorter route to Stover’s.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On his previous trip he had ridden along the river to -Selin’s Grove, across Chestnut Ridge to New Berlin, -over Shamokin Ridge to Youngmanstown, and from -there to the Narrows; he was in no hurry; no dearly -loved girl was waiting for him in those days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caroline, looking prettier than ever–she was a trifle -plumper and redder cheeked–was at the post office -steps to greet him. Despite his avoidance of words of -love, she was certain of his inmost feelings, and opined -that somehow the ultimate result would be well.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sargeant had arranged to arrive on a Saturday evening, -so that they could begin their ride to the cave that -night after the post office closed, and be there bright -and early Sunday morning. For this reason he had -traveled by very easy stages from Hartley Hall, that -the horses might be fresh for their added journey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sargeant’s devoted Negro factotum was taken somewhat -aback when he saw how attentive the young man -was to the girl, and marveled at the mountain maid’s -rare beauty. Upon instructions from his master, he set -about to changing the saddles, placing the brand new -lady’s saddle on the horse he had been riding.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not long until the tiny post office was closed -for the night, and Caroline emerged, wearing a many-caped -red riding coat, the hood of which she threw over -her head to keep the wavy, chestnut hair in place. She -climbed into the saddle gracefully–she seemed a -natural horse-woman–and soon the loving pair were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>cantering up the road towards Wolfe’s Store, Rebersburg -and the cave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not quite daybreak when they passed the -home of old Jacob Harshbarger, the tenant of the “cave -farm;” a Creeley rooster was crowing lustily in the -barnyard, the unmilked cattle of the ancient black breed -shook their shaggy heads lazily; no one was up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young couple had planned to visit the cave, -breakfast, and spend the day with Caroline’s sister, -who lived not far away at Centre Hill, and ride leisurely -back to Stover’s in the late afternoon. It had been a -very cold all-night ride, but they had been so happy -that it seemed brief and free from all disagreeable -physical sensations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In those days there was no boat in the cave, and no -guides; consequently all intending visitors had to bring -their own torches. This Caroline had seen to, and in -her leisure moments for weeks before her lover’s coming, -had been arranging a supply of rich pine lights that -would see them safely through the gloomy labyrinths.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They fed their horses and then tied them to the fence -of the orchard which surrounded the entrance to the -“dry” cave, which had been recently set out. Several -big original white pines grew along the road, and would -give the horses shelter in case it turned out to be a -windy day. The young couple strolled through the -orchard, and down the steep path to the mouth of the -“watery” cave, where they gazed for some minutes at -the expanse of greenish water, the high span of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>arched roof, the general impressiveness of the scene, so -like the stage setting of some elfin drama.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They sat on the dead grass, near this entrance, eating -a light breakfast with relish. Then they wended their -way up the hill to the circular “hole in the ground” -which formed the doorway to the “dry” cave. The -torches were carefully lit, the supply of fresh ones was -tied in a bundle about Sargeant’s waist. The burning -pine gave forth an aromatic odor and a mellow light. -They descended through the narrow opening, the young -man going ahead and helping his sweetheart after him. -Down the spiral passageway they went, until at length -they came into a larger chamber. Here the torches cast -unearthly shadows, bats flitted about; some small animal -ran past them into an aperture at a far corner. -Sargeant declared that he believed the elusive creature -a fox, and he followed in the direction in which it had -gone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he came to this opening he peered through it, -finding that it led to an inner chamber of impressive -proportions. He went back, taking Caroline by the -hand, and led her to the narrow chamber, into which -they both entered. Once in the interior room, they -were amazed by its size, the height of its roof, the -beauty of the stalactite formations. They sat down on -a fallen stalagmite, holding aloft their torches, absorbed -by the beauty of the scene.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the midst of their musing, a sudden gust of wind -blew out their lights. They were in utter darkness. -The young lover bade his sweetheart be unafraid, while -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>he reached his hand in his pocket for the matches. -They were primitive affairs, the few he had, and he -could not make them light. He had not counted on the -use of the matches, as he thought one torch could be lit -from another; consequently had brought so few with -him. Finally he lit a match, but the dampness extinguished -it before he could ignite his torch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the last match failed, it seemed as if the couple -were in a serious predicament. They first shouted at -the top of their voices but only empty echoes answered -them. They fumbled about in the chamber, stumbling -over rocks and stalagmites, their eyes refusing to become -accustomed to the profound blackness. Try as -they would, they could not locate the passage that led -from the room they were in to the outer apartment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caroline, little heroine that she was, made no complaint. -If she had any secret fears, her lover effectually -quenched them by telling her that the presence of -the two saddle horses tied to the orchard fence would -acquaint the Harshbarger family of their presence in -the cave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Surely,” he went on, “we will be rescued in a few -hours. There’s bound to be some member of the household -or some hunter see those horses.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the hours passed, and with them came no intimations -of rescue. But the two “prisoners” loved one -another, time was nothing to them. In the outer world, -both thought, but neither made bold to say, that they -might have to separate–in the cave they were one in -purpose, one in love. How gloriously happy they were! -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>But they did get a trifle hungry, but that was appeased -at first by the remnants of the breakfast provisions, -which they luckily still had in a little bundle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When sufficient time had elapsed for night to set in, -they fell asleep, and in each other’s arms. Caroline’s -last conscious moment was to feel her lover’s kisses. -When they awoke, many hours afterwards, they were -hungrier than ever, and thirsty. Sargeant fumbled -about, locating a small pool of water, where the two -quenched their thirsts. But still they were happy, come -what may.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They would be rescued, that was certain, unless the -horses had broken loose and run away, but there was -small chance of that. They had been securely tied. It -was strange that no one had seen the steeds in so long a -time, with the farmhouse less than a quarter of a mile -away–but it was at the foot of the hill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hunger grew apace with every hour. After a while -drinking water could not sate it. It throbbed and -ached, it became a dull pain that only love could triumph -over. Again enough hours elapsed to bring -sleep, but it was harder to find repose, though Sargeant’s -kisses were marvelous recompense. Caroline -never whimpered from lack of food. To be with her -lover was all she asked. She had prayed for over a -year to be with him again. She would be glad to die -at his side, even of starvation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man was content; hunger was less a pain -to him than had been the past fourteen months’ separation.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>Again came what they supposed to be morning. -They knew that there must be some way out near at -hand, as the air was so pure. They shouted, but the -dull echoes were their only reward. Strangely enough, -they had never felt another cold gust like the one which -had blown out their torches. Could the shade of one of -the old-time Indians who had fought for possession of -the cave been perpetrator of the trick? suggested lovely -little Caroline. If so, she thought to herself, he had -helped her, not harmed her, for could there be in the -world a sensation half so sweet as sinking to rest in -her lover’s arms?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile the world outside the cavern had been -going its way. Shortly after the young equestrian -passed the Harshbarger dwelling, all the family had -come out, and, after attending to their farm duties, -driven off to the Seven Mountains, where the sons of -the family maintained a hunting camp on Cherry Run, -on the other side of High Valley.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boys had killed an elk, consequently the guests -remained longer than expected, to partake of a grand -Christmas feast. They tarried at the camp all of that -day, all of the next; it was not until early on the morning -of the third day that they started back to the Penn’s -Creek farm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They had arranged with a neighbor’s boy, Mosey -Scull, who lived further along the creek below the farm -house, to do the feeding in their absence; it was winter, -there was no need to hurry home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they got home they found Mosey in the act of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>watering two very dejected and dirty looking horses -with saddles on their backs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where did they come from?” shouted the big -freight-wagon load in unison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I found them tied to the fence up at the orchard. -By the way they act I’d think they hadn’t been watered -or fed for several days,” replied the boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You dummy!” said old Harshbarger, in Dutch. -“Somebody’s in that cave, and got lost, and can’t get -out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He jumped from the heavy wagon and ran to a corner -of the corncrib, where he kept a stock of torches. -Then he hurried up the steep hill towards the entrance -to the “dry” cave. The big man was panting when he -<a id='corr287.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='rached'>reached</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_287.15'><ins class='correction' title='rached'>reached</ins></a></span> the opening, where he paused a moment to -kindle a torch with his flints. Then he lowered himself -into the aperture, shouting at the top of his voice, -“Hello! Hello! Hello!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not until he had gotten into the first chamber -that the captives in the inner room could hear him. -Sargeant had been sitting with his back propped against -the cavern wall, while Caroline, very pale and white-lipped, -was lying across his knees, gazing up into the -darkness, imagining that she could see his face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they heard the cheery shouts of their deliverer -they did not instantly attempt to scramble to their feet. -Instead the young lover bent over; his lips touched -Caroline’s, who instinctively had raised her face to meet -his. As his lips touched hers, he whispered:</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>“I love you, darling, with all my heart. We will be -married when we get out of here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caroline had time to say: “You are my only love,” -before their lips came together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were in that position when the flare of Farmer -Harshbarger’s torch lit up their hiding place. Pretty -soon they were on their feet and, with their rescuer, -figuring out just how long they had been in their prison–their -prison of love.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They had gone into the cave on the morning of December -24th; it was now the morning of the 27th; in -fact almost noon. Christmas had come and gone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caroline still had enough strength in reserve to enable -her to climb up the tortuous passage, though her lover -did help her some, as all lovers should.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The farmer’s wife had some coffee and buckwheat -cakes ready when they arrived at the mansion; which -the erstwhile captives of Penn’s Cave sat down to enjoy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As they were eating, another of Harshbarger’s sons -rode up on horseback. He had been to the post office -at Earlysburg. He handed Sargeant a tiny, roughly -typed newspaper published in Millheim. Across the -front page, in letters larger than usual, were the words, -“Mexico Declares War on the United States.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sargeant scanned the headline intently, then laid the -paper on the table.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our country has been drawn into a war with -Mexico,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion. -“I had hoped it might be avoided. I am First Lieutenant -of the Lafayette Greys; I fear I’ll have to go.”</p> -<div class='figcenter id014'> -<img src='images/i_326.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BIG SNYDER COUNTY WILD CAT</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>Caroline lost the color which had come back to her -pretty cheeks since emerging from the underground -dungeon. She reached over, grasping her lover’s now -clammy hand. Then, noticing that no one was listening, -she said, faintly:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is terrible to have you leave me now; but won’t -you marry me before you go? I do love you.” -“replied Sargeant, with enthusiasm. -“I will have more to fight for, with you at home bearing -my name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Love had broken the bonds of caste.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i_328.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XXI</span> <br /> <i>The Silent Friend</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Every one who has hunted in the “Seven -Brothers’”, as the Seven Mountains are called -in Central Pennsylvania, has heard of Daniel -Karstetter, the famous Nimrod. The Seven Mountains -comprise the Path Valley, Short Bald, Thick -Head, Sand, Shade and Tussey Mountains. Though -three-quarters of a century has passed since he was in -his hey-day as a slayer of big game, his fame is undiminished. -Anecdotes of his prowess are related in -every hunting camp; by one and all he has been -acclaimed the greatest hunter that the Seven Brothers -ever produced.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The great Nimrod, who lived to a very advanced -age, was born in 1818 on the banks of Pine Creek, a: -the Blue Rock, half a mile below the present town of -Coburn. In addition to his hunting prowess, he was -interested in psychic experiences, and was as prone to -discuss his adventures with supernatural agencies as -his conflicts with the wild denizens of the forests. -There was a particular ghost story which he loved -dearly to relate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Accompanied by his younger brother Jacob, he had -been attending a dance one night across the mountains, -in the environs of the town of Milroy, for like all the -backwoods boys of his time, he was adept in the art -of terpsichore. The long journey was made on horseback, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>the lads being mounted on stout Conestoga -chargers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The homeward ride was commenced after midnight, -the two brothers riding along the dark trail in single -file. In the wide flat on the top of the “Big Mountain” -Daniel fell into a doze. When he awoke, his mount -having stumbled on a stone, Jacob was nowhere to be -seen. Thinking that his brother had put his horse to -trot and gone on ahead, Daniel dismissed the matter of -his absence from his mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he was riding down the steep slope of the mountain, -he noticed a horseman waiting for him on the -path. When they came abreast the other rider fell in -beside him, skillfully guiding his horse so that it did -not <a id='corr291.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='enounter'>encounter</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_291.15'><ins class='correction' title='enounter'>encounter</ins></a></span> the dense foliage which lined the narrow -way. Daniel supposed the party to be his brother, -although the unknown kept his lynx-skin collar turned -up, and his felt cap was pulled down level with his -eyes. It was pitchy dark, so to make sure, Daniel -called out:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that you, Jacob?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His companion did not reply, so the young man -repeated his query in still louder tones, but all he -heard was the crunching of the horses’ hoofs on the -pebbly road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Daniel Karstetter, master slayer of panthers, bears -and wolves, was no coward, though on this occasion he -felt uneasy. Yet he disliked picking a quarrel with -the silent man at his side, who clearly was not his -brother, and he feared to put his horse to a gallop on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>the steep, uneven roadway. The trip home never -before seemed of such interminable length. For the -greater part of the distance Daniel made no attempt to -converse with his unsociable comrade. Finally, he -heaved a sigh of relief when he saw a light gleaming -in the horse stable at the home farm. When he -reached the barnyard gate he dismounted to let down -the bars, while the stranger apparently vanished in the -gloom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Daniel led his mount to the horse stable, where he -found his brother Jacob sitting by the old tin lantern, -fast asleep. He awakened him and asked him when -he had gotten home. Jacob stated that his horse had -been feeling good, so he let him canter all the way. -He had been sleeping, but judged that he had been -home at least half an hour. He had met no horseman -on the road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Daniel was convinced that his companion had been -a ghost, or, as they are called in the “Seven Brothers,” -a <em>gshpook</em>. But he made no further comment that -night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A year afterwards, in coming back alone from a -dance in Stone Valley, he was again joined by the -silent horseman, who followed him to his barnyard -gate. He gave up going to dances on that account. At -least once a year, or as long as he was able to go out -at night, he met the ghostly rider. Sometimes, when -tramping along on foot after a hunt, or, in later years, -coming back from market at Bellefonte in his Jenny -Lind, he would find the silent horseman at his side. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>After the first experience, he never attempted to speak -to the night rider, but he became convinced that it -meant him no harm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As his prowess as a hunter became recognized, he -had many jealous rivals among the less successful -Nimrods. In those old days threats of all kinds were -freely made. He heard on several occasions that certain -hunters were setting out to “fix” him. But a man -who could wrestle with panthers and bears knew no -such thing as fear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One night, while tramping along in Green’s Valley, -he was startled by some one in the path ahead of him -shouting out in Pennsylvania German, “Hands up!” -He was on the point of dropping his rifle, when he -heard the rattle of hoof beats back of him. The silent -horseman in an instant was by his side, the dark horse -pawing the earth with his giant hoofs. There was a -crackling of brush in the path ahead, and no more -threats of <em>hend uff</em>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ghostly rider followed Daniel to his barn yard -gate, but was gone before he could utter a word of -thanks. As the result of this adventure, he became -imbued with the idea that he possessed a charmed life. -It gave him added courage in his many encounters with -panthers, the fierce red bears and lynxes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Apart from his love of hunting the more dangerous -animals, Daniel enjoyed the sport of deer-stalking. He -maintained several licks, one of them in a patch of -low ground over the hill from the entrance to the -“dry” part of Penn’s Cave. At this spot he constructed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>a blind, or platform, between the two ancient -tupelo trees, about twenty feet from the ground, and -many were the huge white-faced stags which fell to -his unerring bullets during the rutting season.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One cold night, according to an anecdote frequently -related by one of his descendants, while perched in his -eyrie overlooking the natural clearing which constituted -the <em>lick</em>, and in sight of a path frequented by -the fiercer beasts, which led to the opening of the -“dry” cave, he saw, about midnight, a huge pantheress, -followed by a large male of the same species, come -out into the open.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The pantheress strolled from the path,” so the -story went, "and came and laid herself down at the -roots of the tupelo trees, while the panther remained -in the path, and seemed to be listening to some noise -as yet inaudible to the hunter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Daniel soon heard a distant roaring; it seemed to -come from the very summit of the Brush Mountain, -and immediately the pantheress answered it. The -the panther on the path, his jealousy aroused, commenced -to roar with a voice so loud that the frightened -hunter almost let go his trusty rifle and held tighter to -the railing of his blind, lest he might tumble to the -earth. As the voice of the animal that he had heard -in the distance gradually approached, the pantheress -welcomed him with renewed roarings, and the panther, -restless, went and came from the path to his flirtatious -flame, as though he wished her to keep silence, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>though to say, ‘Let him come if he dares; he will find -his match’.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"In about an hour a panther, with mouse-color, -or grey coat, stepped out of the forest, and stood in -the full moonlight on the other side of the cleared -place, the moonbeams illuminating his form with a -glow like phosphorescence. The pantheress, eyeing him -with admiration, raised herself to go to him, but the -panther, divining her intent, rushed before her and -marched right at his adversary. With measured step -and slow, they approached to within a dozen paces -of each other, their smooth, round heads high in the -air, their bulging yellow eyes gleaming, their long, -tufted tails slowly sweeping down the brittle asters -that grew about them. They crouched to the earth–a -moment’s pause–and then they bounded with a -hellish scream high in the air and rolled on the ground, -locked in their last embrace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The battle was long and fearful, to the amazed and -spellbound witness of this midnight duel. Even if he -had so wished, he could not have taken steady enough -aim to fire. But he preferred to watch the combat, -while the moonlight lasted. The bones of the two -combatants cracked under their powerful jaws, their -talons painted the frosty ground with blood, and their -outcries, now <a id='corr295.26'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>gutteral</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_295.26'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>gutteral</ins></a></span>, now sharp and loud, told their -rage and agony.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"At the beginning of the contest the pantheress -crouched herself on her belly, with her eyes fixed upon -the gladiators, and all the while the battle raged, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>manifested by the slow, catlike motion of her tail, the -pleasure she felt at the spectacle. When the scene -closed, and all was quiet and silent and deathlike on the -lick, and the moon had commenced to wane, she cautiously -approached the <a id='corr296.5'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='battle-gound'>battle-ground</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_296.5'><ins class='correction' title='battle-gound'>battle-ground</ins></a></span> and, sniffing the -lifeless bodies of her two lovers, walked leisurely to a -nearby oak, where she stood on her hind feet, sharpening -her fore claws on the bark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"She glared up ferociously at the hunter in the blind, -as if she meant to vent her anger by climbing after -him. In the moonlight her golden eyes appeared so -terrifying that Daniel dropped his rifle, and it fell to -the earth with a sickening thud. As he reached after -it, the flimsy railing gave way and he fell, literally -into the arms of the pantheress. At that moment -the rumble of horses’ hoofs, like thunder on some -distant mountain, was heard. Just as the panther -was about to rend the helpless Nimrod to bits, the -unknown rider came into view. Scowling at the -intruder, mounted on his huge black horse, the brute -abandoned its prey and ambled off up the hill in the -direction of the dry cave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Daniel seized his firearm and sent a bullet after -her retreating form, but it apparently went wild of -its mark. Meanwhile, before he had time to express -his gratitude to the strange deliverer, he had vanished.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Daniel was dumbfounded. As soon as he had recovered -from the blood-curdling episodes, <a id='corr296.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='built'>he built</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_296.28'><ins class='correction' title='built'>he built</ins></a></span> a small -fire near the mammoth carcasses, where he warmed -his much benumbed hands. Then he examined the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>dead panthers, but found that their hides were too -badly torn to warrant skinning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Disgusted at not getting his deer, and being even -cheated out of the panther pelts, he dragged the ghastly -remains of the erstwhile kings of the forest by their -tails to the edge of the entrance to the dry cave. -There he cut off the long ears in order to collect the -bounty, and then shoved the carcasses into the opening. -They fell with sickening thuds into the chamber -beneath, to the evident horror of the pantheress, which -uttered a couple of piercing screams as the horrid -remnants of the recent battle royal landed in her -vicinity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then Jacob shouldered his rifle and started out in -search of small game for breakfast. That night he -went to another of his licks on Elk Creek, near Fulmer’s -Sink, where he killed four superb stags,” so the -story concludes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But to his dying day he always placed the battle of -the panthers first of all his hunting adventures. And -his faith in the unknown horseman as his deliverer and -good genius became the absorbing, all-pervading influence -of his life.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XXII</span> <br /> <i>The Fountain of Youth</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Old Chief Wisamek, of the Kittochtinny Indians, -had lost his spouse. He was close to sixty years -of age, which was old for a redman, especially -one who had led the hard life of a warrior, exposed to -all kinds of weather, fasts and forced marches. Though -he felt terribly lonely and depressed in his state of -widowerhood, the thought of discarding the fidelity of -the eagle, which, if bereaved, never takes a second -mate, and was the noble bird he worshipped, seemed -repugnant to him until he happened to see the fair and -buxom maid Annapalpeteu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was rheumatic, walking with difficulty; he tired -easily, was fretful, all sure signs of increasing age; but -what upset him most was the sight of his reflection in -his favorite pool, a haggard, weazened, wrinkled face, -with a nose like the beak of an eagle, and glazed eyes as -colorless as clay. When he opened his mouth the reflected -image seemed to be mostly toothless, the lips -were blue and thin. He had noticed that he did not -need to pluck the hairs from his skull any more to give -prominence to his warrior’s top-knot; the proud <a id='corr298.23'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='tufts'>tuft</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_298.23'><ins class='correction' title='tufts'>tuft</ins></a></span> -itself was growing sparse and weak; to keep it erect he -was now compelled to braid it with hair from a buffalo’s -tail.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brave warrior that he was, he hated to pay his court -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>to the lovely Annapalpeteu when on all sides he saw -stalwart, six-foot youths, masses of sinews and muscle, -clear-eyed, firm-lipped, always ambitious and high-spirited, -more suited to be her companions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But one afternoon he saw his copper-colored love -sitting by the side of the Bohundy Creek, beating maize -in a wooden trough. Her entire costume consisted of a -tight petticoat of blue cloth, hardly reaching to the -knees, and without any ruffles. Her cheeks and forehead -were neatly daubed with red. She seemed very -well content with her coadjutor, a bright young fellow, -who, except for two wild cat hides appropriately distributed, -was quite as naked as the ingenuous beauty. -That <a id='corr299.14'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Annapalpeteau'>Annapalpeteu</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_299.14'><ins class='correction' title='Annapalpeteau'>Annapalpeteu</ins></a></span> had a cavalier was now certain, -and immediately it rankled what flames remained in his -jaded body; he must have her at any cost.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Down by the Conadogwinet, across the Broad Mountain, -lived Mbison, a wise man. Old Wisamek would -go there and consult him, perhaps obtain from him -some potion to permanently restore at least a few of -the fires of his lost youth. Though his will power had -been appreciably slackening of late years, he acted with -alacrity on the idea of visiting the soothsayer. Before -sundown he was on his way to the south, accompanied -by several faithful henchmen. Carrying a long ironwood -staff, he moved on with unwonted agility; it was -very dark, and the path difficult to follow, when he -finally consented to bivouac for the night. The next -morning found him so stiff that he could hardly clamber -to his feet. His henchmen assisted him, though -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>they begged him to rest for a day. But his will forced -him on; he wanted to be <a id='corr300.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='verile'>virile</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_300.2'><ins class='correction' title='verile'>virile</ins></a></span> and win the beautiful -<a id='corr300.3'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Annapalpateu'>Annapalpeteu</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_300.3'><ins class='correction' title='Annapalpateu'>Annapalpeteu</ins></a></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The journey, which consumed a week, cost the aged -Strephon a world of effort. But as he had been -indefatigable in his youth, he was determined to reach -the wise man’s headquarters walking like a warrior, and -not carried there on a litter like an old woman. Bravely -he forged ahead, his aching joints paining miserably, -until at length he came in sight of his Promised Land.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The soothsayer, who had been apprised of his coming -by a dream, was in front of his substantial lodge-house -to greet him. Seldom had he received a more distinguished -client than Wisamek, so he welcomed him with -marked courtesy and deference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the first formalities, the old chief, who had -restrained himself with difficulty, asked how he could -be restored to a youthful condition, so that he could -rightfully marry a beautiful maiden of eighteen summers. -The wise man, who had encountered similar -supplicants in the past, informed him that the task was -a comparatively easy one. It would involve, however, -however, first drinking the waters of the Warm -Springs (in what is now Perry County), then another -journey across mountains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wisamek shouted for joy when he heard these words, -and impatiently demanded where he would have to go -to be finally restored to youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Across many high mountain ranges, across many -broad valleys, across many swift streams, through a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>country covered with dark forests and filled with wild -beasts, to the northwest of here, is a wonderful cavern. -In it rises a deep stream of greenish color, clear as -crystal, the fountain of youth. At its heading you will -find a very old man, Gamunk, who knows the formula. -Give him this talisman, and he will allow you to bathe -in the marvelous waters and be young again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With the final words he handed Wisamek a red -bear’s tooth, on which was cleverly carved the form -of an athletic youth. The old chief’s hands trembled -so much that he almost dropped the precious fetich. -But he soon recovered his self-control and thanked the -wise man. Then he ordered his henchmen to give the -soothsayer gifts, which they did, loading him with -beads, pottery, wampum and rare furs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Despite the invitation to remain until he was completely -rested, Wisamek determined to depart at once -for the warm springs and the fountain of youth. He -drank the warm water copiously, enjoying the beautiful -surroundings at the springs. He was so stimulated by -his high hope and the mineral waters that he climbed -the steep ridges, crossed the turbulent streams and put -up with the other inconveniences of the long march -much better than might have been the case. During -the entire journey he sang Indian love songs, strains -which had not passed his lips in thirty years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His followers, gossiping among themselves, declared -that he looked better already. Perhaps he would not -have to bathe in the fountain after all. He might resume -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>his youth, because he willed it so. Indians were -strong believers in the power of mind over matter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he reached the vicinity of the cave he was -fortunate enough to meet the aged Indian who was its -guardian. Though his hair was snow white and he -said he was so old that he had lost count of the years, -Gamunk’s carriage was erect, his complexion smooth, -his eyes clear and kindly. He walked along with a -swinging stride, very different from Wisamek’s mental -picture of him. The would-be bridegroom, who -handed him the talisman, was quick to impart his mission -to his new-found friend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is true,” he replied, “after a day and a night’s -immersion in the cave’s water you will emerge with all -the appearance of youth. There is absolutely no doubt -of it. Thousands have been here before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With these reassuring words Wisamek again leaped -for joy, gyrating like a young brave at a cantico.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The party, accompanied by the old guardian, quickly -arrived at the cave’s main opening, where beneath them -lay stretched the calm, mirror-like expanse of greenish -water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can I begin the bath now?” asked the chief, impatiently. -“I am anxious to throw off the odious appearance -of age.” -“replied the old watchman, who took -him by the hand, leading to the ledge where it was highest -above the water. “Jump off here,” he said quietly. -Wisamek, who had been a great swimmer in his youth -and was absolutely fearless of the water, replied that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>he would do so. “But remember you must remain in -the water without food until this hour tomorrow,” said -the guardian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he leaped into the watery depths the chief shouted -he would remain twice as long if he could be young -again. Wisamek was true to his instructions; there -was too much at stake; he dared not falter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next morning his henchmen were at the cave’s -mouth to greet his reappearance. They were startled to -see, climbing up the ledge with alacrity, a tall and handsome -man, as young looking as themselves. There was -a smile on the full, red lips, a twinkle in the clear eye -of the re-made warrior as he stood among them, physically -a prince among men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The homeward journey was made with rapidity. -Wisamek traveled so fast that he played out his henchmen -who were half his age.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Annapalpeteu, who was seated in front of her parents’ -cabin weaving a garment, noticed a youth of -great physical beauty approaching, at the head of Chief -Wisamek’s clansmen. She wondered who he could be, -as he wore Wisamek’s headdress of feathers of the -osprey or “sea eagle.” When he drew near he saluted -her, and, not giving her time to answer, joyfully shouted: -“Don’t you recognize me? I am your good friend -Wisamek, come back to win your love, after a refreshing -journey through the distant forests.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Annapalpeteu, who was a sensible enough girl to -have admired the great warrior for his prowess, even -though she had never thought of him seriously as a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>lover, was now instantly smitten by his engaging appearance. -The henchmen withdrew, leaving the couple -together. They made marked progress with their romance; -words of love were mentioned before they -parted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not long before the betrothal was announced, -followed shortly by the wedding festival. At the nuptials -the bridegroom’s appearance was the marvel of all -present. It was hinted that he had been somewhere -and renewed his youth, but as the henchmen were -sworn to secrecy, how it had been done was not revealed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young bride seemed radiantly happy. She had -every reason to be; the other Indian maids whispered -from lip to lip, was she not marrying the greatest warrior -and hunter of his generation, the handsomest man -in a hundred tribes? Secretly envied by all of her age, -possessing her stalwart prize, the fair bride started on -her honeymoon, showered with acorns and good wishes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So far as is known the wedding trip passed off blissfully. -There were smiles on the bright faces of both -bride and groom when they returned to their spacious -new lodge-house, which the tribe had erected for them -in their absence, by the banks of the sparkling Bohundy. -But the course of life did not run smoothly -for the pair. Though outwardly Wisamek was the -handsomest and most youthful-looking of men, he was -still an old man at heart. Annapalpeteu was as pleasure-loving -as she was beautiful. She wanted to dance -and sing and mingle with youthful company. She -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>wanted her good time in life; her joy of living was at -its height, her sense of enjoyment at its zenith.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_344.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BLACK BEAR, KILLED IN SUGAR VALLEY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>On the other hand, Wisamek hated all forms of -gaieties or youthful amusements. He wanted to sit -about the lodge-house in the sun, telling of his warlike -triumphs of other days; he wanted to sleep much, he -hated noise and excitement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Annapalpeteu, dutiful wife that she was, tried to -please him, but in due course of time both husband and -wife realized that romance was dying, that they were -drifting apart. Wisamek was even more aware of it -than his wife. It worried him greatly, his dreams were -of an unhappy nature. He pictured the end of the trail, -with his wife, Annapalpeteu, in love with some one else -of her own age, some one whose heart was young. He -had spells of moodiness and irritability, as well as several -serious quarrels with his wife, whom he accused of -caring less for him than formerly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The relations became so strained that life in the -commodious lodge-house was unbearable. At length it -occurred to Wisamek that he might again visit the -fountain of youth, this time to revive his soul. Perhaps -he had not remained in the water long enough to -touch the spirit within. He informed his spouse that -he was going on a long journey on invitation of the war -chief of a distant tribe, and that she must accompany -him. He was insanely jealous of her now. He could -not bear her out of his sight. He imagined she had a -young lover back of every tree, though she was honor -personified.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>The trip was made pleasantly enough, as the husband -was in better spirits than usual. Annapalpeteu enjoyed -the waters of the warm springs, would liked to -have tarried. He thought he saw the surcease of his -troubles ahead of him!</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he reached the Beaver Dam Meadows, at the -foot of Egg Hill, near the site of the present town of -Spring Mills, beautiful level flats which in those days -were a favorite camping ground for the red men, he -requested the beautiful Annapalpeteu to remain there -for a few days, that he was going through a hostile -country, he would not jeopardize her safety. He was -going on an important mission that would make her -love him more than ever when he returned. In reality -no unfriendly Indians were about, but in order to give -a look of truth to his story he left her in charge of a -strong bodyguard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wisamek’s conduct of late had been so peculiar that -his wife was not sorry to see her lord and master go -away. Handsome though he was, a spiritual barrier -had arisen between them which grew more insurmountable -with each succeeding day. Yet, on this occasion, -when he was out of her sight, she felt apprehensive -about him. She had a strange presentiment that she -would never see him again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wisamek was filled with hopes; his spirits had never -been higher, as he strode along, followed by his henchmen. -When he reached the top of the path which led -to the mouth of the enchanted cave he met old Gamunk, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>the guardian. The aged redman expressed surprise at -seeing him again.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr307.3'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='I have'>“I have</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_307.3'><ins class='correction' title='I have'>“I have</ins></a></span> come for a very peculiar reason,” he said. -“The bath which I took last year outwardly made me -young, but only <em>outwardly</em>. Within I am as withered -and joyless as a centenarian. I want to bathe once -more, to try to revive the old light in my soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gamunk shook his head. “You may succeed; I -hope you will. I never heard of any one daring to take -a second bath in these waters. The tradition of the -hereditary guardians, of whom I am the hundredth in -direct succession, has it that it would be fatal to take a -second immersion, especially to remain in the water for -twenty-four hours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he asked Wisamek for the talisman which gave -him the right to bathe. Wisamek drew himself up -proudly, and, with a gesture of his hand indicating disdain, -said he had no talisman, that he would bathe anyhow. -He advanced to the brink and plunged in. Until -the same hour the next day he floated and paddled -about the greenish depths, filled with expectancy. For -some reason it seemed longer this time than on the previous -visit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At last, by the light which filtered down through the -treetops at the cave’s mouth, he knew that the hour -had come for him to emerge–emerge as Chief Wisamek–young -in heart as in body. Proudly he grasped the -rocky ledge and swung himself out on dry land. He -arose to his feet. His head seemed very light and -giddy. He fancied he saw visions of his old conquests, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>old loves. There was the sound of music in the air. -Was it the martial drums, played to welcome the conqueror, -or the wind surging through the feathery tops -of the maple and linden trees at the mouth of the cave? -He started to climb the steep path. He seemed to be -treading the air. Was it the buoyant steps of youth -come again? He seemed to float rather than walk. -The sunlight blinded his eyes. Suddenly he had a -flash of normal consciousness. He dropped to the -ground with a thud like an old pine falling. Then all -was blackness, silence. Jaybirds complaining in the -treetops alone broke the stillness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His bodyguards, who were waiting for him at old -Gamunk’s lodge-house, close to where the hotel now -stands, became impatient at his non-appearance, as the -hour was past. Accompanied by the venerable watchman -they started down the path. To their horror they -saw the dead body of a hideous, wrinkled old man, all -skin and bones, like a desiccated mummy, lying stretched -out across it, a few steps from the entrance to the cave. -When they approached closely they noticed several familiar -tattoo marks on the forehead, which identified -the body as that of their late master, Wisamek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Frightened lest they would be accused of his murder, -and shocked by his altered appearance, the bodyguards -turned and took to their heels. They disappeared in -the trackless forests to the north and were never seen -again.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>Old Gamunk, out of pity for the vain-glorious chieftain, -buried the remains by the path near where he fell. -As for poor Annapalpeteu, the beautiful, she waited -patiently for many days by the Beaver Dam, but her -waiting was in vain. At length, concluding that he had -been slain in battle in some valorous encounter, she -started for her old home on the Bohundy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is related that on the way she met and married a -warrior of her own age, living happily ever afterwards -in a comfortable cabin somewhere in the majestic -Bower Mountains. In him she found the loving response, -the congeniality of pleasures which had been -denied the dried, feeble soul of Wisamek, who bathed -too often in the fountain of youth.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id015'> -<img src='images/i_350.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XXIII</span> <br /> <i>Compensations</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It seemed that Andrew McMeans and Oscar Wellendorf -were born to be engaged in <a id='corr310.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='rivarly'>rivalry</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_310.4'><ins class='correction' title='rivarly'>rivalry</ins></a></span>, although -judging by their antecedents, the former -was in a class beyond, McMeans being well-born, of -old Scotch-Irish stock, a valuable asset on the Allegheny. -Wellendorf, of Pennsylvania Dutch origin, of -people coming from one of the eastern counties, was -consequently rated much lower socially, had much more -to overcome in the way of life’s obstacles. The boys -were almost of school age; Wellendorf, if anything, -was a month or two older. In school in Hickory Valley -neither was a brilliant scholar, but they were evenly -matched, and although not aspiring to lead their -classes, felt a keen rivalry between one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When school days were over, and they took to rafting -as the most obvious occupation in the locality, their -rivalries as to who could run a fleet quickest to Pittsburg, -and come back for another, was the talk of the -river. In love it was not different, and despite the -talk in McMean’s family that he should marry Anna -McNamor, daughter of his father’s life-long friend, -Tabor McNamor, the girl showed an open preference -for Oscar Wellendorf.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old Scotch-Irish families were, as the London -Times said in commenting on some of the characteristics -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>of the late Senator Quay (inherited from his -mother, born Stanley) “clannish to degree,” and -Anna’s “people” were equally anxious that she marry -one of her own stock, and not ally herself with the -despised and socially insignificant “Dutch”. Old -Grandmother McClinton called attention to the fact -that the headstrong beauty was not without a strain -of “Dutch” blood herself, for her great, great grandmother -had been none other than the winsome Madelon -Ury, a Swiss-Huguenot girl of Berks County, who, -when surprised in the field hoeing corn by a blood-thirsty -Indian, had dropped her hoe and taken to her -heels. She ran so fast over the soft ground that she -would have escaped her moccasined pursuer had she -not taken time to cross a stone fence. This gave the -red man the chance to throw his tomahawk, striking -her in the neck, and she fell face downward over the -wall. Just as her foe was overtaking her, Martin -McClinton, a sword maker from Lancaster, who was -passing along the Shamokin trail en route to deliver a -sabre to Colonel Conrad Weiser, at Heidelberg, rushed -to her rescue and shot down the Indian, so that he fell -dead across his fair victim.</p> - -<p class='c001'>McClinton extricated the tomahawk from her neck, -bound up the wound with his own neckerchief and carried -her to her parent’s home, near the Falling Springs. -He remained until the wound healed, when he married -her. Later the pair migrated west of the Alleghenies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Madelon McClinton was very dark, with an oval face -and aquiline features, possibly having had a strain of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>Pennsylvania Jewish blood to account for her brunette -type of beauty. She always wore a red scarf wrapped -about her neck, being proud and sensitive of the ugly -long white scar left by the Indian’s weapon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This ancestress, so Grandmother McClinton thought, -was responsible for Anna’s affinity for the rather prosaic -Dutchman Wellendorf. Although the girl was -open in her preference for Oscar, she did not make a -decision as to matrimony for some time. When Wellendorf -was absent, she was nicer to McMeans than -anyone else. However, if Oscar appeared on the -scene, she had eyes and ears for no other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On one <a id='corr312.13'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='occaison'>occasion</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_312.13'><ins class='correction' title='occaison'>occasion</ins></a></span> when the two young men started -down the river on their rafts, proudly standing at the -steering oars in the rear, for the Allegheny pilots rode -at the back of the rafts, whereas those on the Susquehanna -were always at the front. Anna was at the -water’s edge, under a huge buttonwood tree–or, as -Wellendorf called it in the breezy vernacular of the -<a id='corr312.20'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Pennslvania'>Pennsylvania</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_312.20'><ins class='correction' title='Pennslvania'>Pennsylvania</ins></a></span> Dutch, a “wasserpitcher”–and waved a -red kerchief impartially at both.</p> - -<p class='c001'>McMean’s raft on this trip was of “pig iron”, that -is unpeeled hemlock logs, as heavy as lead, and became -submerged when he had only gotten as far as the mouth -of French Creek. He had to run ashore to try and -devise ways and means to save it from sinking altogether, -while Wellendorf floated along serenely on -his raft of white pine, and was to Pittsburg and back -home before McMeans ever reached the “Smoky City.” -“John C. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>French tells us, "White Pine (pinus strobus) was -King, and his dusky Queen was a beautiful Wild -Cherry, lovely as Queen Alliquippa of the redmen. -Rafting lumber from Warren County began about -1800, and it reached its maximum in the decade, 1830 -to 1840. The early history of Warren County abounds -in very interesting incidents, along the larger Allegheny -River, from rafts of pine lumber assembled to -couple up for Pittsburg fleets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"After the purchase of Louisiana, in 1804, the hardy -lumbermen decided to extend their markets for pine -beyond Pittsburg, Wheeling, Cincinnati and Louisville–to -go, in fact, to New Orleans with pine and -cherry lumber. So large boats were built in the winter -of 1805 and 1806 at many mills. Seasoned lumber -of the best quality was loaded into the flat boats -and they untied on April 1, 1806, for the run of two -thousand miles, bordered by forests to the river’s edge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"It was in defiance to ‘All Fools’ Day’, but they -went through and sold both lumber and boats. For -clear pine lumber, $40.00 was the price per one thousand -feet received at New Orleans–just double the -Pittsburg price at that date. For three years thereafter -the mills of Warren County sent boats to New -Orleans loaded with lumber, and the men returned on -foot. Joseph Mead, Abraham Davis and John Watt -took boats through in 1807, coming back via Philadelphia -on coastal sailing ships.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The pilots and men returned by river boats or on -foot, as they best could. The markets along the Ohio -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>from Pittsburg to St. Louis soon took all the lumber -from the Allegheny mills, and the longer trips were -gladly discontinued.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"It was in 1850 that there came the first lumber -famine at Pittsburg. Owing to the low price of lumber -and an unfavorable winter for the forest work, -few rafts of lumber and board timber went down the -Allegheny on the spring freshets, but the November -floods brought one hundred rafts that sold for more -favorable prices than had previously prevailed. Clear -pine lumber sold readily for $18.00 and common pine -lumber for $9.00 per one thousand feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The renown of these prices stimulated lumbering -on the Allegheny headwaters and the larger creeks. So -the demand for lumber was supplied and the railroads -soon began to bring lumber from many sawmills. -The board timber was hewed on four sides, so there -were only five inches of wane on each of the four -corners. These rafts of round-square timber were sold -by square feet to Pittsburg sawmills.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Rafts of pine boards at headwater mills were made -up of platforms, 16 feet square and from 18 to 25 -courses thick, 9 pins or “grubs” holding boards in place -as rafted. Four or five platforms were coupled in -tandem with 3 feet “cribs” at each joint, making an -elastic piece 73 feet or 92 feet long for a 4 or 5 platform -piece as the case might be, 10 feet wide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"At Larrabee or at Millgrove four of these pieces -were coupled into a Warren fleet, 32 feet wide, 149 -feet or 187 feet long.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>"Four Warren pieces or fleets were put together at -Warren to make up a Pittsburg fleet. At Pittsburg -four or more Pittsburg fleets were coupled to make -an Ohio River fleet. Some became very large, often -covering nearly two acres of surface, containing about -1,500,000 feet of lumber at <a id='corr315.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>Cincinnatti</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_315.6'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>Cincinnatti</ins></a></span> or at Louisville. -They each had a hut for sheltering the men -and for cooking their food. They often ran all night -on the Ohio. To find where the shore was on a very -dark night, the men would throw potatoes, judging -from the sound how far away the river bank was and -of their safe or dangerous position. These men were -of rugged bodies and of daring minds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"A small piece, in headwaters and creeks, had an oar -or sweep at each end of the piece to steer the raft with. -Each oar usually had two men to pull it. An oar-stem -was from 28 to 35 feet long, 8″ by 8″, and tapered -to 4″ by 4″, shaved to round hand-hold near the end -toward center of raft. The oar blade was 12′, 14′ -or 16′ long, and 18″ to 20″ wide, a pine plank, 4″ -thick at the oar-stem socket, and 1″ thick at the out-end, -tapered its whole length.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"There were other sizes of stem and blade, but the -above indicates the power that guided a raft of lumber -along the flood-tides, crooked streams, and over a -dozen mill dams to the broader river below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"From the Allegheny boats or scows, 30 feet long -and 11 feet wide, carried loads of baled hay, butter, -eggs and other farm produce to the oil fields of -Venango County in the ’60’s, sold there and took oil -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>in barrels to the refinery at Pittsburg. Then sold the -scows to carry coal or goods down the Ohio.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Mr. Westerman built five boats at Roulette about -1870, 40 feet long and 12 feet wide, loaded them -with lumber and shingles and started for Pittsburg, -but the boats were too long for the dams and broke -up at Burtville, the first dam.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Much of the pine timber of the west half of Potter -county was cut in sawlogs and sent to mills at -Millgrove and Weston’s in log drives down the river -and Oswayo Creek into the State of New York. The -lumber was shipped via the Genesee Valley Canal to -Albany and New York City and other points on the -Hudson River.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The first steamboat to steam up the river from -Warren was in 1830. It was built by Archibald Tanner, -Warren’s first merchant, and David Dick and -others of Meadville. It was built in Pittsburg; the -steamer was called Allegheny. It went to Olean, returned -and went out of commission.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"The late Major D. W. C. James furnished the incident -of the Allegheny voyage. A story was told by -James Follett regarding the trip of the Allegheny -from Warren, which illustrates the lack of speed of -steamboats on the river at that early day.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"While the steamer was passing the Indian reservation, -some twenty odd miles above Warren, the famous -chief, Cornplanter, paddled his canoe out to the vessel -and actually paddled his small craft up stream and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>around the Allegheny, the old chief giving a vigorous -war hoop as he accomplished the proud feat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Chief Cornplanter, alias John O’Bail, first took his -young men to Clarion County, about 1795, to learn -the method of lumbering, and in 1796 he built a sawmill -on Jenneseedaga Creek, later named Cornplanter -Run, in Warren County, and rafted lumber down the -<a id='corr317.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Allehgeny'>Allegheny</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_317.8'><ins class='correction' title='Allehgeny'>Allegheny</ins></a></span> to Pittsburg for many years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"Many tributary streams, such as Clarion, Tionesta -and Oswayo, contributed rafts each year to make up -the fleets that descended the Allegheny River from -1796 to 1874, our rafting days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>"We must mention the Hotel Boyer, on the -Duquesne Way, on the Allegheny River bank, near the -“Point” at Pittsburg, where the raftsmen and the lumbermen -foregathered, traded, ate and drank together, -after each trip. Indians were good pilots, but must -be kept sober on the rafts. ‘Bootleggers’ along the -river often ran boats out to the rafts and relieved the -droughty crews by dispensing bottles of ‘red-eye’ -from the long tops of the boots they wore."</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of the big trees in the Allegheny country, Dr. J. T. -Rothrock, “Father of Pennsylvania Forestry,” has -said: "About 1860, when I was with a crew surveying -the line for the Sunbury & Erie Railroad, we had -some difficulty in getting away from a certain location. -A preliminary line came in conflict with an enormous -original white pine tree, and the transitman -shouted ‘cut down that tree’. After it was felled -another nearby was found to be in the way, and was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>ordered out. The stump of the first tree, four feet -above the ground measured 6 feet, 3 inches in diameter; -of the second tree a trifle over 6 feet. Such was -the wastefulness of the day."</p> - -<p class='c001'>As soon as Oscar returned he saw Anna forthwith. -She was in a particularly pliant mood, and in response -to his direct question if she would marry him, replied -she would, and the couple boarded the train at Warren -for Buffalo City, where they were married.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Andrew McMeans came back from his protracted -expedition they were already home from their -honeymoon, and residing with the elder McNamors in -the big brick house, overlooking the Bend. Andrew -McMeans felt his jilting deeply; it was the first time -that any real disappointment had come in the twenty-one -years of his life; he had imagined that, despite -her predilection for Wellendorf, he would yet win -her, and his pride as well as his heart was lacerated. -Outwardly he revealed little, but inwardly a peculiar -melancholy such as he had never felt before overcame -him, and like Lincoln, after the death of Ann -Rutledge, he realized that he must either “die or get -better.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Anna seemed happy enough in her new life, and -liked to flaunt her devotion to Oscar whenever her -rejected lover was about. Ordinarily this might have -wounded him still deeper, but he was absorbing fresh -anxieties, reading Herbert Spencer, whose abominable -agnosticism soon wrecked his faith, and bereft of love -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>and the solace of immortality, he became the most -wretched of men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was five years after Anna’s elopement, and when -she was twenty-one years old, that one morning she -started for Endeavor to get the mail and make some -purchases at the country store. It was a cold, raw -day in the early spring, and the wild pigeons were -flying. The beechwoods on both sides of the road -were alive with gunners, old and young. Some one -fired a shot which hurtled close to the nose of the -old roan family horse, a track horse in his day, and -he took the bit in his teeth and ran away madly, with -the buggy careening after him. Anna, standing up in -the vehicle, was sawing on the lines until he crashed -into a big ash tree and fractured the poor girl’s skull. -She was picked up by some of the hunters and carried -home <a id='corr319.17'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>unconscious the</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_319.17'><ins class='correction' title='sic'>unconscious the</ins></a></span> next thing was to get the -news to her husband. Oscar at that time had just -finished a raft on West Hickory Creek, while his old -time rival, McMeans, was completing one on East -Hickory, which stream flowed into “The Beautiful -River”, almost directly opposite to the West Hickory -Run.</p> - -<p class='c001'>About the moment that Anna received her cruel -death stroke, the two rafts were being launched simultaneously, -with much cheering on both banks, for partisanship -ran high among dwellers on either side of -the river. Members of the family hurried to the -river side to watch for the Wellendorf raft, to “head -him off” before it was too late. It was several hours -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>after the accident when the two rival rafts, with the -stalwart young pilots <a id='corr320.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='a'>at</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_320.2'><ins class='correction' title='a'>at</ins></a></span> the sterns, swept around the -Bend, traveling “nip and tuck”. It promised to be an -evenly matched race, barring accidents, clear to Pittsburg. -The skippers of the contending yachts for the -American Cup could not have been more enthused for -their races than were Andrew McMeans and Oscar -Wellendorf.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In front of the McNamor homestead several women -were to be seen running up and down the grassy sward, -<a id='corr320.11'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='frantially'>frantically</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_320.11'><ins class='correction' title='frantially'>frantically</ins></a></span> waving red and green shawls. What could -they mean? They were so vehement that Oscar -divined something was wrong, and steered ashore, followed -by McMeans, who, noting the absence of Anna -from the signaling <a id='corr320.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='part'>party</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_320.15'><ins class='correction' title='part'>party</ins></a></span>, feared that a mishap had -befallen her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both young men jumped ashore almost simultaneously, -leaving their rafts to their helpers. The worst -had happened–Anna was in the house with a fractured -skull, and the <a id='corr320.20'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='dotors'>doctors</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_320.20'><ins class='correction' title='dotors'>doctors</ins></a></span> said she could not live the -night. If anything, McMeans turned the paler of -the two. The men said little as they followed the -women up the boardwalk to the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night McMeans, who asked to be allowed to -remain until the <a id='corr320.25'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='outome'>outcome</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_320.25'><ins class='correction' title='outome'>outcome</ins></a></span> of the case, for the river had -lost its attractions, was sitting in the kitchen with -Grandmother McClinton. The raw air had blown -itself into a gale after sundown, and during the night -the fierce wind beat about the eaves and corners of the -house like an avenging fury. The old tall clock, made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>years before by John Vanderslice, of Reading, on -top of which was a stuffed Colishay, or gray fox, with -an uncommonly fine brush, was striking twelve. Amid -the storm a wailing voice joined in the din, incessantly, -so that there was no mistaking it, the Warning of the -McClintons.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_362.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>RUINS OF FORT BARNET. BUILT IN 1740. (Photograph Taken 1895.)</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The old grandmother watched <a id='corr321.7'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='McMeans'>McMeans’</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_321.7'><ins class='correction' title='McMeans'>McMeans’</ins></a></span> face until -she saw that he understood. Then she nodded to him. -"It is strange how that thing has followed the McClinton -family for hundreds of years. In Scotland it was -their ‘Caointeach’, in Ireland their ‘Banshee’, in Pennsylvania -their ‘Token’ or ‘Warning’. It never fails."</p> - -<p class='c001'>As McMeans listened to the terrible shrieks of -anguish, which sometimes drowned the storm, he shivered -with pity for the lost soul out there in the cold, -giving the death message, so melancholy and sad, and -perhaps unwillingly. Anna lay upstairs in her room, -facing the river, or windward side of the house, and -the Warning was evidently somewhere below her window, -where the water in waves like the sea, was -over-running the banks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On a kitchen chair still lay a red Paisley shawl that -had been used to signal to Wellendorf earlier in the -day. It seemed ample and warm. Picking it up, -McMeans went to the kitchen door, which he opened -with some effort in the force of the gale, and, walking -around the house, laid it on one of the benches at the -front door, saying, “Put on this shawl, and come around -to the leeward side of the house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he returned, he said to Grandmother McClinton, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>“That Token’s voice touched me somehow tonight. -Something tells me she hated her task, is cold -and miserable. I left the shawl on the front porch -and told her to come out of the wind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After that they both noticed that the unhappy wailings -ceased, there was nothing that vied with the storm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps you have laid her,” said Grandmother -McClinton. “Anna may now pull through.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But these words were barely out of her mouth, when -Oscar Wellendorf, pale as a ghost, appeared in the -kitchen to say that Anna had just passed away. -Andrew felt her death keenly, but he was also satisfied -that perhaps he had by an act of kindness, removed -the Warning of the McClintons. He was more convinced -when a year later Anna’s father joined the -majority, then her mother, with no visits from the -mournful-voiced Warning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Five years more rolled around, and Andrew -McMeans, still unmarried, and cherishing steadfastly -the memory of his beloved Anna, embarked his fleet -for Pittsburg. It was a morning in the early spring, -the air was soft and warm, and the shad flies were flitting -about. He arrived in safety, but was some time -collecting his money, as he was dealing with a scamp, -and meanwhile put up at a boarding house on the river -front, near the Hotel Boyer. The afternoon after his -arrival he was sitting on the porch of his lodgings, gazing -out at the rushing, swirling river, which ran bank -full, on a bench similar in all ways to the one on -which he had laid the shawl to warm the freezing back -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>of the Warning of the McClintons. Somehow he fell -to thinking about that ghost, and its disappearance, and -of Anna McNamor; how much he would give if only -he could see her again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He recalled how the old grandmother had told him -that some families married out of the Warning, while -others married into it, much as he had heard was the -case with the Assembly Ball in Philadelphia. The -McClinton Warning had evidently clung to the female -line, as it had been very much in evidence when Anna -McNamor’s time had come.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Something made him look up the street. Coming -slowly towards him was a slender school girl, with a -little green hat perched on her head, the living image -of Anna, dead for five years! He almost fell off -the bench in surprise, to note the same slim oval face, -the aquiline features, and hazel eyes that he had known -and loved so well. She paused for a moment in front -of the house next door, holding her school books in her -arms, while she looked out at the raging river. The -spring breezes blowing her short skirts showed her slim -legs encased in light brown worsted stockings. Then -she went indoors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It did not take him long to seek his landlady and -learn that she was a flesh and blood, sure enough girl, -Anna Harbord by name, whose mother, widow of Mike -Harbord, an old time riverman, also ran a boarding -house. It was not many days before some errand -brought the girl to the house where McMeans was stopping, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>and matters fortuitously adjusted themselves so -that he met her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was struck by her similarity to the dead girl, even -the tones of her voice, and it seemed strange she should -have such a counterpart. She appeared friendly disposed -towards him from the start, and it was like a -compensation sent after all his years of disappointment -and loneliness. She was then sixteen years old, and -must have been eleven when her “double” passed away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As their acquaintance grew into love, and all seemed -so serene, as if it was to be, Andrew McMeans gradually -regaining his faith, human and divine, felt he -owed his happiness to the Warning of the McClintons’, -whose misery he had appeased by taking the cloak out -to her, while engaged in her disagreeable duty of fortelling -the coming dissolution of the unfortunate girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>McMeans and Anna Harbord married. They decided -to remain in Pittsburg, and he became in a few -years a successful and respected business man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>If few persons had been kind to ghosts, certainly -he had profited by his interest in the welfare of the -“Warning of the McClintons”. The girl’s mother informed -him that in the early spring, about five years -before, her daughter had been seized with a cataleptic -attack, had laid for days unconscious, and when she -came out of it, her entire personality, even the color of -her eyes, had changed. Could it have been, the young -husband often thought, as he sat gazing at his bride -with undisguised admiration, some act of the grateful -“Warning,” in sending Anna McNamor’s soul to enter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>the body of this girl in Pittsburg, and reserving her for -him, safe and sound from Wellendorf and all harm, -until his travels brought her across his path! Human -personality, he reasoned, is merely a means to an end. -The unfinished life of Anna McNamor could not go -on, like a flower unfolding, until her fragrance had -been spent on the one who needed it most. Then he -would shudder at the idea that if the school girl, who -stopped to look at the flooded river, had started on -again, passing him by, never to see her again. He -would feel that he had been dreaming perhaps, until, -touching his wife’s soft creamy cheeks, would realize -that she was actually there, and his.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Through her his soul took on new light, and from a -vigorous young woodsman, he was slowly but surely -passing into an intellectual existence. He had been -strangely favored by the mainsprings of destiny, and -why should he not give the world all that was best in -him. Life, ruthless though it seems, has always compensations, -and if we live rightly and truly, the debt -will be owing us, whereas most of us through mistakes -and misdeeds, have a great volume of retribution coming -in an inevitable sequence.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XXIV</span> <br /> <i>A Misunderstanding</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It was the night before Christmas in the little -mountain church near Wolfe’s Store. The small, -low-roofed, raftered chapel was illumined as brightly -as coal oil lamps in the early stage of their development -could do it; a hemlock tree, decked out with candles -and tinsel stood to one side of the altar, an almost -red-hot ten-plate stove on the other, while the chancel -and rafters were twined and garlanded with ground -pine and ilex, or winter berries. In one of the rear -pews sat a very good looking young couple, a former -school teacher revisiting the valley, and his favorite -pupil. Lambert Girtin and Elsie Vanneman were their -names.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man, who was a veteran of the Civil War, -possessed the right to wear the Congressional medal, -and while teaching at the little red school house on the -pike near the road leading to Gramley’s Gap, had noticed -and admired the fair Elsie, so different from the -rest of his flock. She was the daughter of a prosperous -lumberman, a jobber in hardwoods, and her mother -was above the average in intelligence and breeding, yet -Elsie in all ways transcended even her parents.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She had seemed like a mere child when he left her at -the close of the term the previous Christmas, but he -could not evict her image from his soul. It was mainly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>to see her, though he would have admitted this to no -one, that induced him to revisit the remote valley during -the following holiday season. The long drive in the -stage through drifted roads had seemed nothing to him, -he was so elated at the thought of reviving old memories -at the sight of this most beloved of pupils.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order not to arouse any one’s suspicions, he did no -more than to inquire how she was at the general store -and boarding house where he stopped.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You would never know her,” exclaimed old Mother -Wolfe, the landlady. “Why, she’s a regular young -lady, grown a head taller,” making a gesture with her -hand to denote her increased stature.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On Christmas Eve there was to be the usual entertainment -at the Union Church, and Lambert Girtin -posted himself outside the entrance to wait for the object -of his dreams. The snow was drifted deep, and it -was bitterly cold, yet social events were so rare in the -mountains that almost every one braved the icy blasts -to be present. It was not long before he was rewarded -by a sight of Elsie Vanneman. It <em>was</em> remarkable how -tall she’d grown! As he expressed it to himself, “An -opening bud became a rose full-blown” in one short -year!</p> - -<p class='c001'>She of course recognized him, and greeted him -warmly, and they entered the church together. Inside -by the lamplight he had a better chance to study her -appearance more in detail than by the cold starlight on -the church steps. She had grown until she was above -the middle height, yet had literally taken her figure and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>her grace with her. She was slender, yet shapely, -dainty and graceful in the extreme. Her violet eyes -were even more deeply pensive than of yore, her cheeks -were pink and white, her lips red and slightly full. Her -hair was a golden or coppery brown, and shone like -those precious metals in the reflected light of the lamps -and the stove; the slight upward turn of her nose still -remained.</p> - -<p class='c001'>How demure, earnest and sincere she was! In the -intervening year he had never seen her like in Bellefonte, -Altoona or Pittsburg. She seemed to be happy -to be with him again, minus the restraint existing between -a pupil and teacher. Instinctively their fingers -touched, and they held hands during most of the evening.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Towards the end of the sermon, which was long and -loud, and gave the young couple plenty of opportunity -to advance their love making unnoticed, Girtin whispered -to her: “Have you an escort home, dear Elsie?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The answer was a hesitating “Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man felt his heart give a jolt, then almost -stop throbbing, and an instant hatred of some unknown -rival made his blood boil furiously. How could -she act that way? She had, even as his pupil, been -indifferent to all of the opposite sex except him, and -during the period of their separation her sprightly -letters had borne evidence of tender sentiments, to the -utter exclusion of all others. Had he not believed in -her, he would not have taken that long journey back -into the mountains, that many might have been glad to -quit for good. Her beauty and her grace had haunted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>him, and he had determined to wed her, until this sign -of duplicity had been sprung on him. Of course she -did not know he was coming, and had made the fatal -arrangements before; yet, if she cared for him as he -did for her, she would not be making engagements with -the boys, especially at her tender age.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He tried to console himself by noticing a shade of -regret flit over her blushing face after she said the -fateful words, but until the close of services he was ill -at ease and scarcely opened his mouth. At the benediction -he managed to stammer “Good evening,” and was -out of the church in the frosty starlight night before -any one else.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With long strides he walked up the snowy road ahead -of the crowd who had followed him. The sky was very -clear, and the North Star, “The Three Kings,” or Jacob’s -Rake, Job’s Coffin, and other familiar constellations, -were glimmering on the drifted snow. Instead of observing -the stars, had he looked back he would have -seen that the “escort” she referred to was none other -than a girl friend, Katie Moyer, and both, Elsie in -particular, would have been only too happy to have a -sturdy male companion to see them through the snow -banks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As a result of his disappearance, Elsie was as unhappy -and silent as Girtin had been, as she floundered -about in the drifts. Despite her gentle, sunny nature, -she was decidedly out of sorts when she reached home -at the big white house near the Salt Spring. She gave -monosyllabic answers to her parents in response to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>their queries as to how she had enjoyed the long-looked -for Christmas entertainment. She did not sleep at all -that night, but tossed about the bed, keeping her friend -awake, and on Christmas Day was in a rebellious mood. -Her mother reminded her how ungrateful she was to be -so tearful and sullen in the face of so many blessings -and gifts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was no stage or sleigh out of the valley on -Christmas Day, else Girtin would have departed. He -moped about all day, telling those who asked the matter -that he was ill. Elsie, knowing that he was still in the -valley, hoped up to bedtime that he would at least come -to pay her a brief Christmas call, but supper over, and -no signs of him, she was uncivil to her mother to such -a degree that her friend openly said that she was -ashamed of her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though Katie and she were rooming together, it did -not deter her mother, goaded by the remarks of the -younger children to visit her room while they were -undressing, saying “that she deserved a good dose of -the gad,” and, ordering her to lay face downward on -the bed, administered a good, old-fashioned spanking -with the flax-paddle. After this humiliating chastisement -in the presence of her friend, the unhappy girl -cried and sobbed until morning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a wretched ending for what might have been -a memorable Christmas for Lambert Girtin and Elsie -Vanneman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next morning the young man managed to hire a -cutter and was driven to Bellefonte, leaving the valley -with deep regrets. Through friends in the valley he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>learned afterwards that Elsie had gone as a missionary -to China.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Life ran smoothly in some ways for Lambert Girtin, -for he became uniformly successful as a business man. -The oil excitement was at its height, and he was sent -by a large general supply house in Pittsburg to open a -store in Pithole City, “the Magic City,” to the success -of which he contributed so much that he was given an -interest in the concern.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At heart he was not happy. He could never focus -his attentions on any woman for long, as in the background -he always saw the slender form, the blushing -face, the pansy-like eyes and the copper-brown, wavy -hair of his mountain sweetheart, Elsie Vanneman. Her -loveliness haunted him, and all others paled beside her. -He was in easy circumstances to marry; friends less -opulent were taking wives and building showy homes -with Mansard roofs, along the outskirts of the muddy -main thoroughfare of Pithole City, where landscape -gardening often consisted of charred, blackened pine -stumps and abandoned oil derricks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sometimes, in his <a id='corr331.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='spirtual'>spiritual</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_331.21'><ins class='correction' title='spirtual'>spiritual</ins></a></span> loneliness, he betook himself -to strange companions. One of these was a Chinese -laundryman, a prototype of Bret Harte’s then popular -“Heathen Chinee,” who seemed to be a learned -individual, despite his odd appearance. Girtin, who -had read of the exploits of the Fox sisters and other -exponents of early spiritualism, was unprepared for -the learning and insight possessed by this undistinguished -Celestial.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>Drawn to him at first because he could possibly tell -about conditions in China, where Elsie was supposed -to be, he became gradually more and more absorbed by -the laundryman’s philosophic speculations. The fellow -confided at length that he was married, and had five -children at Tien-Tsin, to whom he was deeply attached. -He would have died of a broken heart to be so far away -from them but for the power he had developed by concentrating -on the image of his native mountains, which -yearning was reciprocated, and at night he claimed that -his spirit was drawn out of his body and “hopped” half -the span of the globe to the side of his loved ones. -There must be something after all in the old Scotch -quotation, “Oh, for my strength, once more to see the -hills.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Girtin expressed a strong desire to be initiated into -these compelling mysteries. In order to cultivate his -psychic sense, the Chinaman induced him to smoke -opium, which, while repellent to Girtin, he undertook -in order to reach his desired object. If he had been a -man of any mental equilibrium, he would have secured -a leave of absence from business and gone to China and -claimed the fair Elsie, if she was still unmarried. He -would not do that because he was still tortured by the -memory of her preferring another at the moment when -his hopes had been highest, yet he wanted to see her, -hoping that he could do so without her knowing it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The results attained were beyond his expectations. -He quickly mastered his soul and “hopped” to the -interior of China. Elsie was there, surrounded by her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>classes; at twenty-one more wondrously lovely and -beautiful than when he had parted from her that frosty -night, with the Dipper and Jacob’s Rake shining so -clearly in the heavens.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though there were many missionaries and foreign -officials who would have courted her, her dignity and -quiet reserve were impenetrable. Was she so because -of the love for the youth who was to escort her home -from church that night, or did she cherish the memory -of her whilom schoolmaster admirer? These were the -thoughts that annoyed him by day, the “hang over” of -his spiritual adventures at night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The opium and the intense mental concentration -were taking a lot out of him. He became sallow and -irritable, and neglected many business opportunities. -One of the head partners of the firm in Pittsburg was -going to Pithole City “to have it out with him,” as the -mountain folks would say. Before he could reach the -scene word was telegraphed that Lambert Girtin, -frightfully altered in appearance, was found dead one -morning in a bunk back of the Charley Wah Laundry -at Pithole.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had no relatives in the town, and his sisters, who -could not come on, telegraphed to bury him in the new -Mount Moriah Cemetery, now all overgrown and -abandoned, like Pithole itself! There could be no -doubt as to his death, as Bill Brewer, just coming into -fame as the “Hick Preacher,” officiated at the obsequies. -So Lambert Girtin was quickly forgotten in -most all quarters. If he was remembered for a time, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>it was in the remote valley in which he had taught -school, and where news of his early demise occasioned -profound regret.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Years <a id='corr334.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='passsed'>passed</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_334.4'><ins class='correction' title='passsed'>passed</ins></a></span>, and Elsie Vanneman, after giving -some of the best years of her life to missionary activities -in various parts of China, resigned her position, in -consequence of a shattered nervous system, caused by -overwork during a great earthquake, where she ministered -to thousands of refugees, and started for home. -Her parents had died while she was in the “Celestial -Kingdom,” but she had a number of brothers and -sisters who were glad to welcome her, and with whom -she planned a round of visits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was only thirty when she returned, a trifle paler -and a few small lines around her mouth, but otherwise -a picture of saintliness and loveliness. One of the first -bits of news she heard on reaching the valley was of the -ignominious end of Lambert Girtin in a Chinese laundryman’s -shack–"a promising career cut short," all -allowed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was shocking to Elsie, as she had dreamed of this -young man nearly every night from a certain period of -her stay in China. She was on the street during the -great quake, and as the earth cracked and swallowed -countless victims, she fancied she saw a European, the -counterpart of Girtin, plunged into the deadly abyss. -She had come home with the intention of learning -definite news of him, and if he was not the earthquake -victim, and still lived, perhaps to renew their old-time -interests.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>She had been so upset by his failure to call, or even -to write, after the Christmas eve at the little country -church, that she had never communicated with him -again. Her dreams had been most vividly realistic, -as if he had been really near to her in China, and she -could not make herself believe that he was dead in -Pithole City, Pennsylvania.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Owing to this piece of bad news, she did not remain -as long in the valley as she had planned, and almost -from the day of her arrival had pined to be back in the -Far East. The valley seemed dull, anyway; saw-mills -were making it as treeless as China; she hated to see -Luther Guisewhite destroy those giant original white -pines, which reared their black-topped spiral heads -along the foot of the mountains on the winter side; the -wild pigeons no longer darkened the sky with their -impressive flights, the flying squirrels were being shot -out in Fulmer’s Sink, near her old home; her parents -were gone–everything was different.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Unsettled and dissatisfied, especially after a visit to -the girl who had accompanied her home on the eventful -Christmas Eve, now the mother of eight handsome -children, she decided to return to China. The vast -herds of buffaloes that had impeded the progress of -her train on her first journey westward were gone. The -Indians who occasionally furnished a touch of color to -the prairie landscape, likewise had disappeared. Civilization -was spreading through the Great West.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She timed her arrival in San Francisco so as to be -there shortly after the <a id='corr335.30'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='arival'>arrival</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_335.30'><ins class='correction' title='arival'>arrival</ins></a></span> of a ship from China, so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>as to go back on its return journey. She would have -several days to wait in the City of the Golden Gate -but it was quaint and picturesque, the time would pass -quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening–she was not afraid, as she knew the -language and customs of the Celestials–she decided to -take a stroll through the famous Chinese Quarter. As -she was walking along, her head down, her mind abstracted -and noticing little, some one touched her on the -arm. Looking around, as if to resent a familiarity, to -her bewilderment she beheld her long-lost friend, Lambert -Girtin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lambert Girtin!” she said, in amazed tones.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Elsie Vanneman–it is surely you?” he replied.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of all people, after all these years! I had been -hearing that you died five years ago in the oil regions -somewhere; what <em>are</em> you doing?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ex-schoolmaster took hold of both of her -hands, there in the crowded, moving throngs of Chinatown, -saying: “I came in from China today, after -what I thought was a hopeless search for you. Years -ago, after our separation, a Chinaman showed me how -to visit China in my dreams, and be close to you. It -took a whole lot of mental concentration, was pulling -me down physically. I kept it up too long, for one -night I dreamed I was in a terrible earthquake. It was -so vivid that my physical as well as my spiritual being -was translated to China, and I found myself there penniless. -But, search as I may, I could not find you. If -I died in the oil regions, it must have been another -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>physical self, shed as a snake does his skin, for the -Lambert Girtin who stands before you is fully alive, -and resolved never to part from you again.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id016'> -<img src='images/i_380.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>JESSE LOGAN, PENNSYLVANIA INDIAN CHIEF<br /><span class='small'>(Photograph Taken 1915 by P. C. Hockenberry)</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Old memories came to Elsie Vanneman, conquering -her fears, and her face flushed as in schoolgirl days: -"You speak of our ‘separation’–pray, tell me more -about it; why did you leave me so abruptly and run -away that Christmas Eve after meeting? I could never -understand why you did not even come to wish me a -‘Merry Christmas’ the next day. Why didn’t you ever -write me a line? What did I do to merit such neglect?"</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What did <em>you</em> do?” replied Girtin, drawing her aside -from the passing stream of pig-tailed humanity into a -shadowy doorway. “It doesn’t seem very serious now, -but it hurt me a whole lot at the time. You told me you -had an engagement with some one to see you in from -church, and I was angry and jealous, for I had been -imagining that your thoughts had only been of me, -that you cared for no one else.” -“replied the girl with alacrity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Girtin turned as pale as death; his sufferings, mental -and physical, his wanderings, physical and actual, his -wasted years, all had been caused by a misunderstanding. -He was at a loss for words for some time, but he held -on to Elsie’s hands, looking into her beautiful, ethereal -face, the vari-colored light of a Chinese lantern shining -down on her coppery-gold hair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you care for me at all, <em>now</em>?” he said, at length.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>“Yes, I think I do; I must, or I would not have -came back all the way from China to hunt <em>you</em>,” she -answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then we have both suffered,” he said, sadly. “What -shall we do now?” -“she said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s where I want to go,” he replied, “if I can -ever live down that dying story in Pithole City.” -“said Elsie. "There was a case -in our valley of a soldier reported as killed at Gettysburg; -they sent his body home, began paying his widow -a pension; she married a former sweetheart, and then, -worse than ‘Enoch Arden,’ he appeared as if from the -grave. He had no explanations to make, and our mountain -people asked no questions, all having faith in supernatural -things. Neither will I ask any of you. I have -seen too much in the east to make me disbelieve anything, -or that we can die two or three times under stress -of circumstances, shedding our physical selves–to use -<a id='corr338.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='our'>your</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_338.21'><ins class='correction' title='our'>your</ins></a></span> words–as snakes do their skins. I am only -happy I did not marry some one else, as I was tempted -to do when I imagined you were engulfed in the earthquake."</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night in Chinatown for once a misunderstanding -ended happily.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span> - <h2 class='c002'><span class='fss'>XXV</span> <br /> <i>A Haunted House</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>When Billy Cloyd prospered in the lumber and -milling business, he determined to erect a mansion -overlooking the arrowy waters of the -Sinnemahoning that would reflect not only his success, -but the social status of his family as well. Accordingly -Williamsport architects who made a specialty of erecting -houses for the wealthy lumbermen of that community -were commissioned to prepare plans for what was -to be the grandest private dwelling on the outposts of -civilization, a structure which would outdo the already -famous club house built for the use of the stockholders -of the Philadelphia Land Company at Snow Shoe, or -the offices of the agents of the Queen of Spain at -Reveltown and Scootac.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The result was a large, square house, along Colonial -lines, with a spacious doorway, above which was a -transom of antique colored glass brought all the way -from the home of one of his ancestors at Old Carlisle. -Windows were numerous, commanding views up and -down the beautiful, billowy stream, then teeming with -fish and aquatic bird life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The surrounding mountains were covered with virgin -pine forests, while the great hemlocks, oaks and birches -hung over the water’s edge. There was a clearing in -which the mansion stood, the chief feature of which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>was an old-fashioned garden of carefully laid design, -with plenty of columbine, called by the mountain folks -“church bells,” and eglantine, with boxwoods from the -“Quaker City,” purchased from the heirs of “Eaglesfield.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dark forest came to the back of the garden, and -stood black in the gorge of Mill Creek near the projected -flouring and fulling mills, to the east of the -mansion; the ever-busy saw-mill, the chief symbol of -the prosperity of Castlecloyd, as the domain was called, -was situated near the mouth of the creek. There was -barely a distance of two hundred yards from the sloping -banks of the Sinnemahoning to where the forest and -the steep mountains began, consequently the mansion, -mills, workshops, stables and mill hands’ and woodsmen’s -houses were all close together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Along the water’s edge carpenters were steadily at -work building arks and flats which carried the products -of the mills to the terminus of the railroad at Lock -Haven, or to Sunbury or Harrisburg.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now all is changed. The view from the portico and -the lawn of Castlecloyd is upon a stream flowing with a -liquid the color and texture of ink, frowning with fine -yellow bubbles; not, a living fish has been seen, according -to the present occupant of the premises, the venerable -Seth Nelson, Jr., since 1899, when the paper mill -at Austin sent down its first installment of vile pollution. -Then the fish leaped on the shore in frightful -agony, dying out of water, but away from the insidious -poisoning of the acids.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The water birds are gone; they cannot drink the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>polluted water, and give the region a wide berth. Instead -of cooling zephyrs, when the wind blows off the -creek towards the house, there comes a stench worse -than a week-old battlefield in Flanders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>No forests of virgin timber are to be seen, if you -strain your eyes looking up or down stream, nothing -but charred, brown wastes, the aftermath of killing -forest fires which followed the lumbering operations. -Here and there on some inaccessible cliff a lone original -white pine or hemlock has its eyrie, but even there the -fires are finding them, and they are all scorched and -shaky at the butts, and go down easily in sharp gales. -Altar Rock, famed in song and story, still has one pine -standing on its top, but it is dead, and will soon share -the fate of its mate, which was blown down over twenty -years ago.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The entire scene is one of loneliness and desolation, -yet a quiet, peaceful home for the octogenarian hunter -Nelson and his devoted and equally aged sister. How -different all this from what it was in the hey-day of -prosperous Billy Cloyd! The hum of the mills, the -busy teams of horses and ox-spans bringing in the logs, -the carpenters and boatmen, the large family of the -successful woodsman, their guests, and the hunters and -surveyors who often made the house their headquarters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was at the time that the line of the Sunbury and -Erie Railroad was being surveyed from Rattlesnake, -now Whetham, to Erie, and one surveying crew was -quartered at Castlecloyd. A few weeks earlier Dr. -J. T. Rothrock had stopped there, but was now further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>west, camping with Mike Long, the wolf hunter, in the -midst of a great deer and pigeon country in Elk County.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Those were days of reckless waste of our natural -resources, according to the good Doctor. One of the -surveyors, so as not to have to curve his line, ordered -that three giant original white pines be cut. All the -stumps were measured by Dr. Rothrock and averaged -considerably over six feet in diameter. They were, of -course, left to rot in the woods, thousands of feet of -lumber of priceless value today!</p> - -<p class='c001'>Philip L. Webster, who died a few years ago in Littletown, -now Bradford, was also a member of one of -these surveying parties on Elk Creek, a branch of the -Clarion River; on one occasion he saw four elks together, -in a swale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As “Buffalo Bill” had been the professional hunter -for the Northern Pacific engineering crews, Jim Jacobs, -“The Seneca Bear Hunter,” was attached to Mr. Webster’s -organization in the same capacity. Instead of -bison roasts, Jacobs was to furnish fresh elk steaks, -and he kept the surveyors, axmen and chain-carriers -supplied with plenty of it all summer long.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The members of the party billeted at Castlecloyd -were composed of young Philadelphia gentlemen, sons -of prospective stockholders in the new railroad, finely -educated, traveled youths, whose love of adventure had -been fired by the deeds of their colleagues, the Brothers -Kane. One of them stood out more brilliantly than -the rest for his scholarly attainments and poetic nature. -He was young Wayne Stewardson, scion of a distinguished -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>Quaker house of that name, and probably connected -with the family who owned the lands on Kettle -Creek, once occupied by Ole Bull.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man had been educated at the university -in his native city, and in Europe. His early upbringing -had been in great cities, and his sentimental tastes came -out in a peculiar admiration of spires, chimneys, -towers, stacks, vanes, arched roofs, corbels and crockets. -He would wander for hours just at evening watching -the skyline in the changing light, peopling the growing -shadows with all manner of grotesque shapes and -chimeras. His love of shadowland was so great that he -fell naturally to cutting charming silhouettes of his -friends, his likeness of the lovelorn and ill-fated Dr. -E. K. Kane being highly prized.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His visit to the Sinnemahoning Country was his first -induction into the heart of nature, and his admiration -of man’s handicraft as exemplified in minarets and -high gables softened to a deep reverence for the spiral, -columnar forms of the giant pines as they serrated the -skyline of the Allegheny summits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a bench between two red maple trees, on -the bank of the Sinnemahoning, just in front of Castlecloyd, -where he would sit after supper, watching the -crimson sunset reflected in the stream, with the dusky -shapes of the ancient trees athwart, and the sky gradually -becoming less of rose and more of mother-of-pearl, -behind the sentinel pines on the comb of the mountains -beyond Birch Island. It was more beautiful than anything -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>he had ever seen in cities, in its sheer ferocious -wildness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening, on hearing a woman’s voice humming -an old tune, he looked around, beholding Cloyd’s pretty -daughter sitting, watching the afterglow from the portal -of the classic doorway. Her knees were crossed, revealing -pretty, plump little legs, encased in blue cotton -stockings. His first thought at seeing her was to recall -Poe’s youthful lines, “Helen Thy Beauty is to Me.” -Previously he had not noticed her much, except that -she seemed more than ordinarily good-looking and -refined, for the drudge’s life she was living. Now -that, like himself, she was a person who took notice of -her surroundings, she must be different, he thought, -and have a soul more in keeping with her lovely appearance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When she saw that he had observed her, instead of -jumping up and running into the house and slamming -the door, like some crude backwoods girl might have -done, she came forward and stood leaning against one -of the red maples, and chatted pleasantly about the -wonderful scenery.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a blissful experience for Stewardson, and as -he had hardly spoken to a girl for a month, was in a -particularly susceptible mood. He studied her appearance -minutely. She was probably a trifle under the -middle height, very delicately made, with chestnut hair -and eyes of wondrous golden amber. Her skin was -transparently white, and the delicate peach-blow color in -her cheeks was too hectic to betoken good health. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>the outstanding feature was the nose, the most beautiful -nose he had ever seen, the bridge slightly aquiline, yet -a sudden shortness at the tip that transcended the -retrousse. She was modest and simple, reticence being -her chief trait, as she told about the deer which often -took harbor in the stream, in front of where they were, -when pursued by dogs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She said that she had been christened Marie Asterie, -but was generally called by her second name, though the -first was shorter and easier to pronounce.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as they were becoming nicely acquainted, a -young woodsman, whom she introduced as Oscar Garis, -put in an appearance, and the two walked away together, -leaving Stewardson still meditating on the -bench. Evidently they were lovers, thought the young -surveyor, and when he looked out on Sinnemahoning, -the light was gone–the water ran dark and menacing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though he had noticed the girl’s unusual nose the -first time he saw her, he had been too busy to become -well acquainted, but he recalled that she occupied a -small interior room, just off where he slept, in the -second-floor lobby. He had seen her go upstairs to -retire every night, but proximity had meant nothing to -him, so deeply had he been imbued with ideas of class. -Tonight it would be different.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He walked around a while longer, watching the bats -flit hither and thither, and listening to the plaintive -calling of the whippoorwills, then he went indoors and -joined his fellow surveyors in the lobby. He kept -watching the clock and watching the door for Asterie to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>return, amusing himself trying to cut her marvellous -profile, the like of which King Henry VIII or King -Arthur may have admired, for she was evidently a -“throw back” to some archaic type. It was always the -rule for the men to remain downstairs until the women -had retired, and on this occasion they were all yawning -but Stewardson, waiting for Asterie, who was the last -to come in, close to ten o’clock.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Garis seemed indifferent to her, but it was the negligence -of bad manners rather than lack of interest. -This gave Stewardson a chance to light her fat lamp -for her, and she closed the door and went upstairs. -When the young surveyor and his companion ascended -the stairs, he noted the rays of light from her room, -streaming from the crack beneath her door. The night -after the lights were out, and his friends asleep, he -drew his mattress nearly to her door, repeating to -himself the lines of Horace’s Ode X, in Book III:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“O Lyce, didst thou like Tanais,</div> - <div class='line'>Wed to some savage, what a pity ’tis</div> - <div class='line'>For me to lie on such a night as this</div> - <div class='line in4'>Before your door,</div> - <div class='line'>My feet exposed where haunting north winds hiss,</div> - <div class='line in4'>And angry roar.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>The concluding lines of which were:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“O thou as hard as oak no storm can break,</div> - <div class='line'>As pitiless as Mauritanian snake,</div> - <div class='line'>Not thus forever can I lie and quake,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Nor thus remain</div> - <div class='line'>Before thy threshold, for thy love’s sweet sake,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Soaked by the rain.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>But it wasn’t a terrible night, only a fairly chilly -one in early June, with all the stars out, and Asterie’s -worst offense was that she was “keeping company” -with another!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man could not sleep all night and wondered -if the girl was similarly afflicted, as the light continued -to burn; or maybe she was only like many mountain -people, and slept with a night-light, for no sound -came from her tiny apartment. After that night his -pleasures at Castlecloyd were ended. He loved the fair -and fragile girl, whom he hated to see working so hard, -so patient and so misunderstood. He dreaded the -thought of her inevitable marriage to Garis, a rough, -common fellow of no refinement. He could not think -of courting her himself as his family had never in ten -generations been declasse. There was nothing to do -but to sigh in vain, and watch that light coming from -beneath her door. And on nights when the wind -howled, and the rain beat about the roof, or some particularly -hard gust sent a few cold drops pattering -through a crack in the shingles, on his face, he found -consolation by reciting to himself the lament of Horace -in his Ode X. But he did present her with her silhouette, -which she blushingly accepted, and on several occasions -when she sang at the organ, complimented her -on her sweet contralto voice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the autumn when the red maples had cast the last -of their leaves, and the pines and hemlocks looked the -blacker in contrast, Stewardson’s particular work was -done, and he prepared to return to Philadelphia. John -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>Smoke, aged Seneca, professional hunter of the outfit, -agreed to take him and one of his chums to Rattlesnake -in a birchbark canoe. Seth Iredell Nelson, another -hunter, would take two more of the young men in another -canoe. Asterie was on the leaf-strewn bank to -see them depart, dressed in her best pink denham frock, -and cherry colored peach-basket straw bonnet. It -made him resentful to watch Garis put his arm on her -shoulder as the canoes shoved away, to the tune of old -Smoke’s Seneca chant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Billy Cloyd himself was not present; he excused -himself as not feeling well, and Went upstairs shortly -after breakfast. On the journey old Smoke confided -to his passengers the cause of the landlord’s backward -conduct. A black calf had been born the night before; -whenever one appeared in the family it brought bad -luck; that had been a belief with Cloyd’s people even -in the remote days when they lived in the “old -country.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the aged Indian told the legend of how the -redmen came to the American continent. They had -been driven eastward by famines until they came to a -great sea, across which they found a narrow strip of -land, which they crossed. They came to a country -teeming with game, and made themselves at home, -wandering great distances to enjoy the chase and visit -the natural wonders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Later they decided to revisit their old home, but the -sea had washed over the strip of land, and their canoes -were not stout enough to breast the angry waves.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>Stewardson listened to this and other old tales in a -half-abstracted way; his thoughts were back with -Asterie Cloyd; she with that wonderful, impossible-to-silhouette -nose, her sweet voice, and quiet, restful -manner. He did not marry any of the stately Junoesque -beauties whom he knew, upon returning to Philadelphia, -but became critical of the fair sex, and shunned -their company whenever possible. About two years -later the Civil War broke out, and being intimately -acquainted with the Kane family, he hurried to Harrisburg, -and the genial “Colonel Tom” gave him a -commission in his 1st Rifle Regiment, soon to win -deathless fame under the name of “Bucktails.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening in camp Colonel Kane and Captain -Stewardson were sitting before their tents, stroking -their long fair beards, for it was the aim of every -young soldier to be the most shaggily hirsute. The -Colonel was telling of his memorable trip on rafts -from McKean County to Harrisburg with his recruits -and how he spent a night with a man named Garis, -who had acted like a copperhead, and though an expert -rifleman, declined to enlist. “Yet he had ample -cause to be out of sorts” continued the Colonel. “He -had lately buried his wife, who, from all accounts, -was an exceptionally pretty girl, one of Billy Cloyd’s -daughters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>If he had watched Stewardson’s face carefully, he -would have seen it growing paler, even in the camp -fire’s ruddy glow, beneath that mighty beard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cloyd, who before the girl’s marriage, had lost -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>his wife,” continued Colonel Kane, "went up Bennett’s -Branch, to take out spars, and started to clear -a farm on the mountain top, and build an even more -ambitious mansion. Garis told me that the old man -had recently sold the whole property, including the -timber, to William E. Dodge of New York, who intends -naming it after the President, the ‘Lincoln -Farm’, and using it for a private summer resort."</p> - -<p class='c001'>Captain Stewardson did not care to hear more; as -soon as he could consistently excuse himself from his -commanding officer, he did so, and wandered off -among the pines, inwardly moaning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the early part of 1864, as the result of wounds, -he was given an indefinite sick leave, but instead of -going home, he resolved to visit Asterie’s grave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The railroad was completed to Renovo, and the -ties were down, ready for the rails, almost to Erie. -A mail carrier on horseback travelled from Renovo -to the backwoods settlements of Sinnemahoning and -Driftwood, and hiring an extra horse, the now Major -Stewardson arranged to accompany him. They had -not ridden far through the snowy road when the mail -man, Wallis Gakle, began telling about the Haunted -House, Billy Cloyd’s old place that they would pass. -“Nobody’s lived there,” he said, “since Oscar Garis -moved out in the summer of ’61, after burying that -pretty wife of his. They say he worked her to death, -making her do all the cooking for all the lumber and -mill crews, and was always after her to do more; he -literally hounded the poor little child to death.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>Then he went on to tell how towards nightfall people -were afraid to go past the deserted house for the -awful screaming and yelling, like a woman in torment, -that came from the upper rooms. Travellers -never went on that side of the creek, unless in parties -of four or five together, preferring to follow the -right-of-way of the railroad across the creek, but -even there they could hear the shrieks and moaning. -Some were even hinting that Garis, who had gone to -live with his late father-in-law on the Clarion, had -in a fit of temper murdered his wife. At the time it -was said that she had died of lung trouble.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this was interesting to the young soldier, and -he next inquired where the poor girl was buried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She’s lying on the hillside, overlooking the meeting -of the First Fork and the Driftwood Branch, a -beautiful spot, but it’s cold and bleak under the pines -when the country is covered with snow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just beyond the present town of Westport, Gakle -and Stewardson fell in with two hunters tramping -along on snowshoes with their dogs, headed for the -panther country. They were the veteran Nimrod -Jake Hamersley and a young hunter named Art -Vallon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Glad to meet you, gentlemen,” said old Jake, half -joking; “we wanted a little bolstering up before passing -the haunted house.” -“said Gakle, “I am never afraid, -but my horse rears like one of the deil’s own buckies -when he hears those dreadful screams. I always try -<span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>to get by before dark, for they say the racket is a lot -worse after sundown.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the party wended its way along the narrow trail -by the river’s edge, all manner of hunting and ghost -stories were recounted. All were in an eerie frame -of mind, as with the rays of the setting sun shining -in their faces, they neared the deserted Castlecloyd. -The deep woods screened the clearings and gardens, -but long before they came in view a melancholy wailing, -like a woman tortured by fiends, echoed through -the aisles of the primeval forest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I guess we’ll have to face it,” said the mail carrier, -"but four man sized men, and a like number of -varmint hounds ought to be able to ‘rassle’ any spook."</p> - -<p class='c001'>As they neared the house, the setting sun tinted to -the brilliancy of the stained glass of some mediaeval -cathedral the vari-coloured lights above the classic -portal. They noticed that the door stood open. From -an upper room came the doleful groans and lamentations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s those tracks?” said the keen-eyed young -Vallon, who had run on ahead with the dogs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Coming up the bank from the ice-bound Sinnemahoning, -crossing the trail, and entering the mansion -by the front door, were huge round footmarks like -those of some mammoth cat. “Painter, painter” they -all cried, as they looked at them, while the dogs, knowing -well the ferocity of the Pennsylvania Lion, slunk -about their master’s feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All wanted to go indoors, and no one cared to mind -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>the horses. They tied the jaded beasts to the red -maple trees, on either side of Major Stewardson’s -one-time favorite resting place. Gakle had an old-time, -flint-lock horse pistol that had been carried by -David Lewis, the Robber, when he was wounded on -the First Fork; Stewardson had his army pistol, while -the two hunters had their flint-lock Lancaster rifles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They followed the tracks into the lobby, and by -the snow and mud left on the floor, to the staircase, -which they ascended. Stewardson’s eyes fell on the -green-painted door of the little room once occupied -by his beloved, which was ajar. He rushed forward, -pistol in hand, and pushed it wide open.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the bed, a small affair of the four poster type -which he had never viewed before, the scene of the -fair Asterie’s vigils, stood a great lithe, lean pantheress, -clawing the counterpane and mattress with all -four feet, and beating her fluffy tail with a regular -rhythm against the headboard. In her mouth was a -huge rat, bleeding, which she had lately captured.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before he could recover from his amazement and -shoot, the greycoated monster sprang over the foot-board, -and through the window, carrying the sash -with her. The other men appeared just in time to -see the brute’s long tail disappearing through the casement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quickly turning, they seized the dogs by their collars -and pushed them down the narrow winding stairs. -Outside, in the fading light, the spoor could be seen -at the side of the house where the lioness bounded -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>over the lawn, and down the bank, and crossed the -stream on the ice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dogs took up the scent, and were away, the -hunters following gamely. The baying of the hounds -echoed and re-echoed through the narrow valley; by -their volume the quarry was not far ahead. The snow -was deep and very soft in the woods, and it was getting -very dark. Perhaps the chase would have to be -abandoned, and the panther or spook, whichever it -was, got away after all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon the barking of the dogs indicated that the -beast had been run to cover. It was just at dark -when the hunters saw the pantheress crouched in a -rock oak at the forks, on the steep, stony face of the -Keating Mountain, with the dogs leaping up frantically, -the monster feline hissing and growling savagely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jake Hamersley was selected to give the death shot, -“taking” the brute between the eyes. She fell with a -thud, and with a few convulsive kicks, expired on the -snow. Major Stewardson built a military campfire -while Hamersley and Vallon carefully skinned the -carcass, and fed the flesh to the dogs. The Nimrods -offered the hide to the young Major as a trophy, but -he declined with thanks. He could not bear to have -such a remembrance of a creature that had disported -itself so recently on his loved one’s little four poster -bed. Perhaps it had partaken of her spirit, from absorbing -the environment where she had pined away -to death.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>He only wanted to visit her grave, above the meeting -of the waters, to drop there a few tears, a part of -the boundless water of life. His heart would always -be a Haunted House.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was verging on the “witching hour,” and an ugly -winter drizzle had begun to fall, as the triumphant -hunters ascended the soggy bank, and stood before -the portals of Castlecloyd, undecided as to whether -they should bivouac there until morning. Major -Stewardson was muttering to himself the concluding -lines of that Ode of Horace,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Not thus forever can I lie and quake,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Nor thus remain,</div> - <div class='line'>Before thy threshold for thy love’s sweet sake,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Soaked by the rain.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_400.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id017'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span> -<img src='images/i_401.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c001'><a id='endnote'></a></p> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Note</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Compound words that are hyphenated on a line or page break retain the -hyphen if warranted by the preponderance of mid-line instances of the -same word elsewhere. Where hyphenation is inconsistent in mid-line -occurrences, the text is given here as printed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There are numerous instances of commas appearing as full stops, which -we attribute to the printing process (vi.6, vii.31, 16.5, 26.1, 30.25, -46.2, 108.4, 114.30, 115.23, 121.18, 292.11, 350.27).</p> - -<p class='c001'>Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted below. Where the apparent error occurs in quoted text, we -defer to the text as printed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The references are to the page and line in the original.</p> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='12%' /> -<col width='69%' /> -<col width='18%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_v.5'></a><a href='#corrv.5'>v.5</a></td> - <td class='c004'>to issue no [no ]more books</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_vii.28'></a><a href='#corrvii.28'>vii.28</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the meanings of the book may be arrived at[.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_34.7'></a><a href='#corr34.7'>34.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>but the brid[g]egroom was well to do</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_37.29'></a><a href='#corr37.29'>37.29</a></td> - <td class='c004'>[“]That’s enough of your drivel, Adam,”</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_40.11'></a><a href='#corr40.11'>40.11</a></td> - <td class='c004'>betwe[e]n the Wyandots and allied nations</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_40.15'></a><a href='#corr40.15'>40.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the handsomest of the es[oc/co]rt</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_44.22'></a><a href='#corr44.22'>44.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>The [The ]fact that it is a Prostrate Tree</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_46.7'></a><a href='#corr46.7'>46.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Surveying the [gorey] scene</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_47.19'></a><a href='#corr47.19'>47.19</a></td> - <td class='c004'>fall to the ground outside the st[a/o]ckade.</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_47.27'></a><a href='#corr47.27'>47.27</a></td> - <td class='c004'>had been gr[i]eviously hurt</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_49.7'></a><a href='#corr49.7'>49.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>I am glad that our enemies were beaten and annihilated.[”]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_52.19'></a><a href='#corr52.19'>52.19</a></td> - <td class='c004'>we sh[a/o]uld mention</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_53.22'></a><a href='#corr53.22'>53.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>was a decrepit old man.[”]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_55.18'></a><a href='#corr55.18'>55.18</a></td> - <td class='c004'>make the house “general hea[r/d]quarters”</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_58.20'></a><a href='#corr58.20'>58.20</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the exigencies of his strenuous c[o/a]mpaigns</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_58.28'></a><a href='#corr58.28'>58.28</a></td> - <td class='c004'>which his wea[l]th had enabled him to purchase</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_65.6'></a><a href='#corr65.6'>65.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>[s/S] said she herself was dead</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_65.23'></a><a href='#corr65.23'>65.23</a></td> - <td class='c004'>that in ten years he [r/h]ad sold</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_71.7'></a><a href='#corr71.7'>71.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>The Elma Hacker of those days had a swee[a/t]heart</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_72.14'></a><a href='#corr72.14'>72.14</a></td> - <td class='c004'>to keep on good terms with the in[n]keeper’s family</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_82.9'></a><a href='#corr82.9'>82.9</a></td> - <td class='c004'>about their inglenooks and home-garths[,/.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_83.22'></a><a href='#corr83.22'>83.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>by a homespun cap of the tam o’shant[t/e]r pattern</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_83.27'></a><a href='#corr83.27'>83.27</a></td> - <td class='c004'>until joined by the surp[r]ised Viscount.</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_91.25'></a><a href='#corr91.25'>91.25</a></td> - <td class='c004'>a few days in the future.[”]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_105.19'></a><a href='#corr105.19'>105.19</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the sleeper’s temples like an eg[g]shell</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_106.22'></a><a href='#corr106.22'>106.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>was forced from In-nan-[ag/ga]-eh’s In-nan-ga-eh’s hand</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_107.13'></a><a href='#corr107.13'>107.13</a></td> - <td class='c004'>their bodies to com[m]ingle> with earth until eternity.</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_110.8'></a><a href='#corr110.8'>110.8</a></td> - <td class='c004'>losing his equilibr[i]um</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_114.10'></a><a href='#corr114.10'>114.10</a></td> - <td class='c004'>to leap about th[t/e] horses’ throatlatches</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_116.10'></a><a href='#corr116.10'>116.10</a></td> - <td class='c004'>she was again urged by Phillis and her father, se[e]med disinclined</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_117.16'></a><a href='#corr117.16'>117.16</a></td> - <td class='c004'>prepared to make that break first[.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_124.15'></a><a href='#corr124.15'>124.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>have maintained in the fore[t]sts</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_131.31'></a><a href='#corr131.31'>131.31</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Meanwhile he had to live some[w]how</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_135.10'></a><a href='#corr135.10'>135.10</a></td> - <td class='c004'>I had heard from[ from] Billy Dowdy</td> - <td class='c013'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_140.3'></a><a href='#corr140.3'>140.3</a></td> - <td class='c004'>“The world is aesthetically dead[”!/”]</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_145.1'></a><a href='#corr145.1'>145.1</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Som[e]times the Indians notice</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_149.24'></a><a href='#corr149.24'>149.24</a></td> - <td class='c004'>into the valley of the shadow[,/.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_153.6'></a><a href='#corr153.6'>153.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>a big bonfire was to be started later[,/.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_153.11'></a><a href='#corr153.11'>153.11</a></td> - <td class='c004'>whose face showed every sign[s] of intense terror.</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_153.12'></a><a href='#corr153.12'>153.12</a></td> - <td class='c004'>From words that he could understand, and the g[r]estures</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_161.6'></a><a href='#corr161.6'>161.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>there are postoff[i]ces, hotels, streams, caves and rocks</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_161.22'></a><a href='#corr161.22'>161.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Unfortun[at]ely for Simon Gerdes</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_165.17'></a><a href='#corr165.17'>165.17</a></td> - <td class='c004'>mounted on a superbly c[om/a]parisoned, ambling horse</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_173.4'></a><a href='#corr173.4'>173.4</a></td> - <td class='c004'>he realized how foolish it would be to[ to] journey</td> - <td class='c013'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_175.3'></a><a href='#corr175.3'>175.3</a></td> - <td class='c004'>in the ‘North American[’]”</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_177.30'></a><a href='#corr177.30'>177.30</a></td> - <td class='c004'>are in a sense correct[,].</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_179.8'></a><a href='#corr179.8'>179.8</a></td> - <td class='c004'>other times his n[ei/ie]ce</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_180.30'></a><a href='#corr180.30'>180.30</a></td> - <td class='c004'>[pearched] on one of his wrists</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_181.28a'></a><a href='#corr181.28a'>181.28a</a></td> - <td class='c004'>made a confidante of by Herbert [( /,] who offered her five dollars</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_181.28b'></a><a href='#corr181.28b'>181.28b</a></td> - <td class='c004'>a [collosal] sum in those days</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_182.24'></a><a href='#corr182.24'>182.24</a></td> - <td class='c004'>too high for these days of conservation[.]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_183.19'></a><a href='#corr183.19'>183.19</a></td> - <td class='c004'>she received her [grevious] hurts</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_188.1'></a><a href='#corr188.1'>188.1</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the centre of the greensw[o/a]rd</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_191.9'></a><a href='#corr191.9'>191.9</a></td> - <td class='c004'>he would take[ take] her by force</td> - <td class='c013'>Redundant</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_194.29'></a><a href='#corr194.29'>194.29</a></td> - <td class='c004'>with rare dex[i]terity</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_195.18'></a><a href='#corr195.18'>195.18</a></td> - <td class='c004'>his lion-hear[t]ed sachem</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_199.22'></a><a href='#corr199.22'>199.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>with tolerable fluen[e/c]y</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_200.26'></a><a href='#corr200.26'>200.26</a></td> - <td class='c004'>invited the redmen to climb ab[r]oard</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_213.19'></a><a href='#corr213.19'>213.19</a></td> - <td class='c004'>was called away[ away] during a heavy flood</td> - <td class='c013'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_219.10'></a><a href='#corr219.10'>219.10</a></td> - <td class='c004'>The passage of time had obli[t]erated it</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_237.7'></a><a href='#corr237.7'>237.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>but where there[ there] were so few neighbors</td> - <td class='c013'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_238.1'></a><a href='#corr238.1'>238.1</a></td> - <td class='c004'>while [t]he stroked his long black beard</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_239.22'></a><a href='#corr239.22'>239.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>in tones as melanc[oh/ho]ly</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_245.28'></a><a href='#corr245.28'>245.28</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Some instinct mad[e] her open the wrapper</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_246.15'></a><a href='#corr246.15'>246.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>“Say, folks,” she said, coldly,[,]</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_250.2'></a><a href='#corr250.2'>250.2</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the supreme d[ie/ei]ty of the Scandinavian mythology</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_253.4'></a><a href='#corr253.4'>253.4</a></td> - <td class='c004'>“It> was a perfect square</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_256.6'></a><a href='#corr256.6'>256.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>her tearful, piqua[i]nt face</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_257.22'></a><a href='#corr257.22'>257.22</a></td> - <td class='c004'>for they had sworn to de[il/li]ver her</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_259.6'></a><a href='#corr259.6'>259.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>“only don’t cast me off[.]”</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_269.10'></a><a href='#corr269.10'>269.10</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the face of N[i/a]ganit’s</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_269.18'></a><a href='#corr269.18'>269.18</a></td> - <td class='c004'>N[i/a]ganit looked at the Indian woman.</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_287.15'></a><a href='#corr287.15'>287.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>when he r[e]ached the opening</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_291.15'></a><a href='#corr291.15'>291.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>it did not en[c]ounter the dense foliage</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_295.26'></a><a href='#corr295.26'>295.26</a></td> - <td class='c004'>now [gutteral], now sharp and loud</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_296.5'></a><a href='#corr296.5'>296.5</a></td> - <td class='c004'>approached the battle-g[r]ound</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_296.28'></a><a href='#corr296.28'>296.28</a></td> - <td class='c004'>As soon as he had recovered from the blood-curdling episodes, [he ]built</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_298.23'></a><a href='#corr298.23'>298.23</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the proud tuft[s] itself was growing sparse and weak</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_299.14'></a><a href='#corr299.14'>299.14</a></td> - <td class='c004'>That Annapalpete[a]u had a cavalier</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_300.2'></a><a href='#corr300.2'>300.2</a></td> - <td class='c004'>he wanted to be v[e/i]rile and win</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_300.3'></a><a href='#corr300.3'>300.3</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the beautiful Annapalp[a/e]teu.</td> - <td class='c013'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_307.3'></a><a href='#corr307.3'>307.3</a></td> - <td class='c004'>[“]I have come</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_310.4'></a><a href='#corr310.4'>310.4</a></td> - <td class='c004'>to be engaged in riva[rl/lr]y</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_312.13'></a><a href='#corr312.13'>312.13</a></td> - <td class='c004'>On one occa[is/si]on when the two young men started</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_312.20'></a><a href='#corr312.20'>312.20</a></td> - <td class='c004'>vernacular of the Pennsl[y]vania Dutch</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_315.6'></a><a href='#corr315.6'>315.6</a></td> - <td class='c004'>[Cincinnatti] or at Louisville</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_317.8'></a><a href='#corr317.8'>317.8</a></td> - <td class='c004'>rafted lumber down the Alle[hg/gh]eny</td> - <td class='c013'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_335.30'></a><a href='#corr335.30'>335.30</a></td> - <td class='c004'>after the ar[r]ival of a ship from China</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_319.17'></a><a href='#corr319.17'>319.17</a></td> - <td class='c004'>and carried home [unconscious the] next thing was</td> - <td class='c013'><em>sic</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_320.2'></a><a href='#corr320.2'>320.2</a></td> - <td class='c004'>with the stalwart young pilots a[t] the sterns</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_320.11'></a><a href='#corr320.11'>320.11</a></td> - <td class='c004'>franti[c]ally waving red and green shawls.</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_320.15'></a><a href='#corr320.15'>320.15</a></td> - <td class='c004'>the absence of Anna from the signaling part[y]</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_320.20'></a><a href='#corr320.20'>320.20</a></td> - <td class='c004'>and the do[c]tors said she could not live</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_320.25'></a><a href='#corr320.25'>320.25</a></td> - <td class='c004'>until the out[c]ome of the case</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_321.7'></a><a href='#corr321.7'>321.7</a></td> - <td class='c004'>The old grandmother watched McMeans[’] face</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_331.21'></a><a href='#corr331.21'>331.21</a></td> - <td class='c004'>in his spir[i]tual loneliness</td> - <td class='c013'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_334.4'></a><a href='#corr334.4'>334.4</a></td> - <td class='c004'>Years pass[s]ed</td> - <td class='c013'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><a id='c_338.21'></a><a href='#corr338.21'>338.21</a></td> - <td class='c004'>to use [y]our words</td> - <td class='c013'>Added.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Allegheny Episodes, by Henry Wharton Shoemaker - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALLEGHENY EPISODES *** - -***** This file should be named 56094-h.htm or 56094-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/0/9/56094/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, ellinora and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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