PeggyWare 10224338 PDF

PE G GY WA RE
M W HO WAR D
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Fou r Year s C on gre ss m a n from Ala b a m a ,
If C hr is t C a m e t o C o n gre ss
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Au t h or of ,
Etc .
ls
P ub i h e d b y
J . F . R O WN Y P R E S S
L os An ge ls
e , Cal .
1 92 1
C op yr ight , 1 92 1
by
M W H O WA R D
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Los An gel e s , C a l .
All r ights res erved .

CO NTE NTS
P ag e
C H R I S T MA S I N T H E C UM B ER LA N D MO U N
TAI NS 7
C H R I S T MA S I N B UC K S PO C K ET 22
EA R T H TO EA R T H 33
T H E U N w EL CO M E S T RAN GER S 48
T H E N EW LI F E BEG I N S 63
PEGG Y FO LL O W S HER V I S I O N 76
CLI EE A ND ER S O N A TT E ND S A F I G HT 85
T H E M Y S T ER I O U S MA N F RO M NO W H ERE 10 1
T H E W I LD C ATT ER S U RRE ND ER S 1 18
A MA N W IT H O UT A N A M E 1 29
T H E M I N D B U I LD ER AT WOR K 1 42
SEE KI N G R E S T A N D F I NDI N G NO N E 1 52
T H E A WA K EN I N G 16 1
B AC K TO T H E O LD HO M E 1 76
T H E L O N E S O M E FO LK S 197
BE H O LD W H AT A F LAM E A L ITTL E S P A R K
K I N DL E T H
T H E S LAC K ER S R E N D EZ V O U S
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T H E S U RR E ND ER
C LI FF A N D ER S O N E N T ER S PO LITI C S
PEGG Y G OE S TO WA S H I N GT O N
PEGG Y S G ET H S E MA N E
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C H R I S T L I V ET H I N ME
C H AP T E R O N E
C H R I S T MA S I N TH E CU MB E R L A N D
MOU N T A IN S
H Uncle Simon do co me up t o th e ho use th is
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minute an d see P eggy wearing m a m a s wed

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din g dress I t s th e finest dress you ever saw

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an d Peggy i s j u st b eautifu l in it !
R alph W a re was al l excitemen t an d enthu si asm as ,
h e stood in th e door Of S i mon s cab in located in one ’
corn er O f th e yard .
R alph was j u st ten with big b rown eyes dark , ,
cu rly ha i r an d a ch ubby face

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I se p ow f u l bu sy l ett le boy said Simon
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b ut
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I ain t se ed dat dress se n ce you r mammy wore it at

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h er weddin an I ll j est lay my work dow n fer a
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l e tt l e wh il e an run up to de big house wid y o u
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What are y o u mak ing Un cl e Simon asked R alph
?
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looking a t th e great p ile Of shavings that l ittered

S imo n s floor and h earth
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L ett l e boys m u s n t ax q u estion s sp ecially lo n g
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e rb o u t Ch r istmas e v e Y o u know dat it wu s o n .
Ch ristmas eve dat curiosity killed de ca t what you

allus h e erd e rb o u t .
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D id curiosity re a lly ki ll him U n cle S i mo n ? ,
Wall dat s whut dey a llu s tell me but I do n t

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think it k illed h i m more n seben ti mes an d en de ’

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ca t l earn to mi n h is own bu siness an h e stil l ha b

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two more lib es lef a n he know how t o b ehave hiss elf

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6s .
1 ; PEGGY WARE
B y th is t i me th e y had re a ch ed the big hou se a s ,
S i mon d e si gnated th e doubl e l og house i n wh ich th e

Wares lived a n d S imon was cu t short In h is disserta
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tio n about c a ts .
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Come i n S imon s a id Mrs W ar e a n d tel l me i f
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y o u recogniz e th is d r ess I t has b een h idde n away .
for many years but P eggy d iscovered it today a n d In

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sisted on tryi n g it on .
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Corse I m em b ah s it Youn g M issu s an I m e mb a h s
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de day you an M assa Wa r e wus m arried at de big

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ch urch weddin You wu s de bell e Ob Sh ena n do a h

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Valley an I wus so prou d Ob you a s you stood up

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long s ide Ob M as sa Ware youn g an h a n s u m an you ,

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look i n lak a q u ee n .
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Tell us all abou t it Uncl e Simon cried Ra lph an d , ,
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Virgini a i n Ch orus We wa n t to h ea r about ou r beau
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tiful mo t her wh e n s h e w a s a girl back in Virgi n ia .
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D id y ou k n o w h er h e n sh e was a little t e e n sy
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baby ? asked Virginia th e you n gest memb er of t h e ,
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Ware family D id sh e look l ike me ?
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Don t ask so ma n y questions Cotto n Top
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clai med R alph O f course sh e didn t look lik e y ou
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b ecaus e you r hair is white a nd you r eyes are as b lu e -
as th e s ky i n J u n e whil e M am ma s hair is as bl a ck as
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a crow a n d h er eyes are j u st like mine h e p roudly

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asser t ed .
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A n s w er in yore fust qu estio n Virgi n ia I k n ow ed
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yore m ot h a h wh e n I c oul d hol d h er ou t on o n e han ’

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a n I k n owed h er m o t h ah a n h er f a t h ah
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Virgi n ia had climbed up o n S imo n s k n ee and set ’
t le d dow n comfo r tably f o r th e story that sh e and R alph

had h eard from th e Ol d ma n s l ip s a hu ndred ti mes ’
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To th em it w a s a lways a n ew story a n d grew more ,
wo n de r ful with e a ch rep etitio n .

C H R I S T MA S I N T H E C UM B ER LAND MO UNTAI N S 7
A big log fi r e bu rn ed in th e w i d e mouth ed ch i m n ey -

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and Peggy an d h er mothe r took th eir seats to listen

to th e story that Peggy lov ed quite as well as R alph
and Virgi n ia .
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I b el onged t o Cap n Lee b efo de wah the Old man ’
beg an “
H e w a s yore gra mpa
. H e was a cou si n ’
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Ob G eneral R obert E Lee an de Lees y o u k n o w had .

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d e fin es blood in 0 1 Virgin n y an dat s sayin s u m p in

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cas e Virgin n y got de fin es b lood in de Th e ’
o l d ma n s t raightened himself u p prou dly a s h e d e l iv
ered th is statement with an ai r that would have made

co n t r adic t io n presum p tuous .
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Ya s s u m it s de shore s t ocra cy b lood a n w h a rev a h
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you fi n it i n de Ca r ol i n as G eorgia Te nn essee an

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Alaba ma you ki n al lus tell de Vir gin n y blood
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A r e you a Le e U n cle S imon ? asked V irgi n ia earn ,
e s t ly .
Th e Old ma n scratch ed h i s h ead frowned and , ,

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th ough t very hard O b cos e I s e a Lee he said fi n a l
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ly ,
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my nam e i s Simon Lee an I lib e d wid de L ees S O ,
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lon g dat I des n a ch e l ly got n o cu lat e d wid de Le e ’ ‘
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blood Da t s why I allu s tells l et t le boys a n gals t o
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sociate wid non e but qual ity .
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Well I h eard my papa say t hat h is fol k s w ere poor
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wh ite trash b efo r e th e war ventu red R alph
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d id h e me an by th a t ?
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W a ll b efo de wah h on ey all we n iggers dat b e

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l on g t o wh ite folks go t stu ck U p a n thou ght w e wus ’
b et t ah da n de wh i t e f olks dat do n t o w n n o n igge r s

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a n we call dem p o white trash an w e sorter looked

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down o n dem B ut when de wah com e yore gran .

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daddy Ware fou ght long side O b y oa h gran daddy Lee ’
an dey wu s bofe killed in Virg in n y a n wh en dey wus

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b r ough t home d ey wu s bu ried i n de same gr a b e y a hd ,
S ide by side .
8 P EGGY WAR E
Lee l ef a big pla n tation wid thou
Y oa h gr a n p a
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san s Ob acres Ob lan an j oin in it y oa h grau pa Ware ’ ’ ’ ’
lef about a h un dred acres D e niggers u se to laugh

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an s a y h e des had enough lan to mak e a turnip patch

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B u t wh en de wah wu s ovah an de s la b e s freed an ’ ’
mos O b de m gon e y oa h gran ma Ware s p lace wus

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w u t h d e s e r b o u t a s much as y oa h gran ma Lee s place

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case dey warn t nobody to cu ltivate nothin cept lit ’ ’ ’
tl e patch es s ca t t a h e d h e a h an dah ’
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Wall y oa h gra n m a s wus de b e s fren s in de worl
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D ey bofe wove dey own cloth an made d e j eans fer ’
d e men an de l insey fer de w im min an dey warn t

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no moa b p O wh ite trash afta b d e wah E v ry tub ’

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stood o n it s o w n bottom an e f you had de blood it ,

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didn t make no d ifi e n ce w h e a t h a you own ed s la b e s

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b e f O de wah r not
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Y oa h gran ma Wa re and y o a h g ra n p a Ware had

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des as good bl ood as anybody e v a h had dat warn t a ’
Lee an w h en y o a h ma married M assa Wilb ur Ware

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I said dey n ev a h w u s no fi n a h blood j ined .
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A n it wu s d e right sort O b marriage t o o cas e dey
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had k n owed on e n oth er s ence dey knowed a n y t h in ’
an dey had lub ed o n e anoth er all dey l ives an G od

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don e j ined dem t o g et h a h in h e a b e n b efo dey wus pro ’
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n o u n ce d man an wife by de p reacher ’
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Was my father a preach er wh en h e got m arried ?
asked R alph .
Yes C hil e h e w u s d e lik e lies you n g p r each er I n de

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Sh e n a n doah V alley H e wu s des h o me fru m a big

Olo gical school i n B o s t o n a n h e b ro ugh t a W
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hol e , ,
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wagon l oad Ob dem Ological book s w id h i m D ey ’

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u p in de m sh elves now an e rb o u t a t h ou s a n m o r e ,
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dat h e bough t senc e den .
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Well I ain t n ever going t o b e n o p reach er d e
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cl a r e d R alph becau se pre a cher s can t have a n y fu n ’ ’
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C H R I ST MAS I N T H E C U M B ER LAND MO U NTAI N S 9
Wall I ain t gwine t o s cu s s dat n o w sai d Simon

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th ough tfully I th ink they mout an again they mout

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ent. I ain t sayi n what I th inks c ept this : O n

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C h r is t m u s eve d e w h o l worl ought to b e hap py even

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d e preach ers .
I t seems to me S imon that th e p reach ers ough t , ,

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to be th e hap piest peopl e in th e world said Peggy , ,
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for th ey are doin g such a noble work i n m in istering
t o th e distress ed an d n eedy and l eading p eopl e into
th e l ight o f truth .
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A t l east w e S hall try to feel th is way about it to
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day said Peggy s mother fo r th is shoul d b e th e
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gladdest happiest ti me o f all th e year O ur Savior

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cam e to th e world at this ti me h en ce w e cal l it Christ ,
mas H e came to give th e worl d its greatest Ch rist

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mas gift the gi ft o f th e life o f j oy peace an d a b u n d

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ance an d we in ou r poor way mak e gifts t o each

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other tryin g t o emulate th e Ch rist S p irit

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I don t l ik e Christmas spok e a harsh voice an d
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all turn ed toward W ilbu r Ware wh o had entered th e ,
hou se witho ut being observed .
P eggy ros e t o O ff er h er fath er a chair and h e O b ,
served th at sh e wore h er mother s w edding dress H is ’

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face softened for an in stant Ah you r mother s wed ’
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ding dress H O W b eautiful y ou are in it my child but

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n ot more b eautiful tha n you r moth er was th e day s h e

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w o re it n or more b eautiful than sh e is now h e said
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ge n tly as h e walked over to the cor n er wh ere his wife

sat a nd pressed a k i ss o n h er ch eek .
A s h e d id so h e Ob served that h er ch e eks w ere

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fl ushed a n d h er eyes unusual ly bright sh ining like ,
dew drops after a Sprin g shower A fi t Of coughing .
seiz ed h er b u t sh e laugh ed musically saying s h e h ad

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take n a slight cold b ut that sh e would b e enti r ely well ,
by mor n i n g and abl e to attend ch urch w ith th e family .

10 P EGGY WA RE
W ilb ur Ware Peggy and S imon were greatly d is
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tressed ab out h er condition a n d a dagger thrust to ,
th eir h earts cou ld not hav e given th e m keener pain

than th is sou l r acki n g cough Of th e o n e th ey l oved a
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victi m Of th e great wh ite plagu e .
P eggy a ss ri m e d a gai ety sh e did not feel for i n he r ,
h eart th ere was a great fear th at som e i mp e n di n g dis

aster hu n g over th e Ware home .
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R esu ming h is conversation Ware s a id : N O I do n t , ,
l ik e Christmas I t i s th e saddest season Of th e year

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for m e I a lways feel my poverty more k eenly at

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Christmas than at any oth er time for I am un a bl e to ,
give p res ents to th e memb ers Of my fa mily an d to

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oth ers who are in n eed .
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Wall I go t to go dow n to d e cab i n an finish a
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littl e w h it t lin b efo b ed ti me
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said S imo n
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sp ect I b et t a h b e gwin e .
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We are going to have roasted sweet pot a toes a n d
sweet milk for supp er S i mon with lots Of good butter
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t o put on our potatoes said R alph Don t you want
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t o come up an d eat your sup p er ?
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D O com e S i mon , u rged Peggy and h er mother
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Dat s a Christmas ev e sup p er fi t t en fer a k i n g said

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th e ol d man smack in g h is lips

, Day ain t but o n e .
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th i n g to mak e it b ett a h an dat woul d b e a good fa t ,

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possum an e f R alph will bor ry a good p ossu m d og

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we l l ketch o n e a f o M iss Peggy goes back to coll ege
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P eggy ha d b een hom e a week from college a n d s he ,
had b ee n bu sy a ssisti n g h er moth er i n making some

cloth i n g f o r R alph a n d Virgi n i a from som e of h er ou t
grow n garm ents Th ese with warm wool e n sock s
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h er moth er had knit f o r h er fath er and Si mo n were

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to b e hun g on a Christmas tree th at S imon had ready

i n an adj oining room Th ere were also some cakes .
and homema de can dy f o r R alph and V irgi n i a hidde n i n

C H R I ST MA S I N T H E C UM B ER LA N D MO U N TAI N S 11
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S imon s cabi n Th e S havings on S imon s floo r w ere
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m a de by his j ackkn i f e with wh ich h e was an expert

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F r o m p ieces Of soft ti mb er h e had wh ittl ed many wo n

d e r f u l toys fo r th e two younger memb ers O f th e f amily .
Peggy was n ow s ixteen a n d had completed a t w o ,
ye a rs course at college Sh e had an unu sual mind

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th a t s eemed to know things without b eing taught .
S t ored a way i n h er subcon scious or sup ercon sciou s

mi n d was a fountain O f k n owl edge an d w isdom that
sh e was a pp a rently ab le t o tap at will .
Sh e was th e pride O f h er teach ers an d would hav e ,
b ee n e n vied by h er f ellow pup ils but f or her u n usual

p erso n ality that mad e every o n e love h er an d glad to
have h er excel .
Sh e had b ee n give n a schola r ship at th e coll ege b e

cause h er fath er was a minister and on accou nt O f her ,
sup erio r gifts but it had ent a iled untold privatio n s a n d

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sac r ifi ces o n th e p art Of each m e mbe r O f th e Ware

family to supply th e small amount Of mon ey re quired
for Peggy s b oard and clothing
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I n fact i t would h a ve be en impossible b u t for th e

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h el p Of Old S i mo n H i s devotio n to Peggy was al most

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divi n e a n d h e had insisted o n hiring out to work
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on a n ea r b y fa r m-
W h ere h e received a ce r tain wage
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a n d h is grub E very dol lar h ad b ee n tu rned ove r
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to Wilbur Ware fo r P eggy S i mon even refused t o .
bu y a p ai r Of shoes w h en h is O l d on es could n o lon ge r

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b e me n ded H e sai d h e p refer r ed going barefoot s o

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h is caw n s could git wel l .
P eggy although sh e h ad devou red all th e books i n

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th e college lib r ary o n scie n ce ph ilosophy an d th e h is , ,
tory of th e various religi ons was not th e typical book ,
worm Sh e was full O f a h ealthy e n th usiasm and was

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a l eader in all college sp orts Sh e was th e soul and .

12 PEGGY WARE
c enter o f all th e activities Of th e student body an d n o ,
movement w a s co mplete without Peggy Ware .
H er hair was an unu sual golden S hade h er eyes bl u e ,
as sapp hire an d as sh e look ed earn estly at you you

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could n ever p enetrate their depths .
“
M iss Pe ggy s eyes d es lak a p O O l in d e woods what
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ain t got n o bottom Old S i mon was wont to say when
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referring to her .
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T he sweet potatoes are done declared R alph as ,
h e re mov ed th e m fro m thei r bed of hot ash es an d

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coals I will go and cal l S imon
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Lawd you d o n need to cal l m e ch il th e Old man
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exclai med gleefully a s h e came in bru shing th e snow ,

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from h is coat I don e h ee r d dem sw eet taters callin
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cl ean down to de cab in I t s s n o w in p ow f u l hard an .
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I sp ect d e grou n w il l b e covered i n de

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I f it is you ll hav e to carry m e o n your back Si mon
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to ch urch said Virginia ,

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Dat I wil l said Simon ,
I toted Peggy R alph .
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a n d you wh en you wu s l e t t l e an I toted y o a h ma an

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l ett l e Florence wh en s h e was b eah .
A look Of su ff erin g passed over Wilbu r Ware s fac e ’
at th e m ention Of Florence wh ich w a s n ot unobserved ,
by P eggy a n d h e r moth er .
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I ve fixed you a plate i n th is warm corner Si mon
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wh ere y o u can eat your supper w h il e w e sit at th e

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table said Peggy
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I se s o hap py so hap py ! exclai med th e O ld ma n
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that you s e al l well got a w ah m h ou s e to lib i n pl e n ty

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to eat an M iss P eggy de s martes gal in coll ege h e a h

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w id u s t o enj oy it al l .
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And I thank G od fo r y o u Simon said M rs Ware , , . .
You have b een th e most faith ful soul in th e world ,
an d I love y o u We all love you with a love that is

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too great for words Wh e n the war was over a n d .

C H R I ST MAS I N T H E C U M B ER LAND MO U NTA I N S 13
you were free t o go W h ere y o u pl ea sed you remain ed ,
with my moth er and watched over me When I mar .
ried and my mother h ad passe d o n you l eft everyth ing ,
and fol low ed o u r fortun es w ithout hop e Of reward .
Y o u never though t O f self in your younger days an d ,
n ow y o u a re O l d an d p en nil ess and w e are almost as ,
poor in this world s goods I know G od will reward’

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v o u wh en H e calls you ho me f o r y o u certainly lost ,
you r life in you r though t Of oth ers .
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I d o n hab t o die to git my r e w a h d Young M issu s
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th e O ld man declared reverently I don b een gittin .
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it al l de time An I don t hab to di e to go to H eb in

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n et h a h,
C ase dis is H ebin right h e a h I lib es in H ebin
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all d e ti me an I don t much b el ieve dat y o u gwin e to

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walk right slap ban g into H eb in when you gits Obah

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o n d a h onl ess y o u tak es yore H ebin wid you
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I think y o u are right Si mon said Peggy , .
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H er fath er frowned That i s poor th eology Si .
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mon h e said
, I don t th ink you an d Peggy know
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what you are talking about I n my sermon tomorrow .

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I shall try t o set y o u right .
N eith er Peggy n or S i mon repl ied Simon realizing ,
his o w n ignorance a nd P eggy u nwill in g t o argu e w ith

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h er fath e r .
Th ere was a vacant chair at th e tab le a child s C hai r ,

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with a white oak splint bottom I t was given to Flor .
ence th e first born Of th e Ware children by an ol d

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blind man who made chairs f o r a l iving I t was .
guarded sac redly and n eve r b rou ght fro m its place O f
secl usion except o n th e n igh t b efore Christmas N O .
o n e made any reference t o th e littl e C hai r du ring th e
progres s o f th e meal b ut each knew that it was upp er

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most in each other s thoughts ’

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E arly in th e even in g R alph and Vi rginia b egan to ,
man ifest by yawns an d nods a desire t o seek th eir

14 PEGGY WA RE
b eds Th ey felt that i n some way th e h ou rs woul d
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pas s more q u ick ly if th ey were asl eep Th eir moth er

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.
,
rem e mb ering h ow sh e had felt at th eir age under S im i

la r circu mstances suggested to h er h u sb a n d that th e
,
C h ildren b e allowed to go to bed

. .
Th en a s w a s h is c ustom th e minister took his well

, ,
th u mbed B ibl e from its resting p lace and read th e ,
b e a uti fu l twenty th ird Psal m after which th ey all knelt

-
,
d evoutly an d O ff ered th eir thank s to G od .
When R alph and Virginia were soun d asl eep th e ,
oth ers sat by the great w ood fi re as th e h ickory logs

bu rn ed into glowing coals th e fla mes forming fa n t a stic ,
shapes an d figu res dependin g o n th e mood and fancy

,
O f th e b eholder .
Fo r a long ti me no word w a s spoken each k nowin g ,
the thing n earest th e oth er s heart a n d yet h esitatin g ’
to b egin a discu ss ion Of th e subj ect that all knew was

in evit a bl e .
At last th e silenc e w a s b roken by Wilb ur Ware an d ,

“
h is voice was u nu sually hard and h op eless Sixtee n .
years ago tomorrow th is littl e chair was l eft vacant

wh en some fi end cruelly stol e o u r l ittl e Flore n ce For .
yea rs I search ed f o r h er all ove r the country fro m

R ich mond t o Atlanta Chatta n ooga an d N a shv ill e
, ,
.
Som eth in g kept tell in g me that sh e was alive and that

I would fin d h er I could n o t un derstan d how a good
.
and m erciful G od coul d b e so cru el as to take ou r

darl ing a way from u s A s tim e went o n my faith .
w a ned an d now I have lon g ceased to hop e G od has

, .
h idden H is fac e from m e and I a m groping in th e dark ,

.
All th e Ol d fou ndations up on which I bu ilt wh ile at the

Th eological S eminary an d u pon wh ich I have stood
,
since seem t o be crumbl in g b en eath me I used to

,
.
th ink that love wa s G o d s p redomi n atin g char a cteristic ;

’
b ut H e i s also powerful i n vengea n ce a n d it is the ,

C H R I S T MA S I N T H E C U M B ER LAND MO U N TAI N S 15
vengeance Of th e Lord visited on me for my s ins I t .
is to teach me to fear H im an d to S h ow m e that I am ,
but a p oor creeping worm O f the du st

,
.
“ ”
A n d yet there are ti mes th e now deeply agitated
, ,
mi n ister exclaimed as h e paced th e fl oor h is eyes

, ,
b laz i n g his fi sts clinched h is breast h eavin g wh en I

, , ,
a l most hate h im
S udde n ly h e stopped frightened hor r ified th a t h e , ,
should h a ve dared to give utterance to such blasph emy ,
and sank i nto h is chair th e tears following th e deep ,
l ine s O f su ff ering down hi s w eath er b eaten cheeks -

,
wh il e his mass ive form was rocked by th e inward

tempest .
H is wi fe a lso weeping sympath etical ly placed h er

, ,
arms lovingly about hi m whil e Peggy knelt at h is ,
feet hold i n g o n e O f h is grea t bony han ds in h er two

, ,
soft w a rm ones sm ilin g th rough h er tears whil e

, , ,
Si mon co v ertly drew h is red ba n dana handk erch ief

from his p ocket an d app l ied it vigorously t o his eyes ,
“
saying My O le eyes are gittin s o p O W f u l bad I think
,
’ ’
,
”
I will ha v e to b uy a pai r Of sp ec s At this Peggy .
l a ugh ed h eartily an d said :

“ ”
S imo n I th ink I n eed some specs too !
, ,
G radually th e temp est O f doubt Of lack Of faith in ,
G od r a ging in Wi lbu r Ware s soul b egan to sub side ’

,
a n d Mrs Ware h er face il lu min ed until al l look ed at

.
,
h er awe stricke n a s though sh e were som e ancient

-
,
proph etess j ust stepped down fro m th e sk ies exclaimed ,
“
Wilbu r I see a vision too b ig for utteran ce I t is
, .
S O gre a t th a t it overwh elm s m e a nd in its p resence I ,
sta n d on holy groun d for in th e midst Of th e vision I ,
see G od And H e is guidin g u s

. .
“
I a m n ear the end O f my j ou rney b ut a great work ,
li es before th e rest o f yo u There will be much su f .
f e r in g much an guish but in th e en d yo u wil l all really

,
,
16 P E G GY WARE
fin d Go d for H e is b eckoning A nd you will find ou r
,
.
dear child I see h er alive and well an d som e day

.
,
th ere will b e a happy fa mily reunion an d my spirit

-
,
”
will be there to rej oic e with y o u .
As sh e ceased talking a l l were sil ent Th ey fel t an

, .
u nu sual p resence and power an d stood in awe Of ,
something th ey did n o t u nderstand .
! uietly Si mon stol e o u t to h is cabin as Peggy k issed

h er fath er and moth er good night and cli mb ed th e -
stairway t o th e attic room leavin g the m with clasp ed

,
han ds looking into th e gl owin g coals

,
.
E arly Christmas morn ing R alph and Vi rginia were

p eeping o u t Of the window for th e fi rst streak Of
dawn wh en th ey discovered that a h eavy snow had
fallen during th e night Th eir shouts O f de l ight aroused
.
the entire hou sehold and all w ere soon gath ered about
,
th e great fire that Simon had S lipp ed in and bu ilt whil e

every o n e sl ept .
S oon th e door Of th e oth er room op en ed an d Santa

Clau s appeared and announ ced that h e w a s ready to
distribute th e pres ents o n the Christmas tree H is .
long wh ite beard and funny wig S O disgu ised hi m that

R alph and Vi rginia did n ot recogn iz e hi m until al l
th e presents had been distributed an d h e produced ,
h is banj o and b egan to p ick o n e Of Simon s favorite

’
j igs and to dance t o th e m usic Th en th ey knew it .
“ ”
w a s dear Old Uncle Simon Th ey took O ff h is long
.
b eard and funny wig screamin g with del ight at dis

,
coverin g that Simon had rubb ed flou r on his fac e until

“
i t was white B anteringly th ey said :
. S imon why ,
”
d id y o u make you r face wh ite ? T O wh ich h e repl ied :
”
H uh who ever seen a nigger Sant a Claus
,
?
Wh en th e hour arrived for goin g t o C h urch M rs , .
Ware wanted to acco mp any the family but all p ro ,
tested that the walk th rough th e sn ow would b e too

18 PEGGY WARE
h ea rers th ey had littl e meaning an d th ey acc epte d al l ,
h e said a s b eing tru e H e o ffi ciated a t weddings and .
fun erals b ut always h is discours es were a s col d as

,
icicl es an d h is words lik e th e ch ill O f th e winte r winds

,
.
This m ental and spiritual attitu de Of her h u sban d

had caused h is wi fe great sorrow an d in s ecret s h e had ,
pou red o u t h er h eart to G od for h i m .
Peggy had b een away at college most O f th e ti me for

two years S O th at s h e was n ot whol ly prepared f o r the
,
sermon h er fath er del ivered on th is Christmas morn

ing Sh e had played th e l ittle Old sq u eaky organ an d
.
,
san g Sankey s b eautiful song Th e N in ety an d N in e

’
, ,
wh ile the audience sat spell b oun d under th e magic of

th e beauti ful words Of th e song as interpreted by
Peggy M any Of h er auditors whos e lives h ad b een
.
hard cold and barren were mov ed to tears whi l e her

, , , ,
f ath er s face S howed a great struggle Of conten ding

’
e motion s .
H is sermon ca me like an i cy blast fol lowing an Ap ril

shower and th e b uds O f tender emotions froz e into
,
icicles even a s they b urst into full bl oom

, .
“
Vanity vanity al l is vanity an d vexation Of spirit
, , , ,
said th e preache r and a shu dder ran through th e ,
audien ce .
“
M an is doo med to a l ife Of sorrow an d woe an d ,
wh en h e is cu t down mu st go b efore an angry but , ,
j ust Go d to give a n account f o r th e sins Of th e flesh

, .
“
We are born in s in and shap en in in iqu ity an d a r e , ,
all o n th e road t o h ell ; an d n othin g b ut th e b lood O f

J esu s ca n save u s from th e wrath Of a s in aven ging -
G od I warn you that un less y o u b eli eve in th e power

.
Of th e b lood to clean se from s in you wil l b e lost and ,

‘
lost th rough all etern ity An d if y o u are n ot washed .

’
in th e blood you will sp end etern ity crying Lost ! ‘
”
lost ! lost b ut G o d will tu rn a deaf ear t o you r cries .
C H R I ST MAS I N T H E C U M B ER LAND MO U NTA I N S 19
Peggy s a t horrified a feel i n g O f fear cl utchin g at h er

,
h eart .
At th e conclusion O f th e sermon h er fath er a n ,

“
n o u n ce d th e closin g hymn Hark from th e to mbs a , ,
dol eful sound b u t Peggy shook h er h ead m ournful ly

,
wh en h e requ ested her t o l ead th e singin g .
In a hard unsympath etic voice th e preach er sang

, ,
th e fi rst lin e Of th e hymn a few O f th e Older m e mb ers ,
Of th e congregatin g j oin ing in from ti m e t o tim e i n ,

“ ”
wailing discordant ton es as h e line d th e hymn
, .
Peggy sat w ith bowed h ead a great p ity in h er soul , ,
an d a stron g almost irresistibl e des ire to tel l her

,
fath er an d th e asse mb l ed p eop l e about G od s love an d ’
G od s m ercy
’
.
Th e s ervic e conclu ded Wilb ur Ware strode sole mnly ,
fro m th e ch urch few caring to come near o r to sp eak

,
to h i m S carcely had h e dep arted fro m th e room u ntil

.
a great chan ge cam e over th e a udien ce ; w ith o n e

accord th ey ru shed to greet P eggy th e female m em ,
b ers s motherin g h er with ki sses and e mb races Sp ring .
had burst again Th e b leak winter win d Of a few min

.
utes ago w a s forgotten a nd P eggy s s mile h er m usical ,

’
voice her warm han dclasp h er sou l sp eakin g through

, ,
h er eyes had in on e won derful moment b rought th e

,
Kingdom Of H eav en right i nto th eir midst and in ,
that mo ment some o f th em felt a p res enc e that they

coul d not exp lain ; b ut Peggy cou ld h av e told th e m
“ ”
that it was Go d n earer to th em than hands or feet
, .
I t w a s a l ong ti me b efore P eggy could tear h ersel f

away from th e h eart h ungry p eopl e b ut with a promise
-
,
that s h e woul d b e with th em on th e fol lowing Sunday

s h e finally made h er escap e in th e midst Of many
“
good byes an d G od b les s you S
-
.
S imon R alph an d Virginia were waitin g for h er o n

, ,
th e o utside I n answe r to h er eager in qu iry sh e was

.
20 P E G GY WA RE
told that h er fath er was impatient an d had gon e on
h ome .
Joyfully th ey followed th e trail n o w b eate n out in

“
th e sn ow ; R alph march ing prou dly by th e side Of B ig
”
S is ,
as h e fon dly call ed Peggy wh ile Simon with , ,
Virginia in her accustomed place o n h i s shoulder k ep t ,
step in th e rear .
A S th ey app roach ed th e h ome P eggy was seized by ,
som e in d e fi n a b l e dread Sh e ceased to resp ond to th e

.
prattle Of th e children H er face b ecame ash en an d

.
her limbs trembled until s h e felt th a t th ey would not

s u S t a in h er a s sh e m ov ed at a rapid pace ; Si mon k ept
clos e b esi de h er h e t oo feelin g som e i mp ending

,
disaster .
Wh en th ey arrived at th e gate th ey h eard a strange ,
voice n O W hoarse an d angry an d anon b roken and

, ,
pl eading Th ey stopp e d i n fear What coul d it mean ?

. .
Wh o was this stran ger an d wh ere was fath er ? Th ey

,
listen ed for th eir moth er s voice but it w a s not to b e

’
h eard Then an awful th ing happ en ed Th e man

. .
inside th e hous e b egan to cu r s e G od and th ey h eard ,
him s ay
“
I f th ere is a Go d I h ate h i m ! I hate h i m ! for h e
,
n o t only took my l ittl e F lorence away from me b ut ,

”
n ow h e h a s tak en my preci ou s wife .
Th ey di d n o t wait to h ear more b ut ru sh ed into th e ,
hous e O n th e b ed lay the moth er a b eauti ful smi le

.
,
partin g h er li p s th e roses still i n her ch eeks h er eyes

, ,
gently closed th e lon g b eautiful lash es coverin g th em

, ,
f o r th e long s leep wh il e Wilb u r Ware crouch ed o n th e

,
floor with th e look Of som e d esp erately wou nded w ild

,
ani mal in h is face h is hair d ish evell ed h is eyes b lood

, ,
shot th e vein s in h is n eck an d foreh ead swolle n a nd

,
black as though about to bu rs t .

C H R I STMAS I N T H E C UM B ER LAND MO U NTA I N S 21
R alph and Virginia standing in th e presenc e Of death

f or th e fi rst tim e did n ot recogn iz e hi m b ut call ed ,
“ ”
p iteously for mother wh ile Peggy overcome with
, ,
th e greatest sorrow Of h er l ife kissed th e b elove d lip s

,
“
and stroked th e b eautiful hair cryin g M y Go d my
, , ,
G od ! was it not possibl e f o r th is cup Of sorrow to hav e

”
passed ?
O ld S imon standing at th e foot of th e b ed his wh ite
, ,
h ead bowed low his b ody shaken as by some mighty

,
inward uph eaval said :, G ood bye l il M issu s ; w e

-
,
’
hates to gib y o u u p b ut we l l all b e wid you on d e

,
’
r esurrection m aw n in
C H AP TE R TWO
C H R I S T MA S IN B U CK S P O CK E T
E S th ere is a B u cks P ock et an d it is inhab ited
, ,
by real p eop le N ot th e sort Of p eop le that dwell

.
i n tow n s an d oth er centers O f pop ulation wh ere ,
th ere are rail roads schools an d l ib rari es

, ,
.
T O th ese o u r breth ren O f B ucks Pock et woul d seem

a qu eer p eopl e an d th eir worl d a fit dw elling place f o r
,
R ip Van Winkl e S O asleep s o b enighted so isolated

’
, , ,
were th ey .
Tru e th ey had red b lood th e p urest Anglo Saxo n

, ,
-
blood to b e foun d in A m erica Th ey also h ad big .

,
hu man h earts an d d imly th ey had a b el ief that th ey

,
possessed soul s bu t Of th eir souls th ey were al most as

,
unconscious a s th eir b reth ren an d sisters wh o dwell i n

th e roaring town s and indu strial centers .
Few O f th e m cou ld read o r w rite an d many Of th e m ,
had never gon e a day s j ou rn ey from th e place Of th eir

’
birth Th ey w ere n ot only ign orant b ut narrow s u s

.
, ,
p icio u s and sup erstitiou s

, O f strangers th ey were
.
afraid ; f o r n ew ideas o r innovations th ey had no u se .
When once you gain ed the ir confidenc e th ey truste d ,
y o u as i mp licitly as littl e ch ildren .
Th eir idea Of Ch ristmas w a s crude almost barbarou s , ,
an d it i s no wo n der that in th is pock et in th e mou n

tain s th e celebration O f o u r Savior s nativity shoul d
,
’
hav e b een q uite d i ff eren t fro m th e o n e taking p lace at

th e same ti me th e sam e n ight in th e hom e Of th e
, ,
Wares in th e h eart Of th e Cu mb erlands s everal h un

, ,
dred m il es away .
22
C H R IS T M A S I N B U C K S PO C K E T 23
Cli ff An derson was th e rul ing sp irit Of B ucks Pocket .
“ ”
H e w a s called by every o n e Cap A n derson bu t few ,
cou ld tell you th e reason fo r this I f h e had b een q ues .
t io n e d closely h e might relu ctantly h av e tol d hi s

, , ,
inquisitor that he had b een O ff ered a captai n s commis ’
sion in th e Con federate army f o r gal lant and distin

g u is h e d services b ut declined b ecau se h e could neither
,
read n o r write b ut his devoted co mrades in arms

,
“
dubbed hi m Captain and ever afterward p ersisted in ,
addressing h i m by that appell a tion .
O n th e oth er hand if h e had n ot taken a sh in e to

,
h is qu estion er h e woul d p robably h ave repl ied g r u ffl y :

,
”
I t s none Of your du rn ed b us in ess
’
.
H e was a large man t w o o r th ree inch es abov e six ,
feet with broad shoulders a mass ive head surmounted

, , ,
by a thick growth o f iron gray hair a grizzly m ustach e -

,
an d imp erial steel gray eyes col d cruel unflinching

,
—
, , ,
in th e presenc e Of an en e my b ut capab le of softness ,
an d sympathy wh en confronte d by a woman in distress

o r a ch ild in tears .
H e w a s known far an d wid e a s th e King of th e

”
Wild Gatters and his corn wh isky was noted for it s
,
“ ”
p u rity wh erever th e nam e Of Cap Anderson was
spoken Th e revenue O ffi cers occasionally made raids
.
in B u ck s Pock et an d som eti mes captured a crud e still

, ,
b u t t h e y n eve r coul d fi nd an own er I t was a com mon

‘
”
beli ef that thes e cru de outfits w ere p lanted fro m time
“
to tim e by th e r ev e n oo s s o that th ey coul d mak e a
“
show Of raidin g B uck s Pock et and destroying wild
”
cat operations .
B e that as it may it i s certain that th ey never found

,
Cap Anderson s distillery or cam e near it S O far as

’
, ,
any o n e kn ew I t w a s a thorough ly equipp ed modern

.
,
“ ”
a ff air with a large capacity f o r a wild cat outfit an d
, ,
24 PEGGY WAR E
its owner p rided h imsel f o n making th e b est liq uor to
b e had a n ywh ere .
’
Wh en a ma n was O ff ered a drink o u t of h is frien d s
“
bottle and tol d that it was A nderson s he ’
“ ”
k n ew that n o p urer p iz en w a s ever distilled an d -
,
that it had fewer figh ts an d h eadach es t o th e gallo n

th a n any oth er brand .
A fi t companio n f or Cli ff Anderson w a s h i s wife ,
M olly Sh e too w a s a p rodu ct Of th e mou ntain s

.
, , ,
“
a n d lik e h im had n o book
, ,
I n fact th e ,
only b ook s h e had ever seen was a B ible carri ed by

th e H ard Sh el l p reach er who cam e onc e a month
”
to preach i n an Ol d tu mbl edow n log h ou se in th e

“ ” ”
P ocket called th e ch urch O n his monthly visits
.
h e u su ally stoppe d at th e h om e o f th e Anderson s ’

,
w h ere h e rep orted th e n ews o f th e activities Of th e

“ ”
r e v e n oos in th e outs id e world an d for h is kindnes s
,
h e would carry away in on e side Of hi s saddleb ags

“
several bottl es Of An derson s m ountain d ew while ’
,
h is B ible rested s ecu rely on the oth er side .
I f th ere were a n y oth er books in th e world M olly ,
An derson had n ever h eard Of th em but sh e di d know ,
that th ere were almanacs f o r Cli ff got on e eve ry,
Sprin g S O th at s h e coul d tell wh en th e moon was right

f or pla n ting h er gard en an d it was o n e O f th e duties
,
“ ”
Of th e hard sh el l p reach er on h is mo n thly visits to
, ,
look u p th e p rop er tim e Of th e moon for planting also ,
f o r h og killin g maki n g b oards layin g th e worm O f

, ,
rail fen ces an d ma n y oth er things that would b e a

,
“ ”
failu re i f n o t don e in th e moon .
M olly was rath er small with a k in dly face b u t

, ,
fi rm j aw dark red hair deep b rown eyes a nd h er

, , ,
step was fi rm an d vigorou s Sh e was t h e o n ly p erson

.
i n B ucks Pocket wh o dared approach Cli ff Anderson

wh en h e was in a towering rage wh ich to h i s c redit , ,
26 PEGGY WARE
kn ew that b eneath al l h is kindness to her th ere lurk ed
a sleeping lion p e r hap s a devil Whatever th e mo
, .
t iv e s Of th e fath er may h ave b een for wanting t o k eep

“
his daughter ignorant O f book h e kept to
h im se l f an d un less h e s ees fi t to tel l some one wh o
,
sh all disclo se it we may n ever know .
“ ”
At any rate this w a s th e statu s Of th e A nderson
,
family o n th e Chri stmas ev e i n q uestion wh en al l th e

lads an d lassi es Of B uck s Pocket assembled at th e
”
hom e of Cap A nderson for a Ch ri stmas celeb ration .
Som e few came by sp ecial invitation from th e outsi de

worl d but th e p ickets at th e entran ce t o th e Pocket
,
“ ”
made s ure that n o susp icious r e v e n O O s p y passed
into th e Pock et on this th e greatest night Of th e year
, .
Ah yes abou t thi s B ucks Pocket I t is a strange

, , .
,
wild freak Of natu re o n th e west side Of San d M oun

tain i n North A labama Th e earth seem s to have
.
dropp ed down s everal h undred feet l eavin g sh eer

,
,
rock walls o n th ree sides h un dreds Of fe et h igh A t .
th e bottom Of th e Pocket th ere are thou sands O f acres

Of fertile land h eavily timb ered with giant wh ite oak
, ,
h ickory p oplar and p ine tree s Sauty Creek fl ow s

, , .
alon g on the top Of San d M ou ntain wh ich is a rolling ,
p lateau about twenty m iles wi de u ntil it reach es B ucks ,
Pocket wh ere it ab ruptly plunges over th e cli ff an d

,
dash es a N iagara in minature into th e p ocket o r

, , ,
vall ey hundreds Of feet b elow It th en rush es fu ri

,
.
o u s ly th rou gh th e Pocket dashing in dangerous rapids

,
u ntil it reach es th e Tenn essee river wh ere it is lost ,
in th e m u ddy waters Of th is h i stori c stream .
O n th e th ree walle d sides th ere is but o n e entranc e

th rough a narrow rocky defil e which h a s b een made
, ,
in to a road s o that a team Of oxen can draw a wagon

“ ” ’
filled with barrel s containin g Anderson s best .
“ ”
Th e co r n from which Cap An derson distil s h is
famou s whi sky is b rought in from th e Tenn esse e R ive r
C H R I ST M A S I N B U C KS PO C K E T 27
Valley entered from th e open side Of th e Pock et A t

, .
strategic points o n this op en sid e th ere are cabin s

where h enchmen Of Anderson live wh o run th e block ,
“ ”
ade for hi m and k eep h im in formed by grap evin e
tel egraph if any susp icious ch aracters are seen lurking
in th e n eighborh ood wh o require attention .
Wh en th e gu ests were assembled an d th e master

Of c eremonies wh o was none oth er th an o u r fri en d
,
“
B u d Whitman announced that it w a s ti me to cu t em
,
’
loose it w a s p erfectly safe to assume that th ere w ere

,
“ ”
no strangers with in th e gates b u t that each o n e ,
present coul d quali fy for a p lace in th e fold .
“ ”
How th ey did cu t em loos e o n th is particular
’
Christmas eve has n ot yet b een forgotten in B u cks

“ ”
Pocket M o st of th e m en had i mb ib ed fre el y O f Cap
.
Anderson s honest corn j uice an d i t b rought o u t in

’
each h is h idden proclivities Th e wom en also were

.
, ,
not avers e to an occasional s ip a s it w a s eminently ,
resp ectable to manu factu re th e j oy producer p rovided ,
you were n o t haled into Un cl e Sam s cou rt an d also to ’

,
drink i t when ever an d wh erever y o u des ired .
A lmost every o n e in B u cks Pock et drank th e nota ,
bl e exc eptions b eing Cli ff A nderson hi s wife and , ,
daughter H oweve r th ey di d n ot discou rag e drinkin g

.
,
in oth ers for it w a s a sou rce Of revenu e t o th e Ander

,
s o n h ousehold and An derson s ph ilosoph y was that if

’
y o u h a d it in your system you had b etter drive it o u t

with pu re liquor than in som e oth er way .
B ucks Pock et had some noted fi d d l er s Of th e back

woods vari ety and a few slu gs Of th e p ure j ui ce Of
,
th e corn added a wonderful S k ill to th eir manipul ations

O f th e b o w H o w th e fi dd l e s did talk ! Y o u cou ld
.
see th e p rincipals engaged i n conversation wh en th ey

“ ”
struck up th e A rkan sas Travel er an d visions Of a ,
burn ing forest fi lled th e fancy wh en th ey b egan to

screa m forth Fire in th e M ountains and brogan
:
,
28 PEGGY WARE
shoes clat t ered o n th e pu nch eon floor as h earts b ea t
warm a n d p assionate against b rown j ea n s an d hom e
made l in sey
S omeo n e had hung a b unch of mistl etoe o n one side
Of th e great room a n d wh en som e big h usky swain
,
felt th e warm b reath a nd grippin g han d p ressure o f

h is partner and saw in th e sparkling eyes a b a nter
, ,
“ ”
as if sh e w ere saying : I dare you to do it h e would ,
swing h er quite u nresisting b en eath th e mistletoe a n d ,
then exact th e p enalty by pl anting on h er red lips o r

rosy cheeks a resou ndin g k iss as th e oth ers gave th eir ,
app roval by shouts and lou d clapping O f th eir hands .
“ ”
B ud Whitman call ed th e figu res as th ey danced ,
th e Old Virgin ia reel and oth er Old fash ion ed dances -

,
th e only danc es in wh ich they w e r e sk illed H e was .
a p ast master at th e a rt an d in al l hi s glory wh e n

-
,
engaged in th e performanc e O f th is prou d function .
H e had a voice li k e a f og horn a nd th e more h e -

,
“
ca lled a n d th e more h e drank th e more sonorou s h is
, ,
voic e grew and th e more a n imated h i s action s H is

,
.
wh ol e b ody was i n rhyth m with th e mu sic H e swayed .
fro m side to s ide p atting with h is two big ha n ds an d

,
also with h is foot a ll in p erfect time as h e call ed

, ,
“ ” “ ”
H o n ah y O pardners Al l promenade an d S O o n
’
, ,
“ ”
through th e set .
’
A half barrel fi lled w ith som e O f A n derso n s t w o
”
year O ld corn sat in th e co rn e r O f th e room th e h ea d
-
,
k n ock ed out s o th at wh e n a dan cer wa n ted to ap p ease

,
h is thirst h e S imply took o n e O f th e tin h a lf pint cu ps

,
-
h un g on a row O f nail s driven into th e barrel an d

h elped h i ms elf N O water was p ermissibl e to b e drunk
.
eith er w ith th e whisk ey to dilute it o r afterw a rd as a ,

“ ”
chaser .It woul d have b een a S ign Of w eakn ess
wh ich even th e ladi es sco r n ed to exhib it .
“
Take e r straight b oys an gal s ; tak e e r straight
’
,
’ ’
,
C H R IST M A S I N B UC KS PO C K E T 29
B ud would shou t an d n o one would have th ought Of

,
disobeying .
B ud h a d bou ght a pair Of high h eeled red topp ed -

,
—
boots for the occasion and w a s rigged o u t in h is b est

,
h omespun with a store bought red bandana hand

,
-
kerch ief around h is neck H e w a s very proud Of h is.
appearance f or h e wante d to su itably impress R uth

,
Anderson with h is good look s as w ell as h is i mport

ance for h e had about mad e u p h is min d to inform
,
h er that h e wa s going t o marry h er b efore v e ry lo n g ,
n o t doubtin g that sh e would b e only t o o eager to
acce p t .
R uth s heart n ever seemed to b e in th es e wild dances

’
,
nor did s h e enj oy the ribal d j ests of th e hal f drunken

guests ; perhaps it was b ecause s h e h ad not imbibed
“ ”
th e overj oyfu l in th e barrel in th e corner Of th e
room or maybe it was an innate feel ing Of refi nement
,
not p o s s e se d by th e oth ers .
A S th e hou rs went by an d th e revel lers b ecam e more

boisterou s a feel in g Of loathing for h er su rrou ndings
,
and a ssociates took possession Of her and s h e wou ld ,
h ave fled from th e room bu t s h e k new that h er fath er

,
woul d b e o ff e n d ed for h e was p un ctiliou s upon th e

,
point that h is gu ests shoul d always b e a ccorded every

cou rtesy H e and h is wife fr equ ently looked in o n th e
.
young p eop le and smiled th eir approval

, .
B ud was now feel in g that th e world was h is and ,
h e seiz ed R uth and said :

You are my pardner fu r th e n ext s e t an d s h e ,
yielded b ecau se sh e did n o t want to anger h im M adly .
h e wh irl ed h er rou n d an d round as th e fi d d l e s fairly

,
sh rieked , and th e oth er dancers stop pe d as th e pair

drew nearer an d n eare r t o th e overhanging mi stl etoe .
At first R uth did n ot discer n h is pu rpose b ut su dden ly ,
i t dawned on h er th a t B ud inte n ded to ge t h er u nder

30 PEGGY WARE
th e mistl etoe and k iss h er A feeling Of anger in d ig .
,
nation and loat h ing swept over h er and s h e tried to ,
break away fro m h i m b ut h e h el d h er a s easily a s a

,
big grizzly b ear could have done R eal iz ing her h elp .
“
lessn ess in h is emb rac e sh e said : Pl ease don t ; I l l
,
’ ’
”
hate y o u always i f y o u do ! H is an swer wa s a big ,
coarse gu ff aw that caused th e hot b lood to mantle h er

cheeks and h er eyes to blaz e Th e n ext moment h e .
sw ung h er under th e mistl etoe an d b egan t o rain h ot ,
dru n ken passionate kisses o n h er lip s holding h er a s

, ,
in a v ice wh il e ev eryon e sh outed an d urged h i m o n

, .
With th e en ergy Of despair R uth with h er free hand , , ,
began to scratch his face lik e som e wild animal the ,
blood flowing from th e wou nds and then by on e ,
m ighty e ff ort s h e wrenched h ersel f free and as h e came ,
toward h er to s eiz e h er again s h e dealt h i m one ter ,
r ifi c blow with all her m ight on h is nos e and th e ,
blood gush ed from h is nostril s in two h ealthy streams .
N O wounded bu ll in th e aren a ever b ellowed more

hoarsely o r stru ck out more bl in dly than did th e half
drunken hu miliated B ud n ow a p otential b east h i m
, ,
self H e w as th e bully O f B ucks Pock et Al most

. .
every young fellow present had su ff ered some indignity

at h is hand and wh en R uth dealt h i m th e b low that
,
brought th e blood a s some unsympath etic bystan der

,
“ ”
said lik e a stuck hog it is l ittl e wonder that every
“
, ,
o n e rej oiced at h is h u miliation .
B l inded w ith rage th e b lood fill ing h is mouth and

,
eyes forgettin g that h is antagonist was a woman and

, ,
th e woman that h e had determined to mak e h is wife ,
h e stru ck h er a cruel blow and s h e reel e d and would

hav e fal len to th e floor i f s h e h ad not recovered by
,
th rowing o u t h er hands an d strikin g th e wall O f the

house .
Cli ff An derson had come to the doorway j u st in tim e

C H R I ST MAS I N B U C KS PO C K E T 31
to s e e the d runken b ul ly strike R uth and with o n e ,
b oun d h e crossed th e roo m d ealt h im a terribl e blow

, ,
“
as he said b etween his cl ench ed teeth : B y G od I ll ,
’
”
kill you !
Wh itman fell to th e floor l ik e a log b ut only for a ,
moment R ising to hi s kn ees h e p u l led a revo lver

.
from h is h ip pocket and was in th e act O f fi rin g wh en

someon e knocked it from h is hand an d a dozen strong ,
men seiz ed and overpow ered him A S th ey dragged .
h i m from th e room h e fi ll ed th e a m o s p h e r e w ith h is

“
curses an d th reats I l l git even with you ; I ll k ill
.
’ ’
”
y o u
,
if it takes m e ten years ! h e shouted hoarsely a s ,
h is voice died away in th e distance .
Th e dan c e w a s ov er an d it had co me n ear b eing a

,
”
danc e of d eath .
Ch ristma s day a few choice spirits gath ere d at A n

d e r s o n s distillery and discussed th e events Of th e p re
’
vio n s n ight They warn ed Anderson to b e careful a s

.
,
B ud Wh itman was a bad man an d would never re st ,
u ntil h e had mad e h is th reat good A s th ey discu ssed .
th e incident an d drank to th e h ea l th O f th e King Of

th e Wild C a t t er s th e firin g Of big gun s could b e h eard
,
com ing fro m variou s parts Of th e Pock et T O a n ew .
comer it woul d have m eant th e app roach Of an army Of

“ ”
r ev e n O O S, o r a battl e between contending feu dists ;
bu t t o th e Ol d tim er it m eant th e celeb ration o f

Ch rist mas .
I n th is ou t Of th e way spot in this year Of grace , ,
wh ere there w ere no school s no C hurch es th e dwel lers , ,

“
hailed the day that b rought p eac e o n earth good will ,
”
to m en by th e fi ring Of m urderou s gun s an d th e drink
ing Of contraband whiskey .
D O not con demn th em f o r th ey are th e prod uct Of

,
condition s over which th ey have had littl e or no co n

H o ! and wh en th eir M oses com es as come h e must to
, ,
32 PEGGY WARE
every soul who know s b ut what B u ck s Pocket may
,
b ecome a b eacon light to th e more h ighly developed

commu n ities .
Wh o knows o r wh o can tell what mysterious spir

,
it u a l forces were at work to b ring th es e b e n ighted

peopl e into a l ife Of great and wond erful fullness .
“
Then j u dge th em not those of yo u whose l ives h av e
,
”
been cast i n pl easant places f o r you cannot put you r
,
s elf in th eir p laces an d th erefore you are not prep ared

,
“
to j udge Perh aps wh en th is story i s told and fi n is
.
h a s b een written you will feel that y ou h a ve pl ayed

,
a poor secon d to th e dwell ers in B ucks Pock et .

34 PEGGY WARE
him in h er gri ef craving his sympathy and te n derness
,
.
H e wou ld give no instruction about th e fun eral excep t ,

“
to say with what sou nded l ike an oath that no preacher
”
shou ld O ffi cia t e at th e grave Th is was in answer to
.
a su ggestion fro m on e O f th e m en that h e woul d go to

th e n earest tow n s om e twenty mil es away an d get a
, ,
m inister .
T O P eggy s pleading h e w a s Ob durate and ev en

’
b rutal an d s ensin g a great mental reaction in h er

,
fath er sh e b ecame alarmed for hi s reason Indeed it

,
.
se emed to everyone that in h is eyes th ere was th e look

O f th e madman .
Si mon w ent with so me Of th e n eighb ors and sel ected

a spot in th e graveyard adj o ining th e church wh ere
Wilbur Ware had b een th e sh eph erd Of th e sheep for
five years I t was on a l ittl e kn oll and th ey S hovel ed
.
,
away th e snow b efore they could b egin to dig th e

frozen earth .
While th e grave w a s being dug oth ers made a coffi n ,
from wide p ine boards that som e o n e in th e comm unity

always had on han d f o r th e visits O f th e gri m reaper .
Som eon e suggested that S O fin e a lady as M r s Ware .
deserved som eth in g m ore th an a plain box and after ,
much consultation it w a s decid ed that on e Of th e

women wh o h ad a b lack satin dress that b elonged to
h er mothe r back in O ld Vir g in n y b efore th e war
“
, ,
shoul d cut it up an d u s e it to cover th e co ffin a mark ,
of unu sual respect to th e b eloved wife O f th eir pastor .
All that day and th rou gh th e long nigh t Wilbu r ,
Ware s a t gazing into vacancy n ever uttering a word , ,

“ ”
wh ile th e oth ers sittin g up w ith th e corps e talk ed in
whisp ers .
S imon w a s everywh ere an swerin g qu estions giving

, ,
directions occasional ly consu ltin g with Peggy and

, ,
anon bringing in h ickory logs an d replenish ing th e

fire in th e great wid e mouthed fi replace A t stated -

.
intervals he would pass aroun d cups o f coff ee from th e

“
steaming h o t co ff ee p o t to h elp th e watch ers to k eep
”
awake .
Th e interm inable n ight cam e to an end at last an d ,
as th e fi rst streaks Of dawn fell athwart th e w inter

landscape some of th e neighbor women ca me t o relieve
,
th e watch ers who went ho me to snatch a l ittle sleep

,
before th e fun eral wh il e break fast w a s p repare d i n an

,
adj oi n ing room by som e of th e k in dly souls .
“
A s for Simon h e said : I ll j est snatch a few b ites
,
’
as I go ovah to de church an s e e e f d e grab e a m ,

’
”
ready .
Th e snowstorm had increased with th e night and ,
the snow lay th ick upon th e ground and every tree and ,
bush wore a h eavy mantl e .
Th e ti me fo r th e funeral arrived and th e pall b earers ,
c arried th e co ffin containin g th e mortal re mains of M r s .
Ware an d placed it i n a wagon drawn by a tea m Of

mu les There w ere not m any mule teams in th e co m
.
munity bu t as a mark Of distinguishe d resp ect G ab e

, ,
Houston had com e ten m i l es with h is sp anking t eam

so that th e remains would not hav e to b e drawn by a
yok e Of oxen H e drov e pro u dly at th e h ead Of th e
.
procession which was followed by ox wagons and per

,
sons o n foot and thus th ey marche d to th e graveyard

,
a mile a way Wilb ur Ware refusing to ride b ut walk

, ,
ing in stony s ilence behind th e wagon which w a s

b earing to its last restin g place the on e h u man b eing
that had h el p ed hi m to k eep h is hold o n Go d ; an d n o w
that hol d w a s b roken and faith was dead an d hop e, ,
buried .
By th e ti me th ey reach ed th e open grave th e snow

was fallin g in b lin ding sheets fi llin g th e men s eyes ,
’
so that th ey could scarcely find th eir way as they bore

36 PEGGY WA R E
th e co ffin from th e wagon to th e gra v e Without a .
word th ey low ered it t o wh ere it wa s to remain as th e

cou ntl ess ages rol l by an d with b ared h eads stood
,
back looking h elplessly toward each oth er and th en

, ,
t o ward th eir p astor wh om th ey n ow regarded alm ost

,
in h orror .
W a s n o word to b e spoken no prayer to b e O ff ered ? ,
There was n o an swer t o th eir mute app eal save th e

sobbing o f Peggy and th e wom en an d Of th e p ath etic
“ ”
ca l ls o f R alp h an d Virgin ia f o r M oth er Final l y th e .
su spense b ecame u nb earab l e an d Wilbu r Ware in a , ,

”
h arsh u nnatural voic e said :
,
F il l up th e g r av e
,
.
Unabl e to restrain h erself lon ger Peggy look in g , ,
arou nd w ith u ntold agony in h er face said : ,
Won t som eon e pl ease s a y a word o r O ff er a p rayer ?

’
N O o n e b udged These hardy mou ntaineers could

.
b rav e all k inds Of w ea th er undergo untold hardships , ,
even fight a n enemy to th e death b ut n o t on e Of th em ,
cou l d face this ordeal T W O o r th re e Of th e w omen

.
nudged th eir h usbands u rging them in wh isp ers b ut

, ,
“
to n o avail Again Wilbu r Ware said :
. Fil l up th e
grave an d th e men gathered up th ei r shovels to b e
,
gi n b ut Peggy stretch ed o u t h er hands toward Si mon

, ,
wh o stood w ith b owed h ead th e w ind playing with ,

“
his wh ite locks an d b rokenly p leadingly said :
,
Si , ,
”
m on ! N ot anoth er word ca me fro m her lips and al l ,
waited b reathless Th en sole mn l y reverently with

.
, ,
th e halo Of a saint abou t h is white h ead a s som e O f ,
th ese p resent u sed to declare lon g after h e had gone

t o h is reward Simon said : ,
“
Wh ite folks y o u won t min d e f an ig n a n t Old nig
,
’ ’
ger says a few words at de grab e O b h is young missus ‘
,
’
”
will y ou ?
“
You k n o w s e I toted her in my a b ms wh en s h e wus
,
a tiny li l baby an d den I learn h er how t o walk an

’
, ,
’
I n ev a h seed de day wh en I woul dn t lay down my ’
l ife fer h er .
“
B efo d e wah I b elonged to h er fa t h ah Captain
’
Lee an h e an Ole M issu s w a s des a s good to me as

,
’ ’
dey wu s to da own ch il e D ey all teach ed m e to lub .
G o d an dat Go d lub ed m e An I goin to s a y b eah

’ ’ ’
.
,
dat I feel H is l ove mo p o w f u l a s I stan by her grab e ’ ’ ’
dan I e v a h did b efo I don t know n othin e r b o u t ’

.
’ ’
‘
Ologi es but I k now dat G od a m h e a h and dat young
,
’ ‘
missu s ain t lyin i n dat co l froz en groun but dat

’ ’ ’ ’ ’
,
s h e is in d e su nburst o b glory wid J esus D e hous e .
s h e l ib e d in is lyi n dar but h er s ou l is free an sh e ’ ’

, ,
is e b e ry w h a h Sh e i s wi d Go d an J esu s an s h e is
.
’
,
’
h ea h w id u s too an d sh e gwin e back h ome w id M assa

, ,
Ware an de bl essed ch ill u n s an sh e gwin e to b e a

’
,
’
ligh t to guide dar feet i nto de m o s wonderfu l ways ’

.
”
An somehow so mehow here h is voic e broke an d
’
, , ,
it seem ed that h e coul d n ev er go o n and th e great ,

“
tears testifi ed to h is emotion so me day s h e gw in e to ,
”
lead h i m p ointing to the broken h elp l ess p re a ch er
, , ,
“
back to G o d caus e it gwin e t o b e an u nb roken fam
,
b l y wh en dey all git over y o n d a h and Simon gwin e to ,

”
b e dar too ,
.
Th e Old wrinkled black fac e was lighted by som e ,
spiritual fire fro m withi n an d al l felt that th ey stood ,
in th e p resence of a great soul alth ough housed in a ,
black body and a s th e Old negro fin ish ed all bowed

, ,
th eir h eads in sil ent p rayer to Go d who did not seem ,
fa r Off in H is h eavens but h ere in th ei r midst , .
S ilently they fill ed th e grave p laced a plank slab ,
at th e h ead and anoth er at th e foot an d stil l w ith out ,
speaking a word the proc ession took up th e return ,
march .
Within a week after th e bu rial O f th e w ife and

moth er Wilbu r Ware had disp osed Of h is earthly p o s
,
38 PEGGY WARE
sessions b ought a wagon an d yoke O f oxen and a n
, ,
n o u n ce d that h e had given up th e min istry forever and ,
w a s goin g to the mountain s O f North Alabama where ,
h e coul d homestead a h undred an d sixty acres O f lan d ,
o n wh ich he proposed to s ettle and b uild a home .
Peggy was too stunned by th e death Of h er m oth er

an d the condition Of h er fath er to ask any qu estion s
-
or mak e any Obj ection .R alph an d Virginia w ere

enth usiasti c over th e thought O f travel ing th rough the
country in a cov ered wagon E agerly th ey discu ssed
.
th e p ossibility Of p ass ing throu gh cities seeing rail ,
roads an d trains an d boys and girl s dressed in store

,
”
cloth es
.
A s for Si mon h e w a s rea dy to fol low wh erever th e

,
Wares w ent and h is only thought w a s for th eir co m

,
fort an d w elfare .
I nto th e wagon Wilbu r Ware a n d Simon loaded such

Of th e h ousehol d goods as woul d b e absolutely needed ,
th e furniture havin g b een S ol d to th e n eighbors .
Peggy put all h er b ooks into th e wago n without a

protest from h er fath er and looking ruefully at th e
,
“
long S h elves O f th eological works s h e said : ,
Fath er ,
”
what are y o u going to do w ith all you r books ? She
kn ew that it woul d require a big wagon and stout yoke
Of oxen to hau l th e books that had cost her fath er a
small fortun e for a man Of his m eans Without a n .
s w e r in g h er h e began to carry th e h eavy vol u mes o u t
i nto th e yard wh ere a big log h eap had been built s o

th at th e large crowd O f n eighbors that had assembled
to tel l th e Wares goodbye could keep w a rm a n d pi l ed ,
them o n th e bu rning logs A rmful after a r mful h e

.
threw on th e burning h eap th e fla mes leaping h igher

,
at th e addition Of each load .
Th e peopl e watch ed a maz ed fascinated wondering

, , ,
what evil S p irit cou ld have tak e n possessio n O f their

form er pastor fro m whom th ey were about to part ,
perhap s forever .
In h is fac e th ere wa s th e look Of th e gri m e x e cu

t ion e r an d Peggy fled from th e tragic scene unable
, ,
to witness what seemed to h er h er fath er s own fun eral ’
pyre f o r sh e would n o t have b een greatly surprised

,
if he had thrown him self on th e bu rn ing mass and per

is h e d with h is beloved th eol ogical books .
S imon however took a di ff erent view O f the mat

, ,
ter and with a very solemn face b ut a merry twinkle

, ,
in his eyes proposed to aid th e min ister in h is work

,
.
NO o n e els e interfered for th ey al l thou gh t th e preacher

,
in san e an d o n e by o n e th ey b egan to w ithdraw to a

,
“
safe distance S imon muttered to hi mself :
. He is
”
bu rn in u p h is Go d
’
.
At last th e work was compl eted and all the book s ,
were on th e burn ing heap all except Wi l bu r Ware s ,

’
w el l worn B ible and th e on e that b elonged to h is

—
wi fe and wh ich was presented t o h er by h er m oth er

,
on her w edding day Th ese h e seiz ed an d th rew o n

.
top Of th e burn in g volu mes S im on saw what h e had .
done and th e spirit O f the crusader took th e plac e Of

,
th e sp irit Of th e servant Disregarding th e fierc e lick .
in g Of the flames h e l eap ed into their midst seized th e ,
B ibles a s th eir preciou s leaves were b egin ning to

scorch an d with them h el d tigh tly t o h is breast h e
, ,
brought the m t o safety H is hands were terribly .
bu rned h is eyebrows and hai r singed his cloth ing o n

, ,
fi re b ut he clung t o th e book s that contain ed for h im

,
”
th e words O f life an d from wh ich h is b elov ed m issus
,
had s o Often read to h i m .
At this moment Peggy ap p eared and discov ered that

h is clothing w a s on fi re and began to put it out burn
, ,
“ “ ’
ing h er hands Don t do dat hon ey said h e don t
.
’
, , ,
40 PEGGY WARE
b urn yoah littl e hans fu r it don t make no di ff erenc e
,
’
”
e rb o u t m e e f I should burn up .
Seein g what Si mon had don e Ware b eca me greatly ,
enraged an d tried to snatch th e B ibl es from hi m b ut ,
for once in h is l ife S imon defied h i m .
“
Ah me v a h disob eyed you b efo M assa Ware but ,
’
dis tim e a h s fi g h t in fer y o u a h soul s salvation an

’ ’ ’
,
’
you can b urn my b ody lon g w id you Ological b ooks ’ ’
,
”
b ut y o u can t b urn G od s word till you b urn m e !
’ ’
I t was a tens e mom ent N O o n e present had ever .
h eard a negro defy a wh ite man withou t b eing in

s t a n t ly struck down and all exp ected to see th e e n
,
raged preach er d eal Si mon a blow th at would render

th e O ld man h elpl ess Ware drew back to strike hi s
.
,
face black with passion b ut b efore th e blow cou l d ,
descend Peggy sh ielded O l d Si mon w ith h er body an d

, ,
h er fath er s arm fell h elpl essly t o h is side H is fac e

’
.
twitched convu lsively h e reel ed as though h e were

,
going to fall th en coverin g h is face with his hands h e

, ,
staggered toward th e wagon now loaded and ready t o

move p icked u p th e lin es spoke t o th e oxen and slowly
, , ,
drove away withou t a singl e word O f goodbye .
R alp h an d V irginia ran after th e wagon R alph ,
cli mbin g u p o n th e en d Of the couplin g p ole from

wh ich hun g th e tar b uck et and from th is point O f van ,
tage h e reach ed down an d grasp ed V irgin ia s o u t ’
stretche d hands drew h er up u ntil s h e stood o n th e

,
coupling pol e an d th en he climb ed into th e wagon and

,
p ull ed Virginia in after h i m and th ey cuddled down ,
in th e b ed cloth in g p eeping out from the Op ening in

,
the rear Of th e wagon cover .
Peggy an d Si mon l ingered wh il e everyone crowded

a round t o te l l th em goodbye
Alth ough S imon was unwelcom e because Of h is color
whe n h e fi rst ca me amon g th em and th ere had b een ,
42 PEGGY WA RE
Com e o n little missus Go d is gu id in u s an H e
, ,
’
,
’
”
will dry yo n ah t e a h s .
A ll th e remainder o f th e day th e oxe n plo wed o n

through th e rocky muddy mountain road Si mon fol
, ,
lowing b eh in d wh il e Peggy a t his earnest solicitation

, , ,
had climbed into th e wagon .
A s th e sun was settin g th e y cam e to a small stre a m

'
wh ere Wilbu r Ware halted th e tired oxen and u n ,
yoked th em indicating that h ere th ey would strike

,
camp for th e night .
Si mon took th e axe and cu t som e d ead logs an d

soon had a roaring fi re aroun d w h ich th ey all g a th ,
ered to w a rm th eir h a lf froz en h ands and feet -

.
With th e few c ookin g utensils th ey had brought ,
Peggy soon p repared a simpl e m eal Of corn pon e bacon ,
and eggs supp leme n ted by a b ig p ot O f steamin g e o f

,
fee Th e youngsters a t l east were ravenou sly hu n gry

.
, , ,
an d did ful l j ustice to th e m eal talk ing excitedly and ,
enthu siastically about th e wonderful country th ey ex

p e ct e d to p ass th rough o n th e mo rrow Th e oth ers .
a te sparingly an d in silence Si mon waitin g until th ey ,
had fini sh ed an d th en taking h is food a n d going to

,
his sid e Of th e fire wh ere h e ate slowly and thought

,
fully .
They had brought along s everal sack s O f nubb ins

to feed th e oxen an d th eir contented crunching t esti
,
fi e d to th eir app etites .
Th e bl e a k W inter wind caused th e m no d iscomfort

S O lon g a s th eir stomachs were full f o r n a ture had ,
given th e m a cove r ing that furnish ed ample p ro t e c

tion .
Th e flam es l eapin g h igh f rom th e bu rnin g l ogs

, ,
threw weird shadows into th e surroun ding wood s and ,
R alph an d V irgini a e n j oyed th e novelty Of thei r first

camp fire .
EA R T H To EA R T H 43
Wilbu r Ware s demeanor wa s more normal as th e

’
day passed Th e light Of madness in h is eyes had

.
given place to on e O f h opel ess su ff ering Th e f o u n d a .
tion o n which h e h a d stood f or years had b een swept

.
away and n o w he felt an a ching void that n oth ing

,
could ever fil l
‘
F o r years it had b een h is cu stom to read from th e

B ibl e and O ff e r p rayer b efore th e children retired b ut ,
h e felt that h e could never do so agai n TO h im prayer .
would b e an e mpty mockery a meanin gl ess j argo n Of ,
words a n d h e woul d not furth er stu ltify h imself by

,
engaging in someth ing in which h e did not b elieve .
S O it was that wh en th e beddin g had b een arran ged

i n th e great wagon a n d S imo n had p laced his bl a nk ets
on a pil e Of bough s which h e had h eap ed n ear th e
fi re Wilbu r Ware announ ced that ina smu ch a s th ey
,
wou ld b egin th ei r j ourney at daybreak in th e morn

ing all had b etter retire .
Wistfully th e children looked at th eir fath er an d

at each other n o o n e speakin g u ntil Virgin ia said :
,
“
Papa ain t you going to pray ? Y o u always p rayed
,
’
wh en mama was h ere Sh e s in h eaven now bu t I

.
’
know s h e wants us to p ray and s h e will h elp us t oo , , ,

’
cau se sh e is with th e angel s an d is right close to G od, ,
a nd he ca n h ear h er wh en S h e ask s hi m to a n swer ou r

p rayers
This simpl e faith Of baby V i rgin ia reacte d o n Wil
bu r Ware as nothing el se had don e I t shook h i m to .
th e very foundation o f h is b ein g H e might h ave ar .
gu e d angrily with S imon o r firmly with Peggy ; even

,
R al ph h e coul d hav e dismiss ed with som e lame excuse .
B ut h ere was his you ngest hi s baby lookin g at hi m , ,
through th os e great wid e Op en eyes p iercing h is -

,
gloomy soul speak i n g th e language o f faith o f p er

, ,
f ect t rust in G od in who m h e n o l onger b elieved a n d ,

44 PEGGY WA RE
h e foun d it impossibl e to utter a word With her h e .
cou l d not argu e o r reason H is doubts m eant noth ing .
to h er for sh e was sti l l at that age wh en faith is

,
sub lime wh en life is al l b eauty and everythin g in th e

, ,
u n ivers e is good N O tru er sayin g did Christ ever

.
utter than that we m u st b ecom e a s little ch ildren be

fore we ca n enter th e Kin gdom o f h eaven .
Unabl e to an swer h e r stun ned as if by an u n ex ,
p ect e d b low th e ex preach er aros e from h is plac e by

-
,
the fire and stol e quietly to th e wagon where h e slept ,
l ittle b ein g hau nted by th e storm clou ds O f doubt a nd

,
u nb eli ef that swept over h is soul .
Tu rning to P eggy Virginia s eeming to realiz e ful ly

, ,
f o r th e fi rst time th e terrible change in h er fath er sai d ,

:
“ ”
S ister w hat ails fath er ? I S h e afraid Of G od ?
,
“
Fath er i s n ot w el l Virginia bu t h e wil l soon b e
, ,
”
him self again said Peggy ,
.
“
Well th en p ersis ted Virginia if h e 1 5 too sick to
, , ,
pray h o w could h e walk all day in th e mu d an d drive

”
th e oxen ?
Th is w a s t oo much Of a puzzl e f o r Peggy to an swer ,
an d s h e mad e no rep ly .
’
O nce more th e child s voic e pl eaded : I f papa is
too sick to pray t o G od th en I th ink w e ought to p ray ,
for hi m to get w el l .
O vercom e by the l isping O f V irginia P eggy b urst ,
into tears which s h e hastily b ru shed away saying : ,

“
Yes Virgin ia w e wil l p ray for o u r papa and f o r o u r
, , ,
”
selves too for w e need G od als o
, ,
.
Th en s h e called S imon to come over and sit with

th em n ear th e fi re an d in h er won derfully mu sical
,
voic e sh e rep eated th e twenty third p sal m which sh e -

,
had me morized wh e n s h e was no Ol der than R alph .
Simon had h eard it read Often bu t it n ever h el d o u t ,
such b eau tifu l promises before R alph and Virgin ia .

felt that som e great sh eph erd Of th e forest sent by Go d

was stan ding n ear by to p rotect th em fro m al l harm .
Softly pl eadin gly but confi dently th e words that have

, , ,
sooth ed mill ion s fe l l from her lips

“
Th e Lord 1 8 my shep h erd I shall n o t want ,
.
Yea th ough I walk through th e vall ey O f th e shadow

,
o f death I will fear n o evil ; f o r th ou art with me ;

,
”
thy ro d an d thy sta ff they com fort m e .
The psal m en ded and Peggy knelt l ifting h er fac e ,
to th e wintry sk ies wh ere gl eamed a million stars an d ,

“
th e oth ers followed h er exampl e O u r H eav enly
”
Fath er th e youn g voice quavered w e are j ust thy
, ,
children lost in th e forest an d we n eed th e good sh ep

,
h erd to gu id e u s O u r dear fath er is sick b ecaus e

.
h e has lost h is way S ince mother left u s H i s sick .
’
n es s blin ds h im s o h e cannot see you r face O h won t .
,
y o u take h i m by th e hand an d l ead h im and al l Of u s ,
in thy way ? A men .
P eace peace unsp eakabl e fill ed th e h earts Of these

, , ,
simpl e worsh ippers wh ile th e fi res Of doubt a n d u n

”
bel ief raged in th e sou l o f Wilbu r Ware N O ma .
t e r ia l h ell w ith it s fi ery brimston e billows its burn

, ,
ing q u ench less thirst cou ld ever equal in su ff ering

, ,
th e anguish Of th e storm tossed soul that has lost it s-
faith in Go d N O Stygian darknes s w a s ev er on e half

.
—
S O black as th e m urky pall that settl es over th e man

“ ”
wh o says th ere is n O Go d n o soul no sp iritual l ife , , .
An d for th e man who has once cl i mb ed to som e l ofty

p eak Of life and vi ewed th e p ro mised lan d from afar ,
and tu rned back to wallowing in th e mire Of material

things th inking that th e fl esh pots can satisfy th ere
, ,
is no picture d h el l o f D ante s I nferno that can ever hol d

’
for h im th e su ff ering to which h e is doo med by h is

o w n act Of closing h is eyes to th e celestial vision .
That night P eggy had a marvelous drea m and in ,

46 PEGGY WARE
th e ye ar s that followed it wa s always p resent w ith ,
h er Sh e d reamed that at th e en d O f th eir j ourney

.
,
th ey ca me to a p lace in th e mountain where a stream

of water l eap ed over a precipi ce i nto a narrow rock ,
wall ed valley b el ow and that th ere was a rough wind

, ,
ing road d esc en din g into th is vall ey from wh ich sh e

co uld see th e sm ok e ascending from th e cabins Wh en .
h er fathe r woul d have passed o n sh e saw h er moth er ,
beckon ing to h er fath er to follow th e winding road

into th e valley b ut h e did not s ee h er
,
.
Peggy cried to h er fath er to look but h e was S O ,
blin ded for some reason h e coul d not s e e and was ,
drivin g in another direction Th en h er mother showed .
great agitation earn estly pointing in th e direction of

,
th e valley lying far b el ow Peggy greatly d istressed .

,
b ecause O f h er fath er s blind n ess insisted s o ear n estly ’
that h e tu rned th e oxen s h ead an d entered th e mys ’
t e r io u s v al ley .
I t was a n ew worl d to Peggy Sh e had l ived among .
mountain p eople but not lik e these N owh ere did sh e

, .
se e a school o r ch u rch b ut th ere w ere d runken me n ,
an d wild revelry M any Of th e wom e n w ere haggard

.
,
and forlorn wh ile the youn ger peopl e w ere barefooted

,
and poorly clad .
“
H ith er have I guided you h er moth er tol d h er , , .
to do a great work I t is so far reaching I w ill n o t .

—
reveal it al l to you at th is time Y o u m ight doubt th is .
visio n b ecau se o f its magnitude From ti me t o tim e .
as th e work grows and you r vision exp ands I w il l , ,
guide you Som e day th e echo O f your eff orts h ere

.
in this o u t O f th e way b enighted place will b e h eard

— - -
, ,
aroun d th e world H ere you r fathe r will fin d hi s salva

.
”
tio n an d his work an d p eace to h is soul
, ,
.
Peggy awok e in the m ornin g with a great resolve in

h er h eart Sh e felt th at h er d r e a m was som ething
.
more than a dream that it was a visio n and it b e

—
,
came to h er a great white light t o guide h er footsteps .
A S day after day passed and th ey travel ed through

,
th e mountains to th ei r j ou rn ey s e n d h er vision gave

’
h er a strength and courage she had n ever known b e

fore.
Late o n e afternoon sh e look ed t o th e West an d be ,
h old th e place O f h er drea m ! Sh e in quired O f a pass

ing travel er an d h e said dub iously :
,
That is B uck s Pock et wh ere th ey make wild cat

,
wh iskey an d kil l r ev e n oo Offi c ers You do n t wan t

‘ ’
.
’
to go in th ere fo r if y o u d o you may n ever get o u t

, ,
alive .
H e went o n his way and th e wagon rumb led o n

,
until they cam e to the wi n ding road o f h er dream .
H er fath er took another road an d Peggy p leaded with ,
him to tak e th e o n e l eading into th e mysterious val ley .
H e protested b u t sh e was so earnest assuring hi m

, ,
that sh e felt in h er sou l that it was what th ey ou ght

to do that h e consented havin g no particula r o b j e c
, ,
tion h im sel f J u st as th e su n was h iding b eh ind th e

.
tall trees fringin g th e fa r side O f the vall ey th ey e m ,
t e r e d B uck s Pocket .
C H AP T E R F OU R
T H E U N W EL C O ME S T RA NGE R S
T was a rocky road that l ed into B ucks Pock et an d ,
th e approach Of a wagon a s th e wh eels bounded

from b ou lder to b ou lder could b e h eard f o r a m il e ,
o r more E ven a man o n h ors eback cou ld not travel

.
that road w ithout b eing b etrayed by th e sound Of his

horse s h oofs o n th e rock s
’
.
The Wares h ad not traveled far u ntil a man comin g ,
from nowh ere apparently stood in fron t of th e wagon ,
blocking furth er passage an d threw up hi s hand giv , ,
in g th e signal to stop .
D O you all recon as y o u know wh ar y o u gwin e ?

’
h e asked in a high pitch ed drawlin g voice

-
,
.
H e was tall lank dressed in homespu n wore a coon

, , ,
skin cap an d carri ed a lon g squ irrel rifl e H is hair

,
.
was lon g and S haggy wh ile a h eavy b eard comp letely

,
cov ered h is face l eaving noth ing visib l e except h is

,
eyes and th ey were sharp as a ferret s

,
’
.
Tak en by su rprise W ilbu r Ware made no an swer

, .
“
Again th e stranger drawled : I ca lc la t e y o u all ’
o n th e wrong roa d an d you ll have to travel abou t a

’
mil e afore y o u kin find a p lace big enough to turn

”
’
round in .
Ware by thi s time found h is voice and said :

, , ,
“
N O we haven t taken th e wrong road and wil l b e
’
, ,
”
mu ch obliged if y o u will direct us to a camping place .
Th e stranger chu ckl ed “

Th ey ain t n o camp in
’ ’
.
48
50 PEGGY WARE
road s eemed t o al most touch th e sky Final ly th ey .
reach ed a clearing an d could see lights twinkl ing .
Soon th ey drew u p in front Of a h uge two story ,

-
,
doubl e log hous e w ith great ston e ch im n eys at each

,
end .
Th e m a n g u id in g th e Wares entered th e house and

’
shortly retu rn ed followed by a large soldierly b u ilt

, ,
man and a rath er small n ervou s woman evidently h is , ,
wi fe .
“ ”
H ello stran ger ! spok e th e man i n a short com
, ,
“ ”
manding tone Who are y o u a n d what do you want ?
.
Again Vi rginia b egan crying perhap s th inking that ,
her tears might soften th e h earts O f th es e qu eer p eopl e .
“ ” “
B less my h eart said th e w oman I h ear a baby
, ,
.
What o n earth do y o u m ean stranger comin to B uck s , ,

’
Pocket with yore k id You mu st a stol e it s om e e r s .

’
an d come h ere t o h ide it E f you did w e don t want ‘

.
,
’
n o ch il d stealers h ere I woul d hate on e worser than

.
“ ”
I d o th e r ev e n O O O ffic ers an d I gu ess I hate e m ,
’
”
wors e a n I d o th e devil sai d M olly Anderson
’
, .
“
N O madam answered Ware
, ,
sh e is my ch ild I , .
never stol e a ch il d in my life but sixteen years ago ,
some cru el monster stol e my fi rst born an d I h ave

n ever s een o r h eard from h er since .
“
Pore m an I am sorry fer y o u h and e f I cou ld fi nd
, ,
th e sco undrel what stol e yore ch ile I d p iz e n hi m sa me ,

’
”
as I woul d a rattl esnak e replied M rs A n derson , . .
N O o n e Ob served h er h usband as h e tu rned a deathly

wh ite an d clutch ed at th e wago n wheel to steady him
s elf H is voice was hu sky a s h e spoke an d h e wa s
.
,
vi sibly agitated .
“
M olly I gu ess w e b e t t a h tak e th ese ki ds in th e
,
hou se tonight and th e Old man and th e

,
refer
“
ring t o S imon can camp o u t an d in th e m o rn in I l l
, ,
’ ’
”
’
S cort th em ou t O f B u cks Pocket .
T H E UN w EL C O M E S T R A N GER S 51
M olly A n derson s b ig heart resp onded instantly and

’
Peggy R alph and Virginia were soon in sid e th e h ous e

, ,
by a roaring fi re wh il e Ware an d S imon were shown ,
a place wh ere th ey coul d l eav e th ei r wagon and feed

the oxen .
R uth Anderson ca me in fro m anoth er part O f th e

hous e S he stood lookin g at th e m shyly quizz ical ly
.
, , ,
unti l h er mother said :

“
R uth th ese is som e strangers w hat lost th eir way
, ,
an we are gwin e to keep th e m ti 1

’ ’
Th en R uth tu rn ed to P eggy and said : Wh at is

”
you r nam e ? T O wh ich Peggy resp onded
“
M y na me is Peggy Ware and I am s o glad to , _
”
know y o u and am s o happy to b e h ere
,
.
“
Well mv nam e is R uth A nderson and I l ik e y o u
, ,
b etter than any girl I ever sa w .
I mpulsively Pegg y th rew h er arm s about th e b eauti

ful mountain girl and k issed her warmly This act s o .
touch ed R uth that sh e said :

“
I m p o w fu l sorry for y o u an d I m goin t o ax my
’ ’
,
’ ’
’
pap e f y ou can t stay w ith u s all the ti me Wou ld .
”
you lik e to ?
“
I think it woul d b e a won derful home and y o u ,
hav e su ch a lovely m oth er an d fin e fath er that I a m ,

”
sure I could b e very very hap py h ere said Peggy , , .
Cl iff An derson had entered th e h ous e unob served ,
and as h e l isten ed to th e S incere words Of P eggy th e ,
hard look in h is fac e relaxe d an d h e said :

“
Little gal it s b een many a long day s ense any on e
,
’
“ ”
called m e a fin e man an e f y o u knowed m ore ab out ,
’
”
me I a m afeard y o u wou ld chan ge you r mind .
“
I coul d n ever change my Opin ion M r An derson , .
,
“
said P eggy for I can look i n you r eyes a n d see th at
,
”
y o u are as tru e as steel .
52 PEGGY WA RE
H is eyes shifted b efore Peggy s soul search in g g a z e ’
-
.
H i s eyes that had look ed death in th e fac e many times

, ,
q uail ed b efore a slen der girl H app ily f o r h is com .
fort h is w ife announced that supp er w a s ready an d

, ,
as s h e b ustl ed th e Wares into th e kitchen wh ere th e ,
meals were both cook ed and eaten sh e ordered h er ,
hu sban d to go for th e ch ildren s fath er wh o s h e said ’
, , ,
”
mu st b e al most froz e an d starved too by th is time .
B rin g th e n igger in too an d let h i m set by the fi re an d

warm h i ssel f wh ile th e white folks e at .
Without a word th e bi g king O f th e Wil d C a t t er s

ob eyed h is w ife an d th ey were all soo n s eated at th e
,
long table with al l th e food h eap ed o n big dish es in

,
th e center .
You m ayb e ain t u sed to country grub b ut it s th e

’
,
’
”
best w e kin do fer ye apologiz ed M rs An derson
, I .
.
got n uth in but col d h og s h ead a n d kr a ut s ome back

’
bon e an d spare ribs S om e cr a ck l in b read and sweet

,
’
taters a n d som e pu nk in p i e I made a l ittl e co ff ee .

,
t h in kin it woul d warm ye al l u p a b it

’
An I h av e .
’
som e sweet and b utter milk an d som e of th e b est but,
ter you ever tasted And I h ave som e b iscu its bak i n
.
’
an d th ey will b e red hot by th e time you fi n ish you r

”
corn pone .
R alph had b ee n followi n g with h is eyes th e variou s

articles O f food as th ey were na med over and by th e ,
ti me th e conversation was fi nish ed they w ere bu lging ,
with delight f or h e was very m uch i n love w ith h is

,
stomach R ubbing th is portio n O f h is a n atomy i n a

.
m ost caressing manner h e said ,

'
“
I f y o u will excu se m e fo r b u t t in in I ll s ay th at ’
,
’
”
this is th e gran d est meal I ev er sat down to This .
brou gh t forth a h earty laugh an d a n agreemen t by ,
every o n e that th ey would n ever die Of s ta rvation if ,
th ey cou ld a l w a v s hav e M rs A n derso n for a cook . .

T H E U N W E L C O M E S T RA N GER S 53
A fter th e white folk s had fi nish ed S i mon was in ,
v it e d to th e tab le but h e decl ine d sayin g that h e pre

, ,
ferred to eat by th e k itch en fi re wh ere h e coul d keep ,
warm S o a generou s supply Of everything on th e

.
“
table w as plac ed on th e hath this b eing th e B uck s ,
Pocket s word f o r hearth a n d th e Old darkey enj oyed

’
,
h is supp er for as h e remark ed it remin ded h i m Of th e

, , ,
”
good Ole days in Virgin n y b efo de wah ’
.
R uth wh o had n ever seen a n egro b efore w a s much

, ,
interested in S i mon an d p eeped in at th e kitch en door

,
more th an onc e t o watch h i m a s h e ate Sh e told .
Peggy that th ere never w a s b ut o n e nigger in B ucks

Pocket an d that th e K u Klux hung him and th rew h is
,
—
body in th e Tenn essee R iver at least th is was th e sto r y ,
that had been handed down ; f o r c ertain it was that h e

had disappeared and days afterward th e body Of a
,
negro man was fou nd floating in th e river near D ecatu r .
After supper An derson suggested that h e an d th e

,
stranger gu est retire to anoth er roo m saying : I ,
recon w e might a s wel l talk turk ey to n ight as a ny

’ ‘ ’
”
ti me .
With their bodies warm an d th ei r appetites satisfi ed ,
R alph and Virginia soon b egan to n o d a nd P eg gy ,
su ggested that s h e woul d gO with th e m to th e wagon

an d put th em to b ed TO th is suggestio n M rs A n . .
d er s on stoutly p rotested .
“ ”
Sak es alive no s h e sai d ; you ll do noth ing O f th e
, ,
’
sort I ll p ull ou t th e trundle b ed that R uth slep t On

.
’
until s h e was p urty nigh grown saying which s h e , ,
went to the furth er end o f th e bi g room wh ere a h igh , ,
Ol d fash ione d bed stood w ith a snow white cou nter

-
,
p a n e fo r covering and drew fro m under it a tru ndle

,
bed.
M e an d Cliff sl eep s h ere and th e kids will b e safe ,

”
h ere o n th e tru ndl e bed I recon an d sh e cast a , ,
54 PEGGY WA RE
reassu ring look to the arsenal O f gu n s in th e rack on
th e wall .
R alph and Vi rgin ia were ev idently not afraid for

‘
th ey soon w ere sou nd asleep tired but happy that th ey ,
had reach ed a haven o f warmth an d pl enty of food .
Left t o th e mselves M rs Anderson R uth an d P eggy

'
, .
, ,
found many things o f m utual interest to talk abou t .
“ ”
I gu ess y ou got a lot o f book la rn in ain t you ?
'
’ ’
,
inq uired R uth o f Peggy .
Laugh ingly Peggy said : Wel l ye s ; I h ave studied

, ,
many book s but I feel that I have v ery little le a rnin g

, ,
and am only a beginn er Th ere are many th ings that .
you don t n eed books to teach y o u an d I sometim es

’
th ink that th e greatest th ings to b e l earn ed are n ot

taught in book s at al l I th ink you an d you r mother
.
,
f or instanc e have l earn ed many things that p eopl e who

,
dwell in cities an d study many book s never know any

th ing ab out I a m b eginnin g t o feel that many Of the
.
th ings w e learn in books real ly b eclou d an d clog o u r

minds so that th e great truth s of life a re ob scu red from
ou r v ision .
R uth an d h er moth er h un g b reathless o n Peggy s ’
words althou gh th ey d id not fully co mpreh end h er

,
m eaning Th ey real iz ed that th ey were in th e p res

.
enc e o f an u nusual girl an d h er words were l ike some

,
won derfu l elixi r of life to the m .
“ ”
I recon you ain t g o t non e Of th em books with you ?
’
”
asked R uth fearing that th e answer would b e n o
, .
“
To h er great j oy Peggy sai d : O h yes I have a lot , ,
o f th em in th e wago n .
R uth s fac e l ighted w ith an eager n ess that P eggy

’
was destined to see in th e years to com e in th e eager

faces of th ousands of mountain boys and girls .
“
A n w ill you t each m e all your book
’
earn estly pleaded R u th .

TH E U N W E LC O M E S T RA N GER S 55
I will teach y o u wh at I know with al l my heart , ,

“ ’
said Peggy if it is G od s wil l that I remain in B uck s
,
Pocket .
“
Won t y o u b egin tonight ? I want to see you r book s
’
an d larn j est a l ittl e mite b efore I go to b ed

“
Wait tel sai d h er mother Th e young .
lady i s tired and b esides you don t know how yore

,
’
p ap will tak e it You know h e never wanted you t o.
have n o b ook l a r n in an d I a m afeared that h e won t ’
,
’
stan fer it You know a sch ool t a u gh t e r com e i nto

’
.
th e Pocket o n ct an d started a school an th e m en al l

,
’
go t togethe r an d whip p ed h im th en tarred and f e a t h ,
ered hi m an d p ut h i m o n a raft and started hi m down

,
th e river and nobody ai n t n ever seed hi m senc e

,
’
.
“ ” “
Yes I know M a
,
answered R uth B u t th ey
, ,
.
though t h e wus a spy fer th e r ev e n o os and I know ‘

,
’
that th ey can t th ink that ab out about ’

and sh e —
h esitated .
“
Call m e Peggy and I ll call you R uth suggested ,
’
,
“
Peggy graciou sly an d th en w e will feel lik e w e are ,
”
ol d friends .
B oth girls laugh ed a n d R uth s moth er asked : M ay ,

’
”
I cal l y o u P eggy too ?
,
“
Certai nly said Peggy and I ll call y ou M a An
, ,
’
”
d e r so n .Won t that b e fin e ? ’
A gain th ey laugh ed an d th e i c e was b roken for ,
evermore .
Peggy proposed that th ey go to th e wagon and find

some Of h er sch ool books and bring them to th e h ouse .
S ecu ring a lantern th e two girl s went o u t into th e ,

“ ”
darkness to h unt fo r th e p recious book la rn in 3
I n th e kitchen S i mon nodded by th e fire n o w b ur n ed ,
low while in another roo m An derson an d Wa re talk ed

,
l ong an d earnestly Anderson not withou t su sp icion ,
and grave misgivings wh ile Ware s conversation was ,

’
56 PEGGY WARE
that of a m a n laborin g under som e grea t me n tal strain .
Afterward An derson was h eard t o rem a rk that h e

“ ”
a cted lik e a locoed h oss .
“
Co ming righ t down to turk ey pardner said A n , ,
“
d er s o n wh en they were seated by th e fi re what s yore
’
, ,
na me , whare did you cu m frum wh a t s yore b u siness ,

’
an whare you gwine

’
“
Som e of you r qu estio n s are e a sily an swered r e ,
“
pl ied Ware an d so me O f th e m wil l have to b e an swered
,
later .
“
All right pardner j est a s you lik e b ut you will
, , ,
have to an swer all of th em sa t is fact io n a l ly b efore you

stay in B uck s Pock et an th en mayb e you won t s ta y
,
’ ’
gru ff ly rep lied Anderson .
“
I ll d o th e b est I ca n M r Anderson f o r I as sure
’
, .
,
you I have nothing t o conce a l .
“
T o b egi n with my na me is Ware Wilb u r Ware
, , ,
and I co me fro m th e Cumb erland mountain s b eyond

Knoxvill e O riginal ly I cam e fro m Virginia from th e
.
Shenan doah V alley M y wife d ied th ree week s a go

.
,
an d h er death has al most k ill ed me I t s eem s to m e .
th at th e s u n h a s n ever shon e si n c e and n ever will ,
again and I j u st wanted t o get away fro m th e world

, .
“
I heard that th ere w a s som e vacant government
lan d in th is s ection an d I th ought I migh t homestead
,
a hun dred an d sixty acres an d bu ild a home f o r my

th ree ch ildren an d make a l iving and fin d a plac e wh ere ,
n o on e kn ew me an d wh ere I woul d n ever m eet an y

,
”
o n e that k new m e in th e ol d days .
Ware s evident sincerity and d istress touched th e

’
bi g h eart Of Cli ff An derson a n d h e b egan t o cast about ,
in h is m in d f or som e w a y to h el p W a re and h is
ch ildren .
“
Y o u know th is is a quare cou ntry M r Ware a nd
, , .
,
I don t kn ow wh uther you woul d k etch on to ou r ways

’
.
58 PEGGY WA RE
sh ock ca me to me I had b een to church an d wh ile I
.
w a s gone o u r baby Floren ce two years o l d C l imbed, , ,
down th e step s an d into th e yard Sh e toddled o u t .
i nto th e street a s w e su ppose j u st before th e time for

, ,
m e to retu rn ho me and my wife h ad n ot miss ed h er ,
u ntil my retu rn I n fact sh e was n o t feeling wel l as

.
, ,
it was j u s t b e f o r e ou r secon d b aby Peggy was b orn

'
, , ,
and my wi fe was lying down resting in an adj oin ing

roo m to th e o n e wh ere s h e l eft ou r l ittl e Florence
playing A t any rate wh en I came home s h e w a s
.
, ,
go n e and we have n ev er b een ab le to get a trac e o f h er

,
Si n ce
.
“
Th e shock t o my wife wa s terribl e and s h e n ever ,
fully recovered Peg gy was born that night wh il e I

.
,
was away search ing for o u r lost ch ild A b an d o f .
gyp sies had been camp ing n ear Ch attanooga for some
we eks and had brok e n camp and started east that
,
morn in g I t is suppos ed that seeing Florenc e in th e

.
,
street th ey picked h er up an d concealed h er in on e

,
Of the nu merou s covered wagon s F ou r oth er ch il .
dren disapp eared at th e sam e tim e two o f th em girl s ,
j u st th e sam e age as ou r ch ild An armed poss e fol .
lowed th e band o f gyp sies wh ich had divided After , .
many days w e cam e u p w ith th em an d after a fi ght w e

recovered all th e ch il dren except Florence and o n e
oth er girl of th e same age W e could fi nd n o trace .
o f th em R eturning t o w here th e ban d d ivid ed w e

.
,
followed th e oth er bu t it too had d ivided an d scat

, , ,
t e r e d into th e mountains an d I final ly retu rn ed home ,
h eartbrok en w ithout ou r ch ild

, .
“
Without continu ing th e pain ful story I wil l simply ,
add that I roam ed fo r years from plac e to place fol ,
l owing every possibl e cl ew hop in g to find h er but at , ,
last I lost h op e An d it was th en I b egan to doub t

.
everything M y wi fe died stil l b eli evi ng th at Flor

.
,
T H E U N W E LC O M E S T R A N GER S 59
enc e i s alive and that some day I will fin d h er I

,
.
n ever exp ect to .
“
When my wife died I fel t that i f there w a s a Go d
h e cou ld n o t b e so cru el as to r o b m e o f both wife
”
an d ch ild .
Anderson l istened with many contendin g emotions ,
that might hav e b een read in h is fac e by a k een o h

server Finally h e sai d :
. M r Ware y o u have had .
,
lots of troubl e and I am sorry fer y o u but I can t see

, ,
’
how e f you ever k now ed Go d y o u coul d ever doubt

, ,
H im That s th e way I ve al lu s felt about it I ain t

.
’ ’
.
’
n ever kn owed H im bu t sometimes I h ave wanted to ,

”
s o bad th at it h urt me in h ere placing h is hand ,
o n h i s h eart Mayb e you n ever hon est to goodn es s

.
- -
knowed H i m .
Ware did not s e e fit to atte mpt to answer this last

thrust and th e men sat silen t for a lon g ti me gazing
, ,
i nt o th e fl ickerin g coal s each b u sy with h is o w n ,
thoughts Finally A nderson i n a voice w ith som e

.
,
th in g O f fear in it said ,
“
E f you w u s to fi n d yore gal now how would y o u ,
”
know h er ? Wu s they any birth marks o n h er ?
“ ” “
Non e at all repl ied Ware I have often thought
, .
o f that b ut always felt that somehow o r oth er I would

,
j u st know An d b esides s h e resembl ed h er m oth er

.
,
an d may h ave grown up t o look lik e h er .
“
Yes b u t you coul d n ever b e j est as S hore a s sh ootin
,
’
”
that it ware h er or the oth er gal could y o u ? argued ,
Anderson .
“
I suppose that i s tru e M r Anderson but I am sure , .
,
”
I shall n ev er fin d h er an d will not have to d ecide .
Anderson su ggested that it mu st b e gettin g late ,
an d both m en rose and walk ed into th e oth er room .
There th ey were greeted by an unexp ected sight .
R alph an d Virgin ia were sleeping soundly in th e trun

60 PEGGY WA RE
dle b ed wh il e Peggy was teachin g R uth th e al phab et
-
.
She had learn ed quite hal f of h er l etters an d Peggy ,

“
had written R uth An derson at R uth s request and ’
,
s h e had traced out th e l etters slowly painfully al most , ,
tryin g to im itate Peggy s writi n g and sh e an d h er ’
mother were overj oyed at th e result .
A nderso n w a s du mb founded and evidently dis ,
p leased .
“
I don t wan t my gal to have no book l a rn in
’
he
said an grily .
Peggy was hal f frightened and quite u n abl e to u n

“
d e r s t a n d th is stran ge ob session against b ook
“
I a m su re M r Anderson that what I teach her will
,
.
,
”
do h er no harm and the earn est eyes o f Peggy pl eaded
,
w ith hi m H e quailed b efore thos e soul searching eye s

.
-
a s h e had don e on ce b efore that evening .
“ ’
O h p ap I wan t book larn in worser than anything
, ,
in t h e world an d P eggy is gwin e to teach it to me and

y o u w ill let h er now W
, ,
”
on t y ou p a p ? ,
’
A s h e wav ered an d h esitated about replyi ng h is wife

cam e to th e rescu e an d said : O f course you 11 let h er ,
”
lar n Cl i ff
,
.
For an sw er he said : I think you gal s had b etter go

to bed a n d w e will see a bou t it in th e m orn in
,
’
“
Y o u won t sl eep i n th e wagon tonigh t Ware he
’
, ,
“
sa id h osp itably Th ere i s a good feath er b ed in th e
.
oth er room and y o u k in sl eep there and S imon kin

, ,
b ring h is blankets an d sl eep o n th e h ath by th e kitch en

fi re M y dad u sed to say that e f a n igger could sleep
.
with h is h e a d t o th e fi re h e didn t keer about h is feet ’

.
So yore nigger kin keep h is h ead warm e f h e will keep

th e fi re An d h e laugh ed at h is own w it .
Whil e Anderson was d isp osing Of Ware an d S i mon ,
M rs An derson had co n du cted Peggy an d R uth u p th e

.
st a irway to a big room o v er th e o n e occupi ed by Ra lph

T H E U N W E LC O M E S T RA N GER S 61
a n d Virginia where she tu rned down th e cover expos

, ,
ing a pair of snow wh ite sh eets on a great feath er b ed

-
.
A fte r M rs An derson had gon e and th e girls were

.
,
“ ”
all ready to j ump in b ed R uth talking excitedly , ,
every mom e n t s h e stop p ed i n th e middl e O f a sentence

,
as sh e discovered that Peggy w a s kn eel ing by th e b ed ,
p raying silently Sh e stood abash ed for a moment

.
,
an d th en w ithou t a word slid dow n b esi de Peggy an d

direc t ly s h e b egan t o sob no t knowi n g why G ently
, .
’
Peggy laid h er hand o n R uth s h ead an d th e wil d ,
moun t ai n girl feeli n g something sti r h er soul for th e

,
first tim e in h er l ife wh isp ered : ,
“
P lease p ray fer m e Peggy I don t know h ow
,
.
’
.
Cli ff An derson an d M olly sat by th e fi re f o r a lo n g

tim e I t w as past m idnight an d all in th e hou se were
.
,
asl eep excep t th es e t w o a n d Wilbu r Ware whos e , ,
o ccasional sighs as h e tosse d restl essly o n h is b ed

, ,
t old o f his p ertu rb ed S p irit that woul d n ot allow h im

t h e balm o f sl eep .
After tip toein g softly up th e stairway and retu rning

—
,
M olly A n derso n said :

“
Cli ff I wo n der e f Go d e v er does anyth ing fer folks
,
”
l ik e u s ? T O wh ich h e repl ied w ith more feelin g than ,
s h e had ever k n own hi m t o exh ib it :

“
I hop e so M olly , .
O n ce more sh e climb ed t o th e h ead o f th e stairway ,
w ith a l ighted can dl e in h er han d and th is tim e s h e ,

“ ”
wh isp ered : Com e h ere Cli ff ,
.
N ot knowing what his wife wanted h e asce n ded th e ,
s t ai r s h is boots creaki n g lou dly while sh e warn ed h im

, ,
“ ”
by many sh oos a n d whisp ers t o mak e l ess noise .
S ilently S h e p ointed t o th e sle epin g girls and a s th e ,
ster n ol d Wil d Catter look ed long an d ear n estly at th e

gol de n head n estl in g o n th e s a me p illow b eside t h e
62 PEGGY WARE
on e crown ed with raven locks th e tears dimm ed his ,
eyes and shut out th e v ision for a mom ent .
Slowly h e descended follow ed by his wife w h o was

, ,
perturb ed b ecau s e Of h is agitation I t was th e first .
tim e sh e had ever seen a tear in those steel blu e fear -

,
l es s eyes and s h e was afraid that h er h u sban d was

,
not well .
“
B e you sick Cl i ff sh e said anxiously
, ,
.
N O M ol ly I ain t sick ; it s a h eap sigh t worser nor

’ ’
, ,
”
any sick n ess .
“ ”
What o n earth can it b e Cl i ff ? asked M olly n o w
, ,
thoroughly alarmed .
“
I don t know mysel f M olly Som e day e f I ever
’
.
,
fin d o u t I may tell you

,
H e would say no more an d
.
,
s h e had to b e contented for s h e w el l knew wh en h er

,
hu sban d w a s throu gh talking .
“
I am gwine to th e still M olly an d won t b e back
, ,
’
’ ”
til b reakfast h e said
’
, .
Agai n s h e knew that words would b e vain so s h e ,
said S imply :
“
Tak e good k eer of y e r s e lf Cl i ff a nd th e big form
, ,
of th e K ing o f th e Wi ld C a t t e r s was swallowed up in

th e dark ness .
C H AP TE R F IVE
TH E N E W LI F E B E GIN S
IL B UR
WA RE and Si mon we re astir early th e
n ext morn ing fo r Ware had sl ept little a n d
, ,
Simon a s was h is life long cu stom ; was up

,
-
bu ilding fires s o that th e h ou se migh t b e warm for th e

,
white folks .
Ware w a s pal e a nd haggard I n th e lon g h ours of .
th e nigh t h e realiz ed that h e was like a ship with ou t a

ru dde r trying to sail an unknown s e a w ithout a chart
,
or co mpass I t seemed to hi m that his p resent p redica

.
ment was th e culmination o f a life o f failure .
H e wa s now past th e meridian of life with out earthly ,
possession w ith three ch il dren d ep ending o n h i m a s

,
counsellor gu ide an d prov ider ; and h e laboring under

, , ,
so me strange hallucination had com e to th is dark ,
corner O f c ivilization without aim o r pu rpose oth er

, ,
than to ek e out a miserabl e ani mal existence

H e had been uprooted from th e past a s if by some
ruthl ess force and h e foun d himself unabl e to even
,
get a glimpse o f th e future H e felt ready t o throw

.
up h is hands and surren der H e had n o resp ect for .
h imsel f n or did h e exp ect anyon e el se to have H e

, .
real l y fea red h imself an d mentally h e contemplated

,
h imself as a h u man derelict drifting about u ntil som e

,
u nu sual wave sh ould ob literate h im forever .
N O matter in wh ich direction h e looked al l w a s ,
darkness N o north star gl ea med t o point th e w a y

. .
W here h is Go d onc e s a t u pon a great thron e there

’
63
64 PEGGY WARE
was only chaos H is God was gone h is th ron e a mass
.
,
of cru mblin g ruin s an d a great gaunt skel eto n with

, , ,
lusterl ess eye s b rooded over the scen e of desolation ,

“
an d on h is foreh ead th ere was th e word Unb el ief .
Wh en h e look ed with in th e black n ess was even ,
greater an d th ere sat an i mp in th e form o f th e d evil

,
”
of ou r ch ildhood fanci es an d his n ame was D espair ,
B lindly h e wondered if it woul d n ot hav e b een b etter

i f h is th eological m aterialistic Go d l oving h ating
, , , ,
reward ing p un ish ing j ealou s at tim es and anon an gry

, , , ,
j ust a big sup er -man h ad retained h is th rone Then h e

, .
woul d have had some sort of an chorage at l east ,
wh ereas h e now had n on e .
Th es e thou ghts su rged th rough his mi n d a s h e fed

th e oxen an d wondered wh ere h is wan derin gs would
n ext carry h i m .
A boun tiful b reakf ast w ith h om e mad e sau sage ,

-
,
fri ed ch i cken old fashioned sorghu m an d hot butter

,
-
,
milk b is cu its was ready wh e n h e returned to the house .
H e in qu ired abou t h is host an d was a ssured by ,
M rs Anderson that h e had gon e for an early mornin g

.
walk a n d h e woul d b e back f o r b reakfast A swift .
glanc e from R uth indi cated that s h e k n ew th e cau se o f

h er fath er s absen ce
’
.
R al ph an d Virginia were very m uch at h ome a n d ,

”
M rs A n derson was already mothering th em t o thei r
.
,
great delight .
Peggy s fac e was radiant for h er moth er had again

’
visited h er in a dream a n d to her it was real Th e, .
vision s h e s a w had b een s o indelibly written on h er

soul that i t coul d n ever b e erased .
Wh e n th e m eal was hal f finished An derso n e n te r ed ,
briskly apologizin g for h i s tardin ess explainin g that

, ,
h is walk h ad carried h i m farth er tha n h e h a d i n tended

to go .
66 PEGGY WARE
great soul s sh e realiz ed the in s ign ifi ca n ce of her ow n
,
knowledge an d i t was with deep feeling that sh e s a id :

,
That is o n e Of th e greatest qu estions ev er asked ,
M r Anderson and I woul d not undertak e to answer

.
,
it n o w I f it is f o r th e b est that I shou l d b e you r

.
teache r togeth er we will fin d a S ol ution to you r prob

,
l em I t m ay require a l ong tim e but have no fear

.
, ,
for wh en a man earn estly desires to k now the truth

i
th e k nowledge always comes to hi m an d wh en h e calls , ,

”
h is teacher is at hand .
“ ”
Well said A nderson I gu ess you are gwin e to
, ,
be my teach e r e f y o u will fu r that s o m et h in what I ,

’
ain t got n o name fu r tol d m e to l et y o u all stay in

’
B ucks Pocket an wh en I said B y gosh ! I ll do it e f it

’ ‘ ’
,
’
tak es th e hide I j est felt l ike s h o u t in and then I said
, ,
to mysel f You durn ed old fool you ll b e gittin religion

,
‘
,
’ ’
th e n ext thin g y o u know an that will b e the di sgrace ,

’
”
full est th ing y o u e v e r d o n e i n yore l ife ‘
E veryon e j oined in th e h earty laugh that foll owed ,
an d R uth unabl e t o restrain h er j oy rush ed to h er

, ,
fathe r a nd su rprised h im by k issing h is weatherb eaten

“
ch eek exclaimin g as s h e did s o : O h daddy daddy I
, , , ,
”
c a n have b ook l a r n in can t I ? ’ ’
,
B rushin g hi s ch eek with th e back o f hi s hand a s ,
th ough asha med to b e th e subj ect o f h i s daughter s ’

.
“
a ff ection h e said Wall it al l d epen ds o n wh uth er
‘
, ,
th e parson I mean Ware will tak e the oath o r not

— -
.
Ef h e had n ever b een a parson I m ight l et h i m O ff ,
bu t b ein a s h e on e t had rel igion h e mu st swa re an

’
sware on th e B ibl e t oo e f you al l have on e that h e

, , ,
won t d o no s n o op in roun fu r th e r ev e n oo s Will

’ ’ ’
.
”
y ou do it Ware ? ,
“
An oath is n ot n ecessary to b ind me M r An derson , .
,
b ut if y o u desire it I hav e no obj ection for u nder no

, ,
TH E N EW L I F E BEG I NS 67
c ircu msta n ces would I partak e o f you r h osp itality a nd

”
th en b etray you .
Peggy acco mpanied by R uth had gon e to th e wago n

, ,
an d now retu rn ed Peggy carryin g h e r mother s B ibl e

,
’
.
B idding Ware p lac e h is h a nd o n th e book th e K ing ,
o f th e Wild C a t t er s p laced h i s hand fi rmly o n Ware s

’
and administered th e Wild C a t t e r s oath I t was a ’

.
weird scen e and all were fascina t ed by th e u nu sual

,
ceremony .
“ ’
They ain t no u s e b avin M iss Peggy sware
’
,
“ ’
drawl ed An derson b eca s e S h e ain t n eve r had no
,
religion and then so m e t h in in h er eyes would mak e

,
’
m e trust h er with my life a n y d a y saying wh ich h e ,
handed th e B ib l e t o Peggy A s h e d id s o a sh eet o f .

,
pap er fell from it on which th ere were so me lin es

,
written so faint a s t o b e al most un intel ligibl e P eggy

,
.
picked th e pap er fro m th e floor an d at th e first glanc e ,
her han ds began to trembl e v iol ently H er face .
bl a nched h er eyes fi lled with tears an d a s ob rose in

,
he r th roat .
Seein g her agitatio n h er fath er deeply concerned , , ,

“
inquired th e caus e I n a b roken voic e s h e said
. Th is
was written by moth er after s h e realiz ed that th e end
was n ea r an d sh e placed it i n h er B ible kn owing that
, ,
w e would fin d it I n th e h urry an d con fusion o f

.
movin g th e book w a s pl a ced wh ere it was not easy to

fi nd and a kind Providence h a s p reserved this preciou s
,
”
message u ntil n ow .
H e r fath er h is voice h u sky an d h is fac e deathly

, ,
“ ”
wh ite said R ea d it wh ile R alph an d Virginia clung
, , ,
to Peggy .
“
D ear h u sband an d ch ildren an d Peg gy had to ,
stop an d stifl e a sob th e en d has come suddenly in ,
th e form Of o n e o f those h emorrh ages that m eans b ut

a few mi nu tes for p rep aration I n eed n o tim e for th is .
,
68 PEGGY WARE
as I am ready and u nafraid I am sorry to l eave y o u .
,
and how I do w ish you were here to s a y good bye I - .
a m n o t alone fo r I feel G od s p resen ce an d th e room

,
’
is fu ll o f th e spi rits Of loved on es w h o are h ere to

w elcom e m e .
“
After all dear ones th ere is j u st a thin veil b etween
, ,
th is si de an d th e oth er an d wh en you r spiritual eyes

,
are op en th ere is n o v eil at al l

,
.
“
I know now that I wil l always b e n ea r y o u wh en
y o u need me an d it woul d b e so swe et to go i f I
,
thought you could se e m e a s I shall you .
“
I s e e o u r d ear Florence n ow a b eau tiful youn g ,
woman an d I s e e you all happ ily reun ited a n d wh en

, ,
you are I will b e w ith you .
“
I have stopp ed s o Often to try to stau nch th is flow
of blood that I h ave littl e tim e l eft An d now good
,
.
bye I leave y o u in G od s han ds I w ill sit by th e

.
’
.
w in dow watch in g th e road to th e last min ute h op ing ,
you will com e b efore th e end .
“
I will plac e th is in my B ible which I giv e to P eggy , .
And n ow j ust a sw eet good bye for w e will meet in

,
-
,
”
th e morn ing .
Wh en sh e had fi n ish ed no on e spok e f o r a long time,

.
Sob s fi ll ed th e roo m an d Wil bur Ware s a t with h is

,
h ead b ow ed in h is hands h is grief path etic Con , .
troll in g h imself a t last b y a mighty e ff ort h e sai d : ,

“
M y Go d my G od why hast th ou forsaken me ! M y
, ,
wife my o w n lead m e o u t o f this p it o f darkn ess to

, ,
H i m i f y o u have foun d H im o n th e oth er side and

,
”
can h ear m e l
Look ing toward S im on w h o had quietly en tered th e ,
room an d whose b lack fac e w a s cal m an d serene Ware

, ,
“
said : I o w e it to y o u Simon that y o u sav ed th ose
, ,
p reciou s words o f my w ife h er last message to u s I ,

.
TH E NE W L I F E BEG I N S 69
must h ave been mad when I attempted to b ur n h er

B ible .
“
You sh o wus mad wh en you burn ed yore Go d
’
said S i mon an den I spec you thought dat de B ibl e

,
’
w u s H is book an dat y o u b ur n it t oo B ut I knowed

’
.
long time ergo dat yore G od warn t in de B ibl e at all ’
and I wanted to sab e young m issu s book cas e y ou ’
kin find H i m in h er B ibl e b e tt a h dan any B ibl e case ,
sh e fin d H im dar .
Si mon s lon g sp eech som ewhat relieved th e tension

’
but al l waited for An derson t o sp eak At length h e .
said : I know of a vacant piec e o f lan d in th e P ock et

that you kin hom estead I t i s o n e hundred and s ixty .
a cres Of as fi n e timb er a s y o u eve r seed an d y ou kin ,
g o ah ead and bu ild yore ho me an d then go t o tow n ,
an d enter it I o w n most all th e land that i s w u t h

.
’
anyth i n g cept th is Wh en ever anybody didn t su it .
’
me I j est bough t e m o u t an d n ow most everybody

,
’
,
l ives o n my land an I ca n have em move wh en ever I

,
’ ’
want e m to Th ey is more fi n e timb er in th e Pock et

’
.
than any oth er p lace in th e State an I recon w e ,

’
ought to mak e a p il e o f mon ey outen it e f we knowed

how .
“
J est o n e thin g p esters m e e rb o u t o u r rangements ’
,
a n d that i s him indicating S i mon by a n o d of h is b ig

shaggy h ead Y o u know it s a law of B u cks Pocket
’
.
that n o nigger can t l et th e sun go down o n h i m h ere’
w ithout riskin his life I have al lu s help ed enforce

’
.
’ ’
th is law an I don t s e e n uth in to do b ut fur yore
,
’
n igger to git outen th ese diggin s qu ick I m p ow f u l .

’ ’
”
sorry but I can t h elp it
,
’
.
N othing cou ld h av e thrown greater consternation

i nto th e Ware camp I f th is decree o f th e master o f .
B u ck s Pocket had to stand it meant that th e Wares ,
woul d have to move on R alp h and Virgini a in terror .

70 PEGGY WARE
ra n to Si mo n a n d cl ung to hi m as th ough they feare d
that h e woul d b e forc ibly torn away from th em cry ,
“ ”
TO
’ ’
in g : You sha n t l eave u s W e ll go w ith you . .
wh ich P eggy added quietly :

“
N 0 M r Anderson w e will no t allow Si mo n to b e
,
.
,
tu rn ed out into th e world alo n e H e h as b ee n i n th e .
family s ince b efore th e war an d his faith ful n ess a nd ,
devotio n is su ch as i s foun d nowh ere except i n t h e

colored race I thank y o u for you r hosp ital ity and
.
kindness bu t w e mu st declin e t o remain lo n ger if

,
”
S imon is n o t wel com e .
’
P eggy s fath e r emphas ized what h is daughte r h a d
said and the fate o f the Wares s ee med to b e a g a i n
,
tremb lin g in th e balance .
Path etically al most fra n tical ly R uth p l eaded with

, ,
h er fath er and s h e was warmly seconded by h er

,
moth e r .
Th e strong man was greatly p er t urb ed H e k n ew .
th e temp er of h is mountain ee r s a n d dreaded to mak e ,
an i ssu e with them on th e race q uestion H e saw what .
an opportu n ity i t woul d a ff ord B u d Wh itman t o w r eak

ven gea n c e on h im an d h is a n d th e W a res through
ino ff en sive o ld S i mo n .
S en sin g th e di ffi culty S i mon c a me to th e res cu e , ,
Off ering as a lw a ys to lay h ims el f on th e alta r of s a c

, ,
“ ’
r ifi ce I ain t goi n to sta n i n y o u a h way to fi n d in
.
’ ’ ’
a hom e an d p eac e Cors e I hates to l eab y ou but I

.
‘
,
’ ’
ki n go to Cha t ta n ooga an fi n work a n d mayb e som e ,
ti m e M iss Peggy a n d R alph a n d Virgin n y a n d M ass a ,

’
Ware ki n com e up a n I k i n k etch a gl im p se Ob em ’
.
’
A n sides all da t I k in m a k e b et t a h wages u p dah a n
’
,
’
sen d de mon ey down to h el p you git started I t do n t .
mattah j es s o you al l i s h app y cas e I i s ha pp y j est

’
,
”
a n y w h ar .
T H E N E W L I F E BEG I N S 71
The suprem e u n s e l fi s h n e s s O f th e o l d man now a l ,
most eigh ty stirred th e b ig slu mberin g soul o f th is

, ,
“
kingly mountain eer an d h e said : Wall folks e f y o u
, , ,
wa n t t o resk it I will ; but I reckon it mean s th e big

,
’
gest fi ght that wus ever p ull ed o ff i n B u cks Pocket

an
’
I recon it m eans that Cli ff Anderson will b e at
’
”
th e fi gh t .
S o it w as s ettl ed that Simon S hould remai n an d

awai t develop ments R alp h and V irgi nia clapp ed th eir.
hand s and laughed whil e th e o ld darky turn ed away ,
to h id e h is e motions .
I t w a s th e m oment o f suprem e happin ess i n R uth s ’
l ife Sh e bou nded lik e a fawn from fath er to moth e r

.
a n d then b ack t o Peggy k issing an d caressing each ,
in turn n ot slighting R alph and Vi rgin ia Sh e even

,
.
shyly ti midly took Wilbur Ware by th e han ds giv

, , ,
in g th e m a hearty pressure an d then turn ed to S imon ,
an d said :
“
Uncl e S imon I a m glad y o u are goin to stay I l l
,
’
.
’
fi ght a stack 0 wild cats fu r y o u e f you need m e

’
.
It w a s soon s ettled that th e Ware ch ildren P eggy , ,
R alph an d V irginia shoul d rema in at th e A nderson s ,
until th eir hou s e coul d b e b uilt an d Anderson show ed ,
Ware a n d S imon th e boundaries o f th e tract of lan d

that h e prop osed to enter an d h e an d Simo n b egan ,
cutting logs f or th e house This requ ired b u t a few .
days an d i n a short tim e th e logs had all b een hau l ed

,
to th e site s el ected for th e erection O f th e hom e and ,
th e clap boards riv ed o u t for roofing it .
In th e meantim e M rs Anderson R u th and P eggy .

,
had been b u sy p reparing th e material for a big q uilt

“
ing b ee to tak e place o n th e day of th e hous e raising .
Whatever spare tim e th ey cou ld fin d Peggy p ut in ,
teach ing R uth book an d h er ap titu de for

'
learning w a s s urp rising E ve n Cli ff A n derso n b eca me .

72 PEGGY WA R E
interested and sai d h e w ish ed h e had som e book
’
l a r n in hi mself an d h i s wi fe sigh ed a s s h e too no
, , ,
doubt longed f o r a su fficien t amount to at least e m

,
able h e r to read h er al man ac so sh e could tell wh e n

th e moon was right for plantin g .
Th e gre a f day arrived an d th e n eighbors wh o had ,
b ee n invited cam e ear l y t o the hous e raising and

qu ilting Wh il e th e m en were raising th e hou se th e
.
,
wo men wou ld qu ilt several cov ers for Peggy A s o n e .
of th e m said expressin g th e sentim ents of th e oth e r s

,
.
“
Pore thing sh e a I n t got n o mammy an sh e look s so
,
’
,
’
mu ch lik e an an gel that it wou ld b e a bu rnin sham e ’
e f sh e had to d o h er o w n q u il t in
’
.
Th e hou se was to consist o f one room twenty by ,
twenty feet with a l ean to an d a stick an d dirt ch i m

,
-
n ey .
O n e man sat o n eac h o f th e fou r corne r s o f the h ou se

“ ”
wh o was an exp ert n otch er an d wh en on e o f th e ,
b ig l ogs was put i n plac e by th e hu sky me n o n th e

groun d th e notch ers fell to work th eir axes falling
, ,
in un ison making a rhyth mical music th at r ev e rb er

,
ated th rough th e forest W hen th e wall s had risen .
s u ffi ci ently some b egan to lay th e p un cheon floor

, ,
wh ile oth ers b uilt th e chi mn ey o f thin p ieces o f wh ite

o ak , split u niformly and laid so that th e cracks w ere
n ot more than an in ch wide I nto th ese th ey plac ed .
th ick mud s mearing it S ol id o n th e insid e of th e chim

,
n ey so that wh e n it dried it would b e safe fro m th e

h eat an d spark s from th e fi replace .
B y th e n oo n h ou r th e wall s o f th e hou se w ere up

,
an d ready f o r th e roof an d tw o quilts were co mpleted

, ,
w ith two more o n th e fra mes .
Wh il e som e o f th e wome n h ad b ee n q uilting oth ers , ,
th e good cooks a mo n g the m had b ee n p repari n g d in ,
n er a n d O ld S imo n had b ee n bu sy waiti n g on t h em

, ,
74 PEGGY WARE
ligh t bread h ot biscu its h og j owl turnip s and tur
, , ,
n ip green s an d so many sorts o f p ies and cak es that

,
it wo ul d h ave tak en an expert t o enu merate th em .
Wh en all had eaten an d th e wom en told Si mon to ,
s e t down to th e tab l e and j est h elp th ere ‘
w a s still a mountain o f food that h e cou ld scarcely see

ove n
B y night th e hou se i ncludin g th e l ean to was co m
,
-
,
p l e t e an d th ey ev en had ti me to b u ild a shack f o r

,
S imon wh ich w a s d o n e at th e su ggestion o f An der

,
s on .Th is kin dn ess tou ch ed Si mon greatly an d h e ,
said : Wh ite folks you all is t o o good to m e I don t

,
.
’
”
know h o w I kin e v a h pay y o u back .
“ ’
O n e o f th e men said : D on t b e t h a n k in u s O l d ’
,
man thank th e big b oss We a in t go t nuth in agin

,
.
’ ’
you bu t w e m ay b e r u n n in y o u o u t o B ucks Pock et

,
’ ’
”
th e fi rst thin g y o u know .
Som e o f th e men la ugh ed wh ile others n odded as ,

“
sent on e o f th e m remarking that th ere was shore
,
gwine t o b e troub le over that n igger wh en B ud Wh it

man foun d O u t about h i m .
At that moment B u d hove into sight H e had not

, .
been invited t o th e w orking a s h e had n o t made h is ,
p eac e with An derson an d th e latter had no desire that

,
“ ”
h e should do s o H e w a s evidently p retty full
. .
Wh en h e discove red S imon h e b ellowed lik e a b ull , .
“
Whare did th at d d coon com e from a n d what ,
b e you all doi n h ere social e q u a lity in g with h im ? You

’
”
are a fine lot O f wh ite gents I should remark ! Th e n
tu rn ing t o S i mon h e said : ,
“
H ere you b lack devil I ll give y o u j est o n e min it
, ,
’
”
to h it th e trail .
Th e m en were all viol ently opposed to n igger equal

”
ity wh ich th ey v ery m uch feared if n egroes were a l
,
l owed to reside i n th eir com mu n ity ; but n o n e o f t he m

T H E N EW L I F E BEG I N S 75
w ere ready to back B u d i n h is de mands nor w ere th ey ,
w illin g t o defend S imon .
B u d rep eated h is th reat b ut S imon did n ot budge , .
You d
,
d nigger y o u act l ike y o u ai n t afeared o f
,
’
”
m e ! h e shouted .
“
N o mister I ain t fraid o b n obody b ut G od
’ ’
, , ,
quietly repl ied S imon .
“
Well I ai n t afeard o f h i m screa me d B u d now
,
’
, ,
“
thoroughly b es ide himsel f with rage a n I ll j est b eat ,
’ ’
”
h ell outen you ! an d h e raised h is big fi st to strik e
th e gray haired h umbl e Ol d sou l wh o did n ot win ce
-
, .
B efore the b low coul d desc end P eggy who had j ust , ,
com e up with R uth u nob s erved by anyone s o absorb ed

, ,
were th ey stepped b etw ee n Wh itman an d S imon S O

, ,
that s h e woul d receive th e ful l force o f th e bl ow and ,
R uth h issed th rou gh h er teeth

“
Strik e another woma n B u d Wh itman y o u wh ite , ,
”
l ivered coward .
”
Th e crowd now cried Sham e ! S ha me ! an d Whit
,
man kn ew that h e h ad l o s t f o r this time ; but a s h e

mounted h is hors e and rode away h e turned aroun d in ,
h is saddle shook h is fis t at th e crowd i n general an d

, ,
S i mon in p articular swearing that h is day would come

,
a n d that soon .
C H AP T E R S I!
P E GGY F O LL O W S H E R VI S I O N
LL great soul s have b ecome so b ecau s e th ey had
a vision b elieved i n th e vision an d lived it N o
,
.
man can b e greater than h is vision b ut every ,
o n e ca n be j u st a s bi g as h e desires t o b e W e grow .
into th e liken ess an d i mage o f that which w e co n

s t a n t ly hol d in our thoughts for our thou ghts are th e
,
most p otent forces in th e worl d .
Th is great v ital truth i s fou nd in all tru e religion s

, ,
and i s n o w acc ep ted by th e worl d s l eadin g scientists ’

,
ph ilosoph ers and metaphysician s That i t i s scientifi c .
i s b ein g dem on strated today as n eve r b efore and Peggy ,
Ware h e r l ife an d work furnish p roof o n su ch a big

,
scal e an d has b een so far reach in g that I a m con

,
-
,
strained to b eli eve th i s great fu ndamental truth is to b e

an important factor in o u r edu cation i n th e futu re .
Whence co mes th is v ision ; j ust what it is and how ,
it may gu id e u s ca n p erhaps b est b e tol d by a simpl e

, , ,
narrative o f Peggy Ware s life ’

.
Th e Wares moved into th ei r n ew h ome the n ext ,
day after th e h ou se rais ing .
Wilbu r Ware an d Si mon mad e some G eo rgia b ed

steads two in th e b ig room and on e in th e attic This
, , .
“ ”
G eorgia b edstead w as made by borin g two big au ge r
h oles in th e wal l o f th e hou s e into wh ich were drive n
,
two p i eces o f ti mb er at right angles to each oth er ,
th e free ends b ein g naile d to a post resti n g o n th e

floor Th en slats w ere laid from th e outsid e rail ing
.
to a cl eat nail ed to th e wal l a n d th e b eds t ead was fi n

,
76
PEGG Y FO LL O W S HER V I S I O N 77
is h e dan d ready for th e straw tick upon wh ich a b ig ,
feath e r b ed was plac ed i f th e family was so fortunate

as to possess o n e M ost of th e hou seh olds in B ucks
.
Po ck et b oasted but o n e feather b ed wh ich was u sed ,
“ “ ”
by Pa an d M a wh ile th e ch ildren slept o n straw
,
b eds The se straw tick s w ere fil led onc e a year at

.
whe a t thresh ing ti me h avin g b ecom e l ittl e th icker

-
,
tha n you r hand in th e meantim e by reason o f con stant

use When th e ticks were refill ed with th e n ew swe et
.
,
s mellin g stra w th e b oys and girl s enj oyed a great

,
luxury
There we re t wo big feath er b eds in th e Ware family ,
an d Peggy in siste d that th ey b e u se d by h er father ,
R alph and Virginia wh il e sh e slep t on o n e o f n ew

,
straw given h er by Mr s A nderson . .
Sh e reach ed h er attic roo m by cl i mb ing a ladder ,

”
wh ich sh e facetiou sly call ed h er golden stairway .
H er fi rst night in th e attic room was a memorabl e

on e . Th e w ind roared in th e forest and shriek ed ,
shrilly b etwe en th e poorly lined c racks in th e walls

of th e hou s e whil e th e fin e sn ow S ifted th rough th e
,
clapboard roof fal lin g softly on h e r face an d hair b ut

, ,
th ere was a warmth in h er h eart an d a glow in her

soul n o winter s storm could extinguish
,
’
.
Sh e reviewed h er past life ev ery event standing out,
i n bold relief W hen sh e w a s a ch ild n o t much pa st

.
ten sh e h ad attended a great religiou s revival an d

, ,
although s h e di d n ot u nderstand th e stran ge doctrine

preach ed by th e evangelist th ere was awak en ed in her
,
soul a great longin g f o r someth ing that sh e did n ot

understand and that th e preache r cou ld n ot h av e ex
,
plained if sh e had gon e t o hi m i n h er p erp l exity .
“
Sh e even went t o the mour ner s b ench alon g with ’
many oth ers wh ose cries and m oan s tortu red her h eart .
Th e preach er tol d h er to lay a l l h er sins o n J esus an d ,

78 PEGGY WARE
that h is blood woul d wash th em away an d G od would ,
forgive h er an d sav e h er sou l from H ell This meant .
n oth ing to h er for s h e felt no se nse of gu ilt y et sh e

, ,
kn ew th ere was an intense longin g for som eth i n g ab out

wh ich all th e evan gel ist s words w ere th e m erest ’
j argon .
Sh e w ent t o h er moth er in h er p erpl exity and th ere ,
sh e foun d on e wh o un derstood and coul d teach h er .
“
I t i s th e cr y o f you r sou l to G od my dau gh ter , ,
“
h er moth er had tol d h er Y o u are very young to feel
.
th is u rge of th e soul b ut I a m not surprised I have

, .
always felt tha t y o u are m uch fu rth e r along life s j ou r ’
n ey than most p eop l e Soul s that h ave exp erien c e d

.
m u ch in th e past feel this u rge very early in l ife

,
.
“
Davi d lik ened th is longin g to th e panting o f th e
th irsty hu nted hart fo r th e water b rook I t i s in
,
.
s t in ct iv e in every h uman sou l an d so me tim e som e , ,
wh ere it mu st come t o everyon e

, .
“
Wh en onc e felt my ch ild noth in g short of sou l
, ,
con sciousness and th e spiritual l ife can ever satisfy .
Wh en th is longin g grows into a great desire th e con ,
fl ict b etwe en th e fl esh o r an imal man and th e soul or

, , ,
S piritual man b egin s never to en d u ntil th ere is a co m

, , ,
”
p l e t e victory o r mastery .
P eggy rem emb ered ask in g h er mother what b eca me

of a man if th e an imal triu mph ed
,
“
Will G od sen d .
”
h i m to H el l ? sh e questioned half frighten ed ,
.
“
I would b e u n tru e to mysel f if I did n ot a n swer y o u
truth full y as I s e e th e light my ch ild I b elieve that ,
.
th e sou l always triu mp h s in th e end Th e confl ict .
may go o n f o r cou ntle ss ages but som eti me so me , ,
wh ere th e sou l overco mes for th e soul i s G od in u s

, , ,
and cannot b e con qu ered by th e an imal part of man .
’
Th i s is contrary to the teach ings o f your fath er s th e
ology and I n ev er argu e with hi m f o r it would do no
, ,
PEGG Y FO LL O W S HER V I SI O N 79
good I have faith that h e will some day s e e th e l ight

.
”
an d hav e a great an d wonderful awak enin g .
A S th e years passed this longin g in h er sou l grew

more intense bu t n ot u ntil sh e stood b eside h er moth
,
er s open grave l istening t o th e words o f S imon did

’
, ,
th e v ery h eavens seem t o open an d s h e fel t that h er

soul had fou nd Go d .
Fro m that mo ment sh e was a n ew creatu re Fro m .
doubt and uncertainty s h e had su ddenly found peace ,
and cal m with in h er soul and an assurance that Go d ,
w a s w ith h er .
Ton igh t sh e stood again by th e grave i n th e deso

late chu rchyard b ut it di d n ot hold h er moth er Freed
,
.
from th e burd en s of th e flesh th e spirit o f h er moth er ,
w a s w ith h er guiding h er pointing t o th e vision s h e

, ,
had seen th e fi rst night th ey sp ent by the ca mp fire ,

“
as th ey j ou rn eyed to N O M an s Land ’
.
She went over th e ev ents sin ce that memorab le night ,
unusual events an d felt in he r soul an assu ran ce o f

,
D ivin e guidanc e .
Sh e wa s n o w a w oman with a mission With in a .
few week s sh e had l eap ed over years o f spiritual

growth an d vis ion an d sh e kn ew s h e was stan din g at
,
th e th reshold O f h er li fe s work H er h eart b eat with ’

.
e n thu siasm h er sou l san g for j oy as her vision b eck

,
o n e d h er
.
Th e b eginnin g mu st b e s mal l an d m any di ffi culties ,
en countered but sh e doubte d n o t th e final resul t

, .
Sh e dared n o t reveal h er vision in its fulln ess to

oth ers a t thi s ti m e Sh e mu st n u rs e it i n he r own .
h eart until su ch tim e as it b egan to materializ e and

b ear fru it .
At last sh e slept an d i n h er sl eep h er soul vision ed

,
th e complete d work now b eing wrou ght in Peggy s ,

’
spiritual real m .
80 PEGGY WARE
When s h e awok e in th e mornin g s h e looked out o n ,
a l ight fall of snow that had covered th e groun d d u r

ing th e night but th e clou ds w ere gone an d th e su n
, ,
was bu rstin g ove r th e eastern wall o f B u cks Pock et .
I t was S un day mornin g an d after b reak fast sh e

, , ,
R alph and Vi rgin ia w ent to th e h ou se co mmonly call ed

a ch urch wh ere s h e was met by R uth Anderson a nd a
,
half doz en boys an d girl s who had b een invited by

R uth to com e to Su n day S ch ool I t was a novel ex .
p e r ie n ce f o r th e m an d th ey had com e clandestin ely

, ,
fearing that th eir parents would n o t app rove for th e ,

“ ”
hard sh el l p reach er wh o cam e on ce a month to preach
to th em sai d that S un day S choo l s were th e w ork of th e
devil but th es e young p eop l e n ot b ein g v ery mu ch
, ,
afr a id of h is Satani c maj esty w ere w illin g to tak e a

,
ch a nc e at m eetin g h im i f h e sh oul d hap p en to mak e

hi s app earanc e at on e of hi s gath erin gs .
Peggy read to th e m o u t of h er moth er s B ibl e and ’
in a few b eautifu l words tol d th em what a fi n e th in g

it wou ld b e if th ey wou l d al l li v e th e cl ean u n selfish ,
li fe t a ught by J esu s .
Sh e al so tau ght the m a si mpl e son g an d b efore sh e ,
h ad fi nish ed th ey w ere al l j oining in th e choru s w ith

,
great en thu sias m .
Sh e tol d th e m th at sh e woul d op en sch ool in th e

b u il din g in th e morning if sh e could obtain M r A n d .
e r so n s p ermission a s s h e un derstood that th e hou s e

’
stood on h i s land .
Sh e did n o t know th at it wa s th e regular day f o r

“ ”
th e hard sh ell p reache r an d was qu ite su rprised
,
wh en som e of th e older m en an d wom en o f th e n eigh

b o rh o o d b egan t o straggl e in th e women taking th ei r
,
s eats o n on e sid e o f th e house wh ile th e men s a t o n

th e opposite s ide .
J u st b efore sh e co n clu ded a tall ga unt rawboned , , ,

82 PEGGY WARE
A doleful hym n was wail ed by th e p reach er a few ,
of h is h earers j oin ing in trailing several bars beh ind

, ,
ending each stanza with a rising fal setto .
Th en a lon g p rayer in wh ich h e ask ed for th e de

struction o f th e work s o f th e devil an d al l those en,
gaged i n h is s er v ice I nto G od s han ds h e com mitted

.
’
th e elect i n su ch un ctuou s t o n es that no on e coul d

doubt that h e felt that h e had b een called an d ch ose n
before th e foundation o f th e worl d .
After th e praye r cam e th e serm on Peg gy w a s .
amazed Sh e had n eve r hea rd anyth in g l ik e it It

. .
sounde d to h er lik e th e w eird teach ings of some a n

cient p riest i n th e days o f pre h istoric man A s h e
-
.
proce eded and warmed u p to hi s subj ect h is voice rose ,
to a h igh pitch an d th e words p oured forth a s if th ey

,
had b een shot fro m a cata p ult .
H e h eld h is right han d up to h i s ear fo r what a p ,
paren t rea son n o o n e cou ld tel l u nless R alph s ex

.
,
’
planation was th e correct o n e wh en h e said : He

shouted so loud h e wa s afraid h e wou ld break h is ear
”
dru m an d p ut his ha n d over his ear to protect it
, .
A s h e b ecam e exhau sted f o r bre a th h e wou ld catch,
it with a n indrawing sound endin g hi s words wh ere

,
“
h e paused for breath with an Ah .
Finally it b eca me a monotonou s sing song that put -
ha lf h is h earers to sl eep but th is did n o t disturb h i m

,
any m ore than would have a doz en squall in g babies in

th e house H e said that wh en hi s h earers got th ei r lit
.
tl e v essel s full they could go to sleep an d that b e e n ,
j oyed crying b ab ies b ecau se it was good for his voice ,
a s h e wa s thus compell ed to exerc is e it by shoutin g
so th at he coul d b e h eard abo v e th e screaming brats .
’
H e talked about G od s seed and th e devil s s eed
,
’
saying that each had sow ed h is ow n seed and th a t

eac h woul d reap h is own harvest ; a n d that Go d h a d
PEGG Y FO LL O W S HER V I SI O N 83
n o chance to get th e devil s children an d th e dev il ’

,
coul d not get G od s ch ildren H e said that al l o f G od s

’
.
’
children were destin ed for h eaven and eternal glor y .
and the devil s for h ell an d e v erlastin g torture H e

’
"
.
s aid that o u r d estiny is fixed before we a re ever bor n
into th e worl d an d that even those wh o die in in fancy

,
are under th e same awfu l decree an d that hell i s ful l ,
o f in fants n o t l onger than a span .
’
R alph wh ispered to Peg gy and said : I don t see ,
”
why Go d let th e devil s ow any seed .
No w almost exhau sted h e turned h is roll ing eye s

"
, ,
toward Peggy a d readfu l condemnation S hining in

,
th em .
“
We hav e in o u r m idst ah h e sh outed o n e of th e -
, ,
devil s agents ah in th e form of a woman ah teach

’
-
,
-
,
ing Sun day S chool ah and th e wrath o f G od ah will-

,
-
v isit this community ah if y o u don t drive her fro m -

,
’
o u r midst ah -
This shot was too much f o r Cl i ff A n derson H e had .
b een watch ing Peggy s white p ained f ac e an d as h e ’
, ,
s a w h er wince as thou gh struck w ith a wh ip an d c ower
o n th e hard slab b ench a s i f sh e expected th e frenz ied
preacher to attemp t to carry o u t h is inj unction to ex

pel h er h e sprang fro m h is s eat h is fac e stern h is
, , ,
voice cold “
H ol O n thare Parso n I recon you don e
.
’
, ,
’
fin ish ed yore s a r m o n an I a m sayin th e b enediction ,

’ ’
.
Y o u are all dismissed an j ackass es won t b ray h ere

’ ’
,
no more a s lon g a s Cli ff An derson own s th is h ous e .
And th ere w ill b e Sunday School h ere every S unday

m o r n in if M iss Peggy says s o Thi s is h er house to
’
.
do a s S he p leases with an I am h ere to back h er u p ,

’
.
“
I hain t never seed an angel b ut my moth er u sed
’
to tell me about em b ut e f M iss Peggy ain t o n e th en

’
,
’
I nev er sp ect to see on e ; an e f G od ever did send an

’ ’
angel a n y w h a r e in th is worl d h e h as sent th is o n e to ,

84 PEGGY WARE
B ucks Pock et an e f h e knows what we p ore dev il s
,
’
are doin down h ere i n th is world H e shore knows w e

’
,
n eed h er .
“
Me e t in i s now over ’
.
And wh en Cl i ff An derson said it was over th e ,

“
p reach er kn ew that it was ti me to tak e h is saddl e
”
riders mount h is old gray mul e and rid e away feel
, ,
in g in his h eart that h e ha d b een casting hi s p e a rls

b efore swin e and that Cli ff A nderson a n d all B u ck s
,
Pock et b elonged t o th e devil .
Wh en h e had gon e Peggy recovered an d began to , ,
laugh a l ittl e hysterically at first an d then th ey all

, ,
lau gh ed and th e sp ell was b roken an d th e sp irit o f th e ,
dev il that had been b rooding ove r th e meetin g was

exorcis ed .
“
I w a s frightened so Peggy excl aimed I s th e , .
”
man in san e M r An derson ? , .
“
O h no M is s Pe ggy h e s j est p r ea ch in one sort
‘ ’ ’
, , ,
Of th eology I u nderstan there are a lot of di ff erent

.
’
b rands and t o m e th ey are all alik e b eca s e I ain t got

, ,
’
”
no u s e fer n on e o f em ’
.
With th is h e introduced everyon e to P eggy and

, ,
all fell in stantly under th e spel l of h er remarkabl e

p ersonality .
Sh e ask ed A nderson i f s h e could u s e th e hous e for

a sch ool an d wh en told that it b el on ged to h er to d o
,
“
as she pleased with s h e said : O h I am s o thank ful , , ,
M r Anderson an d I w ill b egin sch ool here in th e

.
,
”
morning .
R uth clapp ed h er hands an d said : I am coming , ,
an d will tell every on e I kn ow .
I n a few m inu tes the p eople had b een l ifted from

gloom t o sun shin e an d each went his way with a n ew ,
h ope singing in his h eart A nd i n Peggy s soul th ere .

’
ech oed an anth em o f prais e l ike u nto th e m usic o f

th e sph eres .
C H AP T E R S EVE N
C LI F F A N D E R S O N A T T E N D S A F IG HT
U D Wh itman had been nu rsin g h is w rath t o

k eep it warm sinc e h is encounter with S i mon
“ ”
o n th e day o f th e hous e raisin g and in fact , , ,
since the ep isode O f th e Christmas eve dance a t Cli ff

Anderson s H e fed h is evil passions constantly on
’
.
“
th e devi l s own fu el wil d cat wh isk ey
’
, .
B ud had b een a steady drink er since h e w a s a fi f t e en

year Old lad an d now at twenty four h e coul d carry
-
, ,
-
,
a bigger l oad and walk a chalk l in e straighter than any

man in B ucks Pocket H e b eli eved in th e p oten cy of
.
“ ”
good lick er as h e termed it an d h e cou ld not un der
, ,
stand how anyon e coul d b e a full fl e d g e d man who did -
n o t drink .
H e possessed a trem endou s physiqu e which had not ,
b een s eriously i mpaired by th e ab us e h e had given it .
H e was S lightly abov e s ix feet with b road sho u l ders , ,
a n eck lik e a p riz e fi gh t e r an d a b ody a fi t model f o r

-
,
a statu e o f H ercules At th e lo g roll ings no man

.
,
“
cou ld pul l h im down w ith th e han d sp ike an d many ,
o f th em had b een brough t t o th ei r k n ees with B u d at

“ ”
the oth er en d o f th e spike .
I n a rou gh and tumbl e fight h e was more than a ,
match for th e b est man in th e co m munity I n fact .

,
it was said by h is admirers that h e had wh ipp ed two

“
me n at onc e So me b eli ev ed that h e had a yellow
.
streak as all b ullies do an d o n e old ex confederate

, ,
-
veteran said th at if h e had to face col d steel h e woul d

85
86 PEGGY WARE
ru n Th e o ld soldier furth ermore said that when h e
.
, ,
was i n th e army h e Ob served that it was th e quiet

,
man at ho me who loved p eac e and always wa n ted t o

avoid a scrap th at made th e b ravest and m ost darin g
soldi er wh ile th e cross roads b ully always showed th e
,
-
“
white fe ath er when forc ed t o face al most c ertai n
death .
A long w ith Wh itman s lov e f or wh isk ey h e had in ’
,
“ ”
h e r it e d a b itter hatred fo r n iggers I f asked f o r th e .
reason o f h i s antipathy h e coul d n ot have tol d you , .
“ ”
I j est ain t go t n o u se for a d
’
d nigger woul d ,
have been th e extent o f h is explanation And this sam e .
unreasonab le an d unreasoning hatred p revails t o a

great extent in many o f th e rural districts of the S outh .
I t was particu larly so i n B ucks P ock et an d s o th e ‘
groun d was al ready w ell p repared for B ud s p ro pa ’
gan da against S i mon .
I t may b e partially du e to th e fact that th e negroes

b efore th e war call ed all wh ite p eopl e wh o did n ot
“ ”
o w n slaves p o wh ite trash feel ing th at th ey w ere
’
,
m uch better tha n the p oor white s becau se they b e

l o n ge d to t h e aris t ocracy .
A n Old coupl et is attributed to th em tha t ra n some

thi n g like this '
M y n ame is Sam ,
A n I don t gib a da m
’ ’
,
’
I d ruther b e a nigger
’
Tha n a p o wh ite man .
A l ittl e profa n e n o doubt b ut it expressed a feeli n g

, ,
more o r l ess preval ent in som e p arts o f th e South b e

fore th e great confl ict .
Agai n th e feelin g may have b ee n du e in part to th e

”
su ff erings O f th ese same p O white s duri ng a n d im ’
m ediately after th e bloody conflict b etwee n th e State s .
“ ”
Fo r b e it r em emb ere d t h at t h e po white tr ash fu r
’
, ,
C LIFF A N D ER S O N A TT E N DS A F I G H T 87
n is h e d a large portion o f th e sol diers who fough t f or

th e Southern Con federacy and th ey were su ch s o l ,
diers as th e world had never seen before Th ey were .
fi ghtin g f o r a sacred cause as th ey were tol d by thei r

,
leaders th e slave hol ders a n d when th e South had

,
-
,
grounded her arms an d th e slaves were freed and th e

, ,
“ ”
ballot p laced in their hands th ese sa m e p o wh ites ,
’
had reach ed th e conclus ion that th e n egro w a s th e

caus e o f th e war an d consequ ently o f th e ir su ff erings
, .
Whatever th e caus e th e fact remains an d among

, ,
th e younger generation in th e South in certai n com

m u n it ie s thi s feelin g is as intens e today and perhap s
, ,
more s o than at any ti me durin g o r j u st after th e war

, .
Fired by that h atred and sti mu lated by strong w h is

key B u d Wh itman had organiz ed a ban d of white cap
,
p ers for th e pu rpos e of h anging S imon o r run ning ,
him o u t of th e co m munity H is intention was really.
to hang him but h e did n o t think it bes t to disclose

,
th is fu lly u ntil th e p sychol ogical moment arrived .
A s a p rel ud e t o h is p rogram h e suggested that they

l eave a written warning f o r S imon to leav e th e co m ,
mun ity knowing that it would n o t b e ob eyed

, .
-
H e said to hi s followers that th is woul d giv e th em
“
ol ea r con sciences in case th e coon go t tangl ed up i n
a rop e and b roke h is n eck .
B u d was dep utized to write th e warning as h e was

“
th e only o n e in th e pl ot w h o h ad any book
A fter long and painful labor h e scrawle d th e followi n g
note and that night stol e up q u ietly in th e dark and
,
pinned it to th e door o f Si mon s shack : ’
NOTIS
We all agin n igger e q u a l iz in an won t stand fer ’
,
’ ’
i t So e f you don t git b efo t e m orry n ite w e l l rop e

.
’ ’
,
’
you .
WH I T E CAPS .
88 PEGGY WA RE
S imon found th e note early th e n ext morni ng and
hastened t o Peggy When s h e read it h er h eart stood
.
,
still and s h e w en t in great alarm to h er fath er H e

,
.
had b een sinking further into th e slou gh o f despond

as th e days passed and n ow it would have tak en an ,
earth quak e to arou s e hi m S O h e attempted to qu iet .
h er fears and tol d h er th at it was only a practical

,
j ok e t o frighten S imon and that n oth ing would come ,
o f it advisin g her to sa y noth in g ab out it as it m igh t

, ,
create unnecessary co mmotion .
S ilenced but n ot convinced P eggy w en t to h er

, ,
s ch ool wh il e Si mon aided Ware i n h is work o f c lear

,
ing land A s th e day p assed an d Peggy enth u sed over

.
h e r teach ing a s sh e always did th e fear at h er h eart

, ,
fo r th e safety o f S imon gra dually l eft h er an d by n igh t ,
s h e coul d even smile at th e bl undering attempt to
frigh ten him an d th e Ware family .
With Si mon it was qu ite di ff erent All day h e and .
Wilbu r Wa re work ed side by side rarely sp eaking a ,
word for Ware s whol e manner toward Si mon h ad

,
’
changed sinc e th e death o f h is w ife Formerly h e .
took a great pleasu re in conversing with th e ven erabl e

o l d n egro b ut now h e maintained a stoical silence
,
u pon w h ich S i mon was t oo tactful an d too respectful

to i n tr ude .
H e lived ov er many in cidents of h is past l ife and ,
if h i s th ou gh ts ab out th e goodness o f Go d could have

b een recorded th ey woul d have b een an inspiration t o
h is l earn ed white b rothers .
S imon felt an imp ending danger b ut not for t h e ,
world would h e h av e cau sed anyon e a mom ent s u n ’
easin ess on h is acco unt H e expected th e wh ite cap

.
.
pers to carry o u t th eir th reat b ut felt n o fear , .
A fterward in talkin g to Peggy ab out h is thou gh ts

, ,
“ ’
h e said : I c n clu d e d dat it wu s th e bes way out fer
’
90 PEGGY WA RE
A lou d knock at th e door caused h im to lay down
h is banj o p ut o n th e ca p that belonged to his u ni
,
“
form and in an sw er to a gru ff Com e out h ere n ig
, ,
”
ger h e resp onded :
,
“
Y e s wh ite folks I s e ready
’
.
, ,
I t was a b eautiful night th e full moon casting its ,
r ays into th e deepest recesses o f th e Pock et cau sed

th e sharp p eaks that ros e at various p oints al ong th e
edge of th e valley to app ear lik e giant sentin el s watch
in g grimly ov er th e scene b elow .
Th e White Capp ers were mou n te d on horses and

wore wh ite caps that comp letely covered th ei r h eads
an d faces with smal l op en in gs th rough which th e
,
wearer coul d see A s th ey l urk ed i n th e shadows o f.
th e trees waitin g th e co mma n ds o f th eir leader th ey ,
made a weird fantastic picture that migh t well cause

,
th e stoutest h eart to qu ail I f th e Wh ite Capp ers had .
exp ected to find a cowering cringing O l d n egro they , ,
were treated to a great surprise for wh en Simon ,
open ed th e door an d walk ed forth into th e m oonlight ,
h e did S O w ith a steady step an d his voic e was with

o u t a tremo r as h e said :
“
G en m e n p leas e don t make n o noise case I hop e
’ ’
, ,
you won t s t u rb M assa Ware an de ch il lu n s

’ ’ ’
.
’
Th e l ead er s reply was a coarse u neasy sort of ,
‘
laugh f o r th e serenity o f th e Old ma n nonplussed h im

, .
“ ’
W e d j est as soo n h a n g the ex parso n t oo e f h e butts -
, ,
”
in ! sp ok e th e l eader whose voice b etrayed B u d Wh it ,
man .
“ ’
Why d idn t y ou l eave wh en you got o u r
h e deman ded .
“
B eca s e I s e a free A merica n citiz en f ea r in God
’ ’
,
’ ’
s ervi n my country a n doin nobody no harm an doi n ’
,
’
al l de good I k i n a n e f I a in t go t n o righ t to l ib h ea h
,
’ ’
,
C LIF F A N D ER S O N ATT E N D S A Fi GH T 91
’
den I got n o h ome under de flag an I mout as wel l ,
go ober y on d a h whare I ll b e welcom e ’

.
“
All righ t M ister N igger we ll sen d y o u over i n
, ,
’
”
th ree shakes of a sh eep s tail said Wh itman Produc ’
,
.
ing a rop e in which th e loop w a s already tied h e th rew ,
it around Si mon s n eck knocking his ca p O ff a s h e did

’
s o and started in the direction of a n ear b y tree say

,
-
,
“
ing Come on fell ers we ll strin g h im up to that big
, , ,
’
”
li mb yo n der .
Th e riders had al l dis mounted by this ti me an d ,

’
tethered th eir horses in the th icket n ear Si mon s cabin .
A s Whitma n was about to th row th e free en d o f t h e

rop e over th e li mb one o f th e wh ite cappers stepp ed ,
forward an d sai d :
“
H o l on a minit B u d I want to ax the o l d ma n a
’
, ,
”
f e w questions .
“
H e ai n t a man sa id B ud ’
H e is n uthi n b ut a
, .
’
’ ”
(1 d n igger an we ain t go t n o time fu r q uestions
,
’
.
Whitman as u sual wa s ful l o f cor n wh iskey and a

, , ,
good n u mb er o f h is followers h ad also i mbib ed f reely

fo r th e occasion b ut a few of th e m were sob er , .
“ ’
W a ll I guess you ll tak e ti me B ud Wh itman
‘
, , ,
whuth e r you want to er not I wu s fou r years whare .
I sm elt powder and faced b ullets fi g h t in fer th e South ,

’
,
’
an I wo r e th e same u n iform th is old n igger got on ,
’
a n I a m gwin e t o ax h i m whare h e got it .
B e f ore Simo n cou ld reply Wilbu r Ware a nd Peggy “

,
appe a red o n th e scen e R alp h had sta r ted down to .
’
Si mo n s cabi n t o t el l h im good n igh t a s was his cus ,
tom a n d seei n g th e Wh ite Capp ers with a rop e abou t

,
’
S imon s n eck , h e fl ed to th e hou se i n bre a th less ex
“
cit e m e n t exclaimi n g : , Th ey are ha n gi n g S i mon
“ ” “
R u n for M r Ande r so n ! excl a i med Peggy a n d
.
,
w e will go t o S imo n .
92 PEGGY WA R E
Virginia was l eft at th e hou se c ryin g piteou sly , ,
“ ”
saying : O h Go d don t l et th em k ill Uncle S imon ;
, ,
’
whil e R al ph sp ed on th e wings o f th e w in d to Cli ff

’
A n d e r so n s .
B efore R alph had fin ish ed h is bri ef story Anderson

had s eiz ed a gun and was b ou n di n g like a tiger toward
,
’
th e scen e o f dan ger ; an d R uth deaf t o her moth er s ,
pl eadings was followi n g hard upon th e footstep s o f

,
h er fath er l eaving R alph fa r beh ind

,
.
Th e scen e that greeted Wilbu r Ware arou sed h i m

from h is l ethargy and galvanized h im into action At
, .
o n e bound h e l eap ed up on B u d Wh itman and a l ,
though inferior in strength th e un exp ected ru sh bore ,
B u d to th e groun d but only for a mom ent Th e young

, .
H ercu les th rew o ff h is antagon ist an d sprang t o h i s ,
feet exclai min g as h e did S O : G rab hi m boys ! A nd

,
“ ”
,
obeying th e comman d o f th eir l eader a hal f dozen m en ,
seized th e stru gglin g man and h el d hi m wh il e on e ,

“ ”
of th em p rodu ced a rop e an d p roceeded to h og ti e
him .
Th u s rendered h elpl ess Ware b ega n to plead with ,
th e m ob Wh itman th orough ly e n raged said :

.
, ,
“
G ag h i m an d shet h i s (1 d mou th ”
.
A S n o o n e o ff ered to ob ey th is com m a n d h e cut a ,
stick placed it forcibly b etwee n Wa r e s teeth faste n ed

,
’
a cord to each e n d o f th e stick an d th e n b rough t th e ,
two e n ds of th e cord t o th e back o f h is h ead and tied

th em This acc ompl ish ed h e on c e more seiz ed th e
.
,
en d of th e rop e that was sti ll aroun d Si mon s n eck ’

,
“ ”
an d said : Com e on !
I n t h e ex cit e m en t n o o n e see med to have obs erved
’
Peggy A cting swiftly as h er mind always did s h e

.
, ,
determin ed to appeal to th e b etter self in th es e rough ,
hal f dru nk en m en M ou ntin g a l ow stu mp so s h e

-
.
,
coul d be see n sh e said : ,

C LIFF A ND ER S O N A TT E N DS A F I G H T 93
M en I n G od s n ame I com mand y o u t o wait a min

,
’
”
ute ! You mu st h ea r me for you r o w n soul s welfare ! ’
Fearing th e result of h er p l eading B ud said a n ,
gr ily
“
We dont want n o p etticoat p rea ch in h ere Come ’
.
ah ead m en an let s git th rou gh this j ob

, ,
’ ’
.
At th is j unctu re th ree o r fou r m en cam e to th e r e s

,
cu e ,
and on e of th em speak in g for th e oth ers sa id : , ,
“
H ol d o n a min it boss an h ear what th e lady has , ,
’
t o s ay M y kids are gwin e to school to her an they

.
,
’
say S h e is a s good a s a angel ; a n I say sh e s gwin e ’ ’
to b e treated lik e a lady to which a n u mb er r e ,

“ ”
s p on d e d : Th at s right ! that s righ t ! ’ ’
G ru m blin g and cu rsing Wh itman reluctantly laid ,
down th e rop e drew a b ottl e o u t o f hi s pocket took a

, ,
”
drink sayin g :
, Cut it short M is s S marty ,
.
“
I want t o tell you a littl e story an d I want y o u to ,
”
liste n to every word I s ay an d th e mu sic of h er ,
voice thrilled every man p resent .
“
Si mon b elonged t o my grandfath er b efore th e wa r .
H e bough t Si mon j u st after h e an d my grand moth er

married an d i n a few month s the wa r b rok e out and
, ,
my grandfath er went t o th e front and S i mon th en a , ,
young man insisted o n going alon g t o take care o f

,
M assa as h e cal led my grandfath er R ay ,
mon d Lee wh o was a cou sin o f G en eral R ob ert E

, .
L ee wh om many o f y o u fol lowed and l ov ed

, .
“ ”
That we did ; that s so ! exclaim ed som e o f th e ’
Older men prese n t .
“
M y grandfather was shot d o w n wh il e l eadin g h i s
co mpany in a desp erate charge an d as h e lay o n th e ,
battlefi eld th e bu llets falling l ik e hail S imon facin g

, , ,
what seemed l ike certain d eath found h i m and car , ,
ried hi m back o u t o f th e danger zon e H is woun d .
was a m ort a l one an d it w a s S i mon who ministered

,
94 PEGGY WA R E
to h im in hi s last h Ou r s and brought h is dyin g mes ,
sage to my grandmoth er After that h e becam e G en .
’
eral Stonewall J ackson s b o dy servant a n d was with ,
that gre a t Ch ristian soldier wh en h e passed o v er th e

r i ver
.
“
Wh en th e war w a s over h e retur n ed hom e n o
,
, ,
lon ger a slave but free to go w here h e pl eased H e

, .
chose to remain with my grand mothe r and my moth er , ,
who w a s a littl e girl .
“
When my moth er grew u p and married my fath er ,
and my grandmoth er d ied Si mon cast h is lo t with ,
th em an d now h e is still serving th e grandchildren of

,
h is b eloved Cap tain L e e .
“
H e i s worthy of th e faded u niform h e has seen fi t
to put on and I ca n testify that h is l ife h a s b een one
,
”
o f unselfi sh devotion to oth ers .
B ud Wh itman had gr own restl ess H e fel t that his .
fol lowers were bein g swayed by P eggy H e had .
passed hi s bottl e among th e younger men on whom ,
h e felt h e cou ld dep en d in th e ev ent o f a division o f

sentiment and h e n ow p repared to bring an en d to
,
Peggy s discours e
’
.
B rutally h e said : Al l that stu ff is a d d l ie ! Come —
on an let s fin ish ou r j ob
’ ’
.
“
A s the words d d l ie fell from h is l ip s a ma n
—
,
spran g from th e p rotectin g shadow of an i mm en se oak

and bounded into th e center o f th e group like a moun
tain lion and b efore any o n e coul d move he level ed a
, ,
gu n at B ud s h eart and with hi s voice chokin g with

’
rage h issed
,
:
Tak e that back B u d Wh itman or I ll kil l y o u

, ,
’
before y o u kin say Jack R obinson Nobody kin call .
”
M iss Peggy a d d liar a n git by with it—
’
.
Wh itm a n look ed at th e determ ined man th rough

C LIFF A N D ER S O N A TT E ND S A F I G H T 95
t he p eep holes in h is mask an d k nowing that h e dare ,
not trifle wi t h h im h e sai d in an assum ed voice : ,

“
Y o u are mistaken in you r man pardner I ain t ’
.
,
B ud Whitman but I a m w il lin to tak e back what I ,

’
sai d about th e lady I meant th e n igger was a d d .

—
l iar .
“
Hold o n thare Wh itman fu r I know it s you H e , ,
’
.
“
ain t n o l iar eith er sai d Anderson
’
I a m gwin e to ,
.
tell you men what I know .
I b een stan din thare i n th e shader l is t in to M iss ’ ’
Peggy hopin that I wou ld not have to butt in b e ca s e

,
’
I don t hunt no fi ghts e f I ca n h elp it My fi gh t in

’
.
’
days are most over an I hop e to l ive in p eac e th e rest ,

’
of my ti me B ut wh en I heard h er call ed a lia r it

.
,
wuz tim e fu r Cli ff Anderson to talk .
“
I wuz a soldier mysel f and wore th e same gray ,
u niform what S imon h a s o n I nev er kn owed until .
tonight th a t M iss Peggy s gran dfath er wu s Captain ’
Lee H e wus my captain too an I w u s shot down by

.
, ,
’
h is side wh en h e fell H e w us l eadin a charge an .

’
,
’
wus at least twenty feet ah ead o f h is company an I ,

’
wus k eepin up with h im A ll at on ce it see med l ike a

’
.
rain 0 fi re an brimstone I s eed hi m fall an w u s

’ ’
.
’
s t o o p in over to p ick h i m u p wh en s o m e t h in h i t m e
’ ’
a n I dropped Th e company w u s d r iv back an thare

’
.
’
we lay fer a long tim e th e blood a o o z in o u t an th e ,

-
’
,
’
sh eets 0 fi re s w e e p in over u s
’ ’
.
“
I said : Cap n are you h urt m uch ? A n h e says :
“ ” ’
,
’
I don t know A nderson but I feel qu eer l ike it s all

’
, , ,
’
”
over w ith m e .
“ ”
A nd th en h e said : H o w badly are you h urt ?
“
And I said : Not mu ch j est shot th rough both legs ,
’
a n on e shoulder Th en I s a w a nigger w ea rin a .
’
’
gray uniform com in an lookin everywh ere lik e h e ’ ’
‘
, ,
wus h unti n so m et hin ’

I though t to myself Th e ’
.
,
‘
96 PEGGY WA R E
durned fool will fall in a m init ; b e ca se I didn t see h ow ’
anyth ing could stand up in that hail o f lead An d h e .
didn t dodge a singl e tim e an I won dered e f h e wu s

’
,
’
dea f
“
I h ad b een call in fer water and Captain Lee said ’
,
'
‘
I th ink I g o t about a drink in my canteen e f you can ,
git to it b e ca se I think I am gwine whare th ere i s a

,
great river o f water in a few minutes b e ca s e I s e e it , ,
and it s b eauti ful

’
.
’
“ “
I said N o I won t drink yore water b ut h e said
, ,
’
,
’
‘
I a m stil l your captain an d comman d y o u ! Then I ’
drank th e water in h is canteen an the n ext thing I ,

’
know ed th e nigger sol dier wu s stan din over u s

,
’
,
sayin : ’
B less G od I don e foun y o u M as s L ee I s you

,
’
, .
”
bad hurt ?
“
A n d my b rav e capt ain said : J u st slightly wo unded ‘
S imon ; bu t th ere is M r A nderson a brave soldier who .

,
is badly wounded t ak e h i m to th e rear and th en com e , ,
back for m e .
’
“
I sai d N o and would rath er h av e died than leav e
,
‘
,
’
hi m th ere b ut I w u s t o o weak to h elp myself S O

, .
wh en h e said : S imon y o u black rascal carry hi m o ff

‘
, ,
th e fi eld an d i f you resist An derson I ll have you

, , ,
’
cou rt martial ed and shot

-
.
’
“
S imon pick ed m e up j est lik e I wu s a baby an ’
carried m e back to th e stretch er b earers an th e l ast ,

’
I ever s eed of h i m h e w u s goin back into th e rainin ’ ’
bull ets for h is captain .
“
And I n ev er knowed till tonigh t that Si mon is th e
man that carried m e o ff th e battlefi eld in h is arms an d ,
I want to s a y th ey won t b e n o hangin here tonight ’ ’

,
an tha t S imon w on t leave B uck s Pocket till h e i s

’ ’
”
good an ready ’
.
98 PEGGY WARE
O n e o f Whitman s follow ers cried N O sh ootin ; ’
,
’
”
l et e m fi ght it o u t fair
’
.
B ud was n ow b eside h i mself an d feel ing that An ,
d e rs o n was n o match for h i m physical ly h e said

'
,
“
A ll ri ght ol d man e f you will lay down yore gun
, , ,
we w ill settle it j est you an m e an d e f y o u wh ip me

—
’
,
you ll b e th e b oss a n e f I whip you we l l h ang th e

’
,
’
,
’
”
nigger .
Al l right B u d respon ded Anderson b ut I want

, , ,
you to take you r disguis e O ff s o y o u kin se e what

you re doin an s o everyb ody k in see yore cowardly
’ ’
,
’
f a ce f
’
A nderson had al ready laid aside h is coat an d with ,
sh irt sleeves roll ed up waited for h is antagoni st wh o , , ,
feelin g that h is attempte d disgu ise was no l onger

worth whil e took O ff hi s mask th rew aside h is coat
, ,
and h at an d ra n at Anderson strik ing out fu riou sly

, ,
and blindly .
A nderson pa rried hi s blows an d del ivered o n e ,
straigh t from the shoulder sq uarely o n Wh itman s j aw ’

.
I t staggered h im and in crease d h is r age A gain h e ,

.
p lunged and th is ti m e cau gh t th e elder man i n h is

,
pow erful arm s an d in anoth er mo men t th ey were rol l

,
in g On th e grou nd Whitman fi ghting furiou sly raining , ,
b low after b low o n th e fac e o f An derson wh o seemed ,
to b e at th e mercy o f th e youn ger man u ntil by a

migh ty e ffort Anderson managed to tu rn Whitman o n
th e b ottom and fasten h is powerfu l grasp o n Wh it
man s th roat A s h e choked h i m with on e hand h e
’
.
,
pou n de d hi m w ith h is fre e fi s t bringing th e bl ood ,
ev ery ti me h is hard bony knu ckles ca me in contact ,
with B u d s face B u d s eyes b egan to protrud e fro m

’
.
’
th ei r sockets h is fac e to turn black an d h e feebly

, ,
”
whi sper ed Tak e hi m off ,
.
“ ”
Are yo u l icked ? An derson in quired a s h e tight ,
C L I F F A ND ER S O N A TT E NDS A F I G H T 99
ened his grip o n Wh itman s win dpip e an d B ud unable ’
, ,
“ ”
to even wh isp er nodded Y e s ,
.
A s th e fight p rogressed and R uth w a s rest ain ed r
fro m takin g furth er part in it sh e turn ed to Peg gy who , ,
ha d released h er fath er from th e rop e an d ga g that

boun d hi m and w a s watch ing with wh ite s e t face th e
, ,
o nly fight sh e had ever witnessed in h er l ife an d said : ,

“ ”
Peggy p ray fer daddy and Peggy an sw ered :
, ,
“
I a m praying for h im R uth with every breath , ,
.
T w o o f the m en carried B u d to h is horse p lac ed hi m ,
o n it an d cl ingin g to th e horn Of h is saddl e th e f a llen

, , ,
bu lly rod e slowly o u t o f sigh t .
Wh en th e ech o of h is horse s footstep s had die d ’
away an d A n derson had gotten h is s econ d win d h e

, ,
said :
“
M en tak e off your masks fer I want to talk to v o u
, , ,
an I want t o look i nto yore eyes

’
.
Th ey all ob eyed with al acrity for i n th eir ro u gh ,
h earts th ey loved Cli ff An derson .
“ ” “
B oys h e continu ed I want to s a y j est o n e w ord
, ,
more about Si mon and th e n igger folk s in g e n r a l F o r ’

.
four years th e N orth an d S outh fought over th em and ,
most O f th em staid at home worked th e land took , ,
k eer o f th e women an d ch il dren an in all that fou r ,

’
vears th ere w u s n ever a nigger outrage o n a white

woman o r a nigger that b etrayed h is master
, .
“
I wu s fi gh t in all that tim e an my folks n eve ’
,
’
r
own ed any slaves b ut e f th ey had an they w u s sich , ,

’
as Ol e S imon I d want to b uil d a m o n y m e n t to em e n

,
’ ’
,
’
e f I m livin wh en ol e S i mon goes I ll s ee that h e h a s

’ ’ ’
th e b iggest to mbston e in B ucks Pock et .
“
N o w al l o f y o u that are satisfi ed fer S imon to stay
,
here s ay ,
“ ”
A mighty chorus of 1 s went u p a s from o n e man ’
.
1 00 PEGGY WARE
’ ’
J est o n e th ing more m en h e said an th en I ll , , ,
q u it afore I git to b e a stu mp sp eaker Y o u migh t .
want m e to run fer th e Le gislature e f I git to b e t o o

much O f a talker .
“
I gu ess I been a sort Of b ell w eth er in B uck s Pock et -
,
’
an I got a f e e l in sen s e M iss P eggy com e that I ain t
’ ’
b een setti n a very good exampl e I b een pestered a

’
.
l o t of late an I m t h in k in e rb o u t t u r n in over a n ew
’ ’ ’ ’
l eaf e f I warn t j est k inder ash ame d to a n afeard

’
,
’
“ ”
y o u (1 all laugh at m e an s a y I had rel igion an I d ’ ’ ’
,
as soon be caught w ith th e h ives .
“
I wonder e f you d all l ik e to se e th ings more d e
’
center h ere i n th e Pock et ? Al l o f you what woul d ,
”
hold up yore hands W ith o n e accord every hand
.
w en t i n th e ai r .
“
A n will y o u al l back M iss Peggy in wh atever S h e
’
w ants t o do ? E f you will take o ff yore h ats an plac e

’
,
yore h an ds o n yore hearts .
E v ery h at cam e O ff and standin g bare h eaded i n th e,

-
moonlight each man plac ed h is free han d o n h i s b reast

, ,
t h u s pledgin g h is loyal and un dyin g supp ort .
Peggy moved deep ly by th is pledge wh ich m eant so

,
mu ch co mi n g in th e way i t d id cou ld only respond :

, ,
I thank you with a l l my h eart an d I hop e that I ,

”
shall p rove worth y o f you r confi dence .
“ ’
I t s ti m e t o go hom e n ow said Anderson a nd , ,
su iting h is action to h is words h e was shouldering h is ,
gun that had b een leaning against a tree an d th e ,
oth ers were gettin g ready to tak e th eir departu r e ,
w h en Si mon said :
“
Hol e on w hite folks j est a minit I wants to ax
, , .
y o u al l to scu se
’
m e fer g ib in you so mu ch troub l e an ’
,
’
’
I hop e it won t n e b e r happen no mo
’
’
4
2 P EGGY WA RE
wi llin to h elp y o u E f you n eed more roo m I ll git
’
.
,
’
th e fel l ers togeth er an d w e ll cut th e logs and b uild ’
”
o u a b igger hou se
y .
“ '”
O h M r An derson y o u are j ust spl endid P eggy
, .
,
“
exclaim e d rapturou sly ,
Can y o u b uild a h ou se w ith .
thre e r oom s '
”
N ell e f y o u need o n e that bi g w e l l bu ild it b ut I
’
, , ,
a m w o n d r in h ow you gwin e to teach in three room s

’ ’
”
at onc e onl ess you can divid e y o r s e lf up
,
Th e o ld .
man grinn ed at th e though t of this di fficulty .
“ ’
I ll manage that M r An derson ; I a m thinki n g o f ,
.
u s ing o n e roo m for th e older p eopl e l i k e you rself an d —
M rs Anderson
. .
Th e big Wild Catter laugh ed H e fairly roared . .
Peggy had n ever h eard hi m laugh b efore an d few ,
others ha d ever had that p rivilege P eggy j oin ed in .
h is m errimen t wh ich p l eased h i m greatly , .
Y o u d on t mean t oteach b ook l a r n in to o l d devils

“ ’ ’
lik e m e J ep Carn es M art Suttles an sich like do ye ?

, ,
’
,
”
I t s th e b e s t j ok e I ever h e e r d in my life
’
.
A gain h e roared w ith laughter and P eggy d id n o t ,
in terrupt h i m until h e assu med h is u sual stoical cal m .
“
I t may s ee m l ik e a j oke to you M r A nderson but , .
,
to me it s th e most b eautiful th e most wo n derfu l work

’
I coul d possibly un dertak e What a fairy land it wi l l .
Op en up for y o u an d y ou w ill b e as eager an d e n t h u s i

,
a s t ic a s o n e o f my school boys .
“
B u t I don t s e e h ow y o u kin teach s o many folk s
’
,
M iss Peg gy Y o u are gwine to n eed more h el p

. .
“
Th e teach ers wil l come as w e need th em Go d will .
p rovi de th e things w e n eed o u t of H is great store

”
ho u se if w e are doin g H is work an d have faith
,
.
“
You are a funny gal M iss P eggy an I don t und er , ,
’ ’
sta n d all y o u talk about but I feel s o m e t h in that ,

’
mak es m e hav e faith in you an d I m comin t o yore ,

’ ’
T H E M Y S T ER I O U S MA N FRO M NO W H ERE 1 03
school an trust you A n I ll round up every bla med

,
’
.
’ ’
o l d Wil d Catter in B uck s Pock et an make e m com e ’ ’

, ,
Ef th ey is any l a u gh in
’
so th ey can t lau gh at m e
’
.
,
”
w e ll all laugh together
’
.
It d id n o t tak e lon g to b uild th e th ree room log -
h ou se a n d to seat it with cru d e desks and bench es

,
made by th e men Peggy announced that o n a c ertain

.
M on day morning h er school f or th e Ol de r p eopl e would

op en .
B efore th e appointed hou r Cl i ff Anderson an d M ol ly

“
arrived fol lowed by all th e Ol d Wild Gatters an d
,
th ei r w ives in B u ck s Pock et M ost o f th e m en carried .
th eir lon g squirrel rifles wh ich th ey deposited in th e ,
rear o f th e room wh ere P eggy had erected a b ig black

board .
Th e m en took th eir seats ou o n e side of th e room ,
whil e th e wo men s a t on th e op posite side Peggy .
Observed that th e wom en carried th eir snu ff box es ,
wh ile most of th e men w ere ch ewin g tobacco b ut s h e ,
mad e n o com ment .
O ne o f th e men spat a great mouth ful of tobacco

“
j u ice on th e floor and A n derson s a w h im , S ee h ere .
,
B ill Suttles they ain t gwin e t o b e n o s p it t in on th is

,
’ ’
floor You fell ers mu st eith er s w a lle r yore a mb eer o r

.
throw yore cuds outdoors We ain t gwin e to h av e .

’
M i ss Peggy t e a ch in book l a r n in to a lot o f t ob a ccy

’ ’
worms I ll j est p ass th e coll ection b ox an we ll start

.
’ ’ ’
r ight .Cours e th e ladies wil l keep their s nu ff b e ca s e

’
,
they don t e x p e ct io n a t e lik e th e men

’
.
S o sayin g h e p ick ed up a small b ox that h ad b een

,
made to h old Peggy s chalk and p roceeded to collect ’
,
“ ”
the e n d s .
When h e had p erformed th is s ervic e throwing h is ,
coll ection out in th e yard and returned t o h is seat , ,
Peggy aros e an d said :

1 04 PEGGY WARE
I a m so glad t o see s o m any o f my dear fri ends
h ere this mornin g Y o u don t know h ow it fi ll s my
.
’
h eart w ith j oy for I feel that w e are starting a work

,
h ere th at will b ear fru it al l ove r this b eautiful land o f

ours .
“
I want t o h elp open up to y o u a n ew worl d s o full
o f won d erfu l th ings th at I tre mbl e with excite men t a s
I stan d b efore you I kn ow y o u w il l l ive to s e e th e

.
day w hen you will thank G od for th e step y o u are

tak in g this morn in g .
I a m goin g t o b egin o u r day s work j u st as w e do ’
in ou r school f o r boys an d girl s Th e first thing we .
do i s t o rep eat th e p reamb l e t o th e Constitution of th e

Un ite d States N o t o n e o f my boys and girls had ev er
.
h eard of it wh en school b egan but n ow th ey kn ow it ,
by h eart an d anyon e o f th em can give you an in t e l l i

,
gent talk on it s meaning .
“
I w ill write it on th e blackboard read it to y o u , ,
and then w e will all rep eat i t togeth er very slowly s o , ,
that w e can think o f it s meanin g .
Tak in g a piec e o f chalk sh e w rote : ,

“
We th e p eop l e of th e United States I n ord er to
,
form a more perfect un ion establish j u stic e insu re , ,
domestic tranquility provid e f o r th e c o mmon defen se

, ,
promote th e gen eral w elfare and secu re th e bl essings ,
o f lib erty to ou rs elves and o u r posterity do ordain and ,
establ ish th is Constitution f o r th e United State s o f

A merica .
Sh e read it t o th em an d it did P eggy s h eart good

,
’
t o see th eir inten se interest Then sh e said We .

:
”
w il l all repeat it together .
“
We th e p eople rang o u t th e sweet mu sical voice
, , ,
an d m en an d wom en some aloud som e in half wh ispers

, , ,
“ ”
rep eated We th e p eop le
, , .
”
O f th e United States said Peggy , O f th e United .
1 06 PEGGY WA RE
w ere taught to love G od an d revere th e Co n stitution
of ou r great country .
“
I u se to sin g We l l hang Ab e L incoln to a sou r
“ ’
”
ap pl e tre e wh en I w u s fi gh t in fer th e South An der
’ ’
,
“
s o n d eclared I thought h e w u s mean er than th e
’
an ,
d evil After th e war a Yankee tol d me Lincol n wus

.
once a ra il s p l it t e r wore h ome made cl ose sol d l ick er

,
-
,
‘
,
’
’
an n ever h ad n o religion except to love th e pore an
’
,
down trodden an I said : I m an Ab e L incoln man

-
,
’ ‘ ’
fru m this tim e o n an e f my cou ntry ev er n eeds me ,

’
,
I ll fight j est a s hard fu r h er as I did fu r th e South

’
.
An e f th e Cons titution wu s made fu r all th e p eople

’
,
North an South rich an pore p rohib itionists an th em

’
,
’
,
’
that s agin p roh ibition th en I m fur it fu st last an

’
,
’
, , ,
’
all th e time ; an I m glad ou r country ai n t divided so

’ ’ ’
cf th e Constitution is eve r in dan ger th e North an

’
South kin fight shoul der t o shoul der t o defend it .
“
What does i t m ean b y s e cu r in th e bl essings o f l ib ‘
*
’
”
erty M iss Peggy ? th e ol d man ask ed earnestly
,
’
.
“
I t m eans that th e p eopl e o f th is country are th e
freest p eop l e in th e world an d th at this freedo m ca n ,
n ev er be taken away from u s as lon g as w e uph old th e

Constitutio n .
“
F o r over o n e h un dred years this in spired docu ment
has secu red to every man th e right t o p ursu e his occu
p atio u t o live h is life j u st as b e plea sed so long as h e
,
w a s decent an d did n ot attempt t o en croach o n th e

rights o f oth ers An d o u r posterity for thou sands of
.
gen e ration s wi l l continu e to enj oy th es e bl essings o f

lib erty if w e do not al low th e en emi es o f th e p eople
,
who are trying to d estroy o u r Con stitution an d set u p

some oth er form of s o call ed govern ment to divid e o u r -
c itiz en s into warrin g classes an d factions each seek in g ,
some selfish advantage over th e oth er forgetting the ,

”
fi rst th ree words i n th e p reamb le We th e p eopl e ,
‘
,
1
T H E M Y S T ER I O U S MA N FRO M NO W H ERE 1 07
Well all I go t to s ay abou t a fel ler th at woul d do

,
’
that is that h e ain t n o good A meric a n an needs a v isit
’
from th e K u Klux -
.
“
We won t K u Klux th em M r An derson ; we w il l
’
-
, .
educate th em teach th em to b e good A mericans

,
.
“
Th ere n ever w a s a ti me in th e h istory o f th e world
whe n th ere was such a crying n eed for ge n u ine m en
a n d wo men educated in th e righ t way Th e o p p o r
,
.
t u n it ie s are l im itless th e h arvest is rip e b ut th e prop er

, ,
kind of laborers are few .
“
O u r ideal s are all wrong ; w e hav e lost th e vi sion
of Wash ingto n J e ff erson an d Lin col n W e h ave set
, , .
-
u p a false standard o f get more rath er than give ‘ ’ ‘
more .I n th e mad rac e m en have b ecome blin ded

’
, ,
an d th ey invei gh bitterly again st o u r cou n try ou r laws , ,
o u r Co n stitution Th ey cu rs e th e Ch u rch sco ff at

.
,
J esu s Christ an d deny G od , .
“
I a m goin g to try t o soun d an ew the ol d note o f
freedom of reverence of love of country l ov e o f Go d
, , , ,
love o f ou r fellow man h ere in th ese ru gged mou ntain s , ,
p rayin g th at it may h elp kin dle afresh th e mu si c o f

h uma n sympath y a nd D ivine love in th e soul s o f o u r
”
p eople .
“
Th e fi rst words I wa n t y o u to learn to write are
Go d an d th e Constitution for th is is th e rock o n
‘ ’ ‘ ’
,
wh ich w e wil l b uil d ou r school in Bu cks Pock et .
“
Th e n ext part o f o u r op en ing exercises con sists in
singin g o u r national hymn O u r b oys an d girls know .
every word o f it and it is wonderful to h ear th em sing

,
it e a ch mornin g I w ill sing it for y o u an d by a nd by

.
,
”
y o u will all l earn it .
Ah that golde n voi ce I t m ight h ave proceeded

, .
from th e an gelic ch oi r NO wond er th ese mountaineers .
“
were spellboun d a s Peggy sang M y country t is o f ,
’
”
th ee Sweet lan d of lib erty
, .
108 P E G GY WA R E
Th ey had n ever h eard it b efore an d to t hem I t w a s ,
a pean o f thanksgiving o f love of loyalty M ore tha n , , .
on e w ithered ch eek w a s wet w ith tears o f wh ich no

on e seemed asha med .
“
Th en fol l ow ed N eare r my G od to Th ee and all , , ,
h eads b owed reverently a s Peggy at it s clos e rep eated , ,

“
th e Lord s p rayer Wh en s h e said O u r Fath er wh o
’
.
, ,
”
art in H eaven each fel t that P eggy was really talking
,
to G od an d that H e stood th ere b esid e h er

, .
The op ening s ervices concluded P eggy sai d : ,
“ ”
We will n o w have our fi rst l esson Sh e proceded .
“
to make th e letters Of th e alphabet b eginnin g w ith A , .
“ ”
The n th e slow p rocess o f tea ch ing h er pupils th ei r
“ ”
A B C s b egan N o s e t of sch ool boys o r girls were
’
.
ev er m ore eager t o l earn tha n were th ese gray haired -
men a n d wom en A few of th e m learn ed su rpri singly

.
fast wh ile som e o f th em ha d great di ffi culty in

,
“ ”
learning A .
“
Write yore name o n th e board M i ss Peggy ask ed , ,
“ ”
An derson I want t o s e e e f it looks l ik e you
. .
“
S m ilingly sh e co mpl ied writing Peggy Ware ,
.
“ ” “
Well i t looks l ik e y ou h e said but it ain t hal f
, , ,
’
a s p urty as y o u are .
“
B e asham ed o f y o r e s e lf Cli ff scolded h is w ife a s , , ,
every o n e laugh ed an d Peggy b lu sh ed , .
“ ”
Now w rite h is nam e said M olly An derson indi , ,
c atin g h er hu sban d by a n od O f th e h ead .
“ ”
Peggy wrote Cli ff An derson an d a mu rmur of ,
a dmiration w ent roun d th e roo m .
“ ” “
H uh ! exclaimed M olly tain t half as ugly a s ,
’ ’
Cl i ff is Thi s sally b rough t forth a general lau gh

.
,
and in th e midst Of m uch merri ment and good natured -
ch a fli in g Peggy dismi ssed h er p up ils for th e day

‘
, .
Cli ff Anderson l ingered after th e oth ers had gon e .

1 10 PEGGY WA R E
’
I do n t k now j est w hat light you re talkin about ’ ’
,
M iss P eggy b ut e f it s th e ki n d 0 light that shines

,
’ ’
w h ar e v e r you go the n I hop e h e ll find it soon b e ca s e

’
, ,
as it is wh en ever I s e e him I says t o myself H e s j est , ,

‘ ’
’
like a b lack cl oud t isi n
When P eggy reach ed hom e after h er day s work s h e ’
,
was met by S i mon breathl ess and i n a greater state of

,
excitement than sh e h ad ever se en h im .
“ ”
Come to my cabin q uick h oney h e said ; some , , ,
”
th in t u r r ib l e has happened !
’
Peggy s first though t wa s o f h er fath er and sh e

’
followed S i mon h er h eart fi lled with fear

, .
H e s thar on th e co t whisp ered Si mon

’
I j est , .
th is min it go t h ea h an I s e so gl ad y o u com e wh en
,
’ ’
”
y o u did .
O n e glan ce at th e apparently l ifel ess man was s u ffi

cie n t t o convi nc e Peg gy th at it was n o t her fath er .
H is face w a s covered w ith blood which had dried ,
except wh ere it still trickl ed down in a tiny stream

from a great gaping woun d o n h is h ead
, .
H is raven b lack hai r was o n e m ass o f tangled blood

clots n ow almost dri ed sh owing that h is wou n ds m ust
, ,
h av e b een r eceived s ev eral hours p reviously H is .
b reath in g was scarcely p erc eptibl e and his h eart b eats ,
cou ld hardly b e discern ed .
S imon had plac ed th e k ettl e o n th e fi re and at ,
Peggy s suggestion h e b rou ght a pan o f warm water

’
, ,
and sh e b egan to rem ove th e blood from th e man s ’
face an d hair Sh e cl ean sed th e wound o n h is h ead

.
,
’
an d at S imon s su ggestion p ou red into it a l otio n pre
“ ”
pared by S i mon from certai n y e rb s with wh ich h e
w a s familiar .
“
I a l lu s keeps it o n hand h e said b e ca s e ch illu n s , ,
lak R alph an Virg in n y is l iabl e to cu t dey foot o r stub

’
T H E M Y S T ER I O U S MA N FRO M N O W H ERE 111
’
d ey toenail O ff d es any ti m e an d is is de b es medicin e ,
’
”
e v a h pou red in a wou n d .
H er task completed Peggy sat down by th e cot and ,
took th e stran ger s hand in h ers H e stirred un easily’

.
,
and sh e felt a slight pressure o n her hand b ut th ere ,
was no oth er sign o f consciou sn ess .
H is was th e most handsome face Peggy h ad ever

seen I t showed cu lture and refin em ent an d th e h ead
.
,
an d features b espok e th e man of geniu s H is han ds .
were th ose o f an artist Th ere w a s an in d e fi n a b l e .
som ethin g about h is p ersonal ity that th rill ed h er w ith

a feelin g quite n ew t o h er Th e tou ch o f hi s han d .
sent th e blood su rgin g throu gh her v eins o n a mad

gall op cau sing h er to blush for sha me
,
.
A great pit y fill ed h er soul an d s h e aske d S i mon i f ,
h e thou gh t th ey shou ld com mun icate w ith M r Ander .
s o n and get him to s end f o r a doctor

, .
“
I t s twenty m iles to d e n e a r e s d o ct a h
’
sai d Si mon ’
, ,
’
an h e couldn t do n o goo d afta b h e got h e a h I s e
’
.
’
seen l ots Ob dem lak d is in d e army w i d a lick o n de

h aid H e ll come o u t Ob i t in a few h ours e f w e l et hi m
.
’
b e qu iet an gib hi m a little sti mulant Ef it d b een a

’
.
’
n ig g a h hit o n d e h aid lak dat it wouldn t n e v a h have

’
fazed h im b ut a wh ite ge m m e n s sku ll ain t a s thick

,
’ ’
”
as a n igga h s ’
.
“
Tel l me what you know about h im S imon Wh ere ,
.
”
did you find h i m who is h e an d how d id h e get h urt
,
?
,
I ki n only tel l y o u whare I fi nd h im but as to d e

’
,
’
res y o u k n o w s e a s much a s I does I w us co min
’
.
back fru m d e r iv a h in de wagon an o n e Ob d e tires ’
ru n off an I wu s o u t in de th ick et o n d e side o b d e

’
road cu t t in som e h ick ry with es to tie d e tire on wid

’
,
’
when I h e e r e d so m et h in lak a man g r oa n in I fol ’
.
l ered de sou n until I com e to a big h eap o b l e ab e s

’
wid b r e s h p il ed on t o p I stopp ed an de n I h e er e d .
’
1 12 PEGGY WARE
de g ro a n in agin an it wu s right down u n d a h de b r e s h
’
,
’
h eap I f ro w e d it O ff an rak e d e l ea b e s away an dar

.
,
’
,
’
lay d e pore man I p ick ed h i m up an toted h im to d e

.
’
wagon an d e s go t h ea h an d put h im o n de cot wh en

,
’
I s e e you co min frum school ’

.
“
Who do you suppos e com mitted th e dastardly deed
,
,
S i mon an d what coul d have b een th e m otive ask ed

,
Peggy .
“ ’
Well e f I wu s s p o s in I d spose it wu s some o f
, ,
’
des e wild cat fellahs dat th ought h e w a s a r e v e n o o as ,
d ey cal l em an dey kill ed h i m a s dey b e l ie b e d an

’
,
’
, ,
’
b u rie d hi m u n d a h d e l e a b e s an b re s h ai mi n to tak e ’
,
’
h im t o d e Tenn ess e e r iv a h an th row h i m in wh en nigh t ’
”
com e .
P eggy sh uddered at th e th ough t o f th e terribl e fate

fro m which S im on h ad rescu ed th e stran ger Ferv .
ently s h e aske d G od that h e might recov er H er very .
soul was calling h im back to life .
“
B e tt a h go t o yore supp er ch il e I ll watch h i m ’
.
,
wh ile you s e gon e .
Peggy attempted to with draw h er hand b ut th e ,
ma n gripped it convul sively and h is lips m oved as if ,
h e w ere trying t o sp eak .
’
H e doesn t want m e to go S imon and if you ll
’
, ,
bring my supp er I ll hold his han d until h e is w illing

’
”
f o r m e to go if it s all n ight
’
.
,
Th e man s grip relaxed an d agai n h is lips mov ed

’
, ,
but th ere w a s n o sound n ot even a wh i spe r , .
A fter Peggy ha d eaten th e food b rough t h er by S i

m o n neve r rel easin g th e stranger s han d i n th e mean
’
time h er fath er cam e to th e cab in an d took h is seat

,
w ithout speakin g .
R alph an d Virgi n ia came and p eep ed in th eir eyes ,
wide with wo n der an d awe Peggy kissed th em good .

1 14 PEGGY WARE
H e r fath er w a s sil e n t and Peggy waited Th e si , .
l ence grew into m inutes interrupted o n ly by th e ,
b reath in g of th e man on th e co t Finally Peggy sp ok e : .
“ ”
Fath er will y o u do m e a v ery great favor
,
? she
said lookin g at h i m w ith pained fac e an d p l eading

,
eyes .
H e h esitated sh ifting un eas ily in hi s chair h is eyes

, ,
a frai d to m eet hers .
“
Wh at i s it dau gh ter h e fi nally sai d , , .
I want y o u to read a certain passage from yo ur

B ibl e that S imon has b een k eepin g f o r you u nti l you
n eeded it .
‘
A t th e word B ibl e th e hard bitter look returned ,
’
,
”
to h is fac e I don t b eli ev e in th e B ibl e h e said
.
’
harsh ly .
“
I t s th e only requ est I h av e made o f y o u in months
’
,
“
fath er th e voic e o f h is ch ild pleaded
, Surely you .
”
won t deny m e
’
.
S i mon had brou ght th e B ibl e and h eld it out toward ,
th e man h e had lov ed an d foll owed th rough all h is

v ici ssitu des Wilbu r Ware took it from S imon s han d
.
’
relu ctan tly as if sti l l u ndecid ed

,
.
“
Tu rn to th e story o f Jacob s wrestl e with th e angel ’
fath er I th ink it is so wond erful an d I want to h ear

.
,
”
you read it again .
M echanically h e turned th e l eaves o f th e book until

h e ca me to th e passage wh ich was fa miliar to h i m in
th e Ol d days I n a hard un sympath etic voice h e b e
.
,
gan :
“
A nd Jacob was left alon e ; and th ere wrestl ed a
man w ith h im u ntil th e breakin g o f th e day A n d .
wh en h e s a w that h e p revail ed not against h i m h e ,
tou ch ed th e holl ow o f h i s th igh ; an d th e hollow o f

J acob s th igh w a s o u t of j oint as h e wrestled with
’
h im .
TH E M Y S T ER I O U S MA N FRO M NO W H ERE 115
And h e said l et m e go f o r th e day b reaketh And

, .
h e said I wil l not let th ee go exc ept thou bl ess m e

, , .
A nd h e said What i s thy nam e ? An d h e said Jacob

, ,
‘
.
’
An d h e said Thy nam e S hall b e cal led no more Jacob

, ,
bu t I srael : for a s a p rince hast thou power with G od

and with men and hast p revail ed ,
.
“
An d Jacob ask ed hi m and said Tell m e I p ray , ,
‘
thee thy name An d h e said Wherefore i s i t that

,
.
,
thou dost ask after my name ? An d h e blessed h i m

th ere An d Jacob cal led th e na me of th e p lac e P en iel
.
,
f o r I have seen G od face to face and my l ife is pre

served .
“
A nd as h e passed ove r P en iel th e s u n rose upon ,
”
him .
A s th e readin g p roceeded his voice soften ed and ,
a look o f eager longin g took th e plac e o f b itter n ess

an d despair Th e B ib l e sl ipp ed fr o m h is hand and
.
fel l to th e floor H e passed his han d over his eyes a s

.
thou gh h e were bru shing away som eth in g that C louded

h is vision .
Sl owly h e arose crossed over to Peggy bu ri ed his , ,
fac e i n h er golden hai r sayin g gently : ,

“ ”
Go d b less y o u my chil d ,
.
H e is waiting to bl ess you fath er j u st a s h e did , ,
J acob Y o u are in th e dark n ow That is where s el f

. .
th e ani mal man always mak es h is l ast stand When .
you r sou l triu mphs you will s ee Go d face t o face an d , ,

”
th e s u n will rise upo n y o u .
With out makin g any reply th e gaunt form of th e ,
storm tossed ex p reach e r m oved noi selessly toward

- -
th e cabin door an d was lost in th e darkness

,
.
Th e h ours o f th e night crept S lowly by S imon nod .
ded in th e corner awak ing occasionally t o r ep l en ish ,
the fi re with sticks of wood that h e had p iled o n th e

h earth .
1 16 PEGGY WA R E
’
Peggy h el d th e m an s ha n d always to feel that co n ,
v u l s iv e c omp ellin g grip if sh e attempted t o w ith draw

,
h ers Toward morning his b reath ing b eca me d eep er

.
,
and more r egular Finally P eggy dozed f o r a mo .
m ent b ut in that moment sh e lived th rou gh many ex

,
p e r 1 e n ces .
H er old vision cam e back to h er an d thi s tim e a ,
man had com e to play a big part in her life an d work .
Sh e saw h is face an d it was th e face o f th e stranger

,
.
Th ey were happy in th ei r work an d a n ew worl d had ,
come to B u cks Pock et Th e E lysian fi elds of Para .
d ise b eckon ed and sh e and th e man entered Th e

,
.
gates were abou t t o cl ose sh utti ng them in to an ,
etern ity o f happin ess wh en a woman o f wondrou s ,
b eau ty app eared and b eckoned to th e man H e tu rn ed .
toward h er an d s ee med to be hyp notiz ed

, .
“ ” “
I mu st l eave you darling h e said b ut w e ll m eet , , ,
’
”
again in a thousand ye ars .
H e was g on e an d th e beautiful woman wh o had

—
enticed h i m away from Paradise w a s R uth Anderson .
H eart b roken Peggy ru sh ed from th e fi elds o f Para

—
,
dise awak en in g with a start to fi n d h er tears fal ling

,
o n th e man s face
’
.
Th e fi rst rays o f th e s u n were shinin g th rough th e

c racks in Si mon s cab in Th e man on th e co t stirred
’
.
,
“
op en ed h is eyes f o r a moment muttering : I dreame d ,
”
I was b ein g con ducted to h eaven by an angel .
”
Y o u are b etter n ow
‘
Peggy said p laci n g her hand , ,
“
o n h is foreh ead I m u st l eav e y o u for a l ittl e wh ile
.
,
b ut S imon will care for you j ust as faith fully a s I ,

”
coul d D O you u ndersta n d ?
.
Fo r answer th e dark eyes o p e n ed once more and

, ,
”
th e lip s an swered Yes .
“
I mu st get th e cob w eb s ou t of my b rain said -
,
C H AP TE R N IN E
T HE WIL D CA T T E R S URR EN D E R S
EA VI N G th e sleep ing man in S imon s care feel
’
ing that h e had s afely passed t h e crisis Peggy ,
h urried to th e hou se o f Cl i ff An derson .
Sh e was l earnin g more an d more to rely on th is

sturdy forceful man B eneath h is rough exterior an d
,
.
b rusque sp eech s h e kn ew th ere b eat a h eart as tender

,
as a woman s an d genuin e as gold So wh en co n

’
.
fronted by some n ew dile mma sh e often w ent to hi m , ,
an d h is native good sen se u sually p ointed out th e

p roper solution .
Cli ff A nderson was not at hom e and hi s wife was:
plainly e mbarrassed wh en Peggy said s h e wanted to

s ee h i m about a matter of great importance .
“ ”
I am lookin fer hi m ev ery minit S h e said
’
He , .
”
allu s gits h ere fe r break fast .
I n noc ently Peggy inq uired Wh ere did h e go M rs

, , ,
.
”
A nderson ?
“
1 j est c a n t tel l you P eggy Cl i ff woul d be as mad
’
.
,
”
as Old Dan Tu cker e f I did said h is w ife , .
“ “
Come with m e Peggy said R uth and we w ill
, , ,
”
go an d m eet h im I know th e trai l h e wil l tra v el
.
“ ”
D on t go too fu r R uth warn ed h er moth er
’
,
You
, .
”
know it ain t safe ’
.
Arm in arm th e girl s left th e house and were soon ,
o n a windin g trail that l ed i n to th e depth s O f th e for
est After they had gon e a short distan ce R uth said : ,
Peggy I am goin to tell y o u s o m e t h in

,
’
Pap ’
.
1 18
TH E WI LD C ATT ER S U RRE N D ER S 1 19
makes wild cat wh iskey an d th is trail l ead s to h is still

-
, .
I dasn t take you th ere f o r h e wou ld rath er die than

’
,
’
have you know what h e i s doin S in ce you cam e to .
’
th e Pocket , I bee n w a n t in h i m to qu it worser than
a nything i n th e worl d but he won t listen to m e an ,
’ ’
m a H e j est says : Y o u ten d to yore b usin ess an

.
‘
,
’
I ll ten d to min e
’
.
’
N ow e f you ll go u p thare by y o s e l f an ketch h im I

’
,
’
,
”
b elieve h e l l b e s o ashamed that h e ll qu it
’ ’
.
“
I mpul s ively Peggy said : , I ll go by myself I ’
.
know h e w ill b e terribly angry b ut it may b e my o p ,

”
portun ity An d Peggy who was always doin g what
.
,
for oth er p eople wou ld b e th e u nu sual set out on th e ,
path and R uth retu rned to t h e h ou se

,
.
I n a l ittl e wh il e th e trail began t o cli mb u p toward

th e rock wall of th e Pock et following a s mall strea m ,
th at fl ow ed swi ftly over it s stony bottom Th e su n .
h ad n ot yet p en etrated th is spot though sh in in g o n ,
th e valley b elow .
I t was now early Spring a n d th e maple trees w ere ,
cloth ed with green leaves while th e b uds w ere bu rst ,
ing o n th e oth er ti mb er Th e dogwood b u sh es were .
in bloom an d al so th e redbu ds wh il e th e groun d w a s

, ,
carpeted with swe et W i l l iams daisies and viol ets A , .
h undred di fferent vari eties o f b irds j oined i n o n e gran d

choru s O f p raise led by an occasional m ockin g b ird
,
p erch ed up on th e h igh est tre e top s Th e bl u e o f th e .
sky compl eted th e gloriou s sprin g mornin g which i s

n owh ere more b eautifu l than in this mou ntain region .
P eggy w a s greatly excited Sh e was about to fac e .
a n ew exp erience H er p ulse th rilled and he r heart

.
,
thu mp ed viol ently .
H er sensations of th e p reviou s n ight stil l l ingered

with h er Th ey had l eft h er laborin g under emotion s
.
t hat were wh olly n ew to h er an d s h e had n ot yet b een ,

1 20 PEGGY WARE
abl e to analyz e h er feelings Sh e h a d intended to tel l .
R uth about th e stran ger and o f h er watch by hi s sid e

,
th rough th e long nigh t but s h e cou ld not brin g her

,
sel f t o m ention it Wh en s h e thou ght that R uth migh t

.
soon b e h oldin g his han d as sh e h a d don e whil e sh e ,
w a s engros s ed in h er work of teachin g a pain cl utch ed ,
h er heart an d sh e stopped steadied h ers el f t o ok a

, , ,
deep drau ght o f th e oz one laden mou ntain air lau gh ed

-
,
lightly sayin g to h erself

,
“
Th at fool ish drea m upset m e I am S illy to th ink .
”
o f it agai n .
N ow th e trail crawl ed b etween two giant boulders

that j utted o u t from th e walls that rose ab ruptly on
th e east sid e o f th e Pocket an d s h e foun d hersel f in ,
sid e a l ittl e c ove entirely su rroun ded by rocky wall s

, ,
the only op enin g b ein g by way o f th e trail sh e was

travelin g . Through thi s op en ing flowe d th e tiny
stream that sh e had been followin g .
Th e u ndergrowth w a s dens e in th e cove and bu t ,

‘
fo r th e trail S h e cou ld n o t have made h er way Th e .
p ath woun d aroun d a p oint of rocks and s h e stopp ed , ,
fascinated for th ere j u st a few feet b el ow h er at th e

, ,
fou ntain h ead Of th e l ittle stream in full operation was ,
a b i g distill ery an d Cl i ff A nderson in sh irt S l eev es

, , ,
h i s mu scular arms bare w a s work in g lik e a Troj an

,
.
For a m oment s h e h esitated started t o tu r n b a ck th en, ,
su mmonin g all h er courage sh e said : ,
“ ”
G ood morn in g M r An derson , . .
Without lookin g t o see h is intru der h e sp r a ng f o r h i s ,
rifl e lyin g n ear at han d b rou gh t i t to a l e v el w ith h is

,
should ers an d was draw ing a b ead o n P eggy saying

, ,
“ ”
h oarsely : H ands u p ! b efore sh e coul d utter a soun d ,
S O swi ft had b een h is action .
“
All right M r A nderso n Up th ey go a n d sui t
,
. .
,
1 22 PEGGY WARE
b eginn in g with th e mash and en ding with th e dis
tilled essence O i th e corn .
Peggy was all e n thu siasm a s h e told h er o f th e

workings of h is still wh ich h e said w a s th e most co m
,
p l e t e on e in a hun dred miles .
H e expla ined that h is h el pers had gon e to b reakfas t

an d that as soon a s th ey retu rned h e woul d go to h is ,
b reakfast that M ol ly would have waiting for him .
After Peggy s l esson was fini sh ed sh e said : L et s

“ ” ’ “
,
’
s it down M r An derson and talk a little I a m i n

, .
, .
trouble an d w a n t y o u to h elp me
,
.
At th e m ention o f tro ub l e th e b ig man was all a t ,

“
tention E f yo u re in tr o ub le M i ss Peggy an I ki n
.
’
, ,
’
h elp y ou all y o u has to do is call on me

,
.
P eggy proceeded to tell h im th e story o f the stran ger

whom Si mon h ad found l eft f or dead in the woods , ,
an d now in Si mon s cabin Sh e also told h im o f h e r

’
.
vigil th rough th e n ight ,

“
An derson said : Y o u ought to have sent fer me .
“
I cam e th is morn ing f or I n eed you We have no .
su itabl e plac e for hi m as y o u know an d n o o n e to look ,
after h i m a s I a m busy all day w ith my s chool I

,
.
thought p erh aps y o u would tak e h i m to your h ou se .
“
I recon h e s o n e of th e m mosin r ev e n o o o ffic ers
’ ’ ’
a n som e o f th e boys tried to make a fi n ish o f hi m b ut

’
,
u nder th e s a r cu m s t a n ce s they ain t n othing else to d o ’
an I l l git som e o f th e m en to h elp me an w e ll bri n g

’ ’ ’ ’
h i m up to my hou se an M olly an R uth kin tak e kere,

’ ’
o f h im o n t il h e gits well .
A t th e th ou ght of R uth taking keer o f th e stranger ,
Peggy w inced an d again ch i ded h ers elf for b eing so

,
fool ish Changin g th e subj ect Peggy said :

.
,
“
M r An derson why do y o u make wh isk ey in v io
.
,
l a tion o f th e law ? I s it b ecause y o u need th e mon ey

so badly ?
T H E WI LD CATT ER S U RRE ND ER S 1 23
H e scratch ed his h ead and p ondered b efore an swer ,

“
ing . Wall I ll b e durn ed e f I kn ow e z a ct ly No I
,
’
.
,
don t n eed th e money Th ere is l ots O f th ings I k in

’
.
do to mak e money that ll b eat this I spose it s th e ’

.
’
excitement th e resk I run B esides I j est like to be a t

—
.
the m r ev en oo fellers .
“
D o you drink th e whiskey you rsel f M r An der , , .
”
so n ? she sai d sweetly .
“
L aw n o M iss P eggy I n ever tasted a drap in my
, , ,
li fe I mak e it fer fool s to drink

. .
“
Th en you think n o o n e bu t a fool wou ld drink th e
”
stuff do you ? ,
“
M ost p in t e d ly I d o Ef h e ain t a fool afore h e .
’
drink s it h e will b e wh en h e gits about a p int un de r

hi s belt .
“
Well th en p ersisted Peggy i f y o u don t n eed th e
, , ,
’
money don t drink it you rsel f an d know that it mak es

,
’
a fool o f th ose w h o d o drink it will y o u p lease tel l me ,

”
why y o u mak e it ?
A long paus e an d m ore h ead scratch ing , .
“
J est b eca s e I am a du rn ed hard h eaded o l d fool ,
—
,
an never had nobody to talk to m e before l ike you

’
’
h av e f
“
An d wh en are you goin g to qu it M r Anderson ? , .
H er eyes s earch ed h is sou l an d h e felt it H e had , .
vaguely foreseen th e ti me wh en h e mu st meet this

issu e .
N othin g could b e h idden fro m those eyes and h e ,
dare n o t try to dec eive h er even in h is th oughts fo r ,
h e felt that s h e read his innermost thoughts a s readily

a s sh e coul d un derstan d h is words .
“
Th is is k inder su dden M iss Peggy b ut you re , ,
’
allus doin th ings s u d d in While someone else would

’
.
b e t h in k iin you d go an do it That s sorter my style

’ ’ ’
.
’
1 24 PEGGY WARE
t oo . S O I ll an swer yore qu estion by sayin
’
I done
qu it ,
Without anoth e r word h e s eized an axe an d b ega n ,
chopp ing th e worm of th e big still t o p iece s Wh en .
h e had fi nish ed h e tu rned o u t al l th e slop burst th e

, ,
h eads from th e barrels of wh isk ey al lowing i t to flow

’
,
into th e spring b ranch .
Wh en h is h elp ers return e d fro m b reakfast th e wreck ,
was comp lete Th ey were amaz ed and th eir fi rst

.
,
thou ght w a s that th e r ev e n o o s had raided th em When .
“ ”
An derso n sai d : I don e it b oys th ey were qu ite , ,
”
sure that th e Captain had lost h is m in d .
“
Pile ev eryth ing togeth er p ut a lot 0 pin e knots ,
’
’
on top an bu rn h er up I don t want n uth in l eft
,
’
.
’
.
”
Tomorrow I ll give you a dec ent j ob said An derso n
’
, .
“
I m gwin e t o Chattan ooga on th e n ext boat an buy
’ ’
a s a w mill an cu t u p this ti mb er on my land an you

,
’
,
’
’
kin grin d your axes an sharpen yore saws an go to ’
cu t t in logs in th e m o r n in
’ ’
.
“
When you git through h ere come down a n I ll ,
’ ’
S h o w you w hare I a m gwin e to set th e mill a n you ,

’
’
k in cl ea r i t O ff an hav e th e site ready by t h e ti me
”
I git back .
T oo astonish ed t o reply th e men b egan t o c a rry ou t ,
h is in struction s a s h e an d Peggy disapp eared dow n ,
th e trail .
O n th e way t o th e h ou se Peggy ask ed h i m wha t ,
h e was going t o d o w ith h is lumb er .
“
I ain t thought much about th a t said A n derso n
’
, .
I lowed m ebb e y o u coul d u s e s ome of it .
“
M y dreams are coming true ; my drea ms are com
”
ing tru e ! exclai med P eggy rapturou sly .
Wh at dreams you talkin about M iss Peggy ? You ’
,
”
know I don t tak e much stock in dreams or religion
’
.
Hastily enth u siastical ly s h e sketch ed h er plan s

, , .
1 26 PEGGY WARE
no case would any boy o r girl b e tu rned away f o r lack
o f funds .
A nderson was fascinated In all h is life h e had .
n ever thought o f anyth ing hal f s o big H e coul d see .
B u ck s Pocket th e most fa mou s spot i n th e State and ,
th e Peggy Ware S ch ool th e most uniqu e i nstitutio n

in th e land H e caught th e fi re o f Peggy s enthusiasm
.
’
an d pl edged h is supp ort .
Stopping sudden ly as if h e had run up against a ston e

“
wall h e said :
,
H ol e on a m init M iss Peggy whare , ,
”
you gwine to git al l th e mon ey to do it with ?
“
I have th ought abou t that t o o M r An derson a n d , , .
,
ask ed my mother that qu estion in m y d reams and she ,
said : Have faith ‘

You know J esu s said if w e h ave
.
’
fa ith as a grain O f mu stard seed w e can remove moun ,
ta ins an d I b elieve it M r Anderson b eli eve it w ith

, , .
,
al l my s o ul .
’
Wall I recon h e k n o w d what h e wu s talk in e r
,
’ ’
bout a n I know you d o an I go t faith in you e f I ain t

,
’
,
’ ’
in nobody els e ; an I am j est goin to foll er y o u bl ind ’ ’
t r u s t in to y o u an th e Lord
’ ’
.
Th ey had reach ed th e hou se wh ere M rs A n derson , .
was scolding a b out th e b iscu its gettin g col d Sh e w a s .
greatly su rprised wh en S h e saw Peggy w ith h er h us

band for R uth had not in formed h er moth er that sh e
,
h ad directed Peggy to h er fath er s still ’

.
“
For th e lan s sak e s h e exc lai med Whare did
’
y o u all git togeth er ?
“
Sh e come to th e still an captu red me said And ’
e rs o n an th en I destroyed th e du rned thin g so she

,
’
won t hav e n o evid enc e agin me wh en S h e tak es m e to

’
court Th e bi g man ch uckl ed an d th ere was a n ew ,
light in h is eyes an d a new ex p ression o n h is face

, .
R uth cou ld h ardly b el iev e h er ears but b eing r e ,
assu red by a swi ft glance at Peggy sh e th rew h er arms ,

T H E W I LD CATT ER S U RRE ND ER S 1 27
around h er fath er s n eck hid he r face on hi s sh oulder

’
, ,
an d said b etween h er sob s : O h daddy I m so glad , ,

’
Lookin g earn estly into th e clear fearless eye of h er ,

“
spou se his wi fe sai d :
, Cli ff you shore look lak y o u
,
”
got religion .
“
Ef I thou ght I had I d s end fer th e doctor sh ore
’
, ,
said A n derso n .
Peggy re mained to b reak fast and it was th e most ,
j oyou s meal ever eaten in th e Anderson hom e After .
it was fi nish ed P eggy exp lain ed to M rs And erson an d

, .
R uth th e p resence o f th e woun d ed stran ger in Simon s ’
cabin an d that M r An derson h ad agreed to give h im

,
.
sh elter until h e was abl e to travel .
R uth and h er moth er were i n hearty accord with th e

suggestion and wh il e A nderson and so me m en that
,
h e had su m moned prepared a litter R uth and h er ,
moth er put th e sp are room in o rder .
Peggy accompan ied th e m en to Simon s cab in where ’
th ey fou nd that S imon h ad in du ced th e s tran ger to

drink so me co ff ee b ut h e was still b u t hal f con scious
,
.
Placing hi m gently o n th e l itter wel l wrapp ed in ,
blankets fou r m en bore h i m to An derson s h om e wh ere

,
’
th e bi g feather b ed with snow wh ite sh eets was in

readin ess .
Peggy in sisted on accompanyin g th e m en walk in g ,
beside th e stretch er holding th e stranger s hand as ’
sh e had don e th rou gh th e long n ight feeling again ,
that in d e fi n a b l e thril l that sh e feared yet l ov ed , .
Wh en h e h ad b een made as comfortable as p ossibl e ,
Peggy declared that sh e would b e late at school and

mu st go .
“ ’
Y o u b etter stay hom e to day an tak e keer o f th e
” “
stran ger R uth said h er moth er cas e I got to cook
, , ,
”
dinn er fer th e men an d R uth already more interested
, ,
1 28 PEGGY WARE
in th e myste r iou s man than S h e had eve r b ee n in any
on e in h er li fe eagerly co n sented , .
“
You l l miss you r l esson s R uth weakly suggested
’
, ,
Peggy an d instantly s h e w a s a sh amed Of h ersel f

, .
“
O h I ll have pl enty of ti m e fo r s chool after h e s
’ ’
b etter an d R uth took th e s ick man s han d i n h ers

, ,
’
,
wh il e sh e gently strok ed it .
P eggy felt a lu mp rise in h er th roat h er face flu sh ed ,
c rimson h er loss o f sl eep and foolish dream had co m

,
p l e t e l y up set her and sh e felt an unreasoning

, anger
in h er h eart toward R uth .
A h Peggy wh ere are all you r vision s an d drea ms

, , ,
you r plans f o r th e mountain boys an d girl s ? What

mist is it th at h as sh ut o u t this b eau tiful vision ? What
th in g is it that clutch es at you r he art j ust a s though ,
y o u n ever had a vision o r drea m ? Wh y do you l in ger ’
on the thr e shold as your p up ils eagerly await you r

coming and won der why you a re late ?
“ ”
I mu st go now G ood bye R uth an d Peggy was .
-
, ,
gone .
Without taking h er eyes from th e man s face R uth ’
,
“
said in an abs ent m in ded sort Of way : -
G ood bye -
,
”
P eggy .
When Peggy reached th e sch ool hou se sh e had r e ,
gained h er comp osu re Sh e was qu ite su re now that .
it was th e unus ual exp erienc es through which sh e had

b een passin g and h er n erves w ere a l ittl e u ns t run g
, .
Y es an d th e drea m about th e man th e foolish dream

,
—
.
“ ”
Wh e n sh e tol d h er p up ils good morn ing th ere was ,
n o trace of h er mom entary weakness an d he r smil e an d ,
p rese n ce b rough t h eaven into th e roo m .

13 0 PEGGY WARE
id y I b l ie v e M iss Peggy an I wan t to s e e whut y o u
,
’
, ,
’
th ink about it .
“
Y o u know I own a whol e pacel of fi ne timb er lan d
h ere in th e Pock et and wh en th e ti mb er is cut o ff it , ,
is as good f a r m in lan d a s a crow ever fl ew over I ’

.
s e t my saw mil l in th e center o f o n e tract that has
about a th o usan d acres an I j est go t a hu nch t o deed ,

’
it s a w mill an all t o th e Peggy Ware School an th en

,
’
,
’
”
b e yore boss o f th e s a w mil l e f you ll have me ’
.
“
O h M r An d erson you are th e most wonderfu l man
,
.
,
” “
I ev er kn ew warm l y exclai med Peggy ,
Y o u are .
o n e of G od s n ob le men an d I can t fi n d words to thank

’ ’
you O f cou rse you know that I could n o t acc ep t

.
,
th is for myself an d if you in sist on mak in g th e gift,
w e will incorporate the Peggy Ware Sch ool an d yours ,
will b e th e first donation an d you shall b e th e first ,
Chairman o f th e B oard o f Trustees and to you more , ,
than anyone will b e du e th e credit for th e succ ess

, ,
”
that I kn ow i s in store f o r u s .
“
Don t talk about m e gittin credit M iss P eggy I
’ ’
,
.
don ’t d e s a r v e it I a m t ry in to pay d ebts n ot git any

.
’
m ore credit I g o t more credit n ow than I coul d p a y

.
e f I l ived t o b e a hun dred Why I p aid fer al l th is .
land w ith m on ey I go t fer wil d cat licker an it don t ,

’ ’
ral ey b elong to m e I been lyin a wak e a t nights think .

’
in ab out it an d t h in k in lots of th ings th at I woul dn t

’ ’ ’
, .
want even G od to k now an I b een w o n d r in e f th ey ,

’
w u s any way I could sq uare accounts ; an wh en you

’
tol d m e abou t e d y ca t in th ese boys an gals I sai d to ’ ’
myself : M ebb e I kin h el p pay on e o f my debts th i s

‘
”
way .
“
Let s go to th e county seat tomorrow it s Satu r
’
—
’
day you kn ow an d th ere won t b e no school an fix

, ,
’
,
’
u p yore Peggy Ware School p ap ers an M olly an m e ,

’ ’
”
w ill mak e th e deed all wh ile w e are thare .
A MA N W IT H O UT A N AM E 13 1
So b right an d early on th e following Satu rday morn

ing Cli ff Anderson Peggy and M olly went to th e
, ,
county seat in Anderson s n ew bu ggy wh ich h e had ’
bou ght at th e time h e purchased th e s a w mill .
When they app eared at th e Cou rt H ou se th ere w a s ,
qu ite a com motion among th e o ffi cials Th e loafers .
eyed Anderson s n ew b uggy an d harn ess a nd Peggy

’
,
created a s en sation Vagu e ru mors had b een filtering .
in by grap e vin e that great things were happ en ing in

B ucks Pocket b ut n o on e had b een out to investi
,
gate ; and wh en th e Kin g o f th e Wild C a t t e r s drov e

into town accompanied by his w ife and a youn g
,
woman of strikin g appearan ce and un usual p ersonal ity ,
all th e me n w h o w ere n o t b usy an d this in cluded a l ,
most every o n e w ere reminded that th ey had urgent

,
bu sin ess at th e Probate J udge s o ffic e ’

.
O ver i n a n al cov e corner th e J udge sat at h is desk ,
p reparing th e pap ers wh il e An derson P eg gy and , , ,
M ol ly waited .
Th e work compl eted th e J udge con gratulated An d

, ,
e r s o n warmly o n th e b ig thin g that h e had don e .
“ ’
It a in t noth in J e d ge h e said
’
It s j est a starter
, , .
’
.
We turned over a n ew l eaf o u t in B ucks Pock et an I ,

’
want you to come out an s e e th e Peggy Ware S chool ’
”
about a year fru m now .
“
By turnin g over a n ew l eaf I su ppose y o u m ean ,
”
that y o u have gotten religion Cli ff said th e J udge , , .
“ ”
I am so g l a d to h ear it for that is all you ever n eeded , .
“
Say J e d g e I ve allu s b een yore frien d an voted
, ,
’ ’
fer y o u b ut e f y o u ever cuse m e of b avin rel igion

,
’ ’
agin I ll b e mad a s a wet h en Why ! I d ruth er

,
’
.
’
have th e s even year itch than to ketch religion

—
.
“
I k now a p reach er that h ad it an h e said G od ,
’
sowed seed an th e devil sowed seed an e f th e devil

’
,
’
sowed m e I wu s b oun d to go t o H ell an e f Go d

, ,
’
1 32 PEGGY WA R E
sowed m e I d go t o H eaven e f I w us as mean as th e
’
devil .
“
Th en I k nowed anoth er p reach er that is h e had —
,
b een on e a n h e sai d he ha d found o u t th ey warn t no

—
’
-
’
G o d an that wh en a man di ed h e w us n o more n a

’ ’
dead ox .
“
A n I k now ed t w o m ore fel lers that had religio n
’
lots Of it They woul d shout at camp m ee t in s o you

.
’
cou ld h ear e m a m il e Th ey wu s p reach ers too T h ey

’
.
, .
both had littl e p eck er wood ch u rch es ou t on th e mou n -
tain an not more n two doz en folks to h ear e m p reach

,
’ ’ ’
.
’
Well th ey g o t u p a j in t discu ssion about baptism an
, ,
open an close com munion an a lot more Tom my rot

’
,
’
-
,
an they go t h et u p u ntil th ey p ul led o ff their coats a n

’ ’
fit lik e cats an dogs an d their m emb ers got into th e ’
scrap m en an wom en t o o a n it q
—
th e biggest ’
,
—
’
hair p u llin that ever took plac e on San d M ountain

-
’
.
I n abou t a week one o f th e ch urch es b urned down an ,

’
i n a few days th e oth er went th e same way .
“
The p reach ers sai d it wu s Providen ce b ut I th ink ,
”
it w u s rel igion that don e it .
A crowd had coll ected a s A nderson delivere d h im

s elf o i th es e sentim ents an d th ere was mu ch amu se ,
ment .
O n e of th e leadin g lawyers sai d banteringly : A n

d e r s o n y o u are getting to b e qu ite a stu mp sp eak er
,
Y o u ough t to mak e th e race again st m e for th e Leg

is la t u r e a nd w e will hav e j oint discu ssion s and giv e
, ,
”
th e p eople lots o f fun .
“
Th e trouble is that y o u are an ath eist an d if you ,
w ere elected y o u coul d not qualify b ecau se you don t ,

’
”
b eli eve in G o d Th e lawyer eyed th e crowd for its .
approval an d a good natu red titter ran roun d th e

,
-
room .
“
Your e a a an d An derson s fac e was wh ite hi s
’
—
’
,
134 PEGGY WARE
I a m spirit an d to know m e is to know al l truth
, .
A S sh e talked o f h er plans A nderson s imagination

’
,
gallop ed alon g b eside h ers and even M olly Anderson ,
was n ot far b eh ind Th es e two h ad caught th e in .
’
f e ct io n of Peggy s enth usiasm .
Th e road w a s good until it reach ed a p oint about

.
three mil es from B uck s Pock et Fro m th ere o n it .
c ou ld hardly b e called a road an d it was a slow pain , ,
ful j ou rn ey o n account o f its rou gh n es s Th e buggy .
j olted tilted and th reaten ed to upset from tim e t o

, ,
ti me .
“
B y G eorge ! i mpati ently exclai med A nderson I
”
,
n ever k n owed b efore how rough th is road wus Mon .
day m o r n in I ll p ut a crew O f men o n it an w e ll bu il d

’ ’ ’ ’
th e b est road in th e cou nty clean down throu gh th e

Pocket an d on to th e T ennessee R iver .
“
Thi s is th e fi rs t bu ggy ever own ed by anybody i n
B uck s P ocket an I r éck o n most o f em never h e e r d
,
’ ’ ’
of an automob il e mu ch l es s seen on e B ut I got a , .
f e e lin that automob il es frum all over th e cou ntry are

’
”
comin h ere an d I a m gwine to git th e road ready
’
, .
“
I am s o glad to h ear you say this M r An derson ,
. .
” “
I t insp ires su ch confi dence exclai med P eggy I had , .
s een al l this in my vision b ut sometimes I get afraid , ,
and don t lik e to tel l y o u al l I s ee S o wh en you pro

’
.
pos e doin g what I h ave al ready se en without a word ,
from me I j ust k n o w that I am o n th e righ t track

,
.
“
I t s qu eer h o w w e are afraid t o hav e faith don t
’
,
’
you th ink s o asked P eggy N o o n e answered f o r i t .

,
was t o o deep a p robl em f o r Cli ff Anderson an d M olly .
Th eir mind s were dwelling n earer th e earth .
“
S u ddenly M rs An derson said : You an Cli ff b een
.
’
”
doin all th e talkin a n I wonder e f I mout butt in ?
’ ’ ’
“
You a r e n ot b u t t in in
’ ’
d ear I love to h ear ‘
,
.
A MA N W I T H O UT A N AM E 135
you talk b ecau se you always say so mething p ract i

,
ca l said Peggy .
Wall I wu s t h in k i n that Cl i ff is t o b e yore boss

,
’
at th e s a w m il l b u il d in roads and sich things but I,

’
b een t h in k in about who s gwin e t o do t h e co ok in fer

’ ’ ’
all th em boys an gals that s comin h ere n ext fall ? ’ ’ ’
I don t know Mrs Anderson I have b een think

’
, . .
in g that t o o b ut I kn ow Go d will s end us som eon e at

,
th e p rope r tim e .
“
H av e you p rayed fer o n e M olly Anderson asked
eagerly .
I h ave repl ied P eggy ,

A n d I have no doubt .
abou t it I a s k H i m f o r ev eryth in g I need an d h e

.
,
”
n ever fails me .
“
I don t know wh uthe r it s th e Lord sendin me o r
’ ’ ’
”
n o t Peggy but I d l ike th e
j o b e f you think I ll do
’ ’
, , .
“
B less your h eart I d rath er hav e you than anyon e ,
’
”
in th e wo rld sai d P eggy as s h e kissed h er u ntil s h e
, ,
was all sm il es and tears .
“
Sh e s th e b est cook in the county an th ey ll com e
’
,
’ ’
’
to th e P eggy Ware Sch ool fer th e grub e f noth in
else p rou dly asserted A nderson
, .
“
D id I h ear y o u say th e oth er day that y o u wanted
to go back to yore o l d ho me in th e Cu mb erland M oun
tain s an geth er up a pacel o f th em b oys an gals an
’ ’ ’
”
b rin g e m down an pu t em in school th is fal l ? q u eried
’ ’ ’
Anderson .
“
O h that is j ust o n e o f my fancies S om e day I hop e
, .
”
to d o that but not righ t away answ ere d Peggy
, ,
.
“
Wall I j est b een t h in k in what a fi n e trip it woul d
,
’
b e fer y o u M olly an m e I u s ed t o g o to Ch attanooga

,
’
.
to peddl e wil d cat wh iskey b ut I ai n t b ee n thare fer

-
,
’
sixteen years .
“
That s wh en y o u brough t R uth b egan Mr s An der
’
, .
13 6 PEGGY WAR E
s on , and th en she stopp ed suddenly frighten ed o u t O f ,
h er w its as sh e looked at h er h usband s stern fac e ’

.
“ ”
Yes said A nderson th e time I brought R uth a
, ,
bi g doll a nd h e laugh ed a dry m ech anical sort o f

, ,
laugh .
“
That s j est l ik e you Cl i ff al lu s takin th e words
’
, ,
’
”
outen my mouth said hi s w ife in an awkward sort , ,
of way .
I t was som e ti me b efore h e continu ed an d wh en ,
h e di d so his voice was a l ittl e shaky as though h e

,
w ere makin g a great e ffort at self control -

.
“
I wus j est sayin wh en M olly b rok e in o n m e that ’
,
I woul d l ik e to go through Chattanooga in a b ig auto

mobile th e th ree o f u s stop at th e Patten hotel a n d
—
, ,
then go to yore ol d h om e and go out in th e mou n tains

an geth er up yore b oys an gals bring em all t o Chat
’ ’
,
’
t a n oo ga p ut o u r automob il e o n th e b oat a n all th e

’
kids an stea m down t he old Tenn es se e a n d have h er

,
’
,
dock at Peggy Ware fer that s what w e are gwin e to ,

’
call ou r p os t o ffi ce an th e steam boat landin w ill b e ,

’ ’
’
nam ed Peggy Ware t o o an th en w e ll march em , ,
’ ’
all up a fi ne ca d a m is e d roa d t o th e P eggy Ware

’
”
S ch oo L
H is enth us ias m had retu rn ed h is voic e ,
was again
vibrant an d h is eyes spoke el oq ue n tly
, .
“
You a re not j okin g M r A nderson inqu ired Peg .
?”
,
gy already s en sing a fulfill m ent of h is p lan

, .
“
I sh ore ain t I got my h eart set on it an w e l l
’
.
,
’ ’
”
do it .
“
M y h eart i s with y o u said Peggy a n d J esu s said , , ,
‘
Wh ere two o r th ree are gath ered togeth e r i n my nam e ,
’
there will I b e in th e m idst al so And I feel H is p res .
”
e nc e .
“
M ay I ax on e qu estion ? ”
q u eried Mrs A n derson
’
. .
“
B eing a ssu red that sh e m ight sh e said : Cli ff , .
13 8 PEGGY WARE
c ept that h e had forgotten h is nam e an d th e names of ,
everyon e h e had ever known a s well as th e places ,
wh ere h e had lived o r vi sited H e coul d not rem em .
b er na mes n o w wh en tol d to hi m .
P eggy s interest had b een keenly arou sed by this

’
s tartling information an d s h e had b een racking h er

‘
b rain for a p ossibl e solution Of th e mystery .
“
Com e into th e spare room P eggy wh il e I bake , ,
so me hot biscu its M y oth er s upper s al l cold said

.
’
M olly Anderson leading th e way ,

.
Peggy exp erienced th e greatest e mbarrassm ent o f

h er l ife a s sh e stood on th e th reshold .
Th e stran ger was p ropp ed in an easy chair readin g ,

’
to R uth from o n e of Peggy s b ooks wh il e R uth s dark ,
’
,
b eautifu l face glowed with a l igh t that Peggy had

n ever seen b efore S o ab sorb ed w ere th ey that th ey
.
di d not h ear P eggy enter th e op e n door or n ote h er ,

“ ”
’
p res en ce until sh e said : G ood evening R uth ,

.
At th e soun d o f her voic e R uth sprang t o h er feet , ,
and in a noth er in stant sh e was kissin g Peggy ex , ,

“
claim in g O h I am S O glad to see you I t seems lik e
, ,
.
an age sin ce y o u w ere h ere .
I f y o u h ad been s o very anxiou s you m Ig h t have ,
co me t o school and Peggy laugh ed un easily

, .
“ ”
I cou ldn t l eav e h i m sai d R u th nodding h er h ead
’
, ,
toward th e man who h ad lain down h is b ook

,
Be .
sides h e s b een t ea ch in me an d I am l e a r n ing not

,
’ ’
, ,
“ ” ”
la r n in
’
faster than I d id at s chool .
“
! uite n atu ral said P eggy a twinge at h er h eart
, ,
.
M iss Peggy Ware thi s is M r and sh e h esi

,
.
t a t e d evidently embarrassed
,
The man cam e to her .
rescu e .
“
M r M an without a na me h e said dryly
. I am ,
.
pleased to k n ow you M iss M iss ,

—
A MA N W I T H O U T A N AM E 1 39
O h j u s t ca ll m e M iss Nobody said Peggy and

'
, , ,
th en we will stan d o n an equal footing .
“ ” “
That s cl ever he said a n d I am su re that w e ll
’
, ,
’
”
get along famously .
Th e man without a nam e wanted to eat hi s supp er at

- - -
th e table w ith th e oth ers but R uth p rotested that h e ,
was not abl e to g o So sh e carried h i s food to him .
wh il e th e oth ers ate in th e din i n g roo m .
A fter supper th e stran ger was mu ch interested in

,
Peggy s work and asked h er many qu estion s As sh e

’
, .
outlin ed h er plan s h e would occasionally exclai m ,

“ ” “ ”
won derful marvelou s
,
.
I n h is excitement h e forgot t hat h e was still a co n

v a l e s ce n t and b egan to walk n ervo usly abou t th e
,
’
room declinin g R uth s p ro ff ered assistance to th is
, ,
young lady s d isco m fi t u r e f o r sh e had tak en complete

’
,
p ossession o f th e man .
“
I wonder h e exclaim ed i f there was ever su ch
, ,
anoth er case a s min e H ere I a m o n th e road to r e .
co v e r y even impatien t t o b e doing so meth in g an d I

, ,
do n t know h ow o r wh ere to b egin I don t k now my

’
.
’
na me wh ere I formerly l ived o r th e na mes o f anyon e

, ,
I ever k n ew S o far as I ca n tel l my mind in all oth er

.
resp ects i s normal I also know j u st wh at ail s m e.
j u s t what caused my p resen t condition I have diag .
n os ed my case as though s ome o n e el se w a s th e p a

ti e n t I also know h ow to cure my troub le bu t it wil l
.
,
tak e a long time .
I n th e mea n ti me I am lost I am worse than th e .
ma n without a cou n try I am a man without a coun .
try a name o r a frien d

, ,
.
Th en dear p eopl e th e th e
,
and h e stopped em ,
—
,
“ ’
b a rras s ed There i s th e trouble you s e e I can t
.
, .
rem ember n ames I hav e to b egin j ust wh ere I started

.
wh en I was a toddli n g lispi n g in fant b ut I know h ow , , ,

1 40 PEGGY WA RE
thanks to my professional trainin g What sh all I do .
”
in th e meantim e h e inq ui red p iteou sly
? .
I n eed another teach er Won t you come an d h elp

.
’
”
m e in my school an d p erh ap s I can h elp you
,
An d .
Peggy cou ld n ot h ide th e l igh t in h er eyes or su p ,
p ress th e tremor in h e r voi ce R uth watch ing k eenly .

, ,
kn ew that P eggy s interest was m uch d eep er than

’
S h e would h ave ad mitted to h er own soul H ow ever .

,
R uth had n o fear for it was a com mo n S ayin g in

,
”
B uck s Pock et that possession is nin e p ints at law ‘ ’
,
and sh e had n o intention o f surren dering p ossession .
“
E agerly th e man agreed saying : I will b e ready
,
”
to b egin M onday .
A gain R uth protested b ut th e man said :

,
Th e
thou gh t of b eco ming active already mak es m e w ell , ,
an d th e exp eri ment I am goin g to mak e o n my o w n

b rain i f su ccessfu l wil l b e a marvel ous step forward
, ,
”
in m in d b uil din g
.
“
I am intensely interested i n m in d building said ,
“
Peggy and I a m anxiou s to h av e th e b enefit o f you r
,
”
th eories an d knowledge .
“
G ladly will I teach y o u al l I know and I h op e that ,
”
you w ill adop t it in you r class rooms .
S o it was settl ed that th e man withou t a name - - -
should b e th e fi rst m emb er o f P eggy s facul ty Sh e ’

.
di d n ot get th e full forc e o f th e idea u ntil sh e had said ,
good n igh t an d was walking hom e in th e moonl igh t

-
.
S h e insisted on goi n g alon e mu ch against th e p rotests

,
“
of M rs A n derso n w hil e h er h u sban d said : A woman
.
,
allus h as h e r way a n you might as w ell let M iss Peggy

,
’
alon e wh en sh e mak es up h er m ind fer sh e s equal to ,

’
”
t w o wo men wh en it com es to h a v in h er way
’
.
Peggy was h av ing h er way and it was a di m road , ,
w ith great trees wh os e b ra n ch es tou ch ed across it ,
l eaving j u st an occasional O pen ing f o r th e moo n light .

C H AP TE R E L E VE N
T HE MIN D B U IL D E R A T W ORK
H E growth of P eggy s work fill ed h er soul w ith
’
a D ivin e flam e that gav e win gs to h er thoughts ,
and as fast as o n e step was tak en sh e w a s a l ,
ready plann in g f or th e n ext .
A feeling o f gu idanc e by som e intelligenc e outside

o f h er Obj ective s el f had taken compl ete possession O f
he r and sh e felt that th ere was no h eight that s h e

,
dare n ot u ndertak e t o cl imb .
Aroun d h er w ere l imitl ess possibilities i f s h e fol

l owed th e lead o f this som ething that had b een sp eak
in g to h er s inc e h er moth er s death Sh e ha d l earned
’
.
that its voice could b est b e h eard in th e silence So .
s h e had stated tim es when s h e sought quiet u de wh ere
she coul d h ol d com mun ion with th is frien d and guide .
O n e of h er shrin es w a s th e attic roo m wh ere S h e still

sl ep t O ut o f th e win dow s h e coul d s e e th e tw inkling
.
stars an d silvery moon and a s s h e lay o n h er straw

,
b ed after a strenu ou s day s work s h e l istened for th e

’
still s mal l voice ; th e same voic e that E lij ah h eard

after th e storm ha d c eased an d th e fi erc e co n fl a g r a
,
tion had bu rned its el f o u t I t is th e sam e voice that

.
has spoken t o all w h o d evoutly desire to h ear it in all

ages S in ce man has b een man .
’
Ton ight a s Peggy sought h er room after th e day s
exp erien ce s h e felt th e need o f th is sacred co mm union
,
.
H ere sh e w a s overwh elm ed with th e eviden ce that h er

work w as b eing blessed Already h er school was in cor
.
1 42
TH E M I ND B U I LD ER AT WOR K 1 43
p orat ed , p os sessed a val uabl e tract of land an d her ,
h elp ers were at hand as fast a s s h e needed the m From .
a h andful h er school ha d already grown b eyon d th e

,
“ ”
capacity o f th e o l d hard sh ell meeting h ouse and ,
now threatened to tax th e n ew b u il ding .
Sh e wa s still th e superintendent of th e Sunday

School an d th e sol e teach er a s w ell as ch oir l eader
,
.
Sh e al s o acted a s h er own j an itor f o r th e schoo l hou se

, ,
gettin g th ere an h ou r b efore th e a rrival o f th e fi rst

pup il S O s h e coul d have hal f an hou r for h er p eriod Of
,
commu nion with that oth er S el f .
B esid es this work s h e cooked th e m eals f o r th e

,
family did m uch o f th e hou seh old work men ded th e

, ,
clothes darn ed th e stock ings an d made th e few gar

, ,
m ents that were n ecessary for R alph an d V irgin ia .
A nd s h e was n ever tired Wh en th e day s Work w a s

.
’
over S h e w a s j u st a s vital j u st a s rad iant an d full of

, , ,
enthusiasm as in th e early mornin g .
A s s h e sought h er b ed h er sou l w a s ful l o f thank

fulness f o r all th ese things H er attic room s eemed
.
fi lled by som e won derful presence I t p ermeated ev ery .
fib er o f h er bein g Sh e felt it to h er fin ger tips I t

. .
thrilled h er unti l s h e vibrated i n harmon y w ith th e

mysteriou s p resenc e that fi ll ed h er room Th ese v ibra .
tions l ength en ed an d th e trees w ere respon din g Look .
ing toward th e West s h e could s ee bath ed in th e

,
moonl ight th e great S pu rs o f th e Cu mb er l an d range ,
and th ey were answerin g to th e vib ration s s h e fel t in

h er soul .
A nd a s sh e l istened to th e great sil e n ce a mockin g ,
bird perch ed j ust outside h er window began t o pou r

, ,
forth a p erfect rhapsody o f mu sic an d every note was

vibrant with th is sam e mysteriou s som ething that
seemed to mak e h er a part o f th e tre es th e rock s th e , ,
mountain and th e notes o f th e b ird Swi ftly now h er

, .
1 44 PEGGY WA RE
con sciousn ess seemed to travel a s thou gh freed from ,
all fetters u ntil sh e felt th e moon th e stars th e sky

, , , ,
th e mu ltitud inou s worl ds th e hosts of earth an d the , ,
hosts o f h eaven yea Go d H i mself were all united by

, , ,
this mysteriou s so m ethin g that p enetrated all sp ace

and filled th e universe ; an d th at sh e was an inseparabl e
p art of th e whol e I n th is sup rem e moment s h e knew
'
.
,
that everyth i n g i n th e u n ivers e was at h er co mman d

i f n ec essary to h er work an d with tears o f j oy b ath ,
“
ing h er cheek s sh e fell asle ep sayin g : I thank th ee
, , ,
Fath er for revealing thyself to m e

, .
1
>< >< 1 >l<
M onday morning sh e was at th e school h ou se early

as was h e r cu stom b ut th e stranger was already there
,
waiting for h e r .
R uth h ad guided h im insisting on h el pin g h i m over

,
th e rou gh places notwithstandin g h e in sisted that h e

,
wa s wel l .
H e said that h e wanted to hav e a talk w ith Peggy

b efore th e op en in g o f school an d R uth p rop osed to ,
sweep th e h ou se f o r Peggy wh ile s h e an d th e man ,
d iscussed m atters th at R uth felt w ere too deep for

h er compreh e n sion .
“
B efore tak in g up my work of teaching M iss ,
an d h e h esitated .
“
M iss N obody lau gh ed P eggy ,
J ust call m e that .
f o r th e p resent .
“
I th ink I had b etter explain briefly my con dition
an d my th eories for you may n ot want to emp loy m e
,
”
afte r I hav e tol d y o u .
“
I n t h e fi rst pl a ce th is li ck o n th e h ead p ointing
, ,
“
to th e wound n o w almost h eal ed evidently inj ured a ,
certain p ortion of my b rain wh ich is th e p lace wh ere

w e store away o u r nam es an d names o f p eopl e an d
places N O oth e r portion o f my brain was inj ured
.
,
14 6 PEGGY WAR E
gain e d my abi lity to re me mb er nam es an d places a nd ,
”
w ill regain my identity .
“
I am fascinated with you r ideas an d feel th at y ou ,
h ave be en s ent t o do this special w ork s a id P e ggy

'
.
,
I am in p erfect accord with you r v iews and wh ile I ,
know th ere i s mu ch for m e t o learn alon g this lin e I ,
hav e so me littl e insight into it n ot from th e stand ,
point o f a trained physician but w ell I can t j u st ex ,

—
,
’
”
plain how it ca me to m e and sh e bl ushed in con f u ,
“
sion . I kno w that this s ort o f knowl edge do esn t ’
” “
appeal to your sci entifi c mi n d s h e said but y ou m u st , ,
”
n o t laugh at me .
“
I ll n o t la ugh I a ssu re you f o r th ere i s a source
’
, ,
of wi sdom a s far abov e o u r co mprehen sion as th e

”
h eav ens are above th e earth .
After th ink ing a mom ent Peggy sai d : I f w e can

,
c reate or reb uild ou r b ra in s why can t we do th e same

,
’
th ing with any p art o f ou r bodies P,

”
B efore th e man could reply she said : Who is it ,
th at does thi s b rain bu ildin g ?

-
H e laugh ed but showed that h is interest i n th i s

,
“ ”
moun tain school marm w a s already keen .
“
You are p rop osing too many hard qu estions at
” “
on ce h e said
,
.A s t o you r first question I w ill con ,
fin e mysel f to the b rain an d y ou can apply my th eory

,
t o th e entire body i f y o u th ink it wil l fit .
“
A s t o w h o th e b uilder is I w ill n o t attemp t an a n
,
swer n o w Perhaps w e may discover h i m lab orin g in

.
h is work sh op some day .
Th e pup il s were arriving by th is ti me ; R uth h ad

put th e school h ou se in order an d whe n all w ere ,
s eated Peggy made a n eat little speech introducin g ,
th e fi rst me mb er o f h er facul ty explaining that h e ,
had forgotten h is na me an d that s h e had given h im a

“
n e w o n e that o f
,
M r M in d B u ilder as it was to b e
.
,
TH E M I N D B UILD ER AT WOR K 1 47
h is work to tell th e m h ow to build an d develop th eir

“
m inds This created much amu semen t an d M r M i n d
.
, .
”
B u ilder was spok en of in wh isp ers by th e curiou s
pupils .
The M ind B ui lder gracefully a cknowl edged th e

introduction ac cepted h is n ew nam e an d in a few
, ,
sentences had won th e interest and confi den c e of every

o n e present .
H is first lesson was so i mp ortan t that I a m going

t o q uote it fully at th e exp ens e o f havin g it c a lled dry
reading .
H e drew a diagram o n th e blackb oard sh owing th e ,
functional areas on t h e su rfac e of th e l eft h emisphere

of th e b rain o f a right han ded p erson after wh ich h e
-
,
said :
“
O u r b rains consist of t w o orga n s exactly al ik e , ,
called the right an d l eft hem isph eres Th e br a in s o f .
a man and a ch impanzee are identical n o on e ca n tel l ,
th e di ff eren ce .
“
Th e thing th at di ff erentiates man fro m oth er an i
mals is h is power o f sp eech N o oth er c reature has.
th is power B ut we are not b orn with th e p ower o f

.
sp eech w e hav e to acqu ire it

, .
“
Th e infant ca n cry b ut s o can th e lamb ; but th e
,
infant mu st b e taugh t to talk And after it l earn s to .
talk it m ust b e taught t o read write pl ay m usic an d , , ,
al l th e oth er thin gs know n to educated p eopl e .
“
B efore th e in fan t b egins t o t a lk it reach es forth ,
it s hand f or th e thin gs it wants I f it u ses its right.
hand it b eco mes right handed an d th e left h emisph ere

-
,
o f th e brain is the o n e wh ere th e m ind makes its h ome .
I f it is left handed th e n th e seat of m ind de v elopment

-
,
is in th e right h emisp h ere .
“
After you l earn to talk read an d d o m a ny oth er
, ,
th ings by u sin g th e left b rain and it is inj u r ed so as ,

148 PEGGY WARE
to beco me u seless a s a veh icl e of exp ression you ca n ,
develop t h e same p ower in the right brain .
“
I maintain that you can reb uil d th e brain a fter it is
inj ured a s well as develop th e uninj ured hemisphere
,
.
“
N o w wh at is it th at devel op s th e b rain s o th e ch il d
l earns t o talk ? Th e b rain doesn t th ink any more than
’
’
th e h an d o r foot Th e brain is n o t th e mind a l

.
,
thou gh it is th e place wh ere or th rou gh wh ich the min d

seems to fun ction .
“
B ack of th e b rain is your real S elf H e i s invisibl e .
,
b ut non e th e l ess real I f h e were not th ere you w oul d

.
,
b e n o more than a monkey and cou ld n ev er l earn to ,
talk o r kn ow anythin g that w e cal l education

, .
“
You r brain is th e instru m ent on which th is R eal
S elf of you rs p lays th e music You r brain is th e fi d .
dl e an d you r S el f th e fiddler I f it w ere not for thi s

,
.
fi ddler th ere w ou l d b e no m u sic i f y ou h ad th e fi nest

fi ddle I n th e world .
“
This S elf Of you rs can devel op any part o f you r
b rain y o u desire h i m to A ll y ou h ave to do i s to will
.
it with al l you r might an d h e will do it with you r ,
h elp .
“
There is a separate a partm e n t in you r brain f o r each
kind o f knowledge Th ere is on e for reading o n e
.
,
for writin g on e for arith metic and on e for m usic and

, , ,
th is on e is divided into t w o rooms o n e wh ere you ,
read mu sic an d anoth er wh ere y o u execute it

, .
“
Th ere i s an apartm ent f o r each language that y o u
may learn So if y o u should l earn a dozen di ff erent
.
lan guages th ere is a s eparate sh elf in your b rain wh ere

,
th ese are stored away .
“
N ow h ere is an amazing fact You can destroy
,
.
th at compartment o f y o u r brain wh ere is stored th e

power to read mu sic an d wh ile you can n o longer read
,
mu sic you can exec ute it O r you can h av e th e mu sic .

1 50 PEGGY WARE
’
thi s desi r e is flash ed t o ma n s othe r S el f a n d th e ,
knowledge comes back ov er th e same wire .
“
I desire with all th e power w ith in m e that my
nam e h ouse b e rebu ilt an d I know that t h e work is ,
n ow goi n g on an d wh en i t is co mplete t h iS m ira cl e

, ,
\
worker will begi n to put n ames in it a n d one of th es e —
days I ll probably sh out m y n ame aloud for j oy

,
’
.
“
S om etim e y o u mu st read th e wonderfu l story of
th e deaf an d du mb and blind girl who l earned t o read
’
and write H er name is you see I ca n t rememb er
.
—
,
” “
H elen Kellar suggested Peggy and sh e was
, ,
”
born with i n a h un dred m il es of this sp o t .
“ ”
I thank y o u fo r h elping m e out h e said and con , ,
t in u e d :
“
Wh en n in etee n month s o l d sh e had an attack of
c erebro sp inal m eningitis wh ich left h er totally blind
-
,
an d deaf and du mb also f o r sh e h ad n ot yet l earned

, , ,
to talk Till h er seve n th yea r sh e was wholly dep e n d

.
ent up on h er senses of s mell taste a n d t o u ch for all , , ,
h er in formation .
“
A t th is p eriod of h er life a teach er w a s employed ,
for h er wh os e e ff ort was to t each h er lan guage by

,
tracin g on th e pal m Of h er hand th e l ette r s spelli n g

“ ” ”
doll and cak e Finally sh e coul d mak e th e m h e r self
.
without k n owing wh at th ey mean t .
“
A month fr o m th e b eginnin g of h er educatio n t he ,
awakeni n g cam e H er teach er had h er hol d a mug in

.
h er hand at a p ump an d as th e water filled th e mu g ,
an d ran on h er han d th e teach er trac ed th e l etters

w a t e r on th e pal m of h er free h an d Sh e dropp ed
‘ ’
- - - -
.
th e mu g an d a n ew ligh t came i n to h er face Sh e

,
.
sp ell ed w a te r s everal ti mes Th is bl ind deaf a n d .

, ,
du mb girl su dd enly un derstood that th e symb ol traced

‘ ’
o n h er palm m ea n t wa t e r Sh e had l ea r ned a word . .
TH E M I ND B UI LD ER AT WOR K 15 1
From that in stant h er p ersonality was s e t free ,
lik e a p rison er l iberated from a dark dun geon .
“
Th e next morn ing sh e aros e l ik e a radian t fairy .
Sh e fl it t e d from obj ect to obj ect askin g th e name o f,
everythin g kissin g her teach er f o r th e first time in

,
h er gladn ess .
“
H o w sh e learn ed to talk an d h a s becom e o n e of the
most accomplish ed women o f o u r tim e is known to all
th e worl d Som e day w e will read th e story o f her
.
l ife togeth er .
“
I t w a s h er great longin g desire th at re ached her
,
Soul and th e Soul that already knows commun icated

, ,
its knowl edge to h er

“
We want to b egin o u r education by doing j ust wh at
this girl did S end o u t stron g d esires f o r knowledge
.
t o o u r Sou ls an d th ey will tel l u s al l th ings that w e

,
”
wan t to know .
H e had finish ed an d w a s about to resum e h is seat

,
.
“
M r M in d B u ild er wh ere does my s ou l get its
.
,
”
knowl edge ? ask ed Peggy h er ch eeks a fl a m e an d h er
,
eyes glowin g with a desire t o k n ow m ore Of this magic

sel f which th e speaker had boldly call ed th e Soul .
“
Y o u want to get m e into deep water wh ere I m ight
”
drown , h e said laughingly ,
P erhaps so me day
.
, ,
”
y o u and I may solve that p robl e m working togeth er .
C H AP T E R T W EL VE
S E E K ING R E S T A N D F IN D ING N O NE
“
EVE RA L w eek s h ad elapsed since th e M ind
”
B u ilder s fi rst lecture b ut it still l ingered w ith
’
Peggy H e had given h er a rational tangibl e

.
,
p roof of what s h e had already felt in h er soul as w ell ,
as layin g down a sc ientifi c basis for p rop er m ental

develop ment .
Already th e result o f h is teach ing could b e seen .
H er pup il s displayed a new enthu siasm fo r th ey had a ,
definite u nderstanding o f wh at they w ere doin g and ,
th eir advance in kn owl edge was nothin g short o f ph e

nome mal Th eir d ev elop ment o f character wa s equally
.
striking fo r th e s a m e m e t h o d s u sed for brain bu ilding

,
‘
will also b uild C haracter .
Peggy had tak en th e position that thes e methods

would apply to b ody bu i lding as w ell a nd u nder h er ,
guidan ce th e faces o f th e p upil s w ere un dergoing a

gradual chan ge quite in k e ep in g with th eir growth of
,
character .
Noting thi s change Cli ff Anderson remark ed to

,
“
Peggy o n e day : I declare M iss Peggy yore scholar s ,
.
are gittin b etter lookin eve ry day I b eli eve th e gal s

’ ’
.
wi ll b e as p urty a s you by an by an th e b oys as ’
,
’
h an s u m as th e M in d B u ilder E ven th ese o ld folk s

‘ ’
.
don t l ook as mean a s th ey did

’
.
P eggy felt more and more t h e i mportance of com

m uning with th at invi sibl e sou rce o f her strength an d ,
at h er su ggestion Anderson had bu ilt a hou s e for h er

,
1 52
1 54 PEGGY WARE
I recon th e eas iest way i s to S pit it right o u t I am .
”
th e b iggest liar i n th e S tate l
’
O h M r Anderson you do n t m ea n it ! I thi n k you
,
.
,
”
are th e sou l o f truth an d h onor exclaimed P eggy , .
“
That s whare I go t you fool ed I got M olly fool ed
’
.
,
too Sh e don t k n ow it en i f S h e did I gu ess sh e d

.
’
,
’
’
q uit m e afore nigh t an git a di v orce an I wou ld b e '
,
’
”
r u in t without M olly a n d th e big ma n swall ow ed hard , .
“
I do n t u n derstan d M r A nd erson ; you ll hav e t o
’
,
.
’
”
explain .
“
Th ey ain t mu ch ex p l a in in to do I told j est o n e
’ ’
.
’
big l ie in my life to M olly an it wu s that b ig an ,
’
black that I feel lik e a w u r s er l iar than o ld man Ana

nias th e p re a chers talk abou t .
“
I didn t u s e t e r think much abou t it til y o u all
’ ’
come an then so m e t h in waked up in m e an it s

,
’ ’
,
’ ’
’ ’
e a t in an g u awin day an night an e f it do n t stop
’ ’
,
’ ’
,
”
it s gwi n e to eat my h e a rt ou t
’
.
“
Won t y o u tel l me wh at it is ? You know y o u can
’
tru st m e p l eaded Peggy , .
“
Y es I know I k in trust y o u b ut I am afe a rd Of
, ,
M olly a n R uth an you a n G od a n everybody You ll

’
,
’ ’ ’
.
’
’
hate m e S O ll M olly a n R uth a n th e wh ole w orld will
,
’ ’
j est as I k n ow G od does .
“
O h M r A nderso n G od do esn t hate y o u ; H e loves
, .
,
’
y o u n o matter what you hav e do n e a n d I s e e i n you

, ,
su ch a nob le soul that n o matter what you r past may

’
h ave been I d trust you with my l ife an d I a m sure
, ,
that M rs Anderson an d R uth w il l lov e y ou j u st th e

.
sa m e afte r you tell th em .
“
That s whare you do n t k n ow M olly A n derson
’ ’
,
’
h e said Sh e d never n eve r f e rg iv e me
.
,
.
“
What I co me to ax y ou is how to git away frum
th is th ing that s ea t in me up I thought wh en I quit ’ ’
.
ma k in wildcat l icker deeded yore school al l th is land

’
,
SEE KI N G R E ST A ND F I NDI N G NO N E 155
an d went t o work as yore boss whare I could b e n igh

y o u an h ear
’
you talk I coul d git over it but it gits , ,
”
w o s e r an w os e r
’
.
“
M r An derson there is b ut o n e cou rs e to p u rsu e
.
, ,
an d that is to mak e a clean con fession of th is wron g

l i e as y o u call it to th e person s y o u h ave wronged
—
,
and Peggy look ed at th e su ff ering man earnestly .
H e stood th ere sil ent for a lon g tim e h is gaz e , ,
fixed on Peggy s face as thou gh h e were lookin g at

’
h er for th e las t tim e Th e n turn ing slowly away h e .

,
“
said : Thank y o u M iss P eggy b ut I d ruther die , ,
’
”
than tell it .
When Peggy return ed hom e h er fath er was not ,
there Th e chil dren told h er th at h e sai d h e did n o t

.
wa n t supp er an d that th ey w e r e n ot to wait f or h i m

,
.
Peggy s a n xi ety about h er father had grown more

’
acute of late B ut fo r h er unsw erving faith sh e could

.
,
n o t have sustained this b urden Wh en s h e mo st n e eded .
h er fath er h e had utterly failed h er H e was both a

,
.
mill ston e about h er n eck and a m ountain o n her h eart

-
.
Day by day s h e had watch ed h i m as h i s fac e grew

more pallid h is eyes more hop el ess and h is once spl en
, ,
did physiqu e but a p itiful reminder of what had b ee n .
Sh e had talk ed t o h im reasoned with h i m p rayed f o r , ,
h i m w ept f or h i m i n s ecret and th en m et him w ith

, ,
smiling countenan ce .
'
Sh e knew t h er e w a s b ut one remedy fo r th e storm

tossed sp irit of h er fath er s eekin g rest an d findin g ,
n one N or did s h e doubt that h e would fin d th e haven

.
o f rest eve n if i n death ; b ut h er sou l lon ged to se e h im

,
live a n ew man b ig stron g forceful h elp ful h is l ife

, , , , , ,
a b enedictio n to h is childre n and th e world R alph and .
Virgin ia n eeded h i m Sh e n eeded h i m th e world .

,
"
n eeded him a n d most o f all h e n eeded h i ms elf tha t

, , ,
wo n derful S elf that was strivin g hard to reach him .

1 56 PEGGY WA RE
Sh e remembered that s h e had somewh ere read th ese
l in es
“
O h b etter self art thou l ike me astray ?
, ,
S eeking with all thy h eart to find thy way to min e ?

A n d th es e words were echoin g in h er h eart as sh e
stroll ed down t o Sim on s cabi n to in qu ire if h e had ’
se en h er fat h er .
Th e door was aj ar an d h earing voices within s h e , ,
h esitated about interrupti n g th em .
Th e first s enten c e sh e h eard gave her such a start

that sh e was rooted to th e spot an d w ithout any ,
thought o f eaves d rop p ing sh e l ingered l istenin g to

-
, ,
th e conversation .
”
S i mon said h er fath er I hav e ab out made up my
, ,
min d t o put an end to my mis erabl e existenc e and I ,
thought I d tell y o u becaus e th ere i s n o oth er p erson

’
,
”
I dare talk to about it .
“
Pore ch ile p ore ch il e th e o l d darky crooned how
, , ,
sorry I is fer ye Ho w I wi sh I could take all yore

.
load o n my shou lders cas e I d k now right whare to go ,

’
”
t o git rid o f it .
“
I know what y o u are goin g to say S imon b u t it s , ,
’
no u s e I h av e gon e al l over that groun d a thousan d

.
ti mes an d I com e back to th e sam e concl usion

, .
“
O f cou rs e you can talk ab out G od and H is good
,
ness b ut h e has n ev er a ff licted you as h e has m e H e

,
.
fi rst p ermitted my child to b e stol en an d th en H e took ,

”
my wife An d if th ere i s a Go d H e is cru el
.
,
.
’
Massa Ware I b een w a n t in to say s o m e t h in to
,
’
y o u fer a lon g ti m e b ut I ain t n e v a h sai d it I

,
k n ow s e
’
.
’
dat I ain t n uthin but an ign a n t old nigger an I allus
’ ’
,
’
tries to k e ep my place an n ot b e d is res p e c f u l but ,
’
,
’
di s tim e I m gwin e to do some plain talkin n o mattah
’
,
what happen s .
“ ’
I n de fu s p lace de Lawd had n othi n to do with ,
1 58 PEGGY WARE
’
heart d e s a break in case I can t h el p h er I say B l ess
-
’
,
‘
’
G od fer M iss P eggy ; sh e s w u t h all dis pore ol e nigger
,
’
e v a h su ff ered .
A n den I feel lik e s h o u t in G l ory to d e Lawd fer

“ ’ ’
H e has b een so good to me n ev a h h id in H is face fru m ,

’
”
m e in de dark es h ours '
’
.
Th ere w a s a lon g silence du rin g wh ich S imon ,
seemed to b e w eigh ing his words A n d th e n h e went .
“
on : I n de las place y o u is selfish Y es you don t ’
,
.
,
’
s e e n uth in but y o r e s e l f an h e gits in yore way s o you

’ ’
,
’
can t see yore Peggy s u ff e r in an yore l ittl e R alph a n
’ ’ ’
Vir g in n y r e a ch in o u t dey tiny han s fer hel p an you

’ ’ ’
can t se e G od You think H e is b idin H is face fru m

’
.
’
’
you an all de ti me it s yore own shader dat h ides H i s
,
’
fac e .
“
H e n ev a h h ide H is fac e frum an y pore soul in dis
worl an H e n ev a h will H e allu s dare wi d H is face
’ ’
.
shinin e n whe n you step fru m b eh in yor e shader

’
,
’
,
you kin s e e H i m an wh en yo u do you ll say : What ,

’
,
’ ‘
a pore b l in fool I b een ’

.
’
B y th e tim e S imon finish ed Peggy h ear d h er father ,
sobbin g and s h e wanted to fly to hi m and put her

,
arms a roun d hi m b ut on s econ d thought s h e d ecided ,
not to d o s o .
N O oth er p re a ch er and no oth er sermon could have ,
melted h is h eart Th es e were th e fi rst tears h e h ad .
sh ed s ince h er moth er s d eath an d Peggy k new that ’

,
th e Op ening Of th e flood gates to his tears m eant rest

for h is sp irit H ow lon g th e way how many dark val .
,
l eys h e mu st yet travers e S h e did n ot kn ow b ut h er , ,
soul tol d h e r that his fac e woul d b e from this time on

turne d toward th e l ight .
N oisel essly s h e sl ipp ed away leaving her fath er still ,
shaken by h is emotion wh il e O ld Si mon reverently ex ,
claimed : Thank G od ! Tha n k G od

“
SEE KI N G R E ST A N D F I NDI N G NO N E 1 59
H e saved oth ers h imsel f h e cannot save , Th es e .
m ocking words o f th e J ew s a s J esus h ung on th e cross ,
kep t ringin g i n Peggy s ears as S h e gaz ed into the ’
starry n ight H er every thou ght had b een given to

.
oth ers without a care f o r h erself Sh e sl ept o n straw

,
.
that oth ers m ight rest o n downy b eds an d th ere was ,
n ever a thou ght o f s elf sa crifi ce She was th e com -

.
forter and co n sol er of every on e in distress in B ucks

Pocket H e r sh rin e o f S il enc e wa s b eco min g th e
.
M ecca f o r storm tossed brain s o r achin g h earts

-
.
Was there a viciou s te mpered unruly boy in school ? ,
A few minutes in P eggy s sh rin e an d h e cam e out ’
s ubdued th e tears o f p enitenc e still trembli n g on h is

,
ch eeks .
W a s som e rou gh mountaineer s m a rting u n der some ,
insult intent on revenge ?

,
A vi sit t o th e Silenc e room an d the anger and malice ,
were al l gon e .
D id som e poor hard working m othe r b en d un der h er

,
-
load ? A few word s an d a han dclasp from Peggy and , ,
sh e went away with a song i n h er h eart .
H er vision took in all ignorant distressed souls an d , ,
sh e Often felt that s h e would gladly give h er l ife if by

so doin g sh e could pou r bal m into every b leeding h eart ,
an d banish s in and disease from th e worl d .
B ut tonigh t s h e coul d not save h erself H er b ark .
was storm tossed an d there was no b eacon l igh t to b e

-
,
seen R eactin g fro m th e bu rdens an d sorrows o f

.
oth ers sh e w a s overwh elmed by th e cry of h e r h uman

,
h eart .
For a tim e th e c urtain was drawn b etween h er and

h er v is ion H er work faded and th ere w a s n oth ing
.
,
l eft on al l h er horiz on save th e figu re of a man hand ,
some brilliant magn etic to whom S h e fel t drawn by

, , ,
an irresistibl e forc e that S h e h ad trie d with al l h er

1 60 PEGGY WA RE
might to break B ut tonight sh e felt h elpl ess and a
.
,
sen se of b ein g swep t out o n th e ocean by th e p itiless

tid e overwh elm ed h er
,
.
R uth loved th e man with al l h er intense passionate ,
n a tu re an d it was evi dent to Peg gy th at th e man was

,
b ein g swept o ff h is feet b y h er b eauty .
Why mu st s h e at th e threshold o f h er life s work

' ’
feel thi s cru el thorn p iercin g h er h eart ?

Sh e cried out for som eon e to remov e it and h eal th e ,
wound that it had made .
S h e tossed o n h er bed th e fever b u rn ed h er brow

, ,
h er spi rit lik e h er body w a s storm shak en Unabl e to

, , .
sl eep s h e a rose lit h er lamp an d p ick ing u p h er B ible

, , , ,
it opened at th ose words o f Pau l that hav e cau sed s o

mu ch S peculati on :
“
An d lest I S houl d b e exalted ab ove measu re th rough
th e abundance of th e revelations th ere w a s given to ,
m e a thorn in th e fl esh th e m essenger Of Satan to

,
a ffl ict m e lest I sh ou ld be exalted abov e measu re

, .
“
For th is th ing I b esought th e L ord thrice that it ,
might depart from m e .
“
An d h e said unto m e M y grace i s su ffi cient f o r
,
th ee ; f o r my stren gth i s made perfect in weak ness .
N ow s h e kn ew that th is th orn woul d n ev er b e

pl uck ed from h er h eart b ut ever an d always it w a s t o
,
b e a re minder of h er weakn ess and G od s strength ,

’
.
An d th e pain wou ld sweeten h er l ife an d th e su ffering ,
mak e h er on e with al l h u man ity .

1 62 PEGGY WARE
p ass from m e n everthel ess not as I wil l but as Thou
, , ,
w ilt . When H e thu s made th e surren der o f self an ,
angel ap peared stren gth eni ng H im .
>l< >l<
Wilb ur Ware w ent out of S imon s cabin grop in g in ’

,
th e dark F o r hi m th e l ight h ad fail ed H i s reason

. .
had p l ayed h im false an d n ow mocked hi m as h e stum ,
b led through th e darkn ess B eyon d the outposts o f .
rea son th ere lay an u ncharted d esert which h e kn ew ,
h e must cross if h e ever sh oul d fin d p eac e Th e

, .
“
material man said I t is impos sible ! I t is noth in g
'
but a m irage and what you i magine as a Paradis e b e

,
yon d is empty nothingn ess Tu rn back fro m this .
hall u cination an d let m e guide y o u to th e life worth

,
”
wh il e .
H e dared n ot turn back f o r that way lay th e h ell ,
o f self o f wh ich old Simon h ad told hi m

,
H e had .
clung o n to th is sel f not realizin g th at th e devil h e ,
had preached about du rin g th e days o f h is ministry ,
was non e oth er than th e man o f fl esh th at wages con

stant battl e again st th e sou l H e n ow un derstood th e .
reality of th is d evil an d th e c ertainty o f th e h ell in

,
w hich h e had been tormented fo r month s .
H e fell on h is face and f o r th e fi rst tim e in his l ife

,
really p rayed H eretofore h is p rayers ha d b een words

.
,
words in wh ich h e told G od wh at h e wanted N ow

, .
,
“ ”
l ike Christ h e sai d n o t my w ill b ut th ine b e don e
, , ,
.
H e naile d sel f to th e cross an d as h e did so th e devil , ,
w a s van qu ish ed and th e fi res o f h ell extinguish ed

,
.
Across th e trackl ess desert there lay a fri endly road ,
ma rke d by th e footp rints o f all great soul s wh o had

trod th e sa me way Faith bu rned a gloriou s b eacon .
l igh t driving away th e shadows o f faulty reason H is

,
.
soul h ad tri umph ed an d lik e J acob at P eni el h e cou ld

, ,
T H E A W AK E N I N G 163
sa y ,
I hav e seen Go d face to face therefore I do n ot ,
”
believ e in H i m I k n ow H im ,
.
Wi l bu r Ware was b or n again b orn of th e S pirit , ,
con sciou s o f h is soul and of his onen ess with Go d h is

, ,
Fath er .
J esus said : M arvel n ot that I said unto th ee ye ,

”
must b e born again This new b irth is j ust as essen
.
tial today as wh en J esus uttered th ese words I t Opens .
th e portals to salvation an d th ere is n o oth er road ,

.
“
Th e M aster said : H e that entereth n o t by th e door
into th e sh eep fol d b ut cl imb eth up some oth er way
, ,
th e sam e is a thief a nd a robb er .
Th e sun s fi rst rays kisse d th e tal lest p eaks as Wil

’
,
bu r Ware s et h is fac e hom eward a n ew light in h is ,
eyes a n ew son g in h is soul and a great love f o r all

, ,
th e worl d .
At th e th reshold o f h is h ome Peggy embraced and ,
ki ssed h i m rapturou sly wh il e R alph and V irgin ia fairly,
danced fo r j o y Th ey did n ot understan d th e miracl e

.
,
but felt its presen ce .
Simon unashamed o f his tears o f j o y exclaim ed :

, ,
Lawd I s e seen d y Salvation an I se ready to go

,
’
,
’ ’
”
d e s any ti me you calls me !
Wilbu r Ware w a s indeed and in truth a n ew man
H e tol d Peggy h e was going w ith h er to h er school .
H e had n ever b een there In fact h e had sh unn ed .

,
pub l icity an d avoided meeting p eople Thos e wh o .
happ en ed to meet h im were not drawn to h i m Th ey .
did n o t lik e hi m J ust why th ey coul d not have told

.
,
you .
Wh en he entered th e sch ool room th ere was a m ild

sensation Cli ff Anderson wh o sti l l attended Peggy s
.
,
’
class f o r illiterates sat in open mouth ed astonish ment

,
-
.
Th e usual op en in g service concluded Peggy said : ,
M y father is goin g t o talk to y ou th is mor n in g and I ,

1 64 PEGGY WARE
’
am glad You don t know h ow happy it makes m e
so .
t o have h i m w ith u s H er radiant face gav e e m .
phasis to her words .
Wilbur Ware s words el ectrifi ed his h earers Peggy s

’
.
’
sou l was thrill ed Thi s w a s th e supreme m oment for

.
wh ich s h e had waited an d prayed s o long H er fath e r .
w a s now a giant ready to h elp her carry forward h er

,
work A ll felt a trem e n dou s force e manating from th is

.
n ewly awakened man .
A t th e con cl usion of h is address th e Ol der p eople ,
gath ered aroun d to grasp h is hand .
As Cli ff An derson d id s o h e sai d : Ware e f I w u s , ,
a Christian I d say th ank th e Lord but as I ain t

,
’
,
’
n uth in b ut a h a s been o ld Wild Catter I l l s ay thank

’
-
,
’
”
M iss P eggy .
H olding th e b ig rough hand o f Anderson fi rmly in ,
h is look ing steadily in to h is fearl ess gray eyes Wilb u r

, ,
“
Ware sai d : M r An derson you are a Christian an d
.
, ,
don t k n ow it
’
.
An derson deeply touched tried to hi de h i s e motion ,

.
” “
It ll b e a lon g road fer rn e parson h e said fer I ve
’
, , ,
’
”
b een gwine th e wron g way m o s all my l ife ’
.
“
I h ave n ever s een a more un selfish man M r A n ,
.
d e rs o n an d th e su rren der o f s elf i s th e crucial test

,
”
after all .
“
That s whare you re b adly fool ed exclai med th e
’ ’
,
“
o l d man shak in g h is head slowly
,
I ai n t n ever made ,
’
n o s el f surren der as y o u call it I m still a reb el an

,
.
’
,
’
afore Cli ff A nderson su rrenders s o m e t h in m o p o w f u l ’ ’ ’
”
g o t to hit h im than ever stru ck hi m yet .
Wilbu r Ware was awak e f o r th e fi rst ti m e in h is

life H e had foun d that Something tha t made h im a
.
,
h uman dyna mo .
Wh en we really cru cify s el f and al low th e soul to ,

1 66 PE G G Y WA R E
At th e suggestion o f th e M in d B uilder a ch i me of ,
b ell s had b een instal l ed and he u ndertook th e ringing

,
o f th e ch imes on S unday morn in gs .
O n th e first S unday after their instal lation h e w ent ,
to th e chu rch to rin g th e chi m es I t was an hour .
b efore th e ti me f o r s ervices an d R uth had accompanied ,
h im f o r they had b ecome al most inseparabl e Th e

,
.
mu sic Of th e b ells b egan a n d Peggy wh o always ca m e

, ,
early slipp ed into a seat and listen ed H ow wonder

,
.
ful it seemed to th e dwel lers in B ucks Pocket N O

'
wh ere in th e worl d p erhaps i s th ere a more remarkabl e

ech o than in th is l ittl e Pock et in th e sid e o f th e moun
tain A s ea ch note p eal ed forth it traveled u ntil it
.
,
stru ck o n e of th e wa l l s o f th e Pocket and th en it wa s ,
h u rled back on th e opposite side and anon it traveled ,
o ut,
o u t acros s th e Tenn essee dying away to b e f o l , ,
l owed closely by an oth er .
“
R ock o f A ges cl eft for m e p ealed forth th e chi mes
, , ,
and th e inhab itants lifted th eir eyes t o th e giant cl i ff s

rising high ab ove them .
A nd now an oth er tune came from the deep th roated

b ell s I t was that cry o f th e soul N earer m y G od
.
“
, , ,
t o th ee n earer t o th ee
,
E v ery note w a s a p rayer ,
every echo a cal l to G od .
A S th e ton es mounted high er and ever h igher th e ,
ringer had a vision o f th e snow capp ed Alp s and -

,
n estl ing at its foot a Swiss village H e s a w h imself a .
barefoot b o y standin g b esid e th e o l d Swiss b ell ringer

, ,
taking h is fi rst l es son A s th e golden ton es o f th e b ell s

.
“
see med to sp eak th e words E ven though it b e a :
cross th at raiseth me h is body swayed h e clasped h is

, ,
fore h ead w ith b oth h an ds a wondrous light b ea med ,

“
from h is countenan ce as h e sh outed : M y na me ! My
,
nam e is i s D octor J ohn Weston ! M y soul has tri

—
”
ump h ed and my th eory is proven to th e wor l d !
,
T H E A WA K E N I N G 1 67
R uth w a s overwh el med w ith j o y H is enthu siasm .
had caught h er in its swe ep an d with h er hand s o n h is ,
shoulders h er sou l in h er eyes s h e h ung o n h is words

, , .
S eiz ing her in his arm s h e drew h er to hi m an d, ,
th eir lip s m et for th e fi rst ti me Thus th ey stood th e .

,
man lifted out of hi msel f by th e great miracl e of h is

triumphan t geniu s w h i l e th e woman w a s e qual ly
,
!
transported by th e miracl e of love .
Peggy clutch ed h er b reast w ith both hands Th e .
wicked th orn w a s tearin g at h er h eart an d at every ,
b eat th e b lood was tricklin g from th e cru el wound .
Sh e staggered t o her fe et and reel ed blin dly a s sh e

,
grop ed h e r way from th e church .
N ot far away w a s h er sh ri ne o f sil enc e Coul d s h e .
reach it b efore S h e fell ? B y a tremendou s e ff ort o f th e

will s h e did and a s th e door closed b eh ind h er s h e
, , ,
fell u pon h er kn ees h er fac e bu ried in h er moth er s

,
’
open B ibl e sobbing uncontrol ledly

, .
Slowly th e storm o f grief sub sided ; s h e raised h er

tear di m med eyes an d th ey rested o n a cluster o f wh ite
—
,
roses that S imon had placed o n th e tabl e Th ey were .
still damp with th e mornin g dew an d as P eggy inhal ed ,
th ei r fragranc e a sweet p eace stol e into h er h eart

, ,
albeit th e pain w a s still th ere .
Sh e was late for chu rch an d J oh n Weston w a s ,
sorely disappointed for it was to P eggy that h is

,
thoughts turned wh en h e b ecame conscious o f h is

nam e T o h er h e wanted to tell th e won derfu l n ews
. .
E very one was won derin g about her tardin ess Sh e .
was always in h er place and n o service woul d hav e

,
b een compl ete without Peggy .
At last s h e ca me and th e M in d B uilder now D r

, ,
.
J ohn Weston had n ever seen h er s o radian tly b eauti

,
ful H er fac e was u nu sual ly pale b ut this accentuated

.
,
th e b rilliancy o f h er gloriou s eyes .

1 68 PEGGY WAR E
Wh en sh e sang a solo as was h er cu stom h is soul , ,
w a s on ce more in th e n obl e A lp s an d P eggy was by ,
h is S id e .
A t th e cl ose o f th e service h e ru she d to h er telling , ,

“
h er th e glad n ews I am no longer th e M ind
.
‘
“
h e d ecl ared j oyously but D octor J oh n Wes ,
”
ton a t you r p leasu re An d you are M iss Peggy Ware
,
.
,
h e said extend ing h is han d in fri endly greetin g

,
.
A s P eggy p laced h er col d fin gers in h is warm palpi ,

“ ”
t a tin g pal m sh e sai d faintly : I a m so glad
,
B efore .
h e could rep ly sh e was gon e .
I n alarm h e followe d h er o u t o f th e ch urch R u th ,
k eepin g pac e with h im “

P
A re you ill M iss Ware h e
.
”
,
inq uired anxiou sly wh en h e had overtak en he r

, .
N O I think n ot M r M i nd B uilder I S hould say

, , .
—
,
D octor Weston I t m ust b e th e p roof o f your won

.
d e r f u l th eory that has overwh el med m e Fo r a m o .
ment I wa s lost in th e m ost wond erfu l specu lations ,

”
but I a m gradually ge ttin g my feet b ack to earth .
Sh e laugh ed h er o ld mu si cal lau gh and Weston s anxi ,

’
ety was soo n forgotten in th e exh ilaration o f his n ew

f o u n d j oy .
1
“
Tel l m e said Peggy all about you rs el f Who
, , .
are you ? Wh ere did you com e from ? And in th e lan

guage Of Cliff Anderson Wh ere are y o u ,
‘
“
Th ere y o u go ! A lways wanting t o know th e why
o f everyth in g I a m su re I can n eve r fully satisfy that
.
”
inqu iring analytical min d of yours
,
.
Anyway you can tell u s all abou t yoursel f and

, ,
’
that will sati sfy u s for th e presen t won t it R uth ? ,
Thu s appeal ed to R uth turned h er dark eyes toward

,
D octor Weston an d th e telltal e bl u sh es in h er ch eek s

,
l eft no doubt in th e mind o f Peggy that D octor Weston

was th e most interestin g subj ect in all th e un iv ers e to
R uth .
1 70 PEGGY WA RE
b eca me an acknowledged authority o n th e b rain and ,
wrote a book that has b een a ccepted as auth oritative

by the medical profession th roughou t E urop e an d th is
country .
“
I n my book I took th e po sition as you already ,
know that th e brain is but th e instru m ent of th e soul

,
—
th e sou l b eing the real I th e man h imsel f whil e the
, ,
body is m erely h is temp orary ab ode .
“
I t was natural that I shoul d mak e a study of S O
cal led in sanity I t w a s th is ph as e of my work that
.
fi nally brought m e t o th e Un ited States Th e wife o f .
a great fi a n cie r had b een pronou nced hop elessly insane ,
an d owin g to th e p ecul iar form o f h er mal ady u nlik e ,
any case on record I crossed th e ocean t o treat h er

, .
H er cure was considered by th e p rofession al most a

miracl e b ut I kn ew that it was th e ap pli cation o f s im
,
ple m ental laws that brought about th e h ealin g .
“
I had h eard of a p ecu liar form o f insan ity in th e
mountai ns o f th e South especially amon g th e wome n
, ,
“ ”
call ed th e lonesom e disease an d it wa s partly to
,
stu dy th is strange ph enom enon and partly f o r rec rea

tion that I cam e to Chattanooga .
“
H ere I h eard o f B u ck s Pock et th e P eggy Ware
,
S chool an d was al so told that I coul d fin d in th is

,
“ ”
n eighb orhood th e genu in e lon esome disease So I .
boarded th e steamer at Chattanooga f o r B uck s Pocket ,
landed at th e most availab le point and w a s proc eeding

,
in th is direction when two in qu isitive stran gers th ink

, ,
in g m e a reven u e Offi cer p roc eeded to knock me o n th e

,
h ead and b ury m e You know my story from that

.
interesting episode to th e present mome n t .
“
I migh t add by way o f explanation that wh en I
, ,
w a s a boy I was very m uch attach ed to th e o l d Swiss

b ell ringer wh o resided in o u r vil lage I t was th e .
height o f my amb itio n at that stage o f my li fe to fol

TH E A WAK E NI N G 17 1
lo w his p ro fession H e tau gh t m e what I know about

.
ringin g the chi mes an d h avin g con sid erabl e musical

,
talent I was an apt p up il Today a s I h eard th e

,
.
,
chimes f o r th e first time in B ucks Pocket I see med to ,
b e a b oy again in th e littl e Swiss village standing b e ,
sid e my dear old friend when all at once th e bells ,
seemed t o thu nder my name i n m y ears .
“
Th is is my story and I am th e happ iest man in al l
,
th e lan d f o r n ow I ca n take up my work wh ere I left

,
”
i t o ff
.
“
Wh ich m eans I su ppos e th at you wil l l eav e u s and
, ,
”
return to Switz erland sa id Peggy a catch i n h er voice
, ,
and h er lips once more death ly wh ite .
“
I h ave n o plans for th e i mmediate future h e de ,
“
cl a r e d . I h aven t a relative i n the world an d no
’
reason f or goin g any particula r p lace M y work may .
b e h ere I a m going to wait and s e e I a m su re I will

. .
know wh en th e time com es to decid e .
“ ’
O h I d o hope y o u won t go away D octor Weston
, , ,
“
exclai med R uth P eggy and I could n ever live h ere
.
”
after you were gon e ! Sh e threw h er arms impulsively
about Peggy and p ressed h er ch eek to Peggy s golden ’
hair mingling w ith raven tresses .
Th e man l ooked at th e p icture thu s mad e by th e

two girls lon g and earn estly Th ey were both b eauti .
ful b ut of a v ery diff erent typ e R uth w a s v ibrant

,
.
w ith th e lif e o f th e green gra ss th e bu rsting b uds th e , ,
babbl in g brooks th e songs o f th e b irds She w a s th e

, .
ch il d o f natu re an d h er every gesture w a s eloquent of

,
th e magn etism O f h er body

P eggy whil e possessing all th e charm s of a red
,
blooded woman w a s fi lled with a someth in g that made

,
you think of starry h eights th e ocean s roll th e cry of ,

’
,
h umanity th e cross O f Calvary th e crown o f glory

, , ,
and th e mu sic O f th e sph eres .

1 72 PEGGY WARE
H e was spellboun d as h e watch ed th e lights a n d
shadows that played o n th e faces O f thes e t w o unu sual
wom en one contented happy in h er l ove fo r hi m
—
, ,
acc epting h is every word an d though t as h e r own ; th e

oth er a soul touch ed by th e D ivin e spark respondin g
, ,
to h is thoughts l eap in g the intellectual and spiritual

,
heights by hi s S ide or p erhap s p receding h i m an d b eck

,
on ing h i m t o follow .
To R uth th e whol e worl d revolved aroun d D octor

Weston an d n oth in g more was t o b e d esired ; whil e to
,
P eggy h e was a kindred spirit a soul that had co me to ,
h e r sou l o u t o f th e n igh t an d th eir thoughts th ei r , ,
hop es th ei r aims w ere o n e an d words were u n n e ces

, ,
sary b etween them .
Su ddenly h e exclaim ed : Peggy wh ere have I ,
known you b efore ? I hav e a v ision o f y o u sittin g by

my side holdin g my han d for ages I t seems that it
,
.
was fro m th e b eginni n g fro m th e time my soul first —
a w oke from its lon g sl eep .
P eggy did n o t reply S h e p robably cou ld not hav e

.
don e so i f sh e had tried

, .
H e continued : I had th is p eculiar feel in g as I lay

unconscious after receivin g my inj u ry that some good —
a ngel h ad b een w ith m e th rou gh a million years of

un con sciou s wan derin gs and finally when I fou nd my ,
” “ ’
s el f thi s good angel pattin g R uth s h ead sa t b eside
, , ,
me and h el d my han d .
R uth di d n ot tell h i m that it was Peggy who h el d h is

han d th rough th e l ong night wh ile h is soul wandered ,
th rough stran ge lands tempte d n ever to retu rn t o his

,
’
body brou ght back p erhaps by th e longings o f P eggy s
, , ,
soul .
Peggy could n ot tell h im ; nor did s h e wan t h im to

k n ow Sh e hoped that th is secret woul d b e h idden
.
1 74 PEGGY WARE
w ho l ived up in o n e o th em d eep gulches all by hissel f ’
j est him an th e dog Th ey na med h i m Satan wh en

’
.
h e w ere a pup an nobody would have h i m cept th e 0 1 ,

’ ’ ’
man Wh en h e growed up h e could w h o p p any s ix

.
,
dogs in th e Pocket an no man w us safe to co me nigh ,

’
o l R e n f r o s cabin Th e 0 1 man died som etime back

’ ’ ’
.
,
w e don t k now j is t h ow long b ut som e folks seed th e

’
,
bu zzards fl y in roun h is cabin an d w e decided to s ee ’ ’

,
what it all m eant W e crawl ed up b e ca s e w e wu s .
a f e e r d o f Satan an wh en w e go t whare w e could s e e ’

,
thare lay th e o l man out in th e yard th e d o g settin ’
by h i m an every ti me a b uz zard would try to l igh t

,
’
Satan would lunge at h i m lik e th e very devil H e s eed .
u s an started at u s lik e a mou ntain lion that ain t

,
’ ’
h ad nu thin to eat in a m o nth an we tore dow n the

’
,
’
bush es gitti n away ’

.
We finally go t B il l J enk ins who is a 0 1 co w ,

’
pun ch er to lasso h i m an d w hen h e go t o n e lasso

, ,
rou n hi s neck an d tied it to a tree h e throw ed anoth er

’
, ,
one aroun h is n eck an d tied it t o anoth er tree so s

’
, ,
’
w e could git to th e 0 1 man an d plant h i m No w w e re ’

.
’
taki n hi m down t o th e river t o drown h im b e ca s e

’
non e o f u s like to S hoot a dog even e f h e i s a s m ean ,

”
a s th e devil I t s bad luck y o u know ’
.
.
,
“ ”
Won t y o u give hi m to m e P a sk ed Peggy
’
I want .
”
h im .
Th e m en l ook ed at h er in sp eechless amaze ment .
Th ey kn ew and resp ected Peggy an d h er desire would ,
b e to the m a command in ordinary matters ; b ut h er

“
wi sh t o o w n Satan was l ittl e S hort of madn ess You .
s h o r ely don t m ean it M iss sai d th e spokesman

’
, ,
.
“
H e d kill y o u e f h e w u s turned loose an e f w e tried
’
,
’
”
to tak e th e lassoes o ff he d eat u s up ,
’
.
With out fu rth er argu m ent P eggy approach ed th e ,

TH E AWA KEN I N G 1 75
angry dog H e growl ed viciou sly an d th e m en pulle d

.
,
hard o n th eir rop es .
“
Let go the rop es sh e comman ded an d th ey did , ,
s o hu rrying t o a safe distanc e

,
.
S lowly calmly s h e app roached hi m h er eyes lookin g

, , ,
kindly into th e lurid eyes o f th e dog sp eaking gently , ,
soothingly H e b egan to wag h is tail and as s h e

.
,
p laced o n e han d o n h is hea d h e wh in ed an d th e tears ,
cam e to h is inflamed eyes an gry no longer an d with , ,
h i s parch ed tongu e h e gently l ick ed her free han d

, .
Sh e re moved th e ropes and p utting h er a rm s wh ere ,

“
th ey had cut h is fl esh sh e said : Co me hom e with m e , ,
I want you I un derstan d y o u You have n ever had

. .
a chance b ut your opp ortun ity is coming I am going

,
.
to giv e you a n ew name f or y o u are entering o n a n ew ,
li fe I n th e Old l ife th ey cal led y o u Satan (that m ean s

.
self ; but in your n ew l ife y o u are to b e known a s H ero ,
f o r n o dog or m a n eith er can b e a hero until h e gets

, ,
”
rid of Satan .
Peggy laugh ed at this Od d conc eit Of b ers an d th e ,
oth ers j oin ed h er th e two men going away shaking

, ,
“
th ei r h eads i n b ewilderment mutterin g S h e ain t lak , ,
’
”
nobody el se in th is world .
A t th e fork s o f th e road Peggy tol d D octor Weston

an d R uth good b y Th ey watch ed h er u ntil s h e d is
-
.
app eared over a littl e h ill H ero walkin g lovingly by ,
h er S ide wh il e o n e o f h er han ds rested on h is h ead

,
.
C H AP TE R F OU R TEE N
B A CK T O T H E O L D H O ME
IL B UR WA RE had b een con su med by a desire

to retu rn to hi s old home b ut h is life had b een ,
S O full of activity sinc e h is n ew b irth th at h e ,
had n ot at fi rst m ention ed it to Peggy H e h ad pu r .
’
ch ased a plain marb le slab for his wife s grave intend ,
ing to p ut it in plac e w ith hi s o w n han ds wh en ev er h e

coul d a ff ord to make th e trip .
Finally h e confi ded in Peggy and sh e w a s more ,
eager th an h er father i f p ossibl e to carry o u t hi s plans

,
I
, .
I t w a s now th e ti me o f t h e s u m m er vacation and ,
both w ere h op ing th at th ey migh t go b efore th e op en

in g of school in th e a u fu m n I n th eir p erpl exity Cli ff
.
,
An derson as u sual cam e to th e rescu e

, , .
O n e morning j u st after th e family h ad finish ed break

,
“
fast h e b u rst in u n c ere moniou sly
,
I j est come to tel l .
you that my bi g automob il e co me down o n th e boat

” “
l ast ni ght h e said an d I b rough t h er over an she s
, ,
’ ’
standi n o ut on th e front Th e fell er I bought it fru m

’
.
in Chatt a nooga showed m e h ow to run it M ebb e .
y ou d l ik e t o look a t h er
’
.
B efore h e h ad fi nish ed P eggy was h al f way to th e

,
fro n t gate followed by R al ph and Virginia wh il e

, ,
Ware an d A n derson b rou gh t up th e rear .
Peggy w a s laugh ing throu gh h er tears wh en Ander

“ ’
s o n an d h er fath e r cam e u p What s th e matter M i ss
. ,
” ”
Peggy P ask ed An derson Do n t you l ike h er P
.
’
“
I d o like it M r And erson I think it is b eautiful
, . . ,
1 76
1 78 P E G GY WARE
H e looked away a cross t h e Ten nessee to th e Cu m
b erlan d ran ge di mly outl in ed in th e di stance l ost in
, ,
th ou ght fo r a l on g tim e Peggy watch in g h is fac e th at ,
had com e to b e so won derfu l t o h er in its exp ressio n .
B ringin g hi mself o u t o f his reverie w ith a great sigh ,

“ ’
h e said : I j est b een w o n d e r in wh ut it al l m eans thi s
change in B ucks Pock et I kno wit al l started wh en
,
M iss Peggy com e b ut w hut b rought h er I d lik e to , ,

’
”
know P
“
Th en h ere come s th i s D octor Weston an gits ,
’
’
knock ed on th e h ead an l eft fer dead en e f h e hadn t , ,
’
,
I gu ess h e d a b een gon e long ago b ut n ow h e s gwin e

’
,
’
to stay an h e s axed R uth t o marry h i m

,
’ ’
.
“
N ext th e p arson h ere who didn t bel ieve in G od at ’
“
all h as cha n ged h is m ind an it s j est good to s e e h i m

, ,
’ ’
.
’
A n thare s th e sch ool an th e chu rch an th e b el ls
’ ’
, ,
’
makin th e m os wo n derfu l m usic o n Su nday m o r n in

’ ’ ’
,
an it s h eaven righ t h ere in B u cks P ock et whare it

’ ’
‘ ,
”
u sed to b e H ell .
I wonder e f Go d really had anyth in g to do w ith

”
it P and aga in h e look ed far away to h is favorite moun
tains .What do you think M iss Pe ggy P ”
,
“
I th ink M r An derson repl ied Peggy that G od
, .
, ,
guides every on e o f u s and that w e all have a work to ,
do in thi s world S om eti mes we refu se to follow H is.
gu idan ce close o u r ears to th e D ivin e voic e an d fail

, ,
to do ou r work b u t it is n ev er G o d s fault b ut ou rs
,
” ’
, .
“
I h a v e tried t o follow the voice I h ad a vision of .
th i s work an d deserve n o credit for what littl e I h ave

,
done f o r I hav e don e nothin g more than my duty as I

,
saw it What I h ave don e is s o l ittl e comp ared to

.
”
what y o u have done an d s h e grasp ed h is h an d look , ,
in g earn estly into h i s face Y o u hav e don e every .
th ing Mr A nderson an d it ou gh t to b e call ed th e

, .
,
Cli ff An derson School Y o u are th e big i nstru ment

‘ ’
,
B ACK TO THE O LD HO M E 1 79
i n G od s hand and I have b een th e mean s o f gettin g

’
,
”
th e m usic o u t o f the big fi ddle .
A n derson ch uckled at th is co mparison You re the .

’
”
fu st one that ever go t any musi c outen me h e sai d ,
.
“
A n I don t think it s m e at al l ; i t s a l l y o u an I am
’ ’ ’ ’ ’
,
j est l ik e o n e o f them b i g rock wal ls way up yan der ,
that s ends th e echo o f th e b ells back across the val ley

a n out over th e Tenn essee yander Ef I kin j est ech o
’
.
yore mu sic M iss Peggy it will b e all I want J est to

, ,
.
stan lak o n e of th e m cli ff s an send back th e m usic O f

’ ’
yore soul to th ese mountai n b oys an gals an th eir ’ ’
daddies an d mam mies .
“
A nd wh en th e ol d Cl i ff falls sometim e j est p ut o n , ,
my tomb ston e H e tried to b e a good echo,

‘
.
’
’
Peggy s eyes were overflowin g with tears H er .
fath er s hand rested o n th e b road sh oulder Of th e stal

’
wart ex soldier an d ex Kin g of th e Wil d C a t t e r s an d

- -
it was some ti m e b efore th e sil ence w a s b roken .
“
You a re o n e o f G od s n obl em en M r An derson ’
, .
,
“
spok e Wilbu r Ware w ith great feel in g An d i f I
,
ca n b e h al f as b ig an echo a s y o u have been to u s I ,
S hall b e happy .
“
M y l ife has b een su ch a failu re that I stan d con
d e m n e d b efore you With all my edu cation an d o p p o r
.
t u n it ie s I had at last t o learn from you Si mon and , ,
Peggy To y o u I o w e m uch M r Anderson more

.
,
.
—
”
than I can eve r repay .
A l ook o f pain sw ept ov er A nderson s fac e H e

’
.
shrank a s from a blow H is usually steady h an ds sh ook .
l ik e o n e with pal sy I n a voice that see med unnatural

.
“
and far away h e sai d : D on t talk that way I t hu rts
,
’
.
’
me I ain t nuthin bu t th e mean est o l devil in B ucks
.
’ ’
”
Pocket an some day you ll h ate m e w u s er than p iz e n
,
’ ’
.
S lowly h e got i n to th e n ew auto mob il e an d h e ,
see med to h av e grown Ol d su ddenly Th ere w a s a .

1 80 PEGGY WAR E
stoop to h is S houlders a wearin ess to h is step th at ,
th ey had not seen be fore A S h e was l eaving h e turn ed .

,
and looked back out of s a d lu sterl ess eyes , .
“
B e ready i n th e m o r n in by six O clock h e said ’ ’
, ,
”
fer it ll take u s all day to git to Chattanooga
’
.
>< 1 >< 1 1
>< >1
<
B efore th e su n s fi rst rays had p en etrated to th e

'
’
“
depth s of th e forest th e P eggy Ware Sch ool auto
mob il e was ready f o r its fi rst j ou rn ey .
“
Cli ff Anderson said : M olly h as put in grub j est
”
lak th ey warn t nu th in to eat outside B u cks Pocket
’ ’
.
R alph an d Virginia w ere delighted to stay at A nder

son s b ig hou se S im on s soul rej oiced becaus e P eggy
’
.
’
and h er fath er w ere goin g back to th e grav e of h is

“ ”
Youn g M i ssu s .
Wh en Peggy said sorrowfully I a m sorry you ,

!
can t go Simon th e o l d man rep li ed ch eerfully :

’
, ,
“
D on t m ind m e chil e I ll b e dah b efo you al l gits
’
, .
’ ’
dah I foun o u t l on g ergo to t ra b el w id o u t goin n o

.
’ ’
whare an I w ill b e stan i n by youn g M isses grab e

,
’ ’ ’
wh en M assa Ware gwin e ter preach he gr an e s t s a r ’
”
m o n you ebah h e e r d .
H e look ed th e proph et w ith h is ven erabl e featu res , ,
h is un fathomabl e eyes h is snow wh ite h air A black , .
” “
seer a black saint th ought Peggy
,
What vast store,
.
hou ses of wi sdom you hav e entered that th e worl dly

”
wise know n othin g ab out .
R uth was radiantly b eautiful an d radiantly h appy , ,
as s h e stood b eside Doctor Weston waving farewell , ,
an d h is fac e refl ected a s ou l at peace .
M olly Anderson s enthu sias m b ubb l ed like a mou n ’
tain sprin g while h er h u sband showed u nu sual excite

,
ment for h i m .
Wilbu r Ware s h eart was t o o full f o r utterance In ’

.
th e s ilen ce of h is soul h e communed with G od .

1 82 PE G GY WA R E
was s o ab rupt and u nexpected in h is rem a rks tha t yo u
n ever kn ew what was coming n ext .
“
Th ey ain t nobody al o ng this road cept u s an th e
’ ’ ’
b irds an I want you to sin g that Kindly Light so n g

,
’ ‘ ’
that y o u sing fe r u s at church sometimes th e on e you —
said Pres ident M cK in l e y loved I t s eems to me thay .
ain t no b etter p lace i n th e world to S ing it

’
.
Without waiting to b e u rged Peggy poured forth ,
th e words of the soul insp irin g hymn Th e m ockin g

—
.
birds cease d th ei r son gs t o l isten an d a th ousan d spirit ,
voices s eemed to tak e u p th e words a n d echo th em

th rough th e forest .
Th e n ight is dark an d I am far from hom e

, ,
L ead Tho u m e on ”
,
An d th e golden voic e died away th e ech oes travel ed ,
farther and farth er until you could n ot distinguish th eir

faintest wh isp ers an d th en a thou s a n d b ird s b urst into
,
a hal leluj ah a n the m .
Wh en th ey reach ed Chattanooga th ey real iz ed for ,
th e fi rst tim e that th ey were creatin g a sen sation .
Wheth er Cli ff An derson had any su ch id ea in h is h ead

“
wh en h e had placed in big l etters P E GG Y WA RE
”
S CH O O L B U CKS fP O C K ET o n th e S ides o f the
, ,
automob il e w a s a matter of conj ecture for h e kept h is

, ,
own counsel Crowds gathered wh erever th ey stopp ed

.
and b egan to ask qu estions .
A n ewsp ap er rep orter attracted by th e unusual sign

, ,
an d prob ably by th e unu sually b eautiful face of Peggy

Ware attach ed hi mself to th e party and b ecam e mas
,
ter of ceremoni es H ere was a big story a n d h is pap e r

.
,
n eeded it .
Peggy p rotested stoutly b ut fo r once A nderson had

,
h is way an d th e outfit w a s soon photograph ed collee

,
B ACK TO THE O LD HO M E 1 83
t iv e ly and in divi dually Peggy was v ery b eauti ful .

,
even i f greatly embarrassed as sh e posed for th e pho ,
t ogra p h er At th e hotel s h e had to reveal her whol e

.
life h er work h er pl an s h er d rea ms to th is in qu isi

, , , ,
tive young man .
Wh en h e had found out al l s h e kn ew an d some ,
th ings S h e did not know he tu rned h is batteries o n ,
Wilbu r Ware Cli ff An derson an d M olly, , .
H e was told that th ey intended to l eave e a rly th e

fol lowing mornin g b ut h e p ersuaded th em to re main ,
over a day as th e guests o f h is pap er p romisin g to S how ,
th em th e Chickama uga battlefi elds an d many oth er ,
p laces o f interest H e kn ew that th ere were several .
good stories in connection with th e Peggy Ware Sch ool

and B u cks Pock et an d h e proposed to scoop th e rival
'
pape r in good shap e .
Wh en Peggy retired at t h e b ig hotel S h e littl e ,
drea med that sh e would awake fa mou s o n th e morrow .
Sh e slep t late an d w a s finally awak en ed by Mr s A n

, .
d e rs o n wh isp ering th rough th e k eyhol e : G it u p quick ,
P eggy t h e v s a whol e passel o f folks w a it in to se e

,
’ ’
yo u . Cli says th e mayor is h ere an a l o t 0 bi g bu gs

ff ” ’ ’
.
Peggy was frightened wh en Mr s And erson spok e o f .
th e m ayor Sh e op ene d th e door an d invited h er in

. .
“
What is th e trouble M rs Anderson ? What have w e , .
done P qu eried Peggy in mu ch p erpl exity

”
, ,
“
It wu s all that ch eeky n ewspap er feller said ,
“
M olly . I can t read mu ch b ut h e s got yore p i e ter o n
’
,
’
th e front page an on an oth e r o n e o f m e an Cli ff an d

,
’ ’
yore daddy an th e auto mob il e with all th em b ig l et

,
’
ters o n it .
“
A n yore pap s b een readi n it to m e an d Cli ff He
’ ’ ’
.
tol d al l ab out yore school an yore dad s ch u rch an ,

’ ’
,
’
’
th e thousan d acres of lan d we deeded th e school An .
then h e told e rb o u t Cli ff b ein o n e time th e Kin g of th e ’

184 PEGGY WA RE
Wild C a tt e r s an what good wh isk ey h e used to make
,
’
,
an e r b o u t yore pap b eing a preache r h ere in Ch at

’ ’
’
t a n o o g a whare y o u wu s born an yore baby sister
, ,
b ei n stol e by gypsi es an a wh ol e passel more I can t

’
,
’ ’
rem emb er an d about a th ousand l ies too ; so me o f e m

, ,
’
bein g about me an I m gwin e to tel l h i m what I th ink

,
’ ’
o f h i m i f h e comes rou n m e any more grinnin an ’ ’ ’

,
”
bowin lik e a j u m p in j ack
’ ’
.
P eggy was h urryi ng into h er cloth es so excited that ,
s h e hardly real iz ed what sh e was doin g .
Wh en M r s A nderson characteriz ed th e reporter a s

.
“
a j u mping j ack Peggy laugh ed and said , What did ,
:
h e s a y about you M rs Anderson P ”

, .
“
H e said I look ed meek a n d l owly an wh en yore ,
’
dad read that Cli ff j est roared an said : Wel l sh e ’ ‘
S hore dece ives h er look s A n I ain t gwin e to stan .

’ ’ ’ ’
fer any sich in sult .
Peggy was t o o much e x ict e d to p rol on g the co n

v ersation and hastened to wh ere h er fath er and Cl i ff
,
An derson were waiting for h er .
“
H a s M ol l y told y o u th e n ews P ”
asked Anderson .
”
Yes rep lied Peggy S h e h as given m e a S ketch o f
, ,
what th e pap er has to sa y ab out u s ; b ut I don t see ’
”
why i t sh oul d interest stran gers .
“
Wall n ow you j est wait a min it til y o u s e e that
, ,
’
”
gan g down thare i n th e p arlor h eaded by th e mayor , ,
said Anderson That n ewspap er kid h a s got e m al l

.
’
corralled an th ey are cal lin fer P eggy Ware

’ ’
.
“ ”
O h I can t fac e th em I m afraid
,
’
P eggy ex .
’
,
’
clai med a s sh e cl un g to h er fath er s arm
,
.
Wilbu r Ware s face w a s very grav e an d serious b ut

’
,
“ ” “
happy . Peggy h e said gently it is very wonderful , , ,
th e way G od is l eadin g you There is nothin g fo r you .
to fear my ch ild J ust follow th e l ight as you have

,
.
,
”
don e wh en you r way w a s so dark and all wil l b e w ell ,
.
1 86 P EGGY WARE
fi t O f th e Peggy Ware Sch ool and it was arran ged that ,
th is m eeting shoul d b e h el d wh en th e Wares and A n

d e r so n s retu rn ed t o Chattanooga o n th eir way hom e .
P eggy Ware was the s ensation o f Chattanooga Th e .
story o f h er ach i evements seemed t o electrify every

h eart and h er name w a s o n e v ery ton gu e
, .
A b usy day sp ent in sight seein g every mo ment of -

,
wh ich was th e op ening of a n ew worl d to Molly A n

d e r s o n who h a d n eve r travel ed b eyond h er county
,
seat town b efore and another n ight i n the b ig h otel

, ,
from wh ich Peggy cou ld look dow n on myriads of

dancing lights an d th e party was ready for th e j ou rn ey
,
to th e Old h ome .
Th ere was b u t littl e talkin g d uring th e day as no ,
o n e see med inclined to b e comm unicativ e except M olly
An derso n The oth ers we re occup ied with th eir

.
thoughts .
“
You are th e silen te st lot I ever seed said M rs A n , .
d e r so n p eevi shl y H ere I a m j est a b u stin Op en to ’

-
.
,
t a lk about al l I ve see n an you all set h ere an say

’
,
’ ’
n uth in I n ever knowe d th e world wu s h alf so bi g

.
b efore an I a m that exc ited I ain t got good s en se

,
’ ’
.
A s n o on e r e p lie d s h e pok ed h er hu sband in th e rib s

,
‘
h al f an grily Wake u p Cliff an tell m e s u m t h in

.
, ,
’ ’
.
”
Ain t th is th e place whare you got R uth P Sh e did not
’
seemingly compl ete the sentence b ut th e b ig man b y

'
h er side was wide awak e n ow and ann oyed if not -

,
a n gry .
“
Yes h e hissed th is is th e place whare I got
, ,
R uth s b ig doll th e last ti me I w u s ever up h ere I

’
.
wonder how many more ti m es you re gwin e to ax m e ’
”
that d d fool qu estion
—
.
’
S cus e me Cl i ff I didn t th ink
,
An d sh e s eem ed
,
’
.
hal f a fraid o f h er h usband .

B AC K TO THE O LD HO M E 1 87
I a x yore pardon all u v y o u h e said shamefacedly , , , .
J est wh en yo u th ink you got th e devil down h e rises ,

’
up a n trips you I guess it s a ra s s e lin match with a
’
.
’
”
fell er lik e m e all his l ife .
N eve r m ind M r Anderson said Peggy ,

It .
, .
does n t soun d h al f bad wh en you s a y it and we ll all

’
,
’
”
forget it if y ou want u s too
,
.
H e turned i n h is seat s o h e coul d look h er squ arely

in th e fac e .
“
’
I m looki n at th e b est angel an th e gran dest woma n
’ ’
i n al l th e world h e said ,
.
“
You r w ife a n d I are h igh ly flattered M r Anderson , .
,
”
f o r y ou were look ing at both o f us P eggy lau gh ingly ,
repl i ed .
H uh h e don t mean m e grunte d h is wife

,
’
An I ,
.
’ ‘
wouldn t want hi m to clas s m e w ith y o u Peggy C a use

’
, ,
’
th ey ai n t nobody i n th e world in yore class

’
.
1
>< >1< >1
<
Th e n ews o f th e Wares com in g had preceded th em ’

,
and t h e entire co m munity f o r m iles aro u n d gath ered

at th e dilap idated ol d grav eyard where P eggy s moth er ’
was buried P eg gy was kis sed an d caresse d u ntil a

.
dear o ld sou l cam e to th e rescu e .
“ ” “
Pore ch ild S h e said sh e won t have a stitch of
, ,
’
cloth es on e f everybody that loves h er gits a chan ce t o

hu g h er an they won t git th rough afore sun down
,
’ ’
”
eith er .
O f Wilb u r Ware th ey stood in awe f o r th ey remem ,
b ered the au stere doctrin e h e had p reached to th em ,
and th en a fter h is wife s death h ow h e had d enied

,
’
Go d and b u rned h is books .
N ew earth had b een heap ed on th e grav e an d th is ,
was covered with fl owers that had b een b rought by

loving ha n ds Th e stone had b een p laced at th e h ead
.
o f th e grave and everyon e waited b reath less f o r th e

,
188 PEGGY WA RE
fi rst word from th eir forme r pastor W hen h e stood .
up an d placed on e han d on th e ston e th e peopl e ,
scarcely recognized hi m .
H is face h ad undergon e a marv elou s change Th e .
corners o f his mouth no longer drooped an d th e hard , ,
b urden ed care worn l ook had left h is face P eace an d

,’
—
.
cal m had taken th e place of devastating doubt and a ,
radian ce of love e manated from h im th at all cou ld

feel .
“
M y frien ds h e said it i s meet that I sh ou ld co me
, ,
back to th is spot to deliver my m essage to y o u an d to

th e worl d .
“
When w e w ere last h ere th e clou ds were l owering ,
th e snow falling an d th e winte r wind shrieked th rou gh

,
th e trees an d m y sou l was more desolate than th e

,
winter fo r I felt that Go d had hi d H is fac e from me

, .
Today it is su m mer Th e su nsh in e is golden th e .

,
’
fl owers are ab lo om th e wind is a s soft a s evening ,
z ephyrs and my soul rej oices b ecause I have seen

,
G od face to face an d know that H e n ever h id H is face

from m e bu t that I hid my fac e from H i m and refu sed
,
to s e e H i m .
“
Wh en we bu ried my b eloved wife I refu sed to open ,
my mouth an d y o u were all su rprised h urt and in d ig

, , ,
nant I didn t know j u st why I did s o th en b ut I

.
’
u nderstan d n ow I had n oth ing to s ay I had n o . .
me ssage o f faith an d hop e for I myself had none , .
“
I had p reach ed a d ead religion to y o u an d wh en ,
th e great crisis cam e i nto my li fe I had noth ing t o ,
su stain m e I did n o t know G od M y con ception of

. .
H i m w a s on e based on man made th eology Th e th e -

.
ology that I had l earn ed mak es Go d a big all p owerful ,

-
man angry revengeful wh o m u st b e propitiated in

, , ,
order to win H is favor .

190 PEGGY WA RE
that H is followers shoul d do grea t e r things tha n H e
had ever done .
“
F or a tim e th e early ch urch worship p ed a spiritual
,
Go d an d it was filled with a p ower and z eal that hav e

,
not yet exp ended th emselves .
“
A fter a tim e h owever th e pol itici an s an d t h e olo
, ,
gian s got hold of th e ch u rch and deth roned th e G od o f

I saiah a n d J e s u s an d enth ron ed th e G od of th e J ews
.
,
and th e h eath en world M en o f s cien ce th inki ng me n

.
, ,
were drive n away fro m th e chu rch a n d it l ost its ,
p ower .
“
M en even deni ed Ch rist an d mock ed at th e B ibl e , ,
b ecau se th e th eologian s h ad preach ed a materialistic

Go d an d given th e B ibl e a materialistic interpretation .
“
1 was as gu ilty as th e worst o f th em an d wh en th e ,
l igh t fail ed m e I wandered in a H el l o f darkn ess

, ,
with out a ray o f h op e .
“
At last th e dawn Cam e an d I awoke as from a h o r ,
rib le d ream I w a s b orn again I w a s a new creatu re

. .
.
I kn ew my divin e origin th at I wa s a son of G od that —

,
H is spirit dwel t in m e that H e chan geth n ot that I , ,
have always b een H is son fro m b efore th e fou n datio n

o f th e worl d an d th at I wi ll al ways b e H i s
, I know .
now that th ere is nothin g in all G od s un iverse t o b e ’
afraid O f except mys el f th is animal sel f and that wh en

, , ,
I crucify s elf h enceforth n o evil thin g ca n com e ni gh

,
me and li fe will b e on e anth em o f p raise fore v er an d

,
forever !
H e had fini sh ed an d p ronounc ed th e b en ediction b e
fore his au dienc e realized that h e was don e Th ere .
arose a great S igh as fro m o n e man and each on e ,
turn ed to h is n eighbor but n o on e spoke Th e sil e n ce

,
.
grew pain ful b u t n o on e was willi n g to b reak it

,
.
Wilb u r Ware w a s rooted to th e spot and over al l ,

B AC K TO THE O LD HO M E 19 1
th ere seemed t o broo d a sp irit that woul d n ot l et

th e m go .
Peggy was s ittin g near h er m oth er s grave Sh e ’

.
aros e an d stood b esid e her fath er H e wondered what .
sh e woul d s a y .
“
We u sed to sin g a son g t hat som e o f us loved in th e
” “
old days sh e sai d and I th ink w e will sin g it again
, , .
”
You can j oin m e in th e choru s .
Then h er voice rose quaverin g an d un certain at fi rst

, ,
“
b ut S oon clear vib rant sou l stirring We shall m eet
,
-
.
beyon d th e r i ver Wh ere th e su rges c eas e to roll

, ,
Wh ere in al l th e gla d forever Sorrow n e er sh all reach

,
’
”
th e soul .
A thousan d voices j oin ed in th e ch oru s an d as th ey ,
san g th ey p ass ed in procession wringing Wilbu r

, ,
Ware s han d telling h i m that h is m essage had b rough t

’
n ew h op e to th eir sou ls .
=1
<
Peggy sp ent a few days gath erin g u p th e fi fty boys

an d gi rl s that sh e had arran ged q uarters f or at h er
school It was a happ y lot of sh y awkward rosy
.
, ,
ch eek ed youn gsters th at gath ered at th e l ittl e station

several miles away from th ei r mou n tain hom es E very .
b ody came to b id th em good bye an d tears mingl ed -

,
with s miles as th e last words w ere spok en .
Not o n e o f th em ha d ever ri dden o n a train and few ,
had ever s een a railroad .
Th e train arrived early i n th e mornin g and w a s due ,
in Chattanooga in th e a fternoon an d ev ery m il e o f th e ,
j ou rn ey h el d a n e w s en sation f or th e enth u sia stic

ch ildren .
Non e o f th em were u n d er fou rteen o r more than S ix

tee n years O f age a ll b ri gh t eyed an d rosy ch eek ed
,
- -
.
They represented p ure Anglo Saxo n b lood an d P eg gy -

,
fel t sure that th ey h a d in th em th e elem ents for th e

19 2 PEGGY WA RE
devel opm ent of th e h igh est typ e o f A merican Christian ,
citizen sh ip .
Wilb ur Ware an d Cli ff An derson had gon e to Chat

t a n o o g a a few days p reviou sly t o b e th ere wh en Peggy
an d M rs Anderson arrived w ith their moun tain
.
charges .
When th e train pul l ed into th e station th ere was

’
th e mayor o f th e city to greet th em an d with h im ,
P eggy s fath er an d Cli ff An derson

’
.
Words are inadequate to describ e the emotions o f

th e littl e grou p th at march ed down M ark et street .
Th e boys an d girl s w ere filled with wonder Cliff A n .
d e r s o n s stout h eart b eat more viol ently than it had

’
eve r don e on th e battlefi el d Wilb ur Ware s soul was .

’
l ifted to Go d in thank fuln ess .
Peggy was ov erwh el med at this n ew fruition o f h er

vi sion an d in her h eart sh e fel t h erself b ut a little ch ild ;
,
while th e M ayor stan di n g b efore h er with bared h ead

, ,
paid reveren ce to th e greatest woman in th e South .
M olly An derson was already moth er to every on e

“
o f th e fi fty T h ese kids got t o have s o m e t h in t o
’
.
“
eat s h e sai d
,
I recon th ey can git enou gh in Chat
.
’
t a n o o ga to keep em al ive til l w e git to B uck s Pock et

’ ’
,
”
wh are I kin cook em s o m e t h in fi t t e n to eat ’ ’
.
Th e M ayor had cal led a mass meetin g o f th e citiz en s

for that night at wh ich it w a s proposed to tel l th e
,
story Of th e Peggy Ware School A nd on th e follow .
ing mornin g P eggy and h er party would tak e th e

stea mer plyin g th e Tenn ess ee b etween Chat tanooga
and D ecatu r Alaba ma , .
It w a s a big curiou s throng that fi lled th e auditorium

,
wh en th e M ayor cal led th e m eetin g to order Peggy .
was in ignoran ce ab out th e p rogram o r th e part sh e

was exp ected to play I f sh e had known it is p robabl e .
,
1 94 PEGGY WARE
eloqu en c e and th e audience was cau ght in th e sweep
,
o f h er enthusias m and resp onded a s o n e man to h er

,
burning m essage .
Sh e sk etched h er plan s for an institution th a t Would

accommodate h undreds Of b oys an d girls wh ere th ey ,
coul d b e tau ght everyth in g that th ey m ight wish to

learn to mak e th em u seful citiz ens .
Sh e told th em o f th e magnificent tr a ct o f timb er lan d

that s h e wanted t o conv ert into things o f commerc i a l
valu e giving employmen t t o th e p upils le a ving th e
, ,
lan d cl ea r for scientifi c agriculture wh en s h e prop ose d ,
to grow eve r ything con su med by th e school Sh e told .
b ri efly o f h er plans fo r a herd o f h igh class J ersey

cows a poultry i n dustry a departm e n t for th e teach
, ,
ing Of D om estic S cience .
”
An d finally sh e said we ar e going t o teach ou r
, ,
boys and girl s th e p rincip les of Christianity as t a u ght

by J esu s Christ I n fact th is i s to b e th e fou ndatio n
.
,
an d basis of all o u r work W e sh all teach th em that

.
reli gion sci ence an d ph ilosophy are i n p erfect accord

, ,
an d that J esu s is th e model for al l th e ages and th a t ,
H e n ever uttered a word that is not in accord with th e

”
very latest scientific d iscoveries .
Sh e resu med h er seat and it w a s som e tim e b efore

,
th e M ayor coul d b e h eard ab ove th e ap plau se When .
“
q uiet was restored h e said : I want y o u to see th e
fifty boys an d girls th at M i ss Ware h as gathered up
i n o u r o w n Tenn essee mou ntain s Sh e is n ow on her .
”
way t o A labama with th em .
H e had p lac ed th e m back o f th e stage h id by a cu r ,
tain awaiting th e p sychological moment for th e M ayor

, ,
kn ew h ow to handl e h is au dience H e ordered th e cur .
tain raised an d fi fty boys and girls almost as w il d as

, ,
th e foxes o f th eir mountain fastn ess es l ooked with ,
wonderin g eyes o n th e au dienc e o f wel l dressed men -

BAC K TO THE O LD HO M E 19 5
and wom en Some o f th em were bare footed All of

. .
them were dressed i n h omespun b ut they had spl en did ,
physiqu es and open cou ntenances .
This overt proo f o f th e work of th e Peggy Ware

School a rou sed th e enthu siasm o f th e audien ce to th e
high est pitch and men from all parts o f th e au ditoriu m
,
“
b egan to shout What do you want u s to do M r
, ,
.
”
M ayor ?
“
We are com in g to that in a moment h e said ,
.
B ut first I want you to m eet M iss Wa re s fath er ’

.
Wilbu r Ware s words went hom e t o every h eart an d

’
.
his h earers proclaimed hi m a father worthy Of such a

daughter a s P eggy .
The n th ere w ere lou d call s for Cli ff A nderson and ,
h e tried to hide bu t wa s dragged from h is plac e by

,
th e M ayor an d wh en presented to th e audienc e th ere

,
“ ”
w ere h owls o f delight I ain t n o sp eaker h e said .
’
, ,
“’
case I n ever had n o book la r n in I fit in th e C on ’
.
federate a r mv wh en I wu s a big barefooted b oy like

o n e o f th es e fellers here an wh en I got back ho me ’
they warnt n o schools an I had to work fer my ,

’
moth er an th e oth er kids I m ight a b in somebody

’
.
e f I had b een e d y ca t e d bu t a s it i s I ain t nobody a n

’ ’
, ,
’ ’
don t know noth in .
“
I ain t got many more years in this world b ut al l
’
th e rest of e m an every dollar I got is gwin e to th e

’ ’
’
Peggy Ware S chool to h elp sav e a s many boys an gals
”
as possibl e fru m gr ow in u p in ig n a n ce like I don e’
.
The o l d Wil d Catter had tou ch ed th e soul of th e

au dience an d wh en th e M ayor call ed for donation s
, ,
there was a deluge O n e man w h o own ed th e finest

.
h erd o f J ers ey cattl e in Tenness ee gav e a doz en cows .
Anoth er donated a full lin e o f agricu ltural in struments .
A big furn iture dealer said h e would fu rnish th e school

buil din g a n d dormitories co mpl ete Th en th ere we r e .
196 PEGGY WARE
gifts O f cloth ing gifts of money an d gifts gifts until
, , , ,
“
M ol ly An derson exclaimed : E f th ey p ut it all on
th e stea mboat sh e l l sink to th e bottom of th e river
,
’
,
”
shore .
B u t th ey did get it all o n th e steam er Sh e de .
layed h er sailing f o r several hours in order that noth

ing migh t be left b ehin d .
A t last th ey were o ff th e boys an d girl s leaning

—
over th e railin g th eir h earts fi lled w ith a happ iness

,
th ey had n ever known b efore an d near th em stood

,
P eggy wavin g good bye t o the friends wh o had gath

,
—
ered to s e e the m o n th eir voyage .

1 98 PEGGY WARE
'
O nce I p eep ed throu gh th e keyhole a nd saw h er .
Sh e sat in th e m iddle of th e room all h u ddl ed up o n

th e floor an d I coul d h ear h er mu mbl ing to h ersel f
, .
I l istened fascinated frighten ed I t w a s som e tim e

, , .
b efore I coul d understan d her F inally I made ou t .
“ ”
that s h e w a s saying I a m s o lonesome so lon esom e
, , ,
an d it h u r t m e s o that I b egan to cry and ran away

,
, ,
”
an d I have n ever b een back since .
D octor Weston was el ectrifi ed by R uth s simpl e r e ’
cital H ere was a condition th at h e h ad doubted

.
existe d anywh ere i n this twentieth century c iviliza

tion H e had credited most of th e stories h e had h eard
.
a s largely i maginary but h e coul d n ot doubt R uth

, .
H er recital had reveal ed to h i m h er o w n depth of

feel ing and h uman sym p athy an d had arous ed in h im ,
a desire f o r i m mediate action .
S u r ely th e St a te pr ovides a n i n sti t utio n wh e r e

“
such u nfortunates ca n b e treated h e said I f so , .
,
” ’
why do th ey confin e h er lik e a wild b east P a sk ed D r .
Som ervill e .
“
Th ere is a plac e call ed th e A sylu m wh e r e i n sa n e
p eop l e are cared f o r but th ese mount a i n folks a re
,
qu eer that way An d wh en o n e o f th em gets th is

.
‘
lonesome disease th ey never tell th e p rop er a u t h ori
’
ties b ut b u ild a hut like the o n e I tol d you a bout a n d

, ,
shut th e a ffl icted on e up in it until d eath comes to t e

”
lieve h er of h er loneliness .
D octor Westo n could h ardly wait for th e morrow

to visit D ead M an s G ul ch and h is min d was b usy
’
in th e m ea n ti me tur n in g over R uth s strange story ’

.
S ince th e departure o f th e A n derso n s Peggy an d h er ,
fathe r R uth and D r Weston had b een much to

, .
geth er H e had undertaken h e r edu catio n and follow

.
,
i n g h is metho d o f brai n bu il ding sh e had learn ed mo r e ,
in a few month s tha n sh e woul d h a v e l earned i n th e

T H E LO N E S O M E FO LKS 19 9
o ld haphazard way in as many years H er u s e o f .
E nglish was w ell nigh p erfect and h er progress in ,
oth er lin es o f study were equally pronounc ed H e .
had tau gh t h er to call him J ohn wh ich w a s qu ite ,
against h er i n cl ination f o r s h e stood in su ch awe of

,
him To h er h e w a s h er G od man an d h er love for

.
,
h i m was ak in to worship .
A s th e days pass ed D r Westo n s lov e f o r th is fast

, .
’
developing mountain girl grew apace and h e w a s s a t ,
is fi e d and h is soul was at peace H e was content to .
s ettl e down in th is hav e n o f rest b uild a home nest ,
with th is b eautiful girl as h is mate an d sp en d h is life ,
qu ietly laboring for th e upli ft o f these ignorant peop l e .
H is V ision w a s not compl ete wit h ou t P eggy sh e ,
o f th e golden h air and soulful eyes Yes P eggy wa s .

,
di ff erent What a wonderful girl S he w a s

. So u n .
lik e anyon e he had ever k nown or read about I n h er .
p resenc e h e always exp eri enced a thrill that startled

h i m H er voice electrifi ed hi m h er touch cause d him
.
,
to tre mbl e in every limb Yes h e understood I t was

.
,
.
Peggy s soul E veryon e felt it Sh e cast a spell over

’
. .
ma n a nd b e a st H e rememb ered h o w th e vicious b ull

.
d o g su rren dered to th at sam e power that swayed h i m .
Peggy was not made for love Sh e w a s too high above .
ordinary mortals fo r that NO man in th e world w a s .
big enough for Peggy s love H er love coul d n ever

’
.
b e p erso n al ; it must b e u niversal .
O h yes h is life work was to b e alongside o f P eggy

, ,
.
Th e though t thrill ed h im What a gloriou s p rivil ege .
to b e a co work er with o n e whos e sh oe latch ets h e felt

-
unworthy to unloose H e h eav ed a great sigh and

.
,
R uth ever watch ful of hi s chan gin g moods sai d s o

, ,
l icit ou s ly :
“
Why d o yo u sigh J ohn , , dea r ? What are y o u
”
t hinking a b o ut P
200 PEGGY WARE
I am thinking o f th e lonely folks R uth ; th ere are ,
so many of th em in th is worl d .
>1< >1< >1< 1

><
R uth and J oh n were up with th e s u n and ready for

’
an early start to D ead M an s G u lch I t was qu ite a .
distan ce and th ey plann ed an al l day trip of explora

,
tion in th e great woods th e fathoml ess gorges and

'
, ,
a mong th e lonesome p eop l e in w ho m D octor Weston

was s o deeply i nterested .
Th e way l ed up th e rocky trail that formerly led

t o Anderson s distill ery I t was th e month o f J uly
’
.
an d th e forests were cloth ed in th eir densest foliage ,
an d in their dep th s a thou sand l ocusts an d katydids

,
outvied each oth er in rau cou s song wh il e myriads o f ,
in sects j oin ed in th e choru s I n th e shady nooks th e .
dew drop s woul d tremb le on th e l eaves a n d gr a ss u ntil

th e su n reach ed its m eridian O n th e rail road ten .
m ile s away th e mor ning express b ound for Chatta

,
n o o ga sent forth it s sh rill whi stl e and th e ech oes r e ,
verb erated an d pu lsated th rough th e Pock et an d h igh

up among th e cl i ff s and p eaks A steamboat on th e .
T enn ess ee bl ew a coars e blast an d it sounded so ,
plainly th at it might have b een j u st dow n at the mouth

of Sauty Creek .
R uth expl ain ed to D octor W es t on that this stilln ess

o f natu re which caused sounds to travel such long ,
distan ces forebo ded rai n p erh aps a thunder sto r m ,

.
H e lau gh ed at h er p roph ecy an d pointed to a sky of ,
az ure b lu e w ithout a fl eck of cloud o n th e horizon

, .
As th ey asc ended D ead M a n s G u lch th e su n r e ’

,
mi n ded th em that it was m id su mmer an d th e air w a s -

,
ful l Of h um idity D octor Weston was p ersp iring

.
freely a n d frequ ently stopp ed i n th e shade o f a tree

, ,
’
removed his hat and mopped h is brow to R uth s g r eat
, ,
a mu sem e n t H er ste p over the rough b oulders was

.
20 2 “
PEGGY WA RE
t o m o b il es
b efore long and th e n w e wil l banish th e ,
steer language alon g with th e steers .
“ ”
You don t s a y s o repl ied th e Old man i n op en
’
, ,
“
,
mouthe d aston ish ment Wall I gu ess I ll fall back .

,
’
fudd er i n th e m ountains wh en all th em th ings come ,

’
cas e I m t oo old t o larn any n ew lan guage a n you ,
’
”
have to cuss a steer to mak e h i m min d you .
R uth h ad th e Old man talk in g now and sh e thought ,
it opportun e to tel l hi m the obj ec t o f th eir visit S he .
explain ed to h im wh o D octor Weston was his inter ,
est in p eop l e a ffl icted w ith th e lonesom e diseas e and ,
said that th e D octor wanted t o s e e his w ife with a

V i ew of stu dying h er cas e and cu ring h er if p ossible , .
“
Ef y o u wan t Cli ff A n derson s gal I d a mighty
’ ’ ’
h eap soon er take mv gu n to ye b ut b ein s youse h is ,

’
gal I ll do anyth in g y o u s ay cas e I kn ow it s fer h er

,
’
,
’
good and h e j erk ed h is thu mb in the general d ire c

,
tion Of a cabin th at stood in o n e c orner O f th e cl ear

ing .
O n th e way to th e hous e Weston plied h im with ,
n u merous qu estions as h e w a s eager f o r information ,
ab ou t th ese qu eer peopl e .
“
Sh e s b een that way fer tw enty years I supp ose
’
, ,
’
h e sa id but not b avin book l a r n in I can t coun t
,
’ ’
tim e v ery w ell I fust n oticed it wh en ou r boy di ed

. .
”
W e bu ried h i m right up th ere o n that knol l and h e ,
pointed t o a moss grow n mou n d wh ere stood a crude -
“
wooden cross I u sed to m ak e a crap every year down
.
in th e river b ottoms an sometimes I wou l d b e gon e ,

’
a month at a time an s h e wu s h ere all by h erself after ,

’
,
”
h e died an d again h e indica ted th e lo n ely moun d o n
,
“ ’
th e hillside Sh e didn t h ave n o o n e to talk t o an
.
’
’ ’
S h e d set a l l day by h is grave j est a starin at nuthin
’
.
’ ’
E very ti me I d com e hom e I d k etch h er settin thare
‘ ’
’
j est tha t way O n e ti me I come an s h e did n t kn ow
.
,
’
T H E LO N E S O M E FO L K S 2 03
m e an s h e commenced to screa m wh en sh e seed m e

,
’
,
’ ’
calli n m e a devil an sayin I k illed h er b oy an wu s
’
,
’
goin to di g h i m up a n tak e h i m away I cal led h er

’ ’
.
by n am e I talked to h er I tried to tel l h er wh o I wus

, , ,
bu t it warn t no u se Then I tried to tak e h er t o th e ’

.
’
house b ut s h e fi t me l ik e a wild e a t an cu ss ed som e
, ,
th in awful I n e v er h e e rd her cu ss b efore an it made

’
.
’
my hair stand straight u p cas e s h e had al lus b ee n good ,

’
sense sh e got rel igion at on e o th e m ca mp m e e t in s an ’ ’
,
’
’
S h e allu s talked t o m e an th e k id abou t G od an sh e ’
,
”
made that cross a n p ut it at th e h ead o f h is grav e ’
.
The old man s wrinkl ed weath er beaten fac e was ’
n o w workin g convulsively revealin g a dep th o f feel ,
ing b en eath h is rough exterior .
Wal l they warn t n uth in to do b u t sh et h e r u p ’ ’
somers c a se sh e w u s likely to kil l m e an h ersel f t oo ’

.
I had j est b uilt a n ew crib t o p ut my corn in a n it ,

’
wu s th e only p lac e I could p ut h er to b e safe case ’

‘
,
’ ’
thare war n t no winders an no fi re p lace a n a goo d ,
’
stout door sh ette r so I coul d fasten h er up wh en I

had to go away to my work I put h er i n thare an .
,
’
b l iev e m e it war a man s j ob

’
’
I didn t have n o shirt .
’
o n a n pow ful little ski n o n my fac e when I g o t h er

’ ’
,
in A n fer a Week day an n ight S h e s creamed and

.
’
,
’
,
cuss ed an I n ever slept a wink I m ost w ent crazy

’
.
,
too I ki n h ear her yet so meti m es wh en th e wind

.
”
r oa r s i n th e mou n tai n s o f winter nights an d th e old ,
“
ma n shu ddered I p oked th ings in th e door fer h er .
’
to eat an S h e would n t tech a b ite b ut b r ok e th e
,
’
,
’
dish es a gin th e wall u ntil th ey war n t n othin left but ’
som e tin cup s an plates ’

.
“
By an by she b egi n to moan l ike a n it grew
’
,
’
weak er an weaker Ou ti l it were o nly a wh isp er Then

’
.
o n e m o r n in I wen t to carry h er b reakfast an sh e was

’ ’
,
’ “
si t ti n o n th e floor sayin : I m lon eso me I m lone ’ ’
.
’
204 PEGGY WA RE
some an e f sh e s ever spok e anoth er word i n a ll
,
’ ’
”
th ese twenty years I ain t h e e r d it ,
’
.
Th ey entered th e cab in and th e baren ess of th e ,
walls th e p au city of th e furn ish in g th e ab se n ce o f

, ,
ev eryth ing a c1 v iliz e d woman s heart craves ch illed ’
“
Weston s h eart To h is inq uiry B owen said
’
. No ,
:
w e never had a book She u se to want a B ible b ut .

,
I wouldn t git o n e cas e sh e couldn t read An wh en

’ ’ ’
.
’
o u r boy died s h e said : O h G od e f I j est had a B ibl e

,
‘
, ,
to b u ry w ith h im ! an d th en I w ish ed I had bought ’
h er o n e but it wus t o o late

,
.
“
Sh e n ever w u s o u t o B uck s Pocket but o n c e in ’
h er life that wu s wh en sh e wu s a girl j est afo r e w e

,
marri ed Sh e w ent to a p e rt ra ct e d m e et in o u t o n th e
.
’
’
mountain an p e r f e s se d religion b ut after w e marri ed .
,
sh e n ever l eft D ead Man s G ulch Sh e n ev er seed in ’

.
S id e a n o t h e r m e e t in hous e an n ever knowed what a ’ ’

e ’
r a il r o izd o r stea mboat look ed l ike I n ever th ought .
nuth in mu ch ab out it til s h e go t this disease a n I

’ ’
,
’
’
b een s t u d y in a l ot to fi gge r o u t what it is .
When s h e got to sayi n I m lon esome I thou ght ’ ‘ ’

,
’
it w u s fer th e boy an I recon it wu s so mewh at that ,

’ ’
,
b ut I gu ess it were w o rs e r n that I know more n ’

.
’
h er in j est th e sam e fix an so me of em h av e a whol e ,

’ ’
p ass el of ch illu n livin and th ey git s o lon esome th ey ’
hav e to b e l ocked up Why stranger half th ese .

, ,
wom e n n ever w ent twenty m iles away fru m h ome in

th eir lives Th ey ain t go t n o book l a rn in they ai n t
.
’ ’
,
’
got n o m u sic n o stoves to cook o n no s ewin ma , ,

’
ch in es n o t even a washboard to rub thei r close o n

,
.
’
Th e men folks gi t o u t an work hunt an fi sh fi ll up ’
, ,
on wild cat l ick er an fight sometimes a n it keeps em

-
,
’
,
’ ’
from d y in of lon esomen ess Th en w e go to th e lection

’
.
’
once in a wh ile an to Court an w e take our cotton ’
,
’
to town an sell it arid h ear lots o f n ews abou t wha t s

’ ’
206 PEGGY WARE
wanted h i m to co me down a n d work at th e s a w mill
wh ere h e coul d b e n ear h is wife wh e n n eeded .
1
>< 1
>< >< 1
R uth and J oh n had not proceeded far o n th e return

j ourn ey wh en t h ey were startl ed by a v ivi d flash o f
,
lightnin g f ollowed by a crash of thun der L ooking

, .
to th e South th ey s a w a clou d rollin g u p l ik e th e

,
boilin g of a h uge caul dron B efore it th ey sa w droves .
o f b ird s ra cing to escap e th e coming storm wh ile an

, ,
eagl e cou ld b e seen mou n ting to dizzy h eights wh ere ,
h e coul d bask i n th e sun sh in e d efyin g the r a gi n g el e ,
men ts b elow .
“
W e mu st h urry sai d R uth an d fin d a place o f, ,
”
S h elter for th e clou d i s travelin g l ik e a race hors e
,
.
Sh e led th e way speeding like a fawn J ohn followin g

, ,
hard b ehin d J ust as th e first b ig rain drops b ega n

.
t o patter down th ey reach ed an overhanging sh elving

,
rock b en eath o n e of t h e great rock wal ls ov erlook ing

th e Pocket Th ey w ere hardly seated until th e storm
.
bu rst in al l it s fury Th e sun w a s ob scured and b ut .

,
for th e l igh tn in g it was alm ost as dark as n ight

,
.
E very mom ent s eemingly th e clou d b el ch ed forth

, ,
great S h eets o f flam e and th e valley b elow for an in ,
st ant w a s filled with liqu id fi re an d th en th e th u n der ,
cra sh ed p eal follow in g p eal a s if all h eaven s ar

, ,
’
till ery h ad b een con centrated i n this on e spot .
Th e rain fel l in torrents and in a l ittl e wh il e there ,
were doz en s Of m iniature cataracts where th e water ,
pou re d over th e S ides o f th e rock wall R uth s h eart .

’
beat viol ently a s J oh n placed o n e arm about h er a n d ,
h eld h er clos e so cl o se that h e coul d feel its wil d

,
”
b eating .
F o r a long ti me no word was S p oken as each h esi ,
t a t e d to b reak th e S il enc e o f th e awe insp irin g scen e -

.
I t was th e woma n who fi rst gave utteran ce t o h er

T H E L O N E S O M E FO LKS 2 07
”
t houghts Why do w e love each oth er ? sh e asked
.
,
lookin g shyly into th e man s strong intens e face ’

, .
“
Ah my l ittle sweeth eart y o u have ask ed a ques
, ,
tio n that th e p oets sages an d ph ilosop h ers O f al l th e

, ,
”
ages hav e never been ab le t o a n swer repl ied h er ,
“
love r Why do th e birds mate ; why does th e flow er
.
seek its lover ; why does an atom o f matter rep el o n e

at o m that seek s it an d emb races with al most hu man
,
intelligenc e anoth er atom exactly like th e first so far

,
a s i s revealed by th e most pow erful m i croscop e ? I t i s

th e law of attraction an d is o n e o f G od s great mys
,
’
”
t e r ie s .
“ ”
Why did y o u come to B ucks P ock et ? s h e asked .
Why did P eg gy Ware co me ? Why do th ings hap

”
p en in th is w orld a n yw a y ? ,
“
You are th ink ing R uth an d I a m afraid you are
, ,
think ing t o o deeply for me I a m very prou d of you .

,
dea r Y o u are a won derful girl and I l ov e y ou very

.
, ,
”
v ery m u ch .
“ ’
I t s good to h ear y o u s ay that John but it doesn t
’
, ,
answer my qu estion ; You know I have b een b rought

u p in i gnorance j u st like thousan ds of girls in th e
mountains and now I a m h un gr y to know I wan t
, .
to know wh ere I cam e from Surely y o u can tel l me .
for y o u are so wise You tell m e I hav e a soul I

. .
ha v e n ever s een it but I d o feel som ething won derful

,
sometim es How long h a s my sou l l ived ? I s it Older

.
than my body ? You say G od is in my soul Please .
”
tell me abou t th ese things and th e earnest eager , ,
eyes th e ten se face tol d hi m that h ere w a s no i dl e

,
questione r .
H e was very sol em n now H ere w a s a n earn est .
soul grop in g for th e light and h e had b ee n sent as h er

,
teacher and h e realiz ed that h is w a s n o t only a sacred

,
duty but th e greatest p rivilege that ca n co me to a ny

,
208 PEGGY WARE
one I n simp l e language that even a l ittl e ch ild migh t
.
,
understand h e said : ,
“
R uth it fi ll s m e w ith great j oy to fin d that y o u
,
are al ready on the way to what J esu s cal led life and ‘
l ife more ab undant H e was th e great master b u t s o

.
’
few have grasp ed th e spiritual m eaning of his teach

in gs that th e great m aj ority Of mankin d are still grop
ing in th e dark b ut th e light is b reak ing a s n ever
,
b efore o n th is p lanet .
“
You r soul h a s always l ived an d fo r som e reason it ,
ca m e to inh ab it you r b ody at b irth I do not know .
why b ut somewh ere in th e great mysteriou s eth er

,
that fi lls al l th e universe i s a compl ete record of all

th e past exp eriences o f you r soul and if w e coul d read ,
th is record we wou ld understan d why w e are here

,
togeth er at th is moment inhabiting th ese b odies , .
S ome day w e shall b e ab l e t o read th is record f or it ,
i s th e photographic pl ate on wh ich is recorded or pho

t o g r a p h e d ev ery thought an d every act that h a s ever
,
b een from th e time wh en th e morning stars fi rst sang

togeth er .
O ur though ts are th e most real th ings ab out u s ,
for th ey n ever die Th ey live fore v er stamped o n

.
,
this universal eth er an d th ey are forc es fo r eith er good

,
o r ill E very th ought I th ink will l iv e th rou gh out th e

.
ages an d wil l a ff ect me an d al l oth er sou l s to a ce r

,
tain degree This is why th e Masters have told u s

.
that w e mu st give an account for every thought w e

think O u r th ou ghts are th e language o f th e soul an d
.
,
th is is why th ou ghts are so m u ch m ore i mportant than

th e words o f ou r lips I t i s th rough o u r thoughts that
.
we talk to Go d H e sees every thought reco rded o n

.
th e un iversal eth er and can read th e record an d we i n

, ,
turn tou ch G od know Go d s ee G od th rough thi s

, , ,
m ediu m Of th e soul .
2 10 PEGGY WA RE
ben eath th e cl i ff an d turned homeward A gloriou s ,
.
rainbow w a s in th e S ky b oth end s restin g U pon th e ,

“
earth on e j ust a l ittle way down th e trail
,
I a m go .
”
ing to th e end o f th e rainbow said R uth to fin d a , ,
”
p ot o f gold an d away s h e sp ed leavin g J oh n far b e ;
, ,
h in d .I t wa s restin g o n a c l ump of h on eysu ckle

b ush es as R uth though t and s h e w a s sure s h e could
, ,
stan d i n its gorgeou s colorin g wh en sh e reached th e

spot B reathless S h e stopp ed where th e en d of th e
.
,
rainbow rested and it was a disapp ointed face that,
greeted J oh n wh en h e cam e U p w ith h er .
“ ”
S ee Joh n ! sh e exclai med It moved j u st a s fast
, ,
a s I ran an d n o w it is j us t a s fa r away as wh en I
,
”
started H e made n o reply but sh e Observed a l ook
.
,
“
o f sadness c reep into h is face Why are y o u so s a d .
,
” “
dear ? sh e asked You seeme d s o h appy j ust a lit.
”
tl e wh il e a go .
“
I wa s th inkin g R uth that th e en d of th e rainbow , ,
i s l ik e ou r dreams o f happ in ess o f p erfection Th is , .
enchanted lan d is always j u st o u t yonder and w e ru n ,
eagerly to reach it th inkin g to S it down an d say Sou l , ,

‘
take thin e ease b ut wh en w e get th ere like th e rain

,
’
bow s en d it is j ust a s far away a s it w as b efore We

’
, .
rest awh il e an d start again su re th is ti me w e can over

, ,
take it W e ru n faster than ever and at th e end mak e

.
,
o n e tremen dou s leap s ure th at w e are i n time b ut 10 ! , , ,
o u r fairy lan d has va n ish ed W e look ah ead with .
tears of d isap p ointm ent dim ming o u r eyes an d mock ,
in gly it b eckon s U S o n I sometim es th ink it w ill b e .
”
s o through th e countless ages o f eternity .
We can b e h appy ev en if w e don t fi nd th e en d o f ’
”
th e r a inbow said R uth trying to dispel h is serious
, ,
“
m ien M ayb e someti me wh en w e see Go d it wil l b e
.
,
”
the en d o f th e rainbow don t y o u th ink s o J oh n P ,
’
,
“
God knows R uth ; th ere a re some th ings too deep
,
T H E L O N E S O M E FO LK S 211
for m e an d you p ers ist in gettin g m e b eyo n d my

,
d epth N ow on e more kiss and mak e me forget every

.
, ,
”
th ing in the world b ut y o u .
L ov in gly h e folded h er in his arms and lookin g into

,
h er eyes wh ere h e read th e depth o f a woman s love

,
’
,
“
h e said : R uth th is is th e end of th e rainbow f o r
,
”
me .
C H AP T E R S I! T E E N
B E HOL D WHA T A F L AME A LI T T LE
S P ARK K IN D LE T H
E G G Y cam e in to h e r shrine of s ilence a s Sim o n

w a s arranging a bouqu et of roses on h er table ,
still fresh w ith th e morni n g dew on th e m .
”
Scu s e m e fer not b ein th rough h e apologiz ed ’
, ,
but I wu s j es foo lin along o n p urpose I recon b e

’ ’
, ,
’
case I feel s o n igh d e L awd h ea h I likes to stay a s long ,
as I kin .
“
D en I wu s t h in k in o b all dat ev a h hap p en to m e ’
se n ce I k in fu st me mbah an it s eemed S O wo n de r fu l
’
,
’
dis m a w n in I gu ess I m u s b e about eighty fi v e yeahs

’
.
’
—
O ld n ow cordin to de way you a n Capn M assa Lee

,
’ ’ ’ ’
’
fi gg er s an I l ib to see d e gran des school in de wo r l
’ ’
.
,
an you doin what nobody ev a h th ough t o f doin

’ ’ ’
W ithou t stopp in g for Peggy to rep ly th e Old , d a rkv

“
co n tin u ed : Talk abou t h a v in faith lack a grain Ob ’
m u s t a h d s eed an p ullin a sycamore tree up by de

’ ’
’
roots an den plantin it in de s ea dat ain t n uth in to ’
,
’ ’
what you s e don e b eah in B ucks Pock et You se d o ne .
m o a h dan p ullin u p all de trees in B u ck s Pocket a n

’ ’
d a m m in u p de Tenn essee r iv e h You do n e made dis

’
.
’ ’
p lac e ovah an it s a garden Ob E den to whu t it wu s
,
”
wh en w e fust com e h ea h .
“
Don t say tha t I did it S imon You h ave b een j ust
’
,
.
a s i mp ort an t a factor a s I h ave Y o u wil l never know .

2 14 PEGGY WARE
’ ’
b u il d in on t il d e whole worl will b e full ob d e sam e
”
sort ob H ea b e n w e got h e a h in B u cks Pocket ? th e
o ld fellow asked , looki n g earnestly at Peggy .
Well yes Si mo n that s j ust what it mean s I f

, , ,
’
.
’
w e wou ld accep t Christ s spiritual teach ings and liv e
th em it would solve all th e worl d s prob lems i n dus
,
’
trial s o cia l a n d oth erwise We woul d have n o more

, ,
»
.
wars fa min es strikes o r cri me

, S i n and sick n ess
, ,
.
woul d b e b an ish ed from th e earth a n d with th es e ,

”
evil s gone th ere would b e n o more p overty
, .
“
A n i s dat wh at J esus pre a ch ed wh e n H e was b eah
’
o n di s earth P ”
ask ed S imon tremb lin g with excite ,
m ent .
“
Th is was H is teach in g S imon an d H e pr omise d , ,
its fu lfillm ent .
“ ”
D en why don t al l d e preach ers talk lak H e did P ’
I suppos e i t i s b ecaus e of a lack o f faith S imon I , .
”
s ee n o oth er reason .
“ ’
D e n d ey n eed a m u s t a h d p l a s t a h p lied t o dem

’
,
h e suggested a s h e quietly slipp ed out o f th e Shrin e

,
o f S il enc e h at i n ha n d ,
.
Wh en Peggy retu r n ed fro m h er vacation b ringi n g

th e fi fty boys and girl s from th e Tenn essee mountai n s ,
with a cargo of gifts fro m th e generou s p eople of

Chatta n ooga it mark ed a m ighty step fo r ward i n th e
,
l ife o f th e Peggy Ware S chool Th is m eant an addi .
t ion a l fi n an cial burde n fo r they must all b e cloth ed ,
a n d fed as w ell a s pro v ided with books .
Peggy s plans look ed to m a kin g th e sch ool as n early

’
elf su pp orting as possibl e a n d to th is e n d th e boys

-
, ,
an d gi r ls wh o w ere all abl e bodied willing work ers

,
-
, ,
were set to certain tasks for a period of fou r hours each

day Th is l ef t ampl e ti m e for s t u dy an d recreatio n
.
,
an d made th e pu p ils stro n g vigorou s a n d sel f relian t , ,

- .
Peggy b elieved in th e dignity of labor .

BE H O LD W H AT A F LA M E A L ITTL E S P A R K K I NDL E T H 215
“
B oys an d girls I want y o u to wo rk an d love you r
,
” “
work s h e tol d h er school
,
I t is good f o r your bodies .
,
you r minds and you r souls I b eli eve that every man
,
.
and woman no matter what th eir w ealth or cal ling

, ,
sh ou ld work with th eir han ds o u t i n G od s air and ’
sunshine for a littl e wh ile each day if i t is only to ,
tend a littl e garden a ros e b ush o r tak e care o f a smal l

, ,
flock o f chicken s o r any on e o f th e thousan d u seful

, ,
beautiful things th at on e ca n do Th e n earer w e get .
”
to n ature th e clos er w e come t o G od
,
.
Sh e always p racticed what s h e p reached an d with ,
h er o w n han ds s et th e exampl e f o r th e w om en o f
B u ck s Pock et H er deligh t was a tiny ros e garden
.
,
an d every morn ing b efore th e sun w a s up Peggy coul d ,
b e foun d caring fo r h er favorite fl Ow e r with loving

h ands .
B efore sh e came to B uck s Pock et th ere was not a ,
rose to b e s een except thos e that grew w ild i n th e

w oods ; n ow in al most every yard th ere was an imita
’
tion of Peggy s ros e garden ;
Th e b oys were u nder Anderson s s u rp e r v is io n and ’
aided in clearin g an d cultivating th e lan d a s well as ,
op erating th e s a w mil l b uilding hou ses and oth er u se ,
ful work .
Th e girls made all the garments f o r the s chool Th e .
Ol d fash ion ed loom a n d spinn ing wh eel had n ot b een

-
banish ed from B uck s Pocket and many of th e women ,
were exp erts in th e makin g o f cloth counterpan es a n d , ,
coverl ets From th is cloth th e girls fash ion ed th e uni

.
forms for th e p upils Th e cloth was dyed with native .
roots bark s and walnut h u lls with certain in gredients

, , ,
purchased from town an d th e b eauty an d ri chn ess of ,
coloring w a s a surpris e to all w h o visited th e P eggy

Ware S chool .
’
Soon afte r P eg gy s return from h er ol d h o me in th e
2 16 PEGGY WA RE
C u m b e r la n d m o u n t a in s Doctor W eston tol d h er O f h is
,
“ ”
discovery o f th e lones o me p eopl e .
“
I am treating an o l d lady by the n ame of B owen ,
“
h e said Sh e h ad b een confin ed in a cab in al l alo n e
'
for twenty years an d th e only word S h e uttered wh en

,
I first discov ered h er was I m lon esome ‘ ’

.
’
“
There a r e many more l ike h er in th ese isolated sec
tion s and I a m anxiou s to b uild a sanatoriu m wh ere
,
th ey can b e p rop erly cared f or an d treated Th ey ca n .
al l b e cured and I u nderstan d h ow to do it a n d feel

, ,
that it is a part o f my mission to do thi s work .
“
S O I h ave b een wa iting for you to retu rn t o l ay
the m atter b efore you O f course no on e ca n un der .
,
tak e anything without y o u give you r co n sent b ecau se ,

”
w e all look t o you for everyth ing .
“
I am in fu ll accord with y o u Doc t o r Weston a n d I , ,
am sorry y o u h ave delayed begi n ning th e work Y o u .
shoul d not have waited on m e Y O U my fath er and .

, ,
M r Anderson hav e th e sa me righ t t o go ah ead with

.
any work y ou approve a s I have I t would b e im p os .
sibl e for me to disagree with you about anyth ing in

”
conn ectio n w ith this work .
“
I recon it w u s mostly my fault M iss P eggy said , ,
’
Anderson I ain t got th e faith that you go t s o I
.
,
’
d id n t s e e whare al l th e mon ey s comin frum I b een
’ ’
.
talkin to yore dad about b u ild in you al l a hou se

’ ’
,
b e ca s e y o u l ivin in a cabin an yo u s l e e p in i n th e
’ ’ ’
,
attic o n a straw tick o n a G eorgia b ed a n I stood it as ,

’
’
l on g as I m gwin e t o Y o u do n t n eve r th i n k a b out
’
.
yoursel f ,an me an yore dad h as decided to think for

’ ’
”
y o u j est a l e t t l e .
“ ‘ ’
Tell m e abou t th e straw tick a nd G eorgia b ed ,
“ ”
said Wes t on I wan t to know ab out it
. .
”
“
They ain t m uch to tell An derson continu ed
’
Ef ,
.
’
you n ever seen o n e you could n t understan d it I
,
.
2 18 PEGGY WA RE
G entle men Peggy is right ferve n tly exclai med h er
, ,
fath er who had b een listenin g to th e conv ersation

,
.
“
Sh e always makes me ashamed of myself wh en I am
tempted to have selfish thou ghts o r t o los e my faith in
G od .
”
“
Ef th e whol e worl d w u s like h er said Anderson , ,
’ ”
th ey wouldn t b e n o u se in d y in to go to heav en ’
.
M y good friends y o u are always sayin g su ch lovely

,
th ings about m e that I fe el how insignifi cant I am I t .
seem s to m e that my mission is to in s p ir e oth ers and ,

”
then th ey do th e work wh ile I sit back an d enj oy it
, .
“
B efore th is conference break s up I want to giv e ,
y ou th e larger vision that co mes to m e about th es e

‘
lonesome p eopl e We al l know th e u n derlying causes
.
’
,
a n d it w ill do littl e good t o treat th e diseas e unl ess w e

”
remov e th e cause .
“
That i s very tru e agreed D octor Weston but , ,
that i s a stup endous u n dertaking somethin g b ig —
enough f o r you r Uncle Sam that y o u A merican s talk

‘
,
’
abou t
“
I t tak es U n cl e Sa m so lo n g to wak e U p an s tretch ’
” “
h iss elf said Anderson
,
M iss Peggy would hav e th e
.
j ob goin good by th e ti me h e go t h is eyes op en and

’
,
wh e n the l oad got t oo h eavy h e woul d step i n an h elp ,

’
tote it .
“
I have t alked wi t h f a th er a great d eal about estab
l is h in g com mun ity c enter ch urch es i n each com mun ity ;
wh ere th e p eopl e ca n b e taugh t a n d entertained I .
’
say taught del ib erately fo r I th ink that all s o cal led
‘
,
—
p reaching should b e teach i n g a n d that al l entertain ,
m ent should b e based o n th e fundamental idea Of

instru ctio n .
“
Let s build a chain Of th ese com m un ity c enters
’
throu gh th e mountain districts of this county an d th en ,
extend o u r chain as fast a n d far as Go d w ills it .

B E H O LD W H AT A F LA M E A L ITTL E S P A R K KI N DLETH 2 19
“
H ere we will teach th e p eopl e in sermons i n b ooks , ,
i n pi ctu res in lectu res an d by an d by w e ca n clos e

, ,
Doctor Weston s san itarium for th ere won t b e any

’
,
’
more lon esome peop le

“
A wo n derful v ision exclaimed Weston but where , ,
will th e money come fro m P ”
“
Th ere y o u go again Doctor Th e same O ld q ues ,
.
tion What am I going to do with y o u m en ? D on t

.
’
you know th at all things are p ossibl e to those that

”
beli ev e ?
“
I b eg your pardon P eggy f o r this suggestion o f , ,
’
weakness I don t really mean it I t s j ust a habit
.
’
.
that I brought over from th e Ol d life an d it s hard ,

’
to shak e O ff I do b el ieve thank G od I hav e learn ed

.
, .
th is l esso n o f faith from y ou and I am ready to u nder ,
”
tak e anyth ing in H is name .
’
A men t o that statem ent said P eggy s fath er In , .
th e faith of th e most wonderful daughter in th e worl d

I am ready to tak e charge o f th is branch o f th e work .
“
A n Cli ff A n derson is ready to saw th e lu mb er h elp
’
bu ild th e houses an do al l in h is p ower to sav e his

,
’
p eopl e fru m their ign a n ce an p overty t ru s t in that ’
,
’
th e Lord will so me day s mile o n h i m an say Cli ff ’

,
‘
,
’ ”
y o u ai n t half as bad a s you th ink you is .
“
H e is already sayin g that you are a great soul ,
”
doing a great work said Peggy , .
“
I t h elp s m e a p o w f U l lot to h av e y ou say it an ’
,
’
I m gwin e to l ive u p t o it som e day e f it takes th e

’
,
“
h ide th e O ld man decla r ed
, I recon that s th e way .
,
’
go t ev erybody goin in B ucks Pocket Yo u don t ’ ’

o u
y .
’
p reach to em y o u don t tell em wh at not to do ; you
,
’ ’
j est brag on em an tell em what wonderfu l folks

’
,
’ ’
’
th ey are an e f a fell er s got as much pride in h i m as
,
’
y o u could pu t o n the pint of a n eedl e h e s gwi n e to

’
,
220 PEGGY WA RE
l ive up what you th ink ab out h im I th ink that s
to .
’
”
o n e o f yore secrets ain t it P
’
,
“
Well y o u are p retty close to th e truth M r An der
, ,
.
so n “
.A n d that s th e way w e will bu ild o u r C om
’
munity centers We l l b egin by b ra ggin o n every

.
’ ‘ ’
body W e ll tell th em what a won derfu l thin g th eir

.
’
soul is a n d wh e n th ey get to b elievin g it th ey will live

, ,
u p t o th eir b eli ef Th en w e w ill S how th em a v ision of

.
thei r co mm un ity a s it will b e ten or twe n ty years

’
h en ce an d it won t b e long until everyo n e gets fil led
,
w ith th e vision A fter that th e work is easy for w e

.
,
always grow j ust as bi g as our v isio n .
>1< 1
>< ;l<
A fter t h is co n fe r e n ce t h e s an itariu m w a s spee d ily ,
b u ilt an d D octor Weston gath ered U p al l th e wome n

,
“
in th e n earby com m u n ities a ffl icted with th e lo n e
som e disease a n d began ap plying h i s m ethod of men
,
tal and spiritual treatme n t .
Wilbur Ware took u p th e prel im in a ry work of t h e

Commun ity Centers ; wh ile Anderso n p ush ed th e cl ear
ing of th e l an d th e operatio n o f th e s aw mill a n d
, ,
growing various c r op s .
Peggy sp ent m uch ti me in h er Shri n e of Sile n ce .
“
Sump i u gwin e to h app en big b efo lon g O ld Si mo n
’ ’
,
remarked to Cli ff A nd erson on e day .
“
What mak es y o u th ink s o S imon P ”
,
B e ca s e dat ch il e s t a y in i n h er S in a go g whol e hour s

’
an hours at a tim e an wh e n sh e comes o u t h er fac e i s

’
,
’
shinin lak a a n gel Sh e s axin G od fer sumpi u b ig

’
.
’ ’ ’
’ ’
ger n sh e ev a h a x b efo an you m i n what I tol e y o u
’
,
’
,
’ ”
i t s gwin e to happen .
“
Well I k n ow o n e th in g S imo n a n d th a t is what
, , ,
ever M iss Peggy a x G od to do h e s gwin e to do it ’

.
”
You kin j est b et yore bo t to m d ollar o n it .
I n a few days after th is conversatio n a b eautifu l ,

222 PEGGY WARE
no mistak e ; you se makin de b igges m istake ob yo ah ’ ’
life You got a n n u d e r gu ess comin

.
’
“
S imon has known th e president al l her life an d has ,
made no mistak e I a m th e presiden t of th e school

.
,
and my na me is Peggy Ware .
“
I a m H ubert W in slow and this is my friend F red , ,
Cranston I write motion p ictu re stories an d my

.
,
friend Cran ston is on e o f th e b est known motion pic

tu re directors in th e world .
“
An d my friend Winslow i s o n e of th e most em i
” “
n ent authors sai d Cran ston an d we both feel it a n
, ,
”
h onor to meet th e c el ebrated M iss Ware .
“
I suppos e y o u might call U S a tri o or galaxy o f
” “
e m in e n t s ,
laugh ed P eggy as y o u gentlemen are b oth ,
e minent I ca n sh in e in your reflected glory th u s co m

, ,
”
p l e t in g th e trio .
“ ’
Pardon me M iss Ware sai d Winslow we don t
, , ,
m e a n t o give y ou th e i mpression that we really amou n t

to anything I t s only in th e mak e b el iev e world th a t
.
’
-
we shin e I feel already that my ligh t is extingu ish ed

.
”
a s I stand in th e p resence o f real greatness .
‘
M y light s o u t too and my hat is o ff
’
, declared
, ,
Cranston .
“
Y o u qu ite embarrass me gentl em en with your com , ,
p li m e n t s .I trust it is n ot sarcasm b ut you r ch ival ry ,
and gallantry that prompts you r extravagant state

ments .
“
I a m j ust a plain simpl e mountain girl tryin g to
, , ,
follow my vision an d I don t feel that I hav e yet

,
’
attain ed to th e s lightest degree o f eminenc e .
“
Y O U are mistaken th ere declared Win slow You r , .
fa m e h a s gon e out fa r an d wide and h earing of you w e ,
h ave come to s e e an d lik e th e ! u een of Sh eba wh en

, ,
sh e v isited th e court o f Kin g Solo mon I am already ,

‘
prep a red to say th e hal f has n ot b een
BE H O LD W H AT A F LA M E A L ITTL E S P A R K K I N DLE TH 22 3
“ “
You are a tru e South erner said Peggy I w on , .
”
der if you are fro m V irginia P
“
I am from V irginia and my frien d Cran sto n i s from ,
” “
Kentucky declared Winsl ow ,
May I ask if you a re .
a native of thi s section P ”
“
Well I am s o n early to th e mann er b orn that y o u
,
ca n p u t m e down as a native o f o u r South ern moun

”
t ains .
“
We have bo t h felt irresistibly drawn to this p lace ,
said Win slow I know that I tried to resist th e feel

.
i ng and Cranston did the sam e W e endeavored to

,
.
laugh each oth er o u t o f th e i dea but it clung to u s ,
so tenaciou sly that we finally said w e woul d com e an d

s ee what it mea n t .
“
I a m glad y o u came exclaim ed Peggy h er eyes , ,
bright h er ch eeks aglow w ith enthu sias m

,
To tel l .
y o u th e truth I a m not th e l east bit surp ris ed

,
I think .
”
I had been exp ecting you .
“
The n y o u must b e th e n ecroman cer that b rought
” “
u s h ere said Cran ston
, I f s o th en I charge y o u tell
.
,
why you did so H e struck a dramatic attitud e and ,
Peggy laugh ed .
“
And I demand to kn ow why you c a me sh e ex ,
clai med i mitating h is ton e an d gestures

, .
“ ”
S ince m eetin g you M iss Ware sai d Winslow , , ,
“
quite seriously now I th ink I have com e h ere t o write
,
th e story o f you r l ife an d work I hav e read of you r .
work and it will mak e a great p ictu re

, .
“
A s I se e you th ere is a soul to you r story that is
,
lacking i n th e conventional motion p icture I have .
written th e oth er sort u ntil I am sick an d tire d O f it .
I think th e p ublic is gettin g weary t o o I b el iev e th ere .
is a big fi eld f o r b ig vital th em es representing l ife as

, ,
l ived by real p eop l e an d it is my a mbition to write at

,
l east o n e such story b efore I die .

2 24 PEGGY WA RE
An d I a m qu ite a s amb itiou s t o screen it said ,
“ ”
Cran ston an d I want you f o r my star M iss Ware
, , .
“
O h you l l n eed a b righter ligh t than I a m for your
,
’
star M r Cranston I t tak es al l o f my shining fo r

,
. .
”
B u cks Pock et .
“
Y o u are going to sh in e for a l l th e worl d M iss Ware , ,
wh en I h ave w ritte n a n d Cran ston h a s fil med you r

story .
“
I a m eage r to b egin writi n g it Won t y o u com .
’
mence to tell u s at once give U S th e local color ? I ,

‘ ’
want to get full of it saturated with it b efore I b egi n , ,
to write it Wh il e I write Cranston w ill get h is loca

.
,
”
tions h is props and b e ready to fi lm it
, , .
“
We w ill fin d p lenty of l ocal color gentlem en ‘
,
’
,
“
said P eggy an d wh en y o u h ave absorb ed thi s I ll fill ’
‘
, ,
in th e details of th e story as you may desire .
I h av e observed that you h ave written ov er th e

portal s of you r tem pl e a s S imon called you r retreat
‘
,
’
,
‘
Sh rin e o f S il en ce Th is will b e a good plac e to b egin
.
’
.
It is big local col or .
“
Th at will b e th e en d of th e story M r Winslow,a s , .
I p ropos e to tell it to y o u Y o u can put it a nywh ere .
in th e story that pl eases you but I will giv e it to you ,
last and you mu st not a sk anyon e about it until I get

,
'
”
ready to tel l y ou .
“
My cu rios ity i s greatly arou sed Winslow declared , ,
”
bu t I will resp ect you r wish es .
“
I wil l call Si mon and l et him a ccompany you to ,
th e variou s p laces o f interest a n d let y o u m eet some ,
o f o u r p rin cip al characters an d afterward I want y o u ,
to atten d ou r fi rst pictu re S h ow Tom orrow we sha l l .
b e ready t o b eg i n th e s eriou s work o f prep a r a tion I ,
h op e d ’
S imon was in all h is glory a s h e accompanied Win s

low an d Cranston I t a ff orded h i m a big opportunity
.
22 6 PEGGY WARE
’
ran across J e ff C a r n e s a relic o f th e O l d Wild Cat days ,
o f B ucks Pock et H e w a s p lowing an o x h itch ed by a

.
,
yoke to a crud e w ooden plo w .
“
D ese gem men want to talk to y o u M r Carn es ,
.
,
sai d S i mon politely , .
“
A ll right fell ers j est fire away fer th e steer is al lus
, , ,
glad Of a n ex cu s e to stop an chat an I don t min it

»
,
’
,
’ ’ ’
”
mys elf What is y o u a l l s b usin ess in B uck s Pock e t
.
? ’
”
W e are interested in motion p ictures sai d Wi ns ,
“
low an d are h ere to write th e story of th e P eggy
,
”
Ware S chool an d mak e a motion pictu re of it .
“
S ee h ere strang ers y o u can t stuff non e 0 that
, ,
’ ’
foolish ness dow n m e Ef I wu s gu e s s in I d say you .

’
,
’
wu s r e v e n o o s s n oo p in roun d h e a h B ut th ey ain t ’
.
’
nuth in fer you to b e n o s in about Wh e n th e big

’ ’
.
Cap n qu it mak ing e r w e knowed th ey w u s s u m p in

’ ’
,
’
up an w e b etter qu it an th ey ain t b een a drap made

,
’
,
’ ’
in B uck s Pocket sence .

’
“ ’
What mad e th e Captain a s you call h im qu it ‘
, ,
”
makin g wild cat l iquor ? asked Winslow eager f o r a
-
,
story .
“
O h it w us th at P eg gy Ware gal I recon
,
he , ,
“
drawl ed I ain t h e er d a n ybody say bu t sh e j es
.
’
,
’
win ds Cli ff An derson aroun h er fingers like a cotton ’
string an I th ink s h e got h i m to qu it I ax ed h i m on e

,
’
.
’ ’
day an h e com e s n igh h ittin m e an said You j es t
,
’
,
‘
keep M iss Ware s nam e outen my wild ca tt e n an I ’ ’
,
’
ain t n ev er said n o more to hi m about it

’
.
“
Y o u talkin ab out yore movi n p ieters M y Sal
’ ’
.
’
sh e s my gal you know says th ey is gwin e to b e a , ,
’
m ovin p i e ter sh ow at th e ch u rch h ous e tonight an ,
’
sh e a n Jan e sh e s my wi fe you k n o w is t ry in t o git

’
,
’
, ,
’
’
me to go I tel l e m I ain t gwin e to mak e a fool of
.
’
mysel f by gwine u p thare b e ca s e they n ever wu s n o ,
p ict e r what cou l d move onl es s s omebody moved it .

BE H O LD W H AT A F LA M E A L ITTLE S P A R K KI N DLETH 22 7
Jan e says maybe it s S O an e f it is it proves that th e ’

,
’
, ,
worl is com in to a end b e ca s e th e B ibl e says so sh e

’ ’
, ,
’
says th e preacher says that b efore th e e n d o f th e worl ,
th e p e op le ll git weaker an wise r Wall yo u d haft to

’ ’
.
,
’
”
b e p ow f u l weak t o b el iev e that p ict e r s kin mov e
’
.
“
I f y o u will co me o u t tonight an d th e p ictures don t ,
’
move a nd m ove faster th a n you ever saw a dog run

, ,
I ll l et you h itch m e t o you r p low tomorrow and I ll

’
,
’
”
p ul l it f or y o u said Cran sto n ,
.
“ B y gosh ! You re ga me all r ight declared Carn es ’
’
, ,
.
I t h i n k I l l go you o n e an co me w ith th e folks tonight

’
an to morrow I ll l et O l e B uck rest an I ll p l ow you

’ ’
,
’ ’
.
As h e visio n ed th e well dressed stranger yok ed to th e -
plo w h e laugh ed h eartily

,
.
“
You k now my Sal b l iev e s e v e r y t h in that Ware
,
’
’ ’ ’
gal tells h er An sh e s t ry in t o fix h er hai r an d l ook
.
j is t l ike h er All th e gal s in B u cks .Pocket i s doin th e

’
same thin g Th ey all quit d ippin sn u ff an q uit goin

.
’ ’ ’
barefooted to church a n th e O l e wo man made me do ,

’
without t e rb accy lo n g enough t o b uy Sal a p ai r 0 ’
shoes Lordy but it purty n igh kilt m e ! B ut th ey

.
,
war n t n uthin els e to d o Wh en th e women folks git

’ ’
.
th e Peggy Wares I call it th ey is w u s n a locoed hoss , ,

’
an we men mout as w ell s e t in th e shade Troub le is

’
.
,
most all th e m en got th e Peggy Wares too al l c ep t ,

’
’
m e an B ud Wh itman an o n e or two more an my
,
’
,
’
”
Sal says I ll k etch it e f I don t l ook out
’ ’
.
“
A ll right stranger I ll b e tha r ton ight an e f s h e
, ,
’
,
’
”
don t move I l l plow y o u to morrow and th e old man
’
,
’
,
chuckled as hi s o x a mbl ed slowly away dragging th e ,
crude plow .
“
W a it a min ute shouted Cranston Supp ose sh e ,
.
”
does mov e then can I plow you P ,
H e scratch ed h i s h ead a shrewd look in h is eyes ,

.
” “
The worl s gittin wis er strange r h e said
’
I gu ess ’
, , .
228 PEGGY WARE
n ot G it up thare B uck S ee you to n ight a n d h e
.
,
.
,
was O ff dow n th e crooked corn r o w creep ing at a snail s ,

’
pace .
>1
< >< 1
D idn t you kn o w s h e wu s a Lee o n h er moth er s

’ ’
”
s ide ? S imon replied in answ er to a qu estion from
Winslow .
“
B less yore soul h er gran daddy w us a cou sin of ,
’
G eneral R ob ert E Lee an h e wus kil led i n de w a h I .

,
’
.
bru ng him o ff de battlefi el d H e an Captain Anderson .

’
w u s both shot at de sam e ti me a n I carried M assa A n

’
d e r s o n O ff t o o but I n ev a h knowe d who it w u s tel de

,
n ight de Wh ite Cap s w u s gwin e to hang m e a n den ,

’
” ’
h e tol e e m about it .
“
Tell us about th e Wh ite Cap s Simon sa id Wins , ,
“
low . Th e p lot thicken s Cran ston W e a re o n th e ,
.
trail O f th e b iggest story ever s creened .
“
Yo don t know n uthin yet gem me n ; j est wai t till
’ ’
,
”
y o u s ees an d h ea h s it a l l .
>l< >1< >1< >1< >1<
After meeting A n derson h is wife an d R uth S imon , , ,
escorted th e m to D octor Weston s sanitariu m H ere ’

.
they met Wi lbu r Ware an d D octor Weston .
“
P eggy has a lready tol d u s of you r m ission gentl e ,
” “
men said her fath er and I am more than glad you
, ,
cam e I think you wil l b e greatly interested in D octor

.
” ’
Weston s work .
“
I a m su re we shal l b e said Cransto n E veryth i n g , .
h ere is so real that it seem s refresh in g to m e I su p .
pose it i s b ecau se I have lived s o long in th e a rtificial

worl d a sort Of m ak e b elieve life where e v eryon e
— —
,
wears a mask a n d a ttem p ts to conceal h is i dentity I t

, .
is so d iff ere n t h ere wh ere peopl e are n ot playi n g an ,

”
assu med pa r t b ut j ust l ivin g th eir natu r al lives
, .
“
A won derful ly interesti n g phas e of th is l ife as I
2 30 PEGGY WARE
I f I ca n b e shown th e p roof o f th ese theori es cried ,
“
W inslow Cranston an d I will give th e world a lesson
,
o n th e s creen that will stagger th e i magination .
“
G ladly w ill I show y ou th e p ro o f declared Wes
”
,
ton f o r it is at th e foun dation of all o u r teaching a n d

, ,
everywh ere you tu rn you w ill fin d living evidence .
“
M iss Ware i s o u r most strikin g exampl e an d after ,
h e r com e th e oth ers from th e greatest to th e le a st

, ,
with ev ery develop men t from th e Ol d H ard Sh el l ”
m eeting hou s e to what you s e e today An d th is is .
on l y th e b e g innin g Th e so u l o f P eggy Ware is bu ild

.
in g b uil din g day an d n ight wakin g and sleepin g an d

, , , ,
th ere is going forth from h ere n ot only this great truth ,
b ut th e living evidence to supp ort it .
“
Th is is stupen dou s d eclared Wi n slow an d you r , ,
h onesty and earn estn ess convince me that th ere is som e

basis f o r your claims I should like to b eli eve it for
.
,
”
i t mean s mu ch to m e ain d m uch t o mankind , .
“
I f y o u ask ed m e fo r on e word that woul d give you
a k ey word for th e story you are goin g t o write I ,
would s ay Salvation declared Wilb u r Ware

,
‘
,
’
.
“
M ak e th is th e k ey and bu ild aroun d it th e con crete
,
facts as you fin d th e m h ere an d y o u will have a th em e ,

”
that th e world is th irsting fo r .
“
Salvation j ust m ean s acceptin g so me rel igiou s
,
P
dogma doesn t it M r Ware ask ed Cranston
’ ”
,
. .
“
That i s not what th e Peggy Ware Sch ool mean s by
Salvatio n M r Cransto n Th e th eological idea O f sal
,
‘
. .
vation is th at a man must say h e believes a c ertai n

thin g and h e is instantly saved I t is too easy and
,
.
m ean s n oth ing Th e salvation w e teach is one that

.
makes man responsib le f o r every act an d th ought that ,
says h e m ust pay to th e last f a rth in g th at h e cannot —
S h irk th e co n sequ e n c es o f h is o w n w rong doing We .

BE HOLD W H AT A F LA M E A L ITT LE S P A R K KI N DLETH 23 1
teach o u r boys and girl s that th ey would b e cowards if

th ey a ttempted to lay their sins on som eon e else .
“
K n owing that th ey must reap what th ey so w w e ,
hav e l aid th e foun dation f o r salvation that b egins in

b uildin g a p erfect b rain in a p erfect body dominated ,
by an a wakened soul Th e p rocess e n ds wh en th e .
animal man is crucifi ed an d th e sou l is th e M aster of ,

”
th e life .
“
But that is a hard road a long road said Winslow , ,
very seriou sly I s th ere no other way P

.
”
“
N o oth er way my friend h owever lon g an d pain ful
, ,
th e j ourn ey I t may take ages aeons for so me o f U S

.
, ,
b ut oth ers w ill trave l more swiftly t o th e sam e goal

'
.
P eggy seems to h av e l iv e d ages in a singl e year a nd ,

”
oth ers o f u s are trying to walk in h er footsteps .
”
I t oo wou ld fin d th e way declared Winslow
, , , .
”
An d I said Cran ston solemnly
,
.
“
I t s ti me t o go to de pi e te r show ge mm e n de
’
, ,
cla r e d Simon .
“ ’
W e certainly don t want to m iss it said Cran sto n , .
”
I think w e will get so me fi ne screen material .
Th e M ayor of Chattanoog a had sen t down o n th e

boat th e day b efore a p roj ecting mach ine an d full outfit
f o r exhibiting motion p ictures Th e ch urch had been .
fitted Up and it w a s th e n igh t o f th e fi rs t performanc e .
Th e n ews had sp read th roughout th e Pock et like

wildfire an d lon g b efore th e Op en in g hou r th e entire
,
population was outside waiting fro m bab ies in arms t o ,
o ld gray haired gra n dfath ers an d grandmoth ers

,
- .
Peggy s b oys a n d girls occup ied th e fro n t se a ts

’
,
where th eir view would b e unob stru cted E very seat .
was tak en and th e aisl es were packed When th e p ro

, .
j e ct io n machin e b egan to click and sp utter th ere wa s ,
gre at excitement N ot a doz en soul s in th e house had

.
ever see n a motion pictu re .

2 32 PEGGY WARE
At last th e p ictu res app eared o n th e screen A s th e .
ch a racters actually mov ed talk ed laugh ed fough t , , , ,
righ t b efore th eir eyes b edla m b roke loose Th e boys , .
ch eered w ildly th e girls clap p ed th eir hands and

,
lau ghed th e older p eop l e expressed various degrees of

,
amaz ement .
Win slo w and Cranston ha d n ever w itnessed such a

scene I f they only had a cam era man an d were pre
.
pared to shoot it what a s ensation it would Create ,
i n th e cities .
Write th e story Winslow write it j ust a s it is an d

, , ,
w e will u s e th ese natives j u st as w e s ee th e m tonight , ,

“
sai d Cranston an d the great director felt a th rill o f
,
reality h e had n ot often exp erien ced .
I t w a s a fi v e reel fil m and when it w a s finish ed there

-
,
“
were mu rmurs o f d isapp ointm ent M ak e h er move .
agin was shouted by a h un dred th roats ; an d to please

,
th em P eggy o r d e r e d t h e Op erator to ru n th e fil m th e ,
seco n d ti me Th e interest an d enthu siasm w a s greater

.
than at th e first showin g if p ossibl e ,

.
Wi n slow a nd Cranston w ere caugh t in th e surging

tide and sch emes f o r h elp ing P eggy carry out h er
,
plan s were riotin g through th eir h eads .
N ot satisfi ed with th e secon d run th e crowd cla m ,
ored for more N ot u nti l Peggy assu red the m th ey

.
shou ld have a n ew p icture th e followin g nigh t would

th e y consent to go hom e .
“
That s th e bigges thing I ever seed sen ce th e woods
’ ’
w u s b u rnt said o n e ol d fel low as th e crowd w a s fil ing

, ,
slowly o u t Of th e hou s e .
“ ”
H uh sai d h is compan io n it b eats a camp m e e t in
, ,
’
er a barb ecue an I wou ld lak to se e on e ev ry n igh t as

,
’ ’
”
long as I l iv e .
“
I recon e f w e ca n h ave th em movi n p ict e r s on et in
’ ’
” ’
a wh il e w e wo men folks won t b e so lon esom e de
, ,
C H AP TE R S E VE N T E E N
T H E S L ACK E R S R E N D E !
’
VOU S
O U h a ve n ever tol d u s th e secret of you r
“ ” “
S hrin e of Sil ence M iss Ware said H ub ert , ,
Winslow on e mornin g after h e a n d Cran sto n

,
had sp e n t ma n y week s i n B u ck s Pock et an d th e su r

“
roundin g moun tain territory I h ave n ow written .
th e story Of you r life w ith its romantic activities a nd

, ,
‘ ’
a m re ady to l earn fro m you r o w n lip s th e why Of it .
To my m in d th e why i s th e most i mp ortant part of

,
‘ ’
”
th e story and everyth ing els e i s d etail .
“ ”
I feel th e s a me way about it said Cranston S ince , .
com ing h ere I h ave slowly com e i n to you r v ision at

,
—
least I sup p ose th a t i s it an d I h ave a f e el ing that y ou

—
possess a great s e cr et t h a t I n eed to l earn that th e

‘
worl d n eeds to know a n d that som eh ow th is secret

, ,
th a t you m u st know is th e k ey th a t will u n l ock to all

,
m en th e storehou s e o f hap p iness and abun dance th a t

’
you h ave evidently found Wo n t y o u tell u s a ll .
’
about it ?
“
I did n o t tel l y o u a t th e outset gentlemen said , ,
Peggy fearin g that you would th ink me some sort o f

,
wil d eyed fanatic and for many reason s I did n ot wan t

-
,
you t o get that i mpression To th e av erage man o f th e .
world what I a m goin g to s a y to you woul d b e th e

,
babblin g of an i mbecile .
Saint Paul said that spiritual th ings m u st b e spirit

u a l ly d iscern ed an d wh en on e talks O f th e soul a n d
,
th in gs of th e so ul to th ose w h o are living an d think in g

wholly o n th e an imal or material plane one may expect ,
ridicul e and Often scor n .
234
T H E S LACK ER S R E ND EZ V O U S ’
23 5
Th e gre a t soul ed E m erso n said : E very man s words

-
’
who sp eaks from th a t li fe m u st sound v ai n to those

who do not dwell in th e same t hough t on th eir ow n
part I dare n ot s p eak for it M y words do n ot carry
. .
it s august s ens e ; th ey fal l short an d cold only itself ,
ca n in spi re whom it will a nd b ehol d ! th eir sp eech

,
shall b e lyrical a n d sweet an d u niversal a s th e rising

,
”
of th e wind .
“
Sinc e you have seen what w e have acco mpl ished ,
how sane and practical all ou r p lan s are an d know the ,
story from th e b eginn in g and are n ow in ful l accord

,
with th e sp irit o f th e work I a m glad to try to tel l you

,
th e why o f my work o f wh ich th e Shrin e o f Sil enc e

‘ ’
,
‘ ’
i s to my mind th e incarnation
, ,
.
“
I n al l ages there h a s be en an esoteric religion not ,
kn own to th e masses becau se th ey were t o o material

,
is t ic to u nd erstan d Th e proph ets and seers Of all ti me

.
have know n th ese deeper truth s a n d n ever since ma n ,
h as b ee n man has th ere b een a ti m e when G od did n ot

hav e H i s witnesses i n th e world to th es e truths .
“
J esu s came wh en m a terialism threatened to ex t in
guish th e light of truth an d restated its pri n cipl es in a
,
way that no oth er teach er had done H e reveal ed th e .
whole truth t o h is disciples in spiritual language b e ,
cau se th ei r spi ritual eyes w ere op en b ut to th e materi ,
a l is t ic masses H e sp ok e in parabl es I b el ieve th e .
time is n ear for th e revelation o f th e truth to the world ,
an d I am so glad that h ere in this o u t o f —th e way ,

- -
corn er o f G od s vin eyard I may b e an h u mbl e in s t ru

’
ment in this revel a tion .
“
I n all ages men have talk ed to G od Th ey ha v e .
realiz ed th eir oneness with H im an d all H is creation .
J esu s missio n w a s to b rin g all m en to this real ization

’
,
this soul consciou sness this Go d con scio usness for

, ,
236 PEGGY WA RE
‘
with it comes power to b ecome th e Son s of G od in ,
’
th e language of on e of th e apostles .
“
I f I wanted t o talk to my father about th e most
vital thin g in my l ife I should not wan t to do so in
,
th e bu sy marts of trade wh ere th e clang an d cla mor

,
would dist ract my min d an d h is attentio n .
“
M en have l earn ed th at in order to t a lk to G od th eir ,
soul s mu st b e attun ed to th e D ivin e Sp irit and that ,
this can b est b e don e in th e silen ce of one s o w n sou l ’

.
So J esu s sou ght the secret places wh ere h e coul d talk ,
t o H is Fath er f a c e to face A ll great soul s have .
don e s o .
“
Th is is th e why of my Sh rin e Of S ile n ce I t is h er e
‘ ’ ‘
.
’
that I h ave rec eived w isdo m gu ida n ce and power I t , ,

.
is here th at I h a ve foun d p eac e t o my sou l wh en it was

tossed about by th e tem pest o f selfishn ess .
“
Th e fi rst condition t o G od s gu ida n c e is th e cru ci ’
fi x ion o f sel f Wh e n w e h av e don e th at w e can go

.
,
confide n tly into th e sil en ce w h ere only Go d i s .
“
J esus sai d : Th erefore I s ay u nto you what thi n gs
‘
, ,
soever ye d esire wh en ye p ray b elieve that ye r eceive

, ,
’
th em and ye sh all have th e m
,
Th i s i s th e why of .
‘ ’
my life o f th e story o f th e P eggy Ware Sch ool

, .
I t was in my S hrin e O f S ilenc e that I ask ed G od to

send som eon e t o help devel op my visio n of motion p ic
tures for th e isolated mountain p eop le and y ou ca me , .
N ow o u r vision h a s grow n an d we wan t t o tak e in th e

whol e world with p ictures that h a v e a soul that t each ,
life
.
“
From th e fi rst feebl e b eginning in th e ol d H ard
Sh ell chu rch h ou se until today G od has guid ed m e i n
, ,
”
j u st thi s way .
“
I f w e can ge t Peggy Ware s message ove r o n th e ’
” “
screen , declared Cranston we will set a n ew ,
stan dard in motion pictures For a lo n g ti me I h av e .

238 PEGGY WA RE
thous a nds o f stories m ore sordid more r e p ulsiv e th an ,
th e life O f any ex mu rderess n o w b efore th e public a n d

-
,
som e o f th e p eop l e who are n ow pr otesti n g s o loudly

again st th ese notoriou s characters and agai n st t h e ,
screenin g o f th eir life stories are today en g a ged in ,
m akin g p ictu res eith er too ina n e or t o o dirty to b e

sh own in a barroom mu ch l ess in a decent motion p ic
_ ,
tu re th eatre S uch pictu res have b rought on th e fi gh t

.
against th e indu stry an d th e cl ean p eopl e in th e b usi

,
n ess wh o are i n th e vast maj ority should see wh ere

, ,
”
th e troub le l ies .
“
Speakin g o f barrooms said Peggy su ggests to , ,
my mind that it w a s th e saloon that fu rn ish ed th e pro

h ib it io n is t s w ith most o f th ei r argum ents f o r p r o h ib i
tion I th ink th e motion picture p eopl e wh o are p ro
.
-
d u cin g th e class of p ictures y o u refer t o are furn ish ing

th e advocates o f S u nday closing and other rep res sive
measu res th ei r argu ments fo r th ese drastic laws .
“
1 am Opp osed to cén s or s hip except th e censorsh ip ,
o f an en l ighten ed pub lic con science I am also opposed .
to closin g th e picture sh ows on S u nday but unl ess ,
th ere is a chan ge in th e stan dard of pictures now being

made we will s e e th e p icture shows closed o n Sunday
, ,
a n d a lso fanatical boards o f censorship .
“ ’
I f th e p eopl e engaged in mak in g pictures do n t
wake up th ere will b e n obody to defend th em J u st
, .
a s i t was with th e saloon I t go t s o ba d that n o o n e

'
dared defend it except those engaged in th e bu sin ess

, ,
’
and bon e dry proh ibition laws were th e result Those
‘
.
engaged in th e motion picture i n du stry may well profit

-
”
by th is examp l e .
Th ey must mak e th e basis o f p ictures educational

“
along constru ctive l in es declared Winslow , Th ey
n eed n ot b e l ess en t ertain ing less dramatic less b eau , ,
”
tiful They m ust b e p ictures with a soul
. .
T H E S LACK ER S R E N D EZ VO U S ’
239
A n d th ey mu st b e clean enou gh to exh ibit in th e

church es declared Cran ston
,
.
“ ”
I f I w ere a p reach er said Peggy I woul d n ot ob
, ,
j e ct i f th ere was a motio n pictu re theatre n ext door to

-
my ch u rch I f my m essage were not vital enou gh to

.
draw an au dience th en I should prefer that th ey atten d

,
th e motio n p icture S how

-
.
“
My idea is to comb i n e th e ch u rch an d th e motion
picture hous e at least in th e ru ral districts That is
, .
what w e p ropos e doin g in o u r comm un ity cente r s .
I n stead of fighting S unday p i ctures h owl ing for cen ,
s o r s h ip a n d oth er bl ue l aws th e preach ers th e ch urch

, , ,
p eop l e ; in fact al l decent p eopl e should rise u p a n d

, ,
tak e charge o f th is grea t educational industry and m a k e

it th e most trem en dou s forc e f o r good in th e world .
This is t h e motion pictu re era and th e indu stry m ust

-
,
b e rescu ed from thos e wh o wou ld dest r oy th e sou l of

”
th e Nation f or th e sak e Of p a ltry dollars .
“ ”
O u r idea o f p ic t ures said Winslow w ill b e j ust
, ,
as stre n uou sly Opposed by many o f th ose n ow i n th e

b usin es s as th ey a re op p osing b lu e l aws for th e reason ,
th at th ey cal l all teach in g p reachin g and s ay that ,
p eopl e ca n go t o ch u rch t o get th ei r p reach in g I think .
tha t de p e n ds .
“ ‘
We will give th e m Peggy Ware a s o u r first great ’
co n stru ctive p ictu re b ased o n th e fundame n tal idea o f

teaching rather than entertain ment W e will try th e
,
.
experiment an d s e e if th e p ubl ic will supp ort o u r views .
I f so th en w e will know that peopl e want to get away

,
from th e world o f mak e b elieve th e world of th e ,
b rothel th e dance hall th e saloon an d th e l iaison s o f

, ,
”
eith er the U pp er or u nderworld .
“
We will sel ect o u r characters from real life said ,
Cranston takin g peopl e wh o hav e l ived th e li fe th ey

,
”
u n d e rtak e t o portray o n th e scree n .
2 40 PEGGY WARE
H ow could any actress h ow ever clever tak e th e , ,
part of Peggy Ware wh o did n ot have h er soul h er , ,
vision ? S O with th e oth er characters i n ou r sto ry We .
w il l hav e a real D octor Weston a n o l d S imon a W il , ,
bu r Ware and a Cli ff An derson These p eopl e wil l

,
.
‘ ’
a ct n o t m erely act acting
,
What a j oy it will b e t o .
s ee characters o n th e screen that act rath er than thos e ,
that i m itate actin g .
“
I t may b e al l ri ght f o r p eop le without soul char ,
acter or vision to tak e part in th e stories o f th e s mart

set th e artificial society plays th e reekin g sex dramas
, , ,
b ut th ey are in cap ab l e O f playing great parts in real

”
h u man dram a .
“
We are trying a n ew experiment sai d Winslow ,
-
,
an d I have never in my l ife felt such ass urance such ,
enth usiasm .
“
We have commen ced sh ooting o u r scen es and w ill ‘ ’
p ush th e work as rapidly as possib le for I am al most ,
a s i mpatien t a s a b o y t o s ee th e fi rst show ing of Peggy

‘
Ware o n th e scre e n .
>1
< a: >1< 1
><
B u ck s Pocket had be en trans form ed i n a short tim e

from th e den of th e Wild C a t t e r s to th e dynamic center
o f a ctivities that were attractin g attention far an d
wide Th e gover n or o f Alaba ma came to l earn at fi rst

.
hand a bout th e Peggy Ware Sch ool H e coul d h ardly .
realiz e that th e most lawl ess spot in th e S tate had

b ecom e th e center o f a movemen t that p romised more
f or t h e mou n tai n b oys an d girl s than anyth in g that
had ever b een attempted H e saw th e p ractical work .
in gs o f th e P eggy Ware system an d becam e an e n ,
t h u s ia s t ic convert .
“
I wish I coul d pledge y o u St a te aid h e said but , .
it i s not i n my power I t would requ ire a sp ecial act .
o f th e Legi slatu re an d that woul d b e di fficult to ge t

, .
242 PEGGY WARE
‘
hu rrah f o r An d erson P said Peggy and I a m sure ,
that y o u ca n be triu mphantly elected .
“ ”
B ully ! Fin e ! exclaim ed th e governor Cap tain .
An derson th e gallant ex Co n federate sol dier th e ex

,
-
,
kin g of th e Wild C a tt er s th e man who fell b eside th e ,
bel oved Captain Lee whose granddau ghter i s th e presi ,
dent O f the Peggy Ware Sch ool I t will b e irr e s is t .
ibl e You will b e el ected an d will b e th e most im p o s

.
,
in g fi gure in th e L egislature You will b e th e only .
ex Con federate th ere Wh en y o u mak e you r plea f or

-
.
a donation fo r th is institution yo u will sweep aside all ,
Opposition .
“ ’
I ain t got n o e d y ca t io n I ain t no sp eak er I ain t
’
,
’
got n o character Th ey ll prov e I m a thief a crook .

’ ’
,
”
an the b igges liar in ten states said An derson
’ ’
, .
I f th ey p rove all that I a m sure y o u will b e elected , ,

“
said th e governor f o r everyb ody knows it isn t so ,
’
.
Y o u are k nown as an hon est m an who always made

pure wh isk ey and y o u qu it becau se you wanted to and
, ,
are n ow doing more for o u r dear boys an d girls in th ese

”
mountains than any oth er man in th e State .
“
I have j est decided t o go to Fran ce and figh t fer
” “
my cou ntry said A nderson 1 have b een t h in k in
,
.
’
about it sen ce w e declared war with G ermany an I m ,

’ ’
gwine t o Fra n c e e f th ey will tak e m e .
Th e governor and P eggy laugh ed but to An derson ,

“
it was no j oke I feel lik e I ough t to go h e co n ,
“
E f th ey won t l et m e fight I k in b e a
’
tin n ed .
,
stretch er b earer an carry the poor fel lers off th e fi el d ’
wh en they are sh ot down I am ashamed o f th ese .
slackers who are d o d gin th e draft layin o u t in th ese ’
,
’
’
bl u ff s an gorges sayi n th ey ain t gwin e to go that ,
’ ’
th ey will fi ght Uncl e Sa m afore th ey will fight G er

man y I t mak es my blood h o t an e f so mebody wil l
.
,
’
’ ’
rou n em up fer m e an l et m e tak e em on e at a tim e ’ ’
,
T H E S LAC K ER S R E ND EZ VO U S ’
2 43
I l l l ick th e d evil o u t o f every o n e O f th em ; an wh en I

’ ’
git through they l l b e p o w f u l g l ad t o p ut on Uncl e

,
’ ’
Sam s uniform an go over thare

’
Th e o l d man stoo d
’
.
l ik e a giant an d th e G overnor said admiri ngly :

,
“
Anderson I don t doubt that y o u co ul d l ick every
,
’
moth er s s on o f the m if you had a l ittl e breath ing sp el l

’
,
in b etween ti mes I n fact I don t th ink th ere is o n e o f

.
,
’
the m that wou ld fac e you if h e cou l d s e e you now I .
hav e h eard of what h app ened to B u d Wh itman th e ,
l eader o f th e slack ers when h e l ed a mob to lyn ch Ol d ,
Simon .
“
Uncl e Sam w ill tak e care Of th es e slack ers and ,
there are plenty of young m e n to do ou r fighting over

in Fran ce I t is vastly more important that you sh oul d
.
remain h ere an d h elp carry on th is work that has been

so ab undantly bl essed by G od Th e big opportun ity .
of you r life has com e in you r o ld age an d y o u mu st not ,

”
sh rink from you r duty .
“
I d ruth er fi gh t every slacker n ow h id in in B ucks
’ ’
’
Pocket an th e n go to Fran c e an fight til w e l ick th e
,
’ ’
s t u ffi n outen G ermany than to run fer th e Legislatu r

’
, ,
”
an hav e to meet that J i m Crow l awyer on th e stu mp
’
.
“ ”
Y o u are n o t afraid o f hi m are you An derson ? , ,
banteringly ask ed th e governor H e had hardly spoken .
th e words u ntil h e regretted the m Th e o l d man w a s .
hu rt H e sh rank as i f th e governor had struck h im

.
,
an d hi s eyes showed th e pain dealt h is pride .
“
I b eg you r pardon M r A nderson exclaimed the ,
.
,
“
governor tak ing th e big man s h an d in his
,
I j u st ’
.
wanted to arous e you to a ful l s ens e o f you r duty .
“ ’
I t s all right governor I u nderstan d b etter th an
, .
y o u do They a in t but o n e th in g in this world or th e

.
’
”
next that I m afeard o f an that s Cl i ff Anderson
’
,
’ ’
.
“
Th ere is n o hu rry about comin g to a concl usion ,
” “
M r A nderson said Peggy
. Tak e you r ti me to th in k
,
.
244 PEGGY WA RE
’
it over and you l l know what s right an d do it for you
,
’
, ,
are th e same brav e sol dier that you were th e day y o u

fell b esi de my grandfath er twenty pac es i n advance ,
”
o f h is men .
Th ey fel l to talkin g about th e draft evaders for it ,
had com e to b e a s eriou s qu estion About a h un dred .
o f th em it was reported were n o w h idden in B uck s

, ,
Pocket They had com e fro m the surro unding coun

.
ties and con centrated in th is Pock et wh ose natural ,
fortifi cations mad e it extremely dan gerous for th e

o ffi cers to attemp t an entran ce B ut a short tim e pre .
v io u s l y th e sh eri ff of th e cou nty had b een seriou sly

woun ded and t w o Of h is deputies kill ed in an attempt
, ,
to arrest som e of th e draft dodgers .
N ow they had rendezvou sed in th i s plac e wh ere on e

m an coul d de fend h im self again st a score i f s ecreted ,
at some vanta ge p oin t They were p rovided with gu ns

.
an d am mun ition an d provisions f o r a lon g si ege Th e .
“
slackers army a s it was called w a s made u p of
’
, ,
you n g mountaineers whol ly illiterate with no idea of

, ,
patriotis m or lov e of country They w ere not cowards .

,
th ey were ignorant H ence th ey w ere easily l ed by

.
men like B u d Wh itman a n d B ill Kell et both bu llies , ,
b ut cowards at h eart Th ese leaders preten ded to b e

.
G erman sym path izers b ut th is was a la me excus e for

,
th eir own cowardly unpatriotic con duct, .
P eggy had b een outsp oken in h er views and h ad ,
b een active i n su ch war work a s was p oss ibl e in this

remote corner All th e ol d women w ere knitting for
.
th e boys over th ere and all th e Older boys i n sch ool

,
had vol un teered to serve whe n ever th eir gov ernment

could u se th em .
Th e Stars and strip es floated p roudly over every

b uildi n g o n th e s chool groun ds an d B u d Wh itman had ,
s e n t word to Peggy th at unless th e flags w ere take n

24 6 PEGGY WARE
a spl endid road wh ere th ere was formerly a n i rregular
,
trail It wou l d h ave b een qu ite easy f or th e lieutenant

.
in charge of th e soldiers to have march ed h is men dow n

thi s road b ut few of them would have reached th eir
,
j ourn ey s end alive ’

.
O n eith er side high u p a mon g th e overhanging cl i ff s

, ,
B ud Wh itman had posted h is sharpshooters men who ,
could sh oot a squ irrel s ca r o ff in th e top o f th e tal lest ’
o ak that grew in B uck s Pock et without kill in g th e ,
“
squirrel I f o n e of th em ever got a b ead on a s ol
.
dier it m eant c ertain death

, .
Sinc e th e comin g o f th e sold iers Whitman had ,
i ssued orders that n o o n e b e allowed t o l eav e th e

Pock et under p ai n of b ein g sh ot by on e Of h is sentries .
H e tol d h i s men that th e soldiers dare n o t fi re on

th e m that th eir comin g w a s all a blu ff an d that if th ey
, ,
did not vol untarily surrender there would b e no dan ,
ger H e assured h is followers that no o n e had a right

.
to sh oot in making an arrest but th e sh eri ff and by , ,
th ese fal se statem ents h e reassu red h i s m en wh o were ,
b eco min g afraid th ey had carried their resistance too

far .
Peggy h er fath er An derson an d D octor Weston

,
.
, , ,
all realiz ed that th e crisis had b een reach ed and that , ,
if possibl e th e comman der O f th e soldiers shou ld b e

,
,
co mmunicated with Th ey knew th e great danger and .
risk in attempting to d o so E ach o f th e men volu m .
teered to u ndertak e th e task bu t P eggy protested , .
S i mon w h o had l isten ed t o th e conversation b egged

, ,
“
to b e allowed to go I ain t got mu ch longer to stay .
’
” “
h e a h nohow h e said A n I kin sneak o u t tonight
’
.
, ,
an see de Cap n an e f dey git m e dey won t ch eat

’ ’
,
’ ’
”
me outen many yeah s .
“
M y good o l d Si mon I coul d n o t l et yo u go said , ,
“
Peggy I d rath er go myself b ut of course it woul d
.
’
, , ,
T H E S LAC K ER S R E ND EZ V O U S ’
24 7
n ot b e quite th e p roper th in g for a lady t o do and ,
sh e laughed lightly .
“
I have a b rilliant idea sh e went o n animatedly , .
I k now j u s t th e person for a m essenger o n e that will ,

”
not b e su spected by th e slack ers .
Al most in th e sam e b reath all of th em exclaimed : ,
W h o is it P ”
“
N ow you are inquisitive s h e repli ed I cannot ,
.
tell y o u until after I h av e interviewed th e p erson I

ha v e in mind Please do n ot question m e furth er an d
.
,
I will tell you all ab ou t it ton ight I n th e meanti me .

,
”
I a m goin g up to M r A nderson s to see R uth and .
’
b efore th ey realized it s h e was gone l eaving th em won ,
dering what Peggy h ad i n m in d .
These stron g men had l earn ed to l et Peggy have her

way in all things No t that sh e was will fu l o r h ead
.
strong ; far fro m it Sh e Often sought Simon s ad vice

.
’
an d welcomed s uggestio n s from ev eryone even th e ,
h u mbl est .
Af t er sh e was gon e th e men talked about th e th reats

,
o f B ud Whitman to bu rn the school bu ildings and th e
h ouse s of Ware and An derson Whil e th ey w ere .
earnestly d iscussin g th e dan ger o n e o f P eggy s pup ils ,

’
came in breathless
,
“
Wh ere i s M iss Peggy P h e
.
” ‘
asked excitedly
, .
What is it s on P gently inqu ired P eggy s fath er

”
,
’
.
’ ”
I don t want to tell nobody but h er h e exclai med , .
W ilb ur Ware explained t o h i m that Peggy w a s gone ,
an d that h e was P eggy s fath er an d u rged h i m to co n

’
fi d e in h i m .
“
I know y o u are h er father all right h e said an d , , ,
”
I ll tell v ou b ut I d ruth er tell h er
’
,
’
.
O f cou rse you would s o n an d I don t blam e y o u ;

, , ,
’
”
b ut your m essage will be safe with u s and Peggy s ,
’
father patted h im kind l y on th e h ead .

248 PEGGY WARE
Th us en couraged h e tol d th em that h e had b een ,
fi shin g U p on th e creek wh en h e s a w B ud Whitman ,
an d B ill Kellett come down th e trail an d sit down at ,
th e root of a big tree an d b egin to talk A s th ey

” “
talk ed h e said th ey kept pointing toward th e sch ool
, ,
house and I got curiou s to k now what th ey were talk

,
i ng ab out so I crawled u p b eh in d th e tree from wh ere

,
they sat an d I h eard B u d Wh itman say We ll bu rn

, ,
‘ ’
h er down ton igh t B ill an d wh il e everybody is excited

, , ,
y o u and I wil l slip o u t o f th e Pocket git to th e river , ,
steal a canoe an d cross over to the oth er side o f th e

,
river an d l eave th e oth er fel lers to take care of the m

,
selves I t s gittin t o o h ot h ere f o r U S but b efore I go

.
’ ’
I want to do al l I can to that d d An derson Ware — -
bun ch .
“
I didn t want t o h ear any more h e said but
’
, ,
c rawl ed away an d b eat it h ere to tel l M iss Peggy .
“ ”
I want to thank y ou l ittle man sai d Wilbur Ware , , .
Y o u are a b rav e chap and I ll tel l Peggy all about it

’
,
and again h e placed h is han d lovingly on th e boy s

h ead .
“
I w ish Peggy were h ere anxiously exclaimed h er ,
”
fath er . I always feel th e n eed of h er in a crisis .
“ ” “
S O do w e all said Doctor Westo n , Sh e is th e .
soul o f ever y th ing .
“
Wh en sh e s arou n sai d Anderson I a l lu s feel
’
, ,
that n uth in bad can happ en I wonder why it i s

’
P ”
.
’
I t s b e ca s e s h e tru sts de Lawd wh en de rest ob u s ,
des th inks we do added Si mon , .
H astily th ey planned to guard th e school bu ildings ,

’
a s w ell as Ware s an d An derson s h omes They felt ’
.
su re that Wh itman and K ellet would not tak e any o f

th eir comrades into th eir confidence Th erefore th ey .
would h a ve but two to dea l with .

250 PEGGY WARE
O ld Simon told me once that I am j ust l ike your
m oth er wh en sh e was my age I a m so glad of it for .
,
”
it will make you love me all th e more .
“
I could n o t love you b etter R uth i f you w ere my , ,
” “
own S ister warmly exclai med P eggy
,
I have n o
ticed a remarkabl e resemblance to my moth er al so an d , ,
I am glad y o u look like h er for I thou ght h er th e most

,
”
b eautiful woman i n th e world .
“
I wonder wh y D octor Weston l oved me Peggy , ,
in stead of y o u ? You are so s mart s o b eautiful an d , ,
”
s o sweet an d I am such an ignorant th in g
,
.
I f R uth had not b een s o sel f ce n tered at th e mo ment -

,
sh e cou ld n o t hav e fail ed to Observe P eggy as sh e

th rew o u t h er han d a s if s h e w ere grasping at some
th ing to p revent h erself from falling Sh e might have
,
.
s een a fac e a s white a s it will b e wh en Peggy cl oses

her e ves in th e last long sl eep B ut R uth did not s e e .
,
an d con s equ ently did n o t know that s h e had shot

an oth er thorn into Peggy s wou nded h eart ’
.
“ ”
O h tha t s easy to un derstand R uth sai d Peggy
’
, , , ,
“
making a b rave e ff ort at gaiety I f I were a man I .
,
woul d always ch oose y o u and I think most men ,

”
wou ld .
“
I don t s e e h ow you kept from fal ling in love w ith
’
D octor Weston Peggy for h e i s su ch a noble man

, , ,
d eclared R uth tossing h er h ead p roudly at th e thou ght

,
“ ”
o f soon p ossessing h er p rince a s s h e frequ ently ,
called h im .
“ ”
And s uppose I did love h im R uth th en what P said , ,
P eggy s miling enigmatically

, .
“
I would b e s o sorry f o r y o u Peggy th at it would , ,
”
almost k ill me B u t I a m so glad y o u don t
.
’
.
“ ”
I am glad too R uth an d P eggy bru shed th e tears
, , ,
from her eyes a s R uth was looking toward th e soldiers ’

TH E S LAC K ER S R E ND EZ V O U S
’
25 1
encampm ent that had j u st that mom ent come into the
,
range o f th eir vision .
A t th eir requ est th e sol dier o n s entry duty co n

,
ducted th em to th e lieutenant s tent H e had heard of ’

.
“ ”
th e Peggy Ware S chool and o f it s p resident an d w a s
, ,
much flattered to have h er cal l with R uth b ut anxious ,
about th eir safety .
P eggy explain ed to hi m th e situation and th e mec es

s it y f o r h er im mediate return to B uck s Pock et .
Lieutenant J ohn son told h er that th e Pock et was

su rrounded with machin e gun s stationed at all vantage
points an d that u nl ess th e slack ers surrendered h e
,
would shell th em out takin g good care n ot to fi re o n

,
th e s chool b uildin gs o r th e residen ce s o f any of th e

inh ab itants .
After discussing th e situation fully Lieutenant J oh n ,
s o n wrote a note to th e draft evaders urging th e m to ,
surren der p eaceful ly an d avoid bloodsh ed telling th em ,
that th ey coul d not hop e to escap e H e informed th e m .
that if they did not hoist th e wh ite flag of su rren der by

n in e o clock th e foll owin g morning from a h igh p eak
’
that stood o u t from th e oth ers lik e a lone sentinel h e ,
woul d give th e order to h is gu nners to fi re .
Peggy undertook to deliver th e note and s h e an d ,
R uth started on their retu rn j ourn ey leaving th e hand ,
som e you ng l ieutenan t waving adieu as th ey d is a p

p e a r e d around an abrup t curve i n th e road .
“
Halt thare gals drawl ed a tall young mou ntain eer
, , ,
“
as h e step p ed from b ehind a huge rock D on t you .
’
all know w e u n s go t orders t o shoot anyb ody passin ’
”
erlong th is road P
“
Ye s I know it B illy Wooten an d I kn ow you
, ,
”
wouldn t shoot me an Peggy to save you r o w n li fe
’
said R uth looking at h im fearlessly

, .
252 PEGGY WA RE
Wall I gu ess yore righ t thare h e said b eca s e
, , ,
B u d Wh itman shore wou ld shoot m e e f h e knowed I

l et y ou al l go o u t to th e sol di ers camp Y O U wus ’
.
a ca r r y in on so wh en y o u passed it k inder locoed m e

’
-
, ,
I recon an I said I d j est wait an git you wh en you

,
’ ’ ’
come back N ow what you all u p to a nyway .

P ”
,
’
Peggy t old hi m th e w hole story frank ly and ask ed ,
h i m to carry th e note to th e slack er s camp ’

.
“
Ef you al l wil l s coot along I l l tak e it an tell em
’ ’ ’
, ,
some o n e drapped it over th e blu ff an I p ick ed it up ’

.
’
Ef I tol e e m th e truth my h ide wouldn t hold shuck s
’
.
,
Peggy urged h i m to u se h is in fluenc e w ith th e m en

to surrender without a fi ght telling h i m that h e owed a ,
duty to h is country Sh e grew eloqu ent a s sh e talked .
to h im an d it w a s eviden t that h e had already sur

,
ren dered to h er .
“
Ef you coul d talk to all th e boys lik e y o u hav e to
m e th ey would a l l g iv e u p all cep t Wh itman an
, ‘
,
’ ’
Kellett I don t th ink th ey would

.
’
.
“ ’
I m ready t o right now b ut I ain t n o qu itter an
’
,
’
I ll go with the gan g B ut I see you re right I hadn t

’
.
’
.
’
n ever though t ab ou t it that way I ain t afeard to .

’
fight N one of th e boys is cowards Th ey are j est

. .
ignorant lik e me I shore do wish yo u could talk to

, .
”
’
em said h e l ookin g earn estly at Peggy from h is wi st
,
ful hon est eyes .
Perhaps I will sai d Peggy an d sh e an d R uth w e re, ,
gone b efore h e coul d rep ly .
“
Sh e s sh ore th e fi nest gal I ever seed h e m uttered
’
to h imself as h e returne d to h is hiding p lace b ehin d th e

,
rock to remain until h is com rade should com e to

,
relieve him .
254 PEGGY WARE
had fough t w ith Anderson in th e war b etween th e
States were ready to take th eir pl ac es for th e night s
,
’
vigil Wh en P eggy look ed into thei r col d determined

.
,
eyes and s a w th em grip th eir sq uirrel rifles sh e kn ew

, ,
that it boded no good t o Whitman and Kel lett .
“ ”
Please don t k ill th em m en s h e pleaded
,
’
I feel , , .
that I wou l d n ever get over it an d B uck s Pocket woul d ,
n ever b e th e sam e t o me again if you sh ed their b lood .
“
Fo r you r sake M iss Peggy w e won t shoot u nl ess
’
, ,
th ey make u s b u t w e won t b e very hard to make will

,
f
’
,
”
w e b oys ? said A nderson l ookin g into the fac es Of ,
th e silent m en who w ere receiving th ei r fi nal in s t r u c

tions .
“
M y gun s p o w f u l easy on trigger Cap I keep h er
’ ’
, .
that way an e f I git a b ead o n B u d Wh itman an git

,
’ ’
sk eered an my han shak es a little O l B etsy is liabl e

,
’ ’
,
’ ‘ ’
”
t o go O ff so spok e an Old Wild Catter with a cold
,
b looded ch uckle .
“
Please pl ease b e ca r e f u l said Peggy layin g h er
, ,
‘
, ,
h an d gently o n th e shoul der o f th e speak er who was ,
known as a d esp erate man an d on wh ose gun stock ,
th ere were half a doz en notch es each representi n g an ,
en emy h e had sent into th e next world .
“
Al l right littl e gi rl I ll try an n o t git sk eered
, ,
’ ’
said h e an d a softer ligh t ca m e into h is eyes as h is

,
h eart glowed b en eath th e tou ch o f Peggy s magn etic ’
han d .
A nderson Ware an d D octor W eston with som e o f

, ,
“
th e straight sh ooters were posted aroun d th e school
bu il dings Win slow an d Cranston took charge o f the
.
p rotection o f the Ware an d A nderson h omes assisted ,
by m en of un doub ted cou rage an d loyalty Th e boys .
and girl s at th e do rmitories w ere in ignorance o f th e

i mp ending danger an d retired at the usual hou r ,
.
R alph an d Virgin ia sen sed trouble and refused to ,

T H E S U RRE ND ER 25 5
go to b ed until Peggy had retold th e m many o f th e

stories s h e had b een tellin g th em from th eir earliest
recollection Finally th e sl eepy h eads began to n o d
.
,
and Peggy k issed them goodnight and put th em to b ed .
Sh e stol e u p to h er atti c room pu t o n a pair o f ,
h eavy walkin g shoes a short thick skirt and h eavy

, , ,
w rap that s h e cou ld turn u p covering he r h ead and

hiding her featu res R everently s h e knelt for a few
.
mo ments com muning w ith H i m wh o had miraculously

,
guided h er feet along an enchanted highway .
Sh e arose h er fac e calm and seren e extingu ish ed th e

, ,
lamp an d softly descended th e stairs stood by th e

, ,
trundle b ed look in g lon g a n d earnestly at th e p eac e

,
ful faces o f R alph an d Virginia k issed th em on c e ,
more and went o u t into th e darkn ess

,
.
Sh e p eered cautiou sly arou nd and seein g no one she , ,
walked as lightly a s a cat to H ero s ken nel u nfast ’
en ed th e chain fro m h i s collar patted h im on th e h ead

, ,
“
wh ispering Come with me H ero an d don t mak e one
, , ,
’
bit of noise .
Th e men were al l gon e and n o o n e had h eard or

,
s ee n h er as P eggy thought
,
.
I n th is S h e was m istak e n There w a s one whose

.
love had sharpen ed h is eyesight an d given h i m a wis ,
d o m that comes to thos e w h o dwel l m uch in th e si

lenc e S imon did not have t o b e tol d th ings Like
. .
P eggy h e j ust kn ew th e m When sh e released H ero

, .
,
and started toward th e slackers camp Simon was but ’
a few p aces b ehind h er an d h is steps fell as l ightly as

,
th e dew H ad not hi s an cestors f o r countless ages

.
,
stalked th e w ild b easts i n th e j un gl es o f A frica an d ,
n ow love added wings t o th e o ld man s feet an d h e ’
could al most hav e walke d on th e air for Peggy s sak e ’

.
H e kn ew that h is belov ed M istress would not al low

him to accompany her but h e was willing to i ncur h er
,
256 PEGGY WA RE
displeasure if n eeds b e , to b e near her in case , of
d a n ge n
Peggy did n ot fol low th e road b ut slipp ed throu gh ,
th e den se forest lik e a shadow H ero at h er side h e r , ,
han d resting on h is head .
Sh e had reach ed th e creek and crossed it on a bi g

foot l og that spanned the torrential strea m Th e roar .
Of th e water could be heard f o r a l ong distan ce an d ,
th ere was no danger o f anyon e h earin g h er footfalls

n ow . As s h e step p ed from th e foot log on th e oppo
site bank Of th e stream sh e was seiz ed by rough hands
, ,
an d b efore sh e could make an outcry a h andkerch ief ,
was th rust in t o h er mouth .
H ero w ith a savage growl sprang to th e throat o f

, ,
B u d Whitman fo r it was h e wh o had seiz ed Peggy ;

,
bu t j u st as h e woul d have fastene d h is teeth i n a death

grip B ill Kellett stru ck h im a c ru el b low on th e h ead
,
w ith th e stock o f his gun an d H ero stu n n ed fell at, , ,
Peg gy s feet wh ere h e lay q uiverin g an d h elpl ess

’
, .
Si mon who was close b eh in d Peggy had cautiously

, ,
felt h is way alon g th e foot log and j u st a s H ero was ,
fel led h e reach ed th e spot wh ere Whitman an d Kel

,
l ett w ere n ow tying P eggy w ith a rope Like o n e of .
h is anc estors o f o l d sp rin ging o n a tiger to van qu ish

,
it in a han d to hand conflict th e o ld man l eaped on ,
B u d Whitman an d b ore h i m to th e ground H e was

, .
fastening h is teeth in Wh itman s shoulder and h is ’
fingers i n h is th roat wh en a death dealin g strok e from

,
-
K e l l e t t s gun cau sed h is j aws to relax h is han d t o fall

’
nerv el ess an d th e o l d darky tumbl ed over in a h eap

, ,
l ifeless to al l app earan ces .
“
D am h im w e got him at last said Whitman still
, , ,
panting fro m h is stru ggl e with Simon .
“ ”
Wh at are you gwi n e to do w ith th e gal ? ask ed
258 PEGGY WARE
Th e can oe sh ot out into th e ragin g t o r e n t so swift ,
th at n o mortal man coul d swim across it .
H ero recovering fro m th e blow follow ed th e foot

, ,
steps of Wh itman an d Kellett down th e treach erou s

bl u ff and reach e d th e brink of th e strea m a s W hit
,
man wa s b endin g over to sh ov e th e canoe o u t from

th e bank Sp rin gin g h igh in th e air h e leap ed for
.
,
th e can o e strik in g Whitman as h e passed over h i s

,
should ers th e b low causing B u d t o lose h is balance

,
.
For a mo ment Kellett s a w Whitman reel a s if h e had

“ ”
lost h is balance Ketch m e B ill ! h e shouted but it
.
, ,
w a s no u s e Th e bou lder o n wh ich h e was standing

.
had b een loosen ed and th e more h e tried to b alance

,
h im se l f o n th e rol ling stone th e g reate r the m o ,
m entu m .
“ ”
K etch me B ill ! Fer G od s sake ketch m e ! rang
,
’
w ild ly o u t o n th e night a s B ud Wh itman h is eyes ,
starting from th eir sockets plu nged h eadlon g into th e ,
whirlin g waters o f S auty Creek O nc e h e rose t o th e .
surfac e f o r a m o m eht an d Kell ett h eard h im shriek ,

“ ”
Ketch m e B ill ! Ketch m e !
,
As h e fl ed th rou gh th e forest that cry of Ketch me , ,

”
B ill ! ran g in h is ears lon g after B u d Wh itman lay on
th e bottom o f Sau ty Creek b elow th e fall s wh ere h e ,
had intended to s end Peggy to certain d estruction .
Th e d istan ce from th e bank w a s too far for th e

faith fu l d og to cove r an d h is body sank into th e water
, ,
b u t with h is fore feet planted in th e canoe h e b e gan ,
a battl e f o r l ife A s th e frail cra ft shot down th e

.
strea m trembl in g l ik e a sh el l a s it leaped from cascade

,
t o cascade H ero slowly p ull ed h is body into it wh ere

, ,
h e lay exhau sted fro m h is struggl e .
Doctor Weston w h o was station ed n ear th e p lac e

,
spanned by th e foot log h eard Whitman s cry as h e ,

’
p lunged into th e stream and b efore th e canoe h ad ,

d isappeared from view h e reach ed th e sp ot I n the , .
p al e moonl ight h e could disce rn th e d o g h oldin g o n to

,
th e ste rn with gri m determination an d h e intu itively ,
kn ew that Peggy w a s lying in th e bottom W ith out .
a moment s h esitation h e w a s racing along th e bank

’
o f th e creek l eaping boul ders and fallen trees H e

, .
kn ew a plac e a half m ile b elow wh ere anoth er foot

log spann ed th e stream I f h e could reach it ah ead o f .
th e wildly dashin g cano e h e coul d l eap from th e log , ,
and p erhaps lan d in it I f h e m issed it th e n h e would

.
,
sleep b esid e B u d Wh itman at th e foot o f th e falls I f .
h e lan ded safely h e wou ld b e w ith P eggy if indeed

, ,
sh e were i n th e b ottom o f th e canoe a s h e had s u r ,
m is e d .
H e kn ew that h e coul d not save h er an d that it ,
meant th e u sel ess sacrifice of h is o w n life .
R uth s face rose p l eadingly b efore h im bu t h is pace

’
never slack en ed A l l th e wo rl d van ish ed an d h e saw

.
,
noth ing sav e th e gol den h ead th e fatho ml ess eyes

, ,
th rou gh wh ich th e soul o f P eggy Ware had s o Often

look ed into h is ow n sou l .
D eath w ith h er wou ld b e sweeter than life with all

th e world for h is ch oosin g I n th e sup rem e mom ent .
,
h e realiz ed that h e loved Peggy with a lov e that comes ,
to n o man b u t once .
Why had he not k nown it b efore ?

H o w swe et it wou ld b e to di e w ith Peggy in h is
arms althou gh Peggy did n ot love h im Ah i f h e
,
.
,
Coul d die an d save P eggy ! Th e worl d n eeded h er an d ,
h e woul d gladly go on now and wait f o r th e soul o f .
Peggy Ware after h er work w a s don e in th is worl d .
How won derful it wou ld b e to wait over th ere i n th e

S u mm er land watchin g over h er in h er schoolroom
, , .
2 60 PEGGY WA R E
in h er Sh rin e of Sil enc e y e s in h er attic room , , ,
w h is
p erin g l ove to h er i n th e lan guage o f th e soul .
1
>< 1
>< >l< >1
< >< 1 >< 1
Y es thank G od h e w a s in ti me Th e canoe w a s i n
, ,
.
th e middl e of th e strea m I n anoth er m oment it woul d .
sw eep b en eath th e foot l o g an d dash onward toward ,
destruction I f h e leap ed o n e moment t o o soon o r o n e

»
.
momen t too late it woul d b e fatal I f h e fail ed b y a

,
.
hair s breadth to land in th e b ottom th e treacherou s

’
b ark would overtu rn an d h e woul d n ot even hav e th e ,
j y
o o f dyin g with P eggy in his arm s .
H e stood breathl ess poised for th e leap ,

.
“
G od h elp m e hi s lips spok e an d f o r a mom ent h is
, ,
body h u ng in th e air and th en lan ded s quarely in th e ,
mi ddle o f th e tre mbl ing canoe I t rock ed from side to .
side I t seem ed that it mu st U pset b u t it b egan to

.
,
rock l ess v iolently th en righted itself and pl un ged , ,
forward on its mad rac e with death .
H ero w a s g n a w in g a t th e cords that b oun d Peggy ‘

.
With hi s kn ife D r Weston cu t th e thongs th at lac er .
ated h er fl esh an d took h er in h is arm s .
“ “
I t I s I D r Weston h e said
, . We are rush i ng to , .
certain death b ut G od h a s b een good to m e and h a s

, ,
”
p ermitted m e to die with you .
“
Why shoul d y o u wan t to die with m e Doctor ,
Weston ? You sh ou ld want to liv e f o r R uth .
“
I t i s b ecau se I lov e y o u Peggy darl in g w ith a , , ,
love that a man can give but onc e in a l ifeti me D eath .
w ith you is a thou sand times sweeter than life with

”
o u t you .
“
My own m y o w n h a s co me t o m e said Peggy
, ,
reverently H er b eautifu l h ead n estled o n h is sho uld er

.
,
th ei r lips met in on e lon g last k iss a s the roar o f th e ,
falls they were n o w fast app roach in g thundered in ,
th ei r ears .
2 62 PEGGY WARE
“ ’ ”
I t s H ero I t s H er o ! cried Peggy above th e roar
.
’
“
o f th e cataract S ee h e is h oldin g fast to som eth ing
.
, ,
”
p reventin g u s from plunging over th e fall !
D octor Weston crept cautiou sly to th e prow of the
canoe fearin g that he might U p set it H ero with h is
,
.
,
feet p lanted firmly o n th e botto m had seiz ed a grap e ,
vin e that swun g out ov er th e strea m a l ittle way from

the bank and w a s hol din g on with an al most su p er
,
h u man stren gth .
Weston lai d h ol d with b oth han ds an d after a te r ,
r ifi c strugg l e b rought th e end o f th e canoe again st th e
bank and h el d it th ere until Peg gy coul d step to th e

ground Sh e loop ed th e rope with wh ich sh e had been
.
bound around D octor Weston s wrists and com

,
’
m a n d e d H ero t o j u mp ashore Sh e h eld on e end o f .
th e rop e an d H ero followin g h er examp l e seized it

, , ,
between h is iron lik e j aws Th e canoe sl ipp ed out -

.
from under W e s t o n a n d sh ot over the falls while

’
h e struggled f o r a m oment i n th e water and th en with ,
th e combin ed e ff orts o f Peggy and H ero h e stood in ,
safety on th e b ank o f the stream .
>l< >< l
Wilbur Ware an d Cli ff An derson h eard th e cries o f

Wh itman and ru sh ed t o th e scen e a s fast as possible
,
.
Th ey crossed th e foot lo g an d were horrifi ed to fin d ,
S i mon weltering in h is own blood apparently dead , ,
a great wou nd on h is h ead Th ey were searching for .
some clu e to th e tragedy wh en tw o m en came up with ,
B ill Kellett badly frighten ed b etween th e m Sternly

, ,
.
A nderson sai d B ill w e are in a h urry I l l giv e

:
, .
’
y ou l essen five m in it s to tel l all you know about th e

”
m urder o f th is O l d nigger Sp it i t o u t qu ick ! .
B ill s teeth were chattering and b ully lik e h e b egan

’
, ,
to wh in e and l ie .
TH E S U RRE ND ER 2 63
B u d Whitman knocked h im o n th e h ead with th e

”
butt of his gun exp lain ed Kell ett ,
.
“
Why did h e do that ? What w a s S imon doin g
” “
h ere d eman ded Anders on N o w don t lie e f y o u
’
? .
”
kn ow wh at s good fer you ’
.
“
H e wu s t r y in to p erte e t Peggy Ware said B i ll
’
,
.
”
Th e h ell y o u s a y ! hissed And erson b eside h i m ,
“
s el f w ith fear and rage B ring m e th e rop e boys .
,
.
Now tel l it all in j est o n e mini t without me b avin to

,
’
”
ax y o u anoth er da m qu estion .
D o n h an g me Cap fer G aw d s sak e I ain t fi t t e n

’ ’ ’
.
, ,
”
t o die I ll tell it all
’
. .
I n a few s enten ces h e describe d th e se izing of P eg

gy ,
th e fi gh t with H ero and S i mon th e binding o f ,
Peggy with a rop e and th e placing o f h er in a canoe .
“ ” “
B u d shoved it o ff into th e creek said Kell ett a n , ,
’
someh ow lost h is balance an fell in hissel f an th e last ’

,
’
I seed Of hi m h e co me u p o n ct an d holl ered Ketch m e

,
‘
,
An derson leap ed o n th e foot log and crossed it l ik e ,

“ ”
a dee r D on t h ang th e dam s coun drel til I git b ack
.
’ ’
h e sh outed an d h e w a s gone racing down th e creek

, ,
lik e th e wind .
“
Tak e S imon to M r An derson s home said Wilb u r .
’
,
“
Ware and tell M rs An derson and R uth to do what
, .
ever th ey can for h im .
B lindly h e followed in th e direction taken by An d

e r s o n h is b rain b urnin g with th e o l d fires o f unbelief
,
.
H e ran until exh austed an d th en crept along at a ,
snai l s pace fallin g frequ ently ov er th e rocks and

’
, ,
tangled undergrowth .
H e ha lloed until h e was hoarse but no answer came ,
back to h is agon ized cry .
“ ”
Peggy P eggy h e wh isp ered wh e n h is voice fail ed
, , ,
2 64 PEGGY WA RE
h i m an d th e m ockin g nigh t wind seemed to answer
,
“
back P eggy P eggy
, ,
.
At last h e h eard th e roar o f th e cataract an d stum ,
bl ed on D imly h e was con sciou s Of th e fear that

.
Peggy had gon e over th e fal ls but someh ow he hop ed ,
that sh e w a s safe so mewh ere b elow f or sh e h ad a l ,
ways b el i eved s o i n G od s protection S urely H e wou ld ’

.
n ot tak e h er from h er great work j u st in th e b egin ning

o f her career .
H e scrambl ed down th e high bank an d stood at th e ,
foot o f th e falls Th e m o on had risen to its m eridian

.
and look ed down o n th e wh irlpool mad e by th e water

pou ring ove r the cataract I n th e mi dst O f th e wh irl .
p ool goin g round an d rou nd in a diz zy circl e h e saw

,
a canoe Still h e di d n ot real iz e it s m eaning

. .
H e c rept closer until h e reached a rock that h un g

ou t over th e wh irling water and th ere at its extrem e ,
p oint s a t An derson h is h ead b are h is fac eb etween his , ,
han ds sob s S haking h i s body a s th e storm sways th e

,
mighty oak .
Placing h is han d on An derson s shoul der Wilbu r ’
,
“
Ware sai d : Wh at is it An derson ? ,
“
Sh e s th are at th e bottom o f that whirlpool e f th ere
’
is any b ottom an we won t n ever se e h er n o m ore no

’ ’
, ,
” “
more ! h e moaned Sh e w us j est too good fer th is
.
world an G od n eeded h er u p yander anyway B ut

,
’
.
”
H e didn t n eed h er half as bad as w e do ! An d aga 1 n
’
th e stron g man w ept .
1
><
Wh en P eggy and Doctor Weston were al most mirac

u l o u s ly rescued by H ero and stood o n firm ground , ,
they look ed into each oth e r s eyes sp eechl ess Th e ’
, .
reaction fro m th e certainty of death t o th e duties o f

life foun d th em stun ned Their facul ties were para
,
.
l y z e d th eir l imb s were n u mb ed and it was th e j oy o f

, ,
2 66 PEGGY WARE
Th ey had n o t p roceeded far until th ey saw th e glea m
o f a light toward wh ich H ero was l eading th e m I t .
cam e from th e cabin of the man that h alted the Ware

family wh en it en tered B uck s Pock et in th e ox wagon .
M art Su ttles an d h is wife s a t by th e l o g fi re that

bu rned ch eerily in th e wide mouth ed ch imn ey In -
.
’
an swer to H ero s bark h e op en ed th e door cautiou sly , ,
h is tru sty rifl e in one hand S eein g P eggy h e ex .

,
clai med :
“
Lawd b less y oa h h eart M iss Peggy whatever are , ,
you all doin h ere at m idn igh t ? Come in y o u look

’
,
”
lak you a re ready to drap H ere k etch h er ma ! h e .
, ,
said in alarm as Peggy reel ed an d woul d hav e fall en

, ,
if M r s S uttl es had not thrown h er strong arms about

.
h er .
“
Com e h el p m e p ut h er o n th e cot M art Th e pore ,
.
th ing i s a s li mp as a rag an d wh iter than a sheet , .
I ll mak e h er a cu p o f strong co ffe e h ere o n th e coal s

’
in a j i ff y an it ll fetch h er back M y ma u sed to faint

,
’ ’
.
that way an co ffee was allu s th e b es thin g w e coul d

,
’ ’
”
give h er .
Suttles exp lain ed th at h e w a s sitting U p o n account

o f th e p rosp ective confl ict b etween th e sold iers and
slackers .
“
I woul d a b een gon e U p to th e sch ool house afore
” “
n ow h e said but M iranda b egged m e n o t t o go an
, , ,
’
I b een p ersuadiu he r it were my duty an sh e h ad j is t ’

,
’
ab out give h er con sent wh en I h e e r e d the dog

a
That s whare you re w rong Mart sai d h is wi fe

’ ’
, , .
You h ed made u p yore m in you wu s goin con sent ’ ’
er n o con sent an wh en y o u git that way I al lus give

,
’
”
In .
Th e co ff ee w as now ready an d th e strong woman

took Peggy in h er arms a s s h e might h av e h eld a ch ild .
“ ”
D rink it h oney it ll do you good sh e said
, ,
’
, .
Without Op en in g h er eyes o r sh o wing oth er s ig n s

o f l ife
,
Peggy swall ow ed th e stron g b everage and ,
a fter a few spoon ful s sh e showed signs o f retu rnin g

consciou sness .
You feel better n ow don t you l ittl e o n e said Mrs

? ”
,
’
, .
Su ttles as h er k indly face beame d w ith p leasure

, .
“
O h I am qu ite w el l n o w thank you saying wh ich
, , ,
Peggy closed h er eyes sigh ed deep ly an d apparently , ,
fell asleep Doctor Weston tol d th e S uttl es th e ex

.
p e r ien ce s that brought th em to th ei r ho me at th is hour

o f th e n ight .
“
G ood Lord exclaimed M rs Suttles h er daddy
,
.
,
wil l b e plu mb skeered to d eath an you settin h ere ,

’ ’
with yore mouth op en bakin yore sh ins by a good ,

’
warm fi re Ain t you asham ed Of y o r e s el f Ma rt S ut

.
’
,
”
tles Y o u ou ght a b een h alf way thare b efore n ow
? .
“
Wh en sh e talks that a way I allu s agre e w ith h er , ,
said h er h usband winkin g slyly at D octor Weston , .
“
Y o u al l j est stay h ere an I ll go an fetch h er daddy
’ ’ ’
,
”
an An derson an a wagon to tak e her h om e
’ ’
.
S uttl es h ung hi s sh ot p ouch over h is shoulder p ick ed ,
U p h is gu n and w a s gon e b efore h is w ife could fire
h er parting shot .
“ ’
J est lak a man s h e m uttered to set aroun an ’
"
, ,
talk whil e th is p ore ch il s lyin h ere more dead en ’ ’
al ive an h er folks sk eered p lu mb c razy Sh e s th e

’
.
’
finest gal in th e world M ister an I d ruth er see hal f , ,

’ ’
th e folks in B ucks Pocket die than to hav e h er go I .
n ever b elieved in Go d til sh e cam e an a passel more ,

’
wu s j est lak m e I u se to b el ieve in h ell fer w e women

.
,
l ived in h ell most 0 th e time M y ole man d com e ’

.
’
ho me full o f p iz e n lick er an beat me up a n all th e ,

’
,
’
’
men don e th e sam e b u t n ow th ey ain t n o wild cat ,
-
2 68 PEGGY WARE
wh iskey an they ain t no h ell in B uck s Pocket cept
,
’ ’
,
’
what th em slackers is raisin an I gw in e to mak e M art ’
,
’
h elp roun d e m u p an I a m ready to d o my part I

’
,
’
.
kin sh oot s h e sai d prou dly pointing to a lon g squirrel

, ,
rifl e that h ung on th e wal l .
Pe ggy s b reath ing w a s n ow long an d regular an d

’
Doctor Weston told M rs S uttl es that sh e was sleep ing .
sou n dly an d w oul d p robably sleep f o r sev eral h ours

, ,
an d in sisted that sh e retire an d rest wh il e h e watch ed

b eside P eggy .
“
All right M ister E f yore a doctor y o u ou ght to
,
.
,
” “
kn ow what s b est sh e said ’
I ll b e righ t in th e next
,
.
’
”
room a n you ki n call me e f y o u n eed m e
,
’
.
Left alon e Weston moved h is chai r b eside th e co t

, ,
took Peggy s h an d in h is an d waited for her awaken

’
in g
.
>s
< 1
>< 1
><
”
A re w e P eggy opening h er eyes
a lo n e ? 0
s a id I , .
”
m ust h ave slept a long tim e I feel so refresh ed . .
“
Yes dear you h av e slept quite a wh il e an d I am
, , ,
exp ectin g your fath er and M r An derson p retty soon .

,
a s M r S uttl es h a s gon e to tell th e m o u r wh ereabouts

. .
B efore th ey come I th ink it well for u s to discus s o u r

,
n ew relati on s after th e k nowledge that h as com e to

,
U S o f ou r mutual l ov e Shal l w e tell y o u r fath er to .
night P ”
O f cours e I m u st inform R uth at th e fi rst o p p o r

,
t u n it y . I t is th e only h onorabl e th ing t o do Y o u .
qu ite a gree with me don t y o u my own Peggy ? ,

’
“
Co me hol d my hand J ohn whil e I an swer you r
, , ,
” “
q u estions said Peggy f o r I hav e mu ch to say to you
, , ,
an d I don t want you t o interrupt m e un ti l I h ave

’
.
fin ish ed It m ust b e sai d b efore my fath er o r anyon e

.
a rrives .
“
Tonight you an d I faced d eath as really as w e ever
2 70 PEGGY WA RE
it a man is never th e same again H e can never turn
, .
back i f h e woul d and even if h e tries h is soul n ow

, , ,
consc iou s Of it s o w n being its D ivinity will not allow

, ,
him .
“
I f y ou and I yielded t o th e cries of s el f an d sacri
fi ce d R uth we wou ld fall like Lu cifer an d fo r weary
, ,
ages w e woul d tread th e win ding path back to th e

point w h ere we fi rst saw th e light Th e tragedy o f a .
sou l delib erately turning back t o sel f mak es th e angels

weep .
“
I f y o u and I b elon g to e a ch oth er in a sp iritual
sen se J oh n i t woul d th rust u s apart for a eons I f w e
, , .
took th ings in ou r o w n ha nds ignorin g th e D ivin e ,
Will trampling o n th e up tu rn ed face o f R uth a d eadly

, ,
cank er w orm would gn aw at ou r V ital s an d at th e ,
botto m o f every cu p of n ectar w e s ipped togeth er ‘
th ere woul d b e a p oison drop .
“
E ve n if th is were not s o if there were n o R uth —
I cou ld n ot marry y p u That is n o t for m e now Why

. .
,
I d o n ot know ; b ut I may know s o m e day in G od s ’
good ti me I do know h owev e r that th ere i s a lon g

.
, ,
in g in m y sou l that y o u coul d n ever satisfy I n th e .
mo m ent of ou r sup re m est bliss th is longi n g th i s soul , ,
passion w ou ld cry o u t an d y o u an d I wou ld b e a s far

, ,
apart a s th e poles Y ou woul d feel it an d it w oul d b e

.
,
i mpossib l e f o r u s t o bridge th e chas m try a s w e might , .
No devotion no w o rds o f love no tender caresses

, , ,
coul d satisfy in th e slightest degre e th is sou l l ongi n g .
“
Th ere is only on e wh o can an swer th is call of th e
sou l and that is G od I fi nd H i m i n my Sh rin e of
,
.
S ilenc e an d th e agony in my soul gives way to p eace

,
.
“
Y o u could n ot b e happ y w ith m e an d I coul d n ot ,
b e happ y with you f o r th ere wou l d b e a mighty gul f

,
fix ed b etween u s a s w id e an d deep a s th e on e that

s eparated Lazaru s an d D ives .
TH E S U RRE N D ER 27 1
Th e Wise O n es tel l u s that each h a s h is sou l mate ,
h is compl em ent h is other self I t may b e s o I som e

,
. .
ti mes feel that it is so an d this lon gin g may b e for ,
my soul mate I f s o th e ti me h a s n ot co me for m e to

.
,
have that longing satisfi ed Y o u may b e my sou l .
mate M y love is s o great for y o u that I feel that it

.
may b e so I f y o u are th en I kn ow that I a m n ot

.
,
ready f o r y o u ; that I have oth er l ives to l ive b efore

y o u can b e m ine .
“
I n my p resent state o f d evelopm ent if I really p o s ,
sessed my soul mate I should not feel my n eed of ,
Go d. H e would b e my G od an d my soul would b e ,
satisfied N ot until I hav e grown so b ig that I can

.
have my s oul mate and stil l have room for Go d do I ,
desi re this consu m mation o f a pe rfect lov e .
“
We will go back to our worl d as i f noth in g h ad hap
p ened Go d h a s already u n mistakably pointed th e
.
way an d in H i s way we w ill walk j oyfully

, .
“
R uth wil l b e waitin g for you w ith loving heart an d
outstretch ed arms whil e I go to fol low m y v ision u n
,
til su ch tim e a s H e shall say Well don e good and ,

‘
faith ful servant .

’
“
H enc eforth y o u are to me D octor W eston and I
, ,
”
a m j ust P eggy you r most devoted frien d
, .
1
><
N ot kn owin g th e fate Of Peggy h er fath er and An d ,
e r s o n watch ed th e foa m in g waters at th e foot of th e
falls Wilb u r Ware plac ed h is han d o n An derson s

.
’
sh oulder and tried to arou s e h i m from his despair .
“ “
Let u s h op e h e said th at it is n o t so b ad a s w e
, ,
fear Perhaps s h e h a s b een rescu ed i n som e way I

. .
cannot b eliev e that my won derfu l Peggy l ies at th e

”
bottom o f th i s aw fu l whi rlp ool .
“ ”
I ain t got n o h op e said A nderson
’
A n I don t , .
’ ’
want t o live n o lon ger e f s h e is gon e an I don t th ink ,

’ ’
2 72 PEGGY WARE
I wi l l I h op e my t im e ll come soon b ut b efore I go
.
’
I wan t to tel l you s u m p t h in that s been e a t in on m e ’ ’ ’
ever senc e you com e t o B uck s P o ck et an b rough t that ’
”
angel fro m h eaven .
Wh en An derson said I ain t got no h op e Wilbur ,

’
Ware s h eart with ered with fear Th e o l d fire s o f u n

’
.
b e l ief bu rn ed again i n h is brai n H is th roat w a s dry .

,
and h e li ck ed h is parch ed lips a s you have seen a

wou nded d o g fam ish ed f o r water .
“
I f Peggy my Peggy l ies at the b otto m of th is
, ,
”
w hi rlp o o l I ll sleep b eside h er h e cried hoarsely h is
,
’
, ,
body swaying from side to side .
I n anoth er momen t h e woul d have pl unged h ead

lon g into th e seeth ing water but h e cau ght th e sound ,
o f An derson s voice an d it h eld h i m b ack H e h eard

’
, .
“
Anderson say : R uth ain t my gal I g o t h er in Chat ’
.
t a n oo g a wh en s h e warn t more n two years Old I ’ ’
shou ld j u dge I w u s U p thare with a l oad o f w ild cat

.
whisk ey an I had peddl ed it o u t an sold my wagon

,
’ ’
an team t o a ban d of gyps ies b e ca s e the r e v e n oo o f

’
,
fi ce r s wu s after m e an I wu s co min g hom e o n th e

’
,
”
boat an d odge em ’ ’
.
Th e light glea med again f o r Wilb u r Ware Perhaps .
h is Fl orenc e lived a fter all G o d w a s stil l in h is worl d . .
H e m ust have rescu ed Peggy I ntently h e l i sten ed a s .
A nderson co mp leted hi s story .
“
Wh en I tu rn ed over my wagon an go t my m oney ’
,
th e man I sol d t o an anoth er feller w u s f u s s in ab out ’ ’
a ch ild an th ey w u s s o mad th ey talk ed right afore

,
’
m e I soon foun d o u t it wu s a wh ite ch ild they had

.
stol e an I stepp ed roun d t o th e back e nd of th e wagon

,
’
wha re it wu s hid a cry in lak its h eart wou ld break,

’
a n p icked it up an started o ff Th ey both run at m e

’ ’
.
with thei r kn ives b ut I w a s a p ow f u l hard h itter in

,
’
th em days so I haul ed o ff an hit fust on e an th en

,
’ ’
2 74 PEGGY WARE
They took U p th e trail l eadin g toward B ill S uttles ’
cabin attracted by a light in th e win dow

,
.
>< l l
>< I
>< l
><
I t was Peggy w h o fi rst h eard footstep s approach ing :

Kiss me f o r th e last tim e John u ntil w e meet on , ,
anoth er plan e sh e sai d T h eir lips met in a sacri

,
.
fi cia l kis s I t was the seal in g of th eir compact and

.
th e cru cifixion of sel f .
Th e door op ened an d Wilbu r Ware walking erect , ,
follow ed by Anderson feeb ly draggin g h is feet e n , ,
t er ed .
“
My daughter my P eggy alive ! Thank Go d ! Thank , ,
”
G od ! reverently spok e her fath er .
Cl i ff A nderson w a s th e ol d man n o lon ger Th e .
stoop was gon e from h is sh oul ders th e sh u ffl e gon e ,
fro m h is feet H e stood lik e Aj ax defying th e l ight

.
,
ning .
“
Are y ou hu rt M iss P eggy ? A re y o u ab le to b e ,
P
carried hom e h e S aid
”
.
“
I am not hu rt o n e bit sh e said and I am s o , ,
”
anxiou s to g o h ome .
“ ”
Com e on said An derson a s h e took h er in h is
, ,
arms l ik e a big doll an d strode o u t o f th e cabin

, , .
“
Folle r me fer I kn ow a nigh way that cuts off co n s id
,
e rab le an w e ll b e hom e afore that slow poke M art

,
’ ’
”
Suttles gits thare .
Ware an d Weston had great di ffi culty in kee p

'
in g up with h im H e strode lik e a colossu s and to .

,
th eir o ff ers to rel ieve h i m o f h is burden h e wou ld ,
say .
Sh e ain t h eavier than a feather an you fell ers have

’
,
’
ha d a purty tou gh tim e tonight an y o u got abou t all ,

’
”
you k in do to carry y o r e s e l v e s .
P eggy in si sted that s h e b e all o wed to walk b ut ,

“
Anderson woul d n o t h ear o f it This is th e fust .
TH E S U RRE N D ER 275
chanc e I ever had t o do anything fer y o u M iss Peggy , ,
an t it may b e th e last o n e h e said

’
, .
“ ”
Why do you s ay th e last o n e M r Anderson P sh e , .
asked .
B e ca se wh en you know wh ut I tol yore daddy to

’
n ight you l l find o ut I b een th e wu st Ol d h yp e r cr it e in

,
’
forty states .
“
I coul d n ever th ink th at M r An derson Yo u ,
. .
know what I think o f you N ow tell me all about it .

,
and th en you will feel b etter .
H e repeated to h er th e story of R uth s abduction ’
already told to Peggy s father ’

.
“
N o w I guess you ll wa n t m e to set you down afte r
,
’
you know how p iz e n my tech is P Th e o ld ma n stop

”
ped waitin g for a reply

,
.
“
Ye s if yo u pl ease M r Anderson said Peggy a s
, , .
, ,
th e o ld man let h er gently to th e groun d .
Again h is shoul ders stooped and h e hung h is h ead ,
in sham e .
“
I want to stand o n the groun d so I ca n p ut my
arms aroun d you r n eck an d kiss yo u an d thank y ou f o r ,
being su ch a nobl e fath er to my sister .
B efo re h e had time t o p rotest Peggy was p utting ,
h er desire into action a nd Anderson b ewildered and , ,
hap py said : ,
“
It don t l ook hal f as black to me as it h as ev er sence
’
you ca me to B uck s Pock et M ebb e you ki n git M oll y .
an R uth t o se e it lak you an d yore daddy does

’
.
I t was n o t hard f or M rs An derson an d R uth to get .
th e sam e v iew point .
“
I told you on ct I w u s th e b igges liar i n B ucks ’
”
Pocket Now what you go t to say e rb ou t it M olly P
.
,
asked her hu sb an d .
I got t o s ay that e f I w u s big e n ough fool to b e

2 76 P EGGY WA R E
l ieve it all th is tim e it don t mak e no di ff erenc e a n
,
’
,
s w e re d his wife .
“
What are you gwine to think about it R uth P ”
and ,
h e tu rn ed doubtful ly to the excited girl .
“
I think I v e go t two o f th e b est fath ers in the world
’
,
and a moth er h ere an d on e up yon der and a sister that ,

”
I a m so prou d of an d a h u sband that s going to b e
,
’
look ing shyly at D octor Weston and I m th e happiest ,

’
”
girl in al l the wide world .
Peggy s fi rst inqu iry had b een about Si mon

’
.
“ ”
H e s n ever waked up said M rs An derson H e s
’ ’
.
, .
layin thare still a s d eath an y ou can t tel l wh eth er

’
,
’ ’
h e s b r e a t h in or not When th ey brought hi m in an

’ ’
.
,
’
I h e e r d th ey warn t no on e to yore h ouse b u t R alph

’
,
and Virginia I sent f o r em an d th ey wanted to set

,
’
,
”
u p with S imon but I persu aded em t o go to bed
,
’
.
Peggy took U p her watch b esid e th e faithful O l d

h er o and would n o t l isten to any su ggestion that sh e
,
retire for a little res t “

H e wouldn t l eave me sh e ”
.
’
,
“
said if I were in h is place and I ll stay with h im u ntil
, ,
’
th er e i s a change .
D octor Weston s a t o n th e opp osite side o f th e b ed ,
feel in g Simon s p ul se freq u ently an d listening for th e

’
, ,
faint flutterin g Of his h eart .
J u st a s th e fi rst streaks o f dawn shot their arrows

across th e E ast Doctor Weston whisp ered t o Peggy
,
“
that th e en d was near Cal l th e oth ers if y o u wa nt .
”
th em to be pres ent h e said , .
W ith a b reak in g heart s h e tol d h er fath er that ,
S i mon had b ut a few minutes to l ive and h e arou se d ,
R alph an d Virginia an d th e oth ers o f th e h ou sehold,

.
I n a l ittle wh ile th ey w ere group ed about th e b ed

where Uncl e Si mon lay cal m and motion less ,
.
“ ”
H e is gone said D octor Weston i n a solemn voice
, ,
holding U p h i s hand reverently R al ph and V irginia .

278 PEGGY WARE
sorry fer y o u I tried to t ell you how happy I wus .
,
bu t nobody paid any tention to m e An de n I h eer d ’

.
’
dis h e ah ch il cal l me an say s h e n eeded m e an I feel

’
,
’
,
’
lak I willin to l eave h eab en t o come back to h er

’
.
’
I say M assa Lee what shal l I do ? and h e say
,
‘
, ,
GO back Simon ; an ol e M issus Youn g M issu s my

‘ ’
, , ,
‘ ’
o w n daddy a n ma mmy al l say dat s right An b eah ’ ’ ’
.
,
”
I is .
Th e su n rose in a blaz e of glory and th ere was great ,
rej oicing i n th e hom e o f Cli ff An de r son I t was a .
n ew day an d to th e a n xious watch ers it seemed a n ew

,
heaven and n ew ea rth had b een b or n fro m th e a gony

of th e n ight .
N o on e knew wh en Peggy S l ipped o u t of th eir

midst Some on e called for h er and R uth reported
.
,
that sh e coul d not b e foun d .
Sh e was w el l o n th e way t o th e slackers e n camp ’
ment I t was now alm ost eigh t o clock an d at n in e

.
’
, ,
u nl ess the slack ers su rren dered th e fire o f the ma ,
ch ine gu ns would be pou red i n to th eir ranks .
A s sh e pass ed th e school house sh e procu r ed a flag ,
wh ich s h e carried in her h an d .
“ ”
H alt said a rou gh voice as sh e n eared th e re n dez
, ,
v ou s Of th e slackers .
“ ” “
I s i t y o u M iss P eggy ? sai d B illy Woote n
, Im .
’
glad y o u come I give em yore n ote b ut th ey c an t .

’
,
’
make up their m in s what to do Ef you wa n t to talk ’

.
”
to em folle r me
’
,
.
J u st arou n d a gre a t boulde r th ey came upo n th e

camp wh ere m ost o f th e m e n w ere gathered .
“ ”
Whitman and Kel let t is gon e said Wooten an ,
9
’
w e ain t got n o leader so we re j ust a w a it in n o t ,
’
,
’
k n o w in wha t to do .
Th e m e n eyed Peggy as th ough sh e w e r e n o t a

welcom e gu es t .
TH E S U RRE ND ER 2 79
A re th e men all here she ask ed Wooten ?” .
N O M iss but I kin git em here in th ree shakes o f a

’
sh eep s tail said Wooten H e raised a horn that

’
,
.
h ung at his side placed it to his l ip s gave th ree long

, ,
blasts and Peggy saw m en risin g up fro m beh ind

,
rocks an d clu mps o f bu sh es wh ere a m om ent before ,
th e sharpest eyes could n o t have d iscovered a h u man

b eing .
“
They re all here now M iss
’
said Wooten I , , .
think th ey ll l isten t o you ’

.
M ounting a boulder that gave h er a sl ight el evation

so the men could all see h er an d sh e could look into ,
th eir faces sh e said : ,

“
M en I th ink I understand th is situation b etter than
,
y o u do yours elves Th ere i s n o t a coward among you

. .
Th ere w ere only two but th ey are gone Y o u are all ,

.
brav e men and not afraid to fi gh t but y o u want to ,
know why you are call ed o n to fight Y o u n eed but on e .
reason an d that is you r cou ntry you r G overn ment

, ,
wants y o u .
“
N o patriotic A m erican citiz en needs any oth er rea
son . Whether you sympath iz e w ith G ermany o r
France an d E ngland i s wh olly b eside th e question .
Wh eth er y o u favo r war at all o r n o t has n othing to

-
, ,
do with th e issu e Y o u may b e a conscientious ob .
j e ct o r b ut that is no earthly excu se

, .
“
M y con science opp oses war ; every fib er o f my b e
i ng cries o u t against it Th e sh eddin g o f b lood to m e . .
is horribl e ; b u t when my Country has spoken I have ,
n o more Opinions th ey are al l sub merged in th e duty

,
I o w e my Country .
“
So me great p atriot on ce sai d wh en patriotism was ,
a virtu e My Country right o r wrong

,
‘
,
.
’
“
I t is fashionabl e in some quarters today to decry
this but I believe it is a p rinciple that holds good t o
,
2 80 PEGGY WA R E
day j ust a s it did wh en Wash ington fou gh t at V a l ley
Forge .
“ ’
I l l tell you why it s th e tru e Ameri can doct r ine
’
,
m en This is a R epubl ic wh ere a m a j o r l t y rul es an d

.
,
wh en the maj ority sp eaks th e individual mu st b ow in ,
obedience O th erwise w e woul d hav e no law n o gov

.
,
e r n m en t n o cou ntry
,
E very man wou ld b e a law .
unto h imsel f an d anarchy would trampl e ou r flag in

,
th e dust an d civilization would plun ge into ch aos

, .
“
O u r G overnm ent th rou gh ou r duly elected r e pr e ,
s e n t a t iv e s says to go t o Fran c e an d fight G ermany

, ,
an d I want every man h ere to go and show th e m th e

sort o f m ettl e we S outh ern mountai n eers are made of .
Wil l y o u do it P ”
“
I will said B illy Wooten an d a ch orus o f I wills
, ,
went u p from th e camp .
“
Al l O f y o u wh o will go stan d U p sai d P eggy , , .
E very man rose to h is feet Peggy u n furled her .
flag and waving it high above h er h ead s h e shouted

, , ,
”
Three ch eers for th e stars and strip es An d the .
men j oin ed in with hearty good will .
“
We h av e b ut twenty minutes to reach that h igh .
”
p eak s h e said pointin g to th e lon e s entinel that kept
, ,
“
grim watch over B u cks Pock et Wh o will volunteer .
to g o with m e P ”
“ ”
I ll go said Wooten an d th ey w ere off for a race
’
, ,
w ith ti me .
Peggy hastily l ook ed at h er watch as th ey neared

“
th e su m mit We hav e j u st five m i n utes s h e said
.
, .
“
Let s hurry ’
Sh e was b reath less wh en they reach ed
.
th e last steep cl imb .
“ ”
I can t go on sh e said piteou sly GO ah ead an d
’
.
,
”
wave th is white flag sh e sai d handing Wooten h er , ,
h an dkerch ief .
“
L et me climb U p a n th en I ca n reach down an p ull \
’ ’
28 2 PEGGY WA RE
My country tis o f th ee
,
’
,
Sw eet lan d of liberty,

”
O f th ee I sing
min gl ed with th e ech o of th e gun s .
Looking at th e sl ight form o f Peggy j oyou sly w a v

,
ing h er flag h e said :

,
Sh e is as high abov e m e as th e h eaven is above th e

earth I f I can overtake h er in a million years my sou l
.
”
will b e satisfi ed.
C H AP T E R N I N E TEE N
C LI F F A N D E R S O N E N T E R S P O LI T I C S
FT E R th e su rrender of the draft evaders it was
n ecessary for Lieutenan t Joh nson an d h is men
to remain fo r a month in th e mountains aiding
,
th e c ivil auth orities in huntin g out slack ers secreting

th e mselves i n th e sparsely settled commun iti es .
A t Peggy s solicitation th e soldiers w ent into quar

’
,
ters in B u ck s Pock et n ea r th e Peggy Ware S chool ,
and Peggy organiz ed a sp ecial cou rse Of instruction

f o r all th e draft evaders th at woul d tak e advantage o f
it Th ey were given intensive m ilitary in stru ction
.
,
f o r th e cry was coming ov er fro m Fran c e f or h elp ,
an d th e G overn ment had planned to send relief as

q u ickly as possible So it was arran ged that th e men
.
shoul d attend school at night Their enthu siasm w a s

.
remarkabl e once th ey had taken a few l essons .
’
I t was Peggy s pu rpose to teach th em to sp ell read
, ,
a n d write ; an d it w a s not lon g until every man cou ld

write h is n ame Their progress was mu ch more rap id
.
tha n that mad e by th e m en and w omen in P eggy s ’
school fo r th e illiterates Th ese were p eople past mid

.
dle l ife so me o f the m seventy and th eir progress had

, ,
been painfully slow The draft dodgers were all you n g

.
men with stron g native intell ect an d at th e end of

, ,
th e month th ey had acquired a th irst for edu cation

th a t wou ld insure a continuan c e o f th eir studies .
Peggy talked to th e m on th e dutie s of citiz ensh ip .
Sh e impressed o n them th e greatn ess o f ou r form o f

2 84 PEGGY WARE
G overnm ent an d sh owe d th em th e blessed privilege
,
o f bein g an A merican citiz e n She tol d th em that th e .
b est citiz enship al so m eant a love o f G od for good ,
c itiz e n ship s h e said cal l ed fo r th e su rren der o f ma n y

, ,
natu ral rights that b elon ged to man in a purely an i

mal state .
“
I wan t y o u to always remembe r sh e said that , ,
you are l iv in g sou l s an d that as su ch you are sons of,
G od and b roth ers t o all mankind A prop er recogn ition .
o f this great truth will mak e you b etter soldiers and
b etter citizens G ood citiz ensh ip in its last analysis

.
”
means th e l ov e of G od an d service to ou r f ellow man .
When th e m en were bidding h er goodbye she u rged ,
th em to write t o th eir moth ers .
“
I f it is only a scrap o f pap er o n wh ich you write
you r n am e an d say M oth er I am th inkin g of you ,
‘
, ,
’
don t fail b oys for you will n ever know what it will
’
, ,
mean to her .
“
I ain t got no moth er M iss P eggy
’
said B illy , ,
“
Wooten sad ly , M y daddy and ma mmy died wh e n I
.
’
w u s a littl e fell er an I n ever had no b roth ers or sis
,
”
ters I ain t even got a sweeth eart h e said shyly
.
’
,
“
so if anything happ en s to m e it w o n t mak e n o di ff er
en ce .
I n sp ite o f h is b rav e e ff orts Peggy s a w th e tears in ,
h is eyes .
“
Th ere is someo n e that would care B illy said , ,
“
Peg gy as sh e h el d h is h a n d in h e r s
, I t wou ld wri n g .
my h eart if you did not come back a n d I sh a ll pray ,
every day for you r sa fe retu r n .
“ ”
Yo u don t m ea n t it do y ou ? said h e I didn t
’ ’
.
,
’
’
sp ose you d eve r th ink o f m e agin .
“ ’
At a certain hou r every d a y I l l th ink o f you a n d ,
pray for you an d I wan t you to w r ite to m e

,
.
“
I t won t b e m u ch w r it in M iss Peggy Ef you ll
’ ’
, .
’
286 PEGGY WARE
For th e m ost part th ese ch urch hou ses w ere falling
,
into decay Th e win dows w ere b roken ou t th e

.
,
steepl es eith er toppl ed over or th reatening to fal l whil e ,
th e dust o f years had accu mulated o n th e floor ben ch es ,
an d pu lpits Th e fi erc e th eological stri fe had stifl ed

.
all sp iritual growth an d at last th e congregation s had

,
dim inished u ntil th ere w a s no o n e l eft to pay th e th eo

l o g ia n s an d th ey had departed to oth er fi elds
, .
Th e chu rch es were u sually cl ose togeth er o n oppo ,
site s ides o f th e road p erhaps b ut c l ose enough s o

, ,
“ ”
each congregation coul d see what its rival was do
In
g .
I n only o n e thin g could th ey agree th at was in h av —
”
ing a common bu rial p lot call ed th e graveyard .
Wh en Fath er T i me mowed th e m down Op en com ,
mun ion and close com munion in fant baptis m and in ,
fant da mnation immersion an d sprinkling were al l for

,
gotten and th ey m ingled th ei r tears b uryi ng th eir dead

,
side by side th e s ziin t an d th e sinn er to await th e

, ,
j udgment day wh en they shoul d com e forth from th eir

graves th e saints t o b e caugh t up into everlasting
,
glory wh ile th e sin ners woul d b e cast with al l oth er

,
goats into outer darkness .
Th es e graveyards reflected th e rel igious thought

of th e commun ity They were desolate b eyond th e
.
power of h u man language to describe O vergrown .
with b riers and b roo m sage th e mou nds h eap ed abo ve ,
th e grave s sinkin g lower an d low er as th e years went

by until you cou ld al most touch th e rotting pin e b oard
,
co ffin in which th e poor sk el eton rested .
I t w a s n o wonder that the dwell ers in th ese co m

“ ”
m u n it i e s wh o had never h eard any bu t doctrinal
sermon s wh o n eve r ca me t o th eir graveyards exc ept
,
to lay a frie n d o r loved on e b eneath the desolate sod ,
had drifted away from th e church es A rel igion of .

C LIFF A N D ER S O N E NT ER S PO LITI C S 28 7
gloom of bickering of m aterialism had done it s work

, , , ,
and Wilbu r Ware foun d th e un mistakable eviden ce in

almost every co mmunity .
I n th e twenty com mu nities sel ected by h im th ere

had been a r esu rrection Th e dead ones who were .
,
”
walking about to save funeral exp en ses in th e p ic ,
t u re s q u e language o f Cliff A nderson had b een gal ,
v a n iz e d in to life .
Th e Old church hou ses had b een torn down wh ere

that was feasibl e and u sed i n the construction o f Com
munity Center houses These served fo r chu rch S un .
,
day S chool social gath erings for picture shows and

, ,
oth er forms o f educational entertai n ment .
Th e plan s had been s o drawn that th e main buil d

ing could b e th rown i n to smaller room s Th ese served .
a s school roo ms for th e pri mary sch ools until such
ti me as a su itabl e school b uilding cou ld b e erected .
When more lu mb er was n eeded than p rovided by tea r

ing down th e chu rch es th e men o f th e commu nitie s ,
had banded togeth er cu t th e p in e trees hauled th em

, ,
t o th e nearest saw mill furnish in g all the lu mb er r e ,
q uired .
From th e n earby towns of Chatt a nooga Nashville , ,
B irmingham Atlanta an d many others came donation s

, ,
o f hardware doors and win dows an d th e n ecessary

, , ,
cash for th e p u rchas e of seats and t o meet al l other ,
requ irements .
A frien dly rivalry sprang up and each comm unity ,
tried to outvie the other in th e early compl etion o f

its building .
Th e graveyards were cleared o ff flowers p lanted , ,
and th ey b ecam e b eauty spots rath er tha n haunts of ,
desolation .
P eggy s motio n picture circu i t now con sisted of

’
-
twenty houses an d sh e Win slow and Cran ston talked

, ,
2 88 PEGGY WARE
enthu siastically o f th e day when th ere would b e hun
dreds Of places where p ictu res w ith a soul would b e
exhibited .
Doctor Weston had given all th e ti me to aiding in

th e establ ish m ent of th e Community Centers h e coul d
“ ”
spare f ro m h is work w ith th e lon esome p eopl e
’
.
’
Cli ff Anderson s life w a s a bu sy o n e f o r h e was th e ,
”
big b oss o f th e farm ing an d indu strial work .
R uth w a s to remain i n th e An derson hom e u ntil h er

marriage to D octor Weston Sh e woul d always retain .
th e name of R uth given h er by M olly A nderson Sh e , .
had b een told every detail of th e story o f h er ab du ction

by th e gypsies an d h er rescu e by Cli ff A nderson Sh e
,
.
had al so l earn ed that anoth er ch il d a girl o f the sa me , ,
age was stol en at th e sam e tim e an d had n ever b een

,
recovered Thi s gave h er much concern She b rooded

. .
over it until it b eca me an ob s ession with h er .
“
H o w can I b e sur e wh o I am P s h e would ask h er
”
b etroth ed Perhap s I am th e other girl I want t o

. .
”
know my parentage for a certainty .
O ld Simon Often tried to comfort an d assu re h er .
Chil th ey ain t no sort ob qu estion e rb o u t it I n

’
,
’
.
de fu st place you is de z a ct i mage of You ng M issu s .
Y o u kin see dat fer y o r e s e lf wh en you looks at h er

p ict e r D en you s e a Lee D ey ain t no b e t t a h bloo d
.
’
.
’
in de S ou f an y ou sh ows y o u ah quality eb e ry tim e you

,
’
turn s aroun
Cli ff An derson wa s now confronted with th e p roblem
that h e had b een feari n g P eggy w a s in sistent that h e .
mak e th e race f or th e L egislature an d h e m u st mak e ,
up h is mind .
“
I d ruthe r b e in France w ith them G ermans sh ootin
’ ’
”
at m e an gassin m e all at o n ct h e tol d Peggy
’ ’
, .
Th ey s j est on e hu man bein in the world that I d do it

’ ’ ’
2 90 PEGGY WARE
Fuller had de manded th e right to op en an d close th e
discu s sion exp ectin g in h is closin g sp eech t o p ut A n
,
d e rs o n to an i gnom in iou s flight And erson readily .
agreed to th e divi sion Of ti m e .
“
I kin tel l all I kn ow in o n e sp eech h e said an , ,
’
i t won t b e v ery long at that Wh en I git th rough you

’
.
,
kin ta l k til everybody gits tired an d leaves if you

’
want to .
Th e great day arrived and th e crowd taxed th e

capacity of th e hou se Peggy h er fath er R uth M olly.
, , ,
A nderson an d D octor W eston occupied seats in th e

Am
,
“ ”
en corn er .
Th e chairman of th e meetin g announc ed th e terms of

th e debate an d introdu ced the Honorabl e Amos Fuller
, ,
th e pre sent faithfu l representativ e of th e county in th e

Legislature seeking a r e el ection Th ere was m uch
,
—
.
h and clap p ing an d th e h onorab le gentl eman felt greatly

-
,
flattered .
After com plimentin g everybody in gen eral and th e ,
l adies in particu lar h e p roceeded to flay An derson

,
alive .
“
M y honorabl e opponent h e shouted layin g great , ,
“ ” “
stress o n honorab le asks you t o replac e a faith ful
,
s ervan t by electing h im Wh en h e ask s y o u to do this .
u nu sual th in g he p uts h i mself up as a target t o b e shot

at and I p ropose to fill his character so full of h oles
,
that it won t h old sh uck s ’

.
“
H urrah for Ful ler ! G ive it to th e O l d scoun drel ,
”
Amos was sh outed by a few of his h en ch m en
, .
“
N O fellow citiz en s
,
h e continu ed warming U p to
, ,
“
h is subj ect I won t fi ll h is character with hol es I ll
’ ’
, ,
”
j u st rub th e wh itewash O ff s o you can see th em .
M u ch laughter greeted th is sally o f th e sp eak er .
Cli ff A nderson th e King O f th e W il d C a t t e r s ! How

,
would that soun d in th e hal ls o f yo ur Legisl ature ?

C LIFF A N D ER S O N ENT ER S PO LITI C S 29 1
H e has made enough w il dcat liquor to float a battl e

sh ip in and sold it f o r filthy lu cre debauching th e
, ,
n obl e youth s o f o u r land .
The sp eaker was qu ite overcom e by h is e motion s ,
reached for th e handk erch ief in h is h ip pock et and ,
dri ed h is eyes .
“
Pardon me f o r th is momentary exh ib ition o f weak
ness fellow citiz ens b ut th e evils o f wh i sk ey are so
, ,
great that I can n ever discu ss th e subj ect without

yie l ding to th os e emotion s that I a m su re fi ll every
h eart h ere except th e reprobate h eart o f th is o l d wild
catter who claims that h e has reformed after h e go t
, ,
all th e mon ey h e needs an d s tands with o n e foot in ,
th e grave .
“
That ain t th e worst o f it sh outed th e thorou ghly
’
,
“
excited gentleman H e is a thi ef ! and I can p rove it
. .
“ ”
H it im Cli ff ! hit im ! some of An derson s o ld
’
,
’ ’
“
friends u rged wh il e others j eered sayin g We allus
, , ,
”
kn owed h e w u s crooked .
“ ”
Prov e it ! P rov e it ! persisted th e Fuller claqu ers .
All righ t I ll do it H e stol e that youn g lady th ere

,
’
.
”
wh en s h e was j ust two years o l d pointin g a long , ,
“
bony finger at R uth I f it ain t s o stand up and
.
’
,
”
den y it Cli ff Anderson ! h e fairly hissed in An der
,
son s ear stan din g o n tip toe leanin g far ove r with
’
, , ,
h is finger almost touching th e tip of Anderson s nose ’

.
I t was a moment o f b reathl ess su sp ens e .
A n derson w a s kn own far and w ide a s a dan gerou s

fighting man an d ev eryon e expected that h e woul d
,
fell his antagonist with o n e b lo w o f h is powerful fi st .
H e did n ot stir ; th e muscl es o f h is fac e twitch ed co n

v u l s iv e l y h e gripp ed th e edge o f th e chai r o n wh ich
,
h e sat with b oth bands an d Peg gy caught th e gli mp s e ,
o f an angry tea r steal in g down his ch eek .
“
You r ti me is u p M r Ful ler warn ed th e chairman
, .
, .
29 2 PEGGY WARE
I tha n k y o u ladies and gentlemen h e O b s e q u i , ,
o u s ly observed I hop e you will remain an d h ear my .
”
rej oin der .
H e s a t down much pleas ed w ith h im self wh il e th e ,
crowd clapp ed th eir hands stampin g th e floor with ,
th eir feet .
“
Ladie s and gentle men th is is Cli ff An derson said , ,
“ ”
th e chairman H e will sp eak for him s el f . .
S lowly th e o ld man rose and h is knees were tre m ,
b ling v iol entl y Th e perspiration stood in b eads o n ,
h is foreh ead an d h e w a s forced to u se his h a n dk e r

,
ch ief frequ ently H is voice w a s husky h is hands were .

,
in hi s way while h is feet w ere at l east twice th e 1 r

,
u sual s iz e .
A p itch er o f water an d a glass stood on a small

tabl e H e s eiz ed th e p itch er to pou r o u t a drink of
.
water but in h is excite men t h e p laced it t o his lips

, ,
took a long swallow an d s e t it down Th e crowd ,

.
roared addin g great ly to h is confusion

, .
“
That s th e w ay h e u sed to tak e h is l iquor said
’
Fu ller derisiv e l y Th e uproar in creased at this fresh

,
.
display of wit o n th e part o f h is oppon ent .
“ ”
A nd that s whare y o u tol d a l ie sai d Anderson
’
, ,
look in g squarely into th e shifting eyes o f th e l awyer .
“
Yo u had b etter b e careful ab ou t wh o y o u cal l a
l iar M r An derson weakly p rotested h is opp on ent
, .
, .
“ ”
O h I ll b e k e e r f u l enou gh responded A nderson
,
’
, .
Don t worry I n ever took a drink o f lick er in my

’
.
l ife I allu s mad e it fer fools lik e y o u to drink M r

.
, .
”
Fu ller .
“
I don t drink Anderson E verybody knows I m
’
,
.
’
”
a prohib ition ist said th e lawyer l ooking ab out , ,
sh eepishly .
“
H e said I d mad e enough wh iskey to float a battl e
’
ship in an m ebb e I have I ve sol d h im enough to

,
’
.
’
294 P EGGY WARE
Pan demoniu m b roke loose Anderson released h is .
opp on ent who grabbed h is hat and made a b ee l in e

,
-
“
f o r th e door I refu se to l isten furth er to th e h aran gu e
.
”
o f a blackguard h e shouted angrily a s h e made his
, ,
exit followed by the b o ot s an d j eers of th e entire audi

,
enc e exc ept h is h en ch men O n e by o n e th ey stol e

,
.
out to j o ih th ei r fallen C h ieftain on th e outside .
Wh en order had b een restored A nderson wen t o u ,

!
“
Wh en h e stoop ed over to p int his finger in my face ,
“
h e said I s a w th e neck Of his bottle on h is in side coat
, ,
pocket an d I knowed I had h im

, .
“
I m n o w gwin e to tell y o u about stealin the ch ild
’ ’
and I a in t gwin e to deny it I l l tell you h ow it wu s

’
.
’
.
I n simple lan guage h e tol d his au di en ce o f his fight ,
with th e two gyp si es for th e possess ion of R uth o f ,
his race t o th e steamb oat landing t o evade th e reven u e

o ffic ers an d th e subs equ ent ev ents leading up to th e
,
p resent mom ent .
“ ”
Sh e is h ere h e said and s o are h er father sister
, , ,
and hu sban d that s goin to b e E f th ey are all fer ’ ’

.
m e I want e m to stan u p
,
’ ’
.
“ ”
We are al l for y o u th ey said in un ison as th ey , ,
ros e to th ei r feet .
“
N ow everybody that feel s th e sam e way pl ease ,
”
ri se h e said E veryon e stood up amidst th e greatest
,
.
enthu siasm .
N ow I am goin t o talk about th e i ssue fo r a few

,
’
min utes for I wan t a l l of y o u to know why y o u are

,
”
voting for me .
B riefly h e explained th e aim s o f th e Peggy Ware

School and told of what had al ready b een accomplish ed
, .
“
About a doz en o f your b oys an d gals are down
th ere at sch ool n ow an d we want that many more ,
n ext year but in o rder to tak e care of them w e need

,
more money I think th e S tate ought to give it to

.
C L I FF A ND ER S O N ENT ER S PO L I T I C S 29 5
Us, because every dollar goes for you r kids an d it s ,

’
you r money S o why n o t give it t o th em

.
P ”
The meeting w a s over an d everybody wanted to

shak e th e sp eak er s hand and give assurance o f su pport
’
.
H e scarcely seem ed to h ear o r s e e anyon e H e w a s .
waitin g th e ap proval of th e on e whose sympath etic

hand clasp meant more to h im than th e p laudits o f
-
th e world .
“
N obly don e M r A n derson I t w a s th e grandest
, . .
”
sp eech I ever heard I a m p roud o f y o u ! . Peg gy
h el d o u t h er two hands and took A n derson s b ig right ’
han d b etween th e m H e felt th e th rill that cam e fro m

.
h er u nderstanding h eart .
“
I t s all righ t n o w M iss Peggy h e said
’
,
I don t ,
.
’
want to go to France I m going to the Legi slature .

’
.
There were n o more j oint discu ssions after th e fi rst

“ ”
m eetin g Fuller condu cted a gu m sh oe campai gn
.
,
telling th e p eople that it was beneath h is dign ity to

recogn iz e an ign orant old wil d catter by engaging in a
p ub lic controversy with h im .
An d erson continu ed t o tell th e p eopl e in a straight

forward si mple way the th ings that h e advocated
, .
E lection day finally arrived with a sweepin g victory

f o r Cl i ff And erson an d th e Peggy Ware Sch ool .
A telephone line had been install ed from th e county

s eat to B ucks Pocket an d as th e returns kept p il ing ,
U p Anderson s maj ority there w a s great rej oicin g

’
, .
O nly Cli ff A nderson seemed dep ressed .
“
Y o u don t s eem to b e happy over th e result M r
’
.
,
”
An derson said Peggy D on t you think it a gloriou s
, .
’
”
victory ?
“ ’
That s what p esters m e M iss Peggy h e replied , ,
“
gloomily . I t is a big thin g for th e P eggy Ware
Sch ool i f I can p ut o u r b il l th rough i n th e Legisla
,
29 6 PEGGY WARE
tu re I t s a p o w f u l b ig load fer me t o tote a n d I
.
’ ’
”
know I ain t comp etent ’
.
“
Wh en I get down t o M ontgomery amongst all th em ,
educated guys most o f th em S l ick lawyers I m a f ea r d

, ,
’
-
th ey ll j est l augh my b ill out o f countenance I know

’
.
th ey ll mak e all mann er of fun of me b ut I ca n stand

’
”
that if th ey w ill j est pass ou r appropriation
,
.
H e had come up to Peggy s Shrin e o f Silen ce wh ich ’
h e had never entered always stan din g outside th e ,
door with h ead bared whil e talking to Peggy Wh en

, , .
“
invited t o enter h e w ould s ay : N o I ain t fi t t e n
, ,
’
.
Th is tim e h e had entered an d was seated n ear a ,
window from wh ich h e could ob tain a marvelou s V iew

o f th e Tenn essee river an d it s b road vall ey with th e ,
b lu e mountain ranges in th e distan ce .
“
I t s th e most p eaceful lest f e e l in I ever had in my
’ ’
“
l ife said h e a s I s et h ere look in o u t at th em mou n
, , ,
’
tain s b eyon d th e river Why I v e m ost lost all fear .

,
’
of th e m fellers down at M ontgo mery What is it .
”
mak es me h av e th is f e e lin M iss Peggy ? ’
,
“ ” “
M r An derson s h e sai d it is b ecau se I hav e n eve r
.
, ,
had a thought in th is room excep t o f ab solute faith in

Go d Thoughts a re th e most p oten t ial forces in the
.
world an d th is Shrin e of S il enc e a s I am pleased to

, ,
cal l it is fi lle d with thoughts o f love p eace j oy faith

, , , ,
.
I t i s h ere tha t I meet Go d fac e to face j ust as surely ,
a s I shall ever m eet H i m in all th e eternity yet to
com e and today i s j u st a s m uch a part of eternity a s

,
any oth er day wil l ever be .
“
S O I live in th is th ough t i n this room an d it is ,
h ere I get th e strength an d wisdom for my work I f .
w e w il l al low H i m G od will fill us w ith H i s wisdom ,
at all ti mes and w e n ever n eed b e at a los s a s to th e

,
”
course to p ursue .
29 8 PEGGY WA RE
Th e b ringin g hom e o f the bacon was n ot a cco m
p l is h e d with out much di fficu lty and furn ish es o n e of,
th e ma ny inte restin g episodes Of th e early h istory o f

th e P eggy Ware School .
Cli ff A nderson s appearance o n th e floor o f the lower

’
house of th e legislative body was quite an event H e .
w a s th e o n ly ex Con federate sol di er and s o far a s

-
, ,
known th e only ex wild catter

,
-
.
Proh ibition w a s a bu rnin g issu e an d p ractically th e ,
entire b ody had b een elected on a radi cal proh ib ition

platform Anderson had n o t defi n ed h is position in hi s
.
campaign Wh en pressed f o r h is views h is an swer

.
,
invariably was that n o wh iskey was made o r drunk in

B u ck s Pocket and if th is fact did n ot speak f or h i m it
, ,
would b e u seless t o mak e any assertions as t o what he

th ought about th e evils of wh isk ey .
“
An derson stil l cl ung to h is ho me spun clothes an d ,
when h e app eared at th e sp eak er s desk to take th e ’
oath of o ffi c e h e w a s attired in a su it o f gray j ean s

, ,
woven an d fash ion ed by h is wife A wool en shirt with .
a soft turn down c ol lar a b ig black b ow ti e high boots

—
, , ,
i n which h is trousers w ere stu ff ed an d a broad ,
b rimm ed soft hat completed h is outfit

,
.
“
Who is th e b ig guy still w earin g ho me made ,
-
cloth es P wa s whispered th rough th e ga l l eri es

”
.
“
A n o l d w ild catter from th e mountain s o f North
Alabama some o n e volunteered and it w a s passed
, ,
along u ntil every o n e w a s duly in formed .
Th e sp eaker of th e hou s e w a s friendly to A nderson .
H e h ad v isited th e Peggy Ware Schoo l an d w a s favor ,
ab le to th e app ropriation bu t b eing a sh rewd p ol iti

,
c ia n ,
h e k ept this to hi msel f H e had th e h igh est .
esteem f or Anderson b ecau se h is fath er an d Anderson

,
had both fought under Lee and An derson had ren ,
dered h is moth er a service at th e close o f th e war .

C LIFF A ND ER S O N E N T ER S PO LITI CS 2 99
H e also understood th e G overnor s views and it was ’
through th e sp eaker s influ enc e that An derson s b ill

’ ’
was reported o u t o f th e co mm ittee that had it in charge .
The rep ort w a s a unanimous o n e against th e b ill bu t ,
it gave A nderson an op p ortunity to get h i s m easure

b efore th e house Th e sp eaker h ad tol d th e committe e
.
that th i s doubtless woul d b e th e en d o f th e m atter b ut ,
it wou ld please th e old man an d do n o harm .
Wh en th e bill w a s reported th e speak er politely ,
turn ed to Anderson and ask ed hi m if h e desired to

discu ss th e measure informing hi m that h e wou ld h av e
,
the righ t to op en and clos e th e debate .
Laboring un der great e mbarrassment Anderson ,
s eemed un ab le to fi n d h im self H is e ff ort w a s a fail

.
u re an d h e fel t it more k eenly than anyon e

,
.
A s two hours had b een s et ap art f o r th e discu ssion

of th e b ill and th e author had consu med but ten min
,
utes som e of th e younger memb ers w h o had not had

,
an opportun ity to air their eloqu en ce took occasion to ,
pok e fun at An derson an d h is measu re O ne o f th em .
even chided h im a s b eing a friend of wh iskey A n .
other said that h e was a R ip Van Wink le l ivin g in a ,
past age still w earing th e gray h om e made j eans o f

,
-
fifty years ago .
“
We have p ub lic sch ools for th e edu cation o f th e
”
b oys and girls h e said an d we don t n eed th is Peggy
, ,
’
Ware S ch ool w ith a slip Of a girl a s it s p resident an d

, ,
a whol e lo t o f n ew fangl ed ideas about education ,

”
rel igion an d Heav en knows what else
,
.
Cl i ff Anderson had sat through th e ridicu le an d m is

representation unmoved outwardly ; sometim es h is,
eyes were closed and a look o f p eace radiate d from h i s

,
feature s .
“
D O you d esire to s a y anything furth er before the
300 PEGGY WARE
vote is tak en kindly inquired th e speaker as h e looked
, ,
pityingly at th e old v eteran .
T o th e surprise o f everyone anoth er Cli ff Anderson

“
stood in th eir m idst H e was no longer awkward o r

.
embarrass ed H is voic e was stron g an d resonant

. .
“
H is fi rs t sentence el ectrified h is h earers I ve faced a .
’
“
thou sand Y a nkee guns on th e battlefield h e said and , ,
I never dodged a b ul let o r run a step an I don t know ,

’ ’
why I sh oul d b e sk eered at all you fellers b ecau se y ou

are e d y ca t e d an d g o t o n store cloth es Take yore .
book l a r n in away fru m you an d take o ff yore c loth es

’
, ,
an I wouldn t b e a f e a r d of th e whol e b unch

’ ’
-
.
“
I m h ere to talk fur th e folks that ain t got n o edy
’ ’
cation or store clothes eith er an I m going t o talk to ,

’ ’
y o u j est man t o man fer I am yore equal in eve ry

, ,
thin g that Go d can giv e a man What I want is t o .
mak e ou r mountain boys and gals th e equal w ith yours

in th em thin gs that Go d don t giv e peop l e ’
.
“
They a in t n o b etter blood in th e worl d than w e ve
’ ’
g o t U p in th e mou ntains They ain t no pu rer wome n .

’
o r braver men but th ey ain t ha d n o chan ce

’
, .
“
There are more than half th e m en and women that
can t w rite th eir names and th e boys an d gals lots o f
’
, ,
th em are g r o w in up th e sam e way

,
’
.
“
Th e only sch ools that amou nt to anyth ing are in
th e town s an d big settlements an d that don t reach ,
’
places like B uck s Pock et Th ere are thousand s O f .

'
b oys an d gals in ou r moun tain s that won t never see ’
inside a school hou se if they don t go to th e Peggy ,

’
Ware School .
“
What Peggy Ware has already don e is worth m ore
than all the mon ey th e Legislatu re wou ld giv e it if it
app ropriated every year f o r a h undred years th e amount
I ask in th is b ill I f you coul d see th e chan ge in
.
B ucks Pock et an d o u r mountain country wh ere Peggy

, ,
3 02 PEGGY WA RE
sp eaker s chair while I address th e h ouse h e said
’
, ,
b eckonin g An derson to com e forward .
An derson stood a s i f h e were incapabl e of eith er

spe ech or m otion until th e sp eaker step ped fro m th e
,
stan d took th e old man firmly by th e arm an d al most

,
dragged h im to th e sp eak er s chair Th ere was lou d ’

.
“ ”
han d clap p ing an d cri es of H urrah f o r Anderson !
-
“
I want to pay a trib ute to thi s gallant O l d Confed
“
e r a t e sol dier sai d th e speak er
, H e and my father .
were b oth w ith Le e in Vi rginia and my father fell ,
mortally w ound ed th e day b efore Lee s su rrender to ’
G rant .
“
M r An derson b elon ged to th e in fan try an d my
.
,
father to th e caval ry so An derson own ed n o horse H e

, .
took charge o f my fath er s hors e brough t it to Alabama

’
down to the b lack b elt wh ere my moth e r l ived tu rn ed

, ,
it over to h er and th en walked back to h is home in the

,
mou ntain s o f N orth Alabama a distance Of over two , .
h undred mil es an d b e was barefooted I plow ed with

,
‘
.
th e horse an d mad e a c rop and k ep t th e family fro m

starving .
“
M r A nderson m igh t have k ept th e horse N O on e
. .
would ever h av e known it an d made a crop fo r h is own ,
widowed moth er I n stead o f doing that h e plowed with

.
,
an ox an d I want to say that n o more gallant soldier

,
ever wore th e Confederate un iform than Cli ff A n der

s o n ; an d today I h onor h im and the gray hom espu n
suit h e wears an d I a m going to sh ow my respect and

,
ap preciation in a small way by voting for h is bill .
“
I h av e visited th e P eggy Ware S chool I have .
talk ed to P egg y Ware an d I u nh esitatingly state that

,
in my h u mbl e j u dgment h ers is the greatest institution

,
O f its kind i n the South an d that S h e i s th e fi nest

, ,
”
n obl est Ch ri stian youn g woman I have ever met .
Th e opposition vanish ed th e vote fo r th e b ill was ,

C LIFF A ND ER S O N E NT ER S PO L I T I C S 30 3
practically u nani mou s an d Cliff An derson w a s th e ,
beau ideal o f th e Legislatu re .
Wh en th e governor signed th e bill An derson said ,
Let m e tak e th e p en w ith wh ich you sign ed you r

name to M i ss Peggy I a m sure sh e ll fram e it an d put .
’
”
it i n h er Shrin e o f S ilenc e .
“
1 want t o congratulate y o u Cli ff An derson said , ,
“
th e governor cordially I k new y o u had th e right .
mettl e wh en I u rged y o u t o m ak e th e rac e f o r th e Leg

is l a t u r e I wish ev ery comm unity had a Peggy Ware
.
and a Cli ff An derson What a tran sformation w e woul d .
”
witn ess .
“
I t s all M iss P eggy governor I d a stil l b een makin
’
,
.
’ ’
”
wildcat licker e f G o d hadn t s ent h er to B u ck s Pocket ’
.
“
I m sorry you are n o t a p roh ib ition ist Anderson
’
, ,
said th e governor winking slyly at h is secretary , .
“
That s al l y o u lack Of b ein g ad mitted into th e inn er
’
”
circl e .
“
Wall governor I hated th em r e v e n o o o fli ce r s so
, ,
long I gu ess I can t j est mak e u p my min d to run with ’
th e gan g I don t ever th ink I ll feel right amon gst

.
’ ’
all th e m saints and n ear saints I ll j est stay o u t with -

.
’
th e goats an d help alon g with th e P eggy Ware School ,
wh ere th e boys and gal s are n ot tau ght but

‘
do .
’
Th ere ain t a motto o n th e walls that says thou
’ ‘
shalt n ot but everyon e reads th ou shalt

,
’
I f y o u get ‘
.
’
enough o f th ou sh alt in a fellow s hide th ere ain t no

‘ ’ ’
,
’
room f o r wh ite lightnin an h e ain t g o t n o taste for

‘ ’
,
’ ’
”
it eith er .
Y o u know gov ernor my cou nty w a s th e first o n e

, ,
i n th e State to adopt p roh ib ition That w a s forty .
years a g o I j ust go t my h om e pap er today containin g

.
,
”
a report o f th e gra nd j ury I want you to read it . .
Th ere w ere sev eral memb ers o f t h e L egislat u re

‘
gathered in th e governor s o ffic e t o witn es s th e sign in g

’
3 04 PEGGY WARE
of Anderson s bil l To th em th e governor read th e
’
.
gran d j ury report

“
We have endeavored to mak e an exten s ive and
thorough investigation o f th e violation o f th e p r oh ib i
tion laws i n th i s county in k eep in g with you r h onor s ,
’
charge We find th at th ere are illicit distil leries in

.
almost every com mu nity i n th e county some Of them ,
located al most in th e shadow o f th e sch ools an d

ch urches of th e county and w e furth er find th at many ,
citiz en s O f this county who have h eretofore enj oyed

the confi den ce an d th e resp ect o f th e law abidin g p eo —
p l e are n ow engaged in distill ing o r are l endin g th eir

aid directly o r in directly to those who are violating
, ,
th e proh ib ition laws W e fin d that m any distill ers.
an d bootl eggers are selling whiskey to th e boys over

th e c oun try som e o f whom are al most ch ildren in
,
knee trousers W e fu rth er fin d proh ibited liquors b e

.
in g transp orted over th e cou nty n o t by q uarts an d ‘

,
gallon s bu t by b arrel s and w e hav e discovered in

, ,
more than o n e in stanc e wh ere it has b een stored in

large q uantities W e have had many men before th e
.
grand j u ry who pose as being good law ab idin g citi ,

-
z e n s wh o we have every reason to b el ieve an d know

,
testifie d falsely for th e p u rpos e o f p rotecting distil l

e r s an d bootl eggers W e have h eard and s een enou gh
.
du ring o u r investigation s th is week to know that th e

county i s in a most deplorab l e condition W e fi nd
’
that m en wh o have enj oyed publ ic tru st are u sing th eir

auto mob iles an d oth er conveyances in transporti n g
”
wh isk ey ov er th e county .
“
E f that s th e condition after forty years o f bon e
’
dry proh ib ition don t you think G overnor that th e

,
’
, ,
Peggy Ware p lan is worth said And erson

“
earn estly I ain t agin prohib ition but I m fu r p re
.
’
,
’
v e n t io n Th e only dry spot in o u r county is B ucks

.
C H AP T E R T W E N T Y
P E GGY G O E S T O WA S H ING T O N
“ ”
H E fi lmin g Of Peggy Ware had b een co m
p l e t e d th e cuttin g an d s u b titl ing was done and
-
, ,
after several showings in th e proj ection room ,
it had b een pronounced p erfect W in l w an d Crans

.
t o n regarded it as th eir masterp iece .I t had been run

in all th e C ommu nity C enter h ou ses and everywh ere ,
had arou sed th e greatest enthu siasm Th ey w ere n o w .
an xiou s to subm it it to th e supreme test th e verdict ,
o f th e p ublic .
After sp en din g some ti me in N ew York an d Wash

in g t o n Winslow an d Cranston fi nally determ ined t o
,
“ ”
give Peggy Ware i t s p remiere exhib ition in o n e of
th e largest m otion picture h ou ses in th e cap itol city
o f th e N ation .Thi s con clu sion was partial l y induc ed
by reason o f th e fact th at the President had w ritten
Peggy expressing hi s ap preciation o f th e patriotic
,
s ervices s h e h ad ren dered h er country in endin g th e

S lack er war in B uck s Pocket without bloodsh ed .
H e furth er stated that h e had asked t o b e in formed

o f th e record of thes e m en in France and was pl eased ,
to kn ow that th ere w ere no b etter soldiers serving

overseas .
H e expressed th e k eenest interest in th e P eggy Ware

S chool and p romised h is assistanc e in any way pos
,
s ibl e
. Th e l etter ended with a p ressin g invitation to
Peggy to visit th e cap itol a s th e gu est of th e Wh ite
H ou se .
PEGG Y G OE S TO WASH I N G T O N 3 07
Winslow an d Cran ston keenly al ive to th e pub ,
l icit y valu e o f th e patronage of th e P resident ar ,
ranged for a private sh owing o f th eir p ictu re at wh ich

th e Pres ident s private s ecretary wa s present H is
’
.
report was so favorabl e that th e Presiden t con sented

t o b e p resent at it s first exhib ition i f Peggy would ,
also atten d as h is guest .
Wh en this n ews w a s carried to B ucks Pocket it ,
was th e cause o f intense excitem ent Th e n ewspapers .
p ublish ed in Wash ington a rrived in a f e w days filled

with wonderful stories of th e Peggy Ware School .
P eggy w a s written u p o n e side an d down th e oth er ,
h er story s o embellish ed by th e imagination Of th e

gifted r eporters wh o had built a fairy structure o n a
very si mpl e foundation that s h e wanted t o declin e th e
,
invitation to th e Wh ite H ou se an d up set th e entire ,
plan s o f h er managers .
Sh e told h er father A nderson an d D octor Weston

, ,
that she did n o t want p ubl icity f or herself an d th at ,
s h e shrank from goin g to Wash ington u nde r th e false
glamou r created by th e n ewspap er stories .
“
I don t think th e n ewspapers have overdrawn th e
’
“
story at all sai d Doctor Weston
,
You don t real iz e .
’
Peggy what an unusual woman y o u are an d what a

, ,
romantic life yours h as b een I n all th e re a l m s o f fi c

.
tion th ere is nothing th at surpasses it I wish you .
”
could see it as I d o .
“
It all seems s o simpl e to m e Doctor Weston that , ,
I don t want any great to do ab out it I have don e

’
—
.
n o more than any other girl w ith th e same opportu ni

ties coul d hav e done an d th is is th e bi g fact that I
,
want t o keep to th e fore I don t want th is lost sight

.
’
o f in th e glamou r o f th e glorification o f Peggy Ware .
Y ou know that all I have don e w a s to u se th e fo r ces

3 08 PEGGY WA RE
that are availabl e to every soul an d this is my m e s ,
sage to t h e w o r l d
'
D on t y o u th ink Washin gton City w ill b e a good

’
”
p lace to deliver that m essage Peggy ? ask ed her ,
fath er That is wh ere th e h eart of th e nation b eats

.
,
an d you will have an opportun ity t o get your m e s

sage over wh ere it wil l d o th e most good ”
.
”
You kin tel l em fer me said Cli ff Anderson that ’
, ,
when the reporters have wrote everythin g ab out you

an d th e P eggy Ware School th ey ki n think of th ey , ,
a in t tech ed sides no r b ottom of what you re doin

’ ’ ’
.
E f I w us w r it in it I d s a y that th e story can t b e fi n

’ ’ ’
,
is h e d until G ab e bl ow s h is tru mp et b e cas e th is work ,
is goin on til then

’ ’
.
“
I wu s o u t i n th e center o f th e mill pond toth er
day s e t tin o n a l og fi s h in an I dropp ed a rock in
,
’ ’
,
’
th e water an it started a wave in a c ircle an it k ept

,
’
,
’
gittin bi gger an bigger u ntil it h it the bank o n both

’ ’
sides of the creek An I said that s j es lik e th e work .

’ ’
b ein don e h ere ; i t w ill j est keep on a s p r ea d in o n t il

’ ’
it strikes th e shores o f H eaven .
“
That s a very b eautiful thought M r A n derson
’
, .
“
said Peggy i f they would leav e m e o u t of it don t , ,
you u ndersta n d .
“
Yes M i ss Peggy I th ink I understand b etter than
, ,
y o u do Y o u are th e o n
. e that d ropp ed th e rock i n th e
pon d th at started th e wav e an e f you hadn t don e it ,

’ ’
,
’
there wou ldn t a b een n o wave t o talk about or write
about S o it s p erfectly natu ral that everybody wants
.
’
t o know all about th e feller that started it an d wh en ,

‘ ’
that fell er is a b eautiful young lady th e story gits ,
’ ”
p o w f u l in t e r e s t in
3
“
An
’ ’
when sh e s a s good as sh e s pu rty ch imed in ’
,
“ ’
S i mon it s n o w o n d a h de President wants h er to co me
,
”
to de Wh ite House .
3 10 P E G GY WARE
R e memb er my w edding day an d don t get so a b ,
’
sorbed in th e pl easures o f Wash in gton society that

you will overstay your tim e .
A s Peggy stepp ed in the automob il e waiting to take

h er to th e railroad th e postman handed h er a special
,
delivery l etter b earin g a French postmark

I t s fro mB illy Wooten I hop e an d I l l hav e th e
.
,
“ ’ ’
, ,
”
pleasure o f reading it o n th e train sh e said , .
O nce more P eggy asc end ed th e mountain road lead

ing from B uck s Pocket j ust a s th e sun rose She r e .
memb ered wh en sh e An derson an d h is wife had made

,
th e trip to th e Cou nty S eat town in A nderson s n ew ’
buggy over an alm ost i mpassabl e road for a part o f

,
th e way Now it w a s a spl endid boul evard b ordered

.
,
with roses for th e entire distanc e .
H er train woul d arrive at th e station at nin e o clock ’
and w a s du e in Washington th e next morn ing at seven

o clock
’
.
Sh e woul d not read th e letter fro m France until sh e

was comfortably settled o n th e train Then s h e cou ld .
enj oy it t o th e fullest extent .
S eated in th e Pu llman berth reserved for h er t o

Washington sh e l isten ed to th e cl ick click o f th e r e
,
—
volving wh eels giving h ersel f up to th e l u xuriou s feel

,
in g of n oth in g to do an d nothin g to th ink about f o r

,
twenty four hours excep t t o follow wh ere fancy l ed

-
, .
Wh en s h e had enj oyed th e sensatio n for a little

wh ile s h e took h er letter with th e French postmark
,
o n it fro m h er trav elin g bag an d sl owly op en ed it , .
At fi rst glance h e r han d be gan t o trembl e h er face ,
blanch ed an d wh en s h e fin ish ed th e letter slip p ed from

, ,
h er fingers Sh e b u ri ed h er face in her han ds sobb ing

.
,
l ik e a heart b rok e n ch ild

-
.
By and by th e storm subsided Sh e groped on th e .
floor and found th e letter plac ed it in he r bosom and , ,

PEGG Y G OE S TO WASH I N G T O N 311
tu rned her tear stained face toward th e window from

-
wh ich s h e cou l d se e historic Lookout M ountain on th e

E ast Thu s s h e sat th rou gh th e long day a s th e train
.
sped through th e mountain s o f Alabama T enn essee , ,
and North Carolina h er h eart h eavy w ith in h er ,

.
Peggy w a s n ot Often s a d for s h e had found th e ,
ph ilosoph er s ston e o f happin ess bu t so metim es th e

’
weakness o f th e flesh gets th e U pper h and of th e

greatest philosoph er th e most advanced sou l an d s h e , ,
was h u man after all .
Wh en n ight settled down over th e lofty p eaks o f

th e B lu e R idge M ountain s Peggy sough t h er b erth , ,
h er thoughts wandering from h er m other s grave in th e ’
Cumb er l an d M ountain s to h er loved ones in B uck s

Pock et and th en fa r over th e sea to a l on e l v grave in
,
France wh ere slept B illy Wooten .
“
Wash in gton ! Al l o u t f o r Wash in gton an
n o u n ce d th e porter th e n ext mornin g a s Peg gy w ith

,
wil dly b eatin g h ea rt p rep are d to l eav e th e train .
O n th e platform s h e was m et by Win slow an d Cran s

“
t o n smilin g an d happy I t s th e b iggest stunt ever
’
.
,
pu l led o ff in motion p ictu res Cranston annou nced ,
prou dly .
“
A nd you a re th e biggest s en sation in Wash in g
“ ”
ton said W inslow n o t even barrin g th e President
, , .
“
D on t pl ease don t ta l k like that I l l regret that
’
,
’
.
’
I ever ca me i f you are going to try t o mak e a sensa

tion o u t o f me .
“
We are n o t doin g it M iss Ware said Cran ston , ,
“
kindly You are a great an d u nu sual woman an d
.
,
don t realiz e it Yo u m ight as w ell get u sed t o it f o r

’
.
v
,
y o u are already famous an d y o u a r e j ust at the th resh,
o l d o f you r career .
I kn ow motion pictu re stars that woul d give a mil

l ion dollars for th e publicity that y o u a re getting with
3 12 PEGGY WA RE
ou t money an d without solicitation but th ey can n ever
, ,
have it b ecause they did n ot lay th e foundation as you

”
have done .
“
I f it mu st b e as you s a y and I cannot escap e it , ,
th en I pray G od i t w ill all b e for th e b en efit Of th e

”
Peggy Ware School and o u r mountai n b oys and girl s ,
devo utly decla red Peggy .
A t th e entranc e t o th e station a swarm o f reporters ,
seeking to intervi ew Peggy an d a n umb er o f camera

m en anxiou s fo r snap shots awaited h er , .
“ ”
Pl eas e don t p ut me in th e pap ers s h e pleaded
’
, .
I know Un ited States S enators that woul d give

”
u p half a year s salary to h av e th is sort of reception
’
one o f th e reporters re mark ed in an swe r to Peggy s ’
p rotest .
“
We ll treat you fair said anoth er
’
,
.
G ee sh e s a b eauty re marked a th ird as Peggy

,
’
, , ,
blu sh ing furiou sly fl ed to a waiting taxicab,

.
“
G ood bye M iss Ware you hav e captu red th e fra
-
, ,
”
tern ity ! th ey shouted a s s h e was wh irl ed away to
,
h e r h otel wh ere an elegant su ite h ad b een reserved

,
for h er .
“
Th is is sh am eful extravagance an d i s entirely o u t ,
of k eep ing with my forme r life and su rroundings sh e ,
protested as s h e w a s u sh ered into th e l uxuriously fu r

“
n is h e d rooms at th e N ew Willard I a m sure I woul d .
be happ ier back ho me in my attic room wh ere I coul d

look out o f th e little window an d s ee th e winding Ten
”
n essee .
“
Th e di e is cast M iss Ware and not by you I t i s
, ,
.
G od s wil l that y o u should play a b ig part in thi s world

’
and you sh ou ld b e thankful th at H e has chosen y o u as

H is instru ment sa id Winslow ,
.
“ ”
Th en let u s thank H im declared Peggy as sh e ,
closed h er eyes an d bowed h er h ea d in silent p rayer .

3 14 PEGGY WA RE
th e occasion I h av e j u st realiz ed how p erfectly a h
’
su rd I must ap pear to everyone I don t want to em .

’
barrass y o u as wel l as disgrace myself Won t yo u b e .

’
kin d enough to excuse m e and l et m e retu rn t o my

hotel an d catch th e first train back to th e mou ntains
wh ere I b elong ?
“
I t is you r very si mplicity M iss Ware that adds s o , ,
i mm ensely to you r ch arms th e President declared e n ,

“
t h u s ia s t ica lly Your dress is th e most b ecoming th at
.
you could possibly wear Wh en y o u stan d u p in my .
b ox tonight y o u w ill b e th e envy of every woman in

th e audienc e I t will b e th e climax o f th e evening s
.
’
entertain ment D on t al low yourself to b e anxiou s or

.
’
nervous Y O U are j u st l ike I woul d have you if you

.
”
were my o w n dau ghter h e said k indly taking h er , ,
han ds in h is .
R eassu red by th e P resident s fath erly sympathy ’
Peggy managed to get th rough th e ordeal o f tea at

th e Wh ite H ou se co nsc iou s that ever y on e exc ep t th e
,
P resident regarded h er with p oorly conc ealed amus e

m ent H is graciou sness reassu red h er from tim e to
.
tim e and k ept h er fro m b ein g utterly miserable

,
.
N ot until s h e p eeped out from th e Presid ent s box

’
and scan n ed Wa sh ington s most fashionab le audience ’
di d sh e feel that sh e must sl ip away unnoticed b efore ,
sh e b ecam e th e cynosu re for all th ose hun dreds of

c ritical eyes .
Sh e s a t h uddled in th e corner of th e b o x sh rinkin g ,
back in th e shadow tryin g to conceal h ersel f behind

,
th e President H e addressed h er fro m ti me to ti me

.
,
tryin g to reassure h er A hundred Op era glasses swept

.
th e President s b ox search in g for P eggy Ware Th e

’
,
.
after n oon pap ers had carried th e announcemen t in

flowing h eadlin es that s h e woul d b e th e g u est o f th e
Presi dent an d occupy a seat in h is b ox P eggy felt .
PEGG Y G OE S To WASH I N G T O N 3 15
h erself growin g col d H er hand s w ere clam my h er .

,
teeth chattered h er h ead swam ,

.
“ ”
I am il l M r President s h e said
, . Won t you ,
.
’
p lease sen d some on e w ith me to my h otel ?

“
My dear ch ild tru st me I know what ails you I
,
. .
appreciate your feelin gs b ut wa it Y O U are goi ng to ,

.
b e accorded an ovation ton ight such a s no oth er A meri

can girl ever had under lik e condition s It w ill b e an .
ovation to Peggy Ware th e highest typ e o f American ,
womanhood and not to h er b eauti fu l gown and spl en

”
did j ewels .
O nce more P eggy shrank back dej ectedly in h er

corn er wh ile th e audi en ce vainly search ed th e P resi
,
dent s b ox f o r P eggy Ware

’
.
“
It was all a n ewspap er hoax o n e man declared , ,
an d soon it w a s wh ispered th rough th e audience that

Peggy Ware had n ot arrived Th ere w a s great dis .
app ointment o n th e faces of th e audienc e wh en th e

curtain ro se for th e performan c e for Washi ngton had
“
b een stirred by th e th rillin g stories o f th e lass from

th e mountain s o f A laba ma .
Th ey forgot th eir disappointment in a l ittl e wh ile ,
however as the great masterpiec e w a s flash ed o n the

,
screen I t op ened with Chri st mas eve in th e Ware

.
h ome in th e C umb erland mountain s followe d by a ,
Chri stmas tree S imon actin g a s Santa Claus Th en

,
.
c a me anoth er scen e o n th e same n igh t in B uck s Pock et

i n th e A labama mountains a wild danc e of th e m ou n ,
t a in ee r s in th e ho me o f Cli ff An derson th e Kin g of ,
th e W ild C a t t e r s winding u p in a drunk en b rawl Th e

,
.
death o f Peggy Ware s moth er h er bu rial in th e deso

’
,
late graveyard S imon sp eak ing th e last words whil e

, ,
Wilbu r Ware sat scowling angry with Go d for tak ing ,
h is wi fe .
A gain Wilbur Ware w a s shown b urn ing h is th eo

3 16 PEGGY WARE
logical book s denouncin g th e m inistry loading h is
, ,
earthly b elongin gs into an ox wagon startin g f or th e ,
wilds of N orth Alaba ma wh ere th e family encountered ,
Cli ff Anderson th e Kin g o f th e Wild C a t t e r s

, .
Th en fol lowed th e story of th e early struggl e th e ,
su rren der of th e King o f th e Wild Gatters th e awak ,
e n in g of the p eopl e th e growth o f th e Peggy Ware

’
Sch ool changing th e most lawless spot in A lab ama

,
to on e o f th e m ost p rogressive and law abiding -

.
F inally there came th e great cli max wh en th e GO V

e r n m e n t s ent it s soldi ers to cap ture th e smal l army of
slackers that had fortified in B ucks Pocket determined ,
t o figh t all comers .
P eggy appears in th e slacker s camp an d addresses ’

,
“
th e m e n H er words are flash ed o n th e screen :
. My
country righ t o r wrong sh e says an d th e audience
, , ,
b rok e into enthu siastic applau se Th e m en agree t o .
surren der Sh e h a s barely time to reach th e top of th e

.
‘
peak fro m wh ich th e white flag Of su rrender is t o b e

waved Sh e and B illy Wooten on e of th e slack ers
.
, ,
climb th e side o f th e p eak ; th ey reach it w ith b u t two

’
m inu tes t o spare B illy Wooten hoists Peggy s hand
.
k erch ief o n a stick wh ile Peggy waves th e stars an d

,
strip es Th e can non boom s a sal ute ; th e ch imes i n

.
“
th e Commu n ity Ch urch p eal o u t M y Cou ntry t is o f , ,
’
”
thee th e orchestra tak es up th e refrain som e o n e
, ,
ru sh es to th e front o f th e stage an d b egins t o sing th e ,
au dienc e j oins i n th e might y anth em an d wh en th e ,

“
last note is reach ed someon e sh outs Three ch eers
,
:
for Peggy Ware Th ey were given w ith a h earty

good will th e P resident standing in hi s box sm il in g
,
h is approval .
Seizin g P eggy firmly by th e arm h e sai d : You ,
mu st stand U p an d b ow you r acknowledgment M iss ,

3 18 PEGGY WARE
sure that wh en you know th e wh ole story you r gri ef ,
wil l fin d some solace .
“
Wh en w e ca me over to Fran ce I was th rown in
th e R ainbow D ivision an d with m e were most o f you r ,
boys for th ey always spok e o f th emselves as b elong

,
ing to y o u B illy Wooten was o n e o f th e fi nest in th e

.
lo t an d b eca me my orderly
, H e was always ask in g .
m e h ow to sp ell words and said h e was tryin g to ,
l earn s o h e could write to y o u H e coul d n ever sp eak .
o f y o u with out emotion an d I have Often s een tears ,
in h is eyes a s h e would tell m e h ow thankful h e was

that y o u showed him h is duty .
“
We had b een over th e t o p s everal ti mes and B illy ,
was always at my side H e w ent into battle as light .
heartedly as h e would have gon e o n a picnic I thi nk .
h e w a s th e cool est man I ever saw under fi re I asked .
h im about it onc e an d his reply was that h e had n o,
fear f o r i f a G erman bul l et go t h im h e would fin d a

,
b eautifu l world o n th e oth er side M iss Pe ggy told .

‘
me s o h e woul d say and I know it b ecau se sh e said

,
’
,
‘
it
Well w e w ent over th e t o p once t o o often and I
, ,
fell badly wounded B il ly stopp ed to pick m e u p The . .
fi re was terrific an d men were dropp ing lik e autu mn

,
leaves Don t both er about m e B illy I said

.
‘ ’
H elp , ,
’
.
‘
rally th e men I hate to l eave you Lieutenant h e

.
’ ‘
, ,
’
said b ut you re th e bos s

,
‘
With that h e spran g for
’
.
’
ward an d I h eard h i m giv e th e wild reb el yel l that you

have Often h eard Come o n m e n h e shouted Fo l
.
‘
,
1
.
‘
l ow m e ! ’
“
I n ever saw h i m again u ntil h e was brou ght to th e
hosp ital wh ere I lay pretty badly wounded A glan ce .
was su ffi cient to tell me th at his days were nu mb ered .
O n e si de o f his face was sh ot away an d hi s body was ,

PEGG Y G OE S To WASH I N G T O N 3 19
terribly mangled as th e resul t o f a sh ell that exp loded

right at h i m I spok e t o h im and h e said :
.
I a m s o glad Li eutenant y o u are h ere I w a s

‘
, ,
.
afeard I d die an not get to w rite to h er o r s en d her

’ ’
any word Y o u know I p rom ised to w rite wh en w e

.
started over h ere an n o w I m afeard it s t oo late B ut ,

’ ’ ’
.
you ll write h er won t y o u Li eutenant and tel l h er

’
,
’
, ,
that I died happy t h in k in o f h er and o f my country ’

.
I m s o prou d that I had th is chance of fi gh t in fer

’ ’
Un cl e Sa m an d I only wish I had a h undred lives

,
.
I d l ik e to give hal f o f th e m to H im an d h al f o f th em
’
to Peggy Ware fer it was s h e wh o show ed m e what a

,
gran G ov ern ment we have

’
.
’
“
I promised h i m that I woul d w rite j u st a s soon a s
I was abl e to s it U p and h e seem ed very happ y For ,
.
a long time h e see med asleep I thought th e en d was .
n ear and h e woul d n ev er wake I n a littl e wh il e

,
.
,
h owever h e stirred u n easily an d I h eard h is voice :

, ,
Lieutenan t h e said w eakly don t you recon I

‘
,
’
,
‘ ’ ’
coul d write h er j ust a little b it of a letter Write h er .
name an d S ign m ine tell ing h er it w u s from m e D on t ,

.
’
y o u recon s h e woul d k eep it al w ays an d look at it

’
som eti mes an d th ink of m e ? ’
“
I assured h i m that you wou ld undoub tedly priz e it
most h ighly I ca l led a nu rse an d expla in ed the situa
.
tion Sh e b rought p en ink and pap er S he dip ped

.
, .
th e pen in th e ink and placed it in h is hand and showed ,
h im wh ere to write .
“
S lowly painfully h e b egan to scrawl the l etters
, .
‘
You ll hav e to tel l me how to sp ell h er na me L ie u t e n
’
ant Sh e wrote it fer m e b u t I gu ess I l ost the paper

.
,
it w u s on wh en that shell blowed m e U p .

’
I spel l ed your nam e for h im very slowly an d h e

.
, ,
fol l owed with h is p en u ntil h e had fin ish ed .

3 20 PEGGY WA RE
No w ho w can I l et h er kn ow it s fro m m e he
’
?’
,
said .
“
Write th e word fro m I tol d h im and th en sign ‘
,
’
,
you r name .
I reck on you ll have t o sp ell that from fer m e

‘ ’ ‘ ’
t oo. I n ever learn ed it .

’
“
I sp elled it an d h e wrote it , .
The rest i s easy h e sai d if I can j est hol d out

‘
,
’
,
‘
.
’
! uite su re Of h imse l f now h e wrote B illy an d

‘ ’
, ,
th en starte d o n th e last p art of th e name H e was .
almost th rough n ow J est a littl e more ink nurse .

‘
, ,
’
h e whispered B etter b rin g a l igh t ; I can t se e

.
‘
’
’
.
’
I ll h old you r h an d at t h e r igh t p lace th e nurse

‘ ’
,
’
said gently Slowly more slowly his fin gers move d

.
, ,
.
‘
I am afeard I won t mak e it h e said O h bu t I ’
,
’
.
‘
,
mu st ! an d h e threw his vital breath into th e last few

’
strokes H is fi ngers relaxed th e p en fel l from h is

.
,
hand h e closed h is eyes a s mile seemed to light that

, ,
portion o f h is fac e n o t torn away by th e sh ell an d h e ,
wh isp ered so w eakly th at th e n urse had to place h er

ear to h is lip s to catch it I t O l h er I d write h er a .
‘ ’ ’
letter and I did, .

’
We looked again and th e big mou ntain boy w ith ,
th e h eart o f a l ion and th e soul of a woman w a s still

”
foreve r .
A gain h er han d sought th e envelop e and sh e held up ,
th e scrap o f pap er on which was scrawled :

M iss Peggy Ware
from
B il ly Wooten
This ladies an d gentle men is all th e epitaph I
, ,
desire on my tomb wh en I hav e p aid th e same debt that

B illy Wooten pai d on Fland ers fi elds Th ere are thou .
sands o i B illy Wooten s i n th e mountains o f my b e

322 PEGGY WA RE
body ; I only desire that th ey shall n o t make u s forget
that b eside s th e nation s body th ere is also th e n ation s
’ ’
soul .
’
“
I s a y A men to th is s enti ment a n d to y o u my fel
‘ ’
, ,
l ow countrym en that th e nob lest example of wh at

,
th e sou l l ife mean s an d what it will do f o r th e worl d

-
,
i f p ut into p ractice w e witn essed tonight as we s aw it

,
”
r e enacted o n th e screen
-
.
l
><
At last P eggy found h erself alone in h er l uxuriou s

room Th e lights w ere ou t th e moon stream ed th rough
.
,
th e window h er b eauti fu l golden h ead sunk in a m a s

,
sive p i llow an d s h e sobb ed i n her sl eep as you have

,
often h eard a l ittl e chil d th a t had gon e to its m oth er

weeping an d fal len a sl ee p in h er arms .
C H AP TE R T W E N T Y O N E
-
P E GGY S GE TH S E MA NE
’
E GG Y w a s glad to get away from Wash in gto n ,
wh ere sh e had b een th e recip ient of th e most

distinguish ed con sideration H e r h eart yearned
.
for h er o w n p eopl e th e si mp l e folk w h o n eeded h er

, .
Sh e appreciated th e honors b estowed u pon h er in h er

n ation s cap itol and w a s glad Of th e opportun ity o f
’
,
givin g th e si mpl e m essage to th e wo rld that s h e had

learned in th e solitu de of h er S outh ern mountain s .
“
Ch rist sai d th ey that are whol e n eed n o t a physi
”
cia n
. Peggy con stru e d th is as mean in g that u ntil a
man real iz ed h is n eed o f a p hysician a teach er it is
, ,
u seless to attemp t t o l ea d h i m into th e ligh t .
Sh e kn ew that h er mou ntain p eopl e w ere se eking

th e truth an d it w a s h er sup re me desire to share w ith
,
th em th e light that bu rn ed ever m ore b rightly for h er .
Sh e did n o t know th e h u ngry h earts an d longing

souls of many Of thos e i n h igh p laces I f th ey had
.
cared to re mov e th eir mask s f o r a moment what a ,
tragic revelation it woul d hav e b een to Peggy Sh e .
would have un derstood a s s h e l earn ed later in life

, ,
th at th e sam e soul longin g th e sam e need of th e great

,
physician com es to prince an d paup er alik e and when ,
that lo n gIn g comes it ob literates all caste al l color

, , ,
p utting all mankin d o n th e same footin g .
Sh e woul d h ave kn own that som e tim e somewh ere ,
th is l onging com es to every h u man soul and wh en ,
323
3 24 PEGGY WARE
onc e felt there will n ever b e a life worth wh il e for
,
that sou l u ntil it h a s foun d th e road to salvation .
Peggy kn ew th is road to salvation w a s a lon g an d

di fficult on e for had s h e not trodden it feel in g th at
, ,
h er feet were seemin gly on th e path wh en 10 without , ,
warning sel f wou ld rise u p in th e way b l ocking h er

, ,
passage w ith flamin g sword I t was n o wonder that

.
“
J esu s said N arrow is th e way and few th ere b e th at
, ,
”
fi n d it
Peggy s vision was t o h elp a s many as possibl e find
’
th e way on th is p lan e in th e present l ife so that th e ,
th orny road to salvation m ight b e shortened for a s

many sou ls a s possib l e f o r sh e felt that th e mi l l enn ium
,
is p ossibl e only wh en the last soul h a s b een saved .
Salvation m eant savin g a man or wo man from th e

h e l l Of sel f from th e fl esh th e material man Sh e
—
, .
b elieved that o u r soc ial an d in du strial probl ems will

n ever b e s ov e d u ntil w e hav e fi rst sol v ed o u r p robl em
o f th e soul s salvation
’
.
I t w a s to thi s work that s h e was b en ding every e n

e r gy o f h er sp l en did youn g womanh ood H ow in a d e .
quate h er work see med a s s h e review ed it j ourn eying ,
back to B ucks Pocket H er soul cried o u t f o r more

.
faith more wisdom more pow er

, , .
“
I n eed a n ew bapti sm o f th e Holy G h ost every day
”
of my l ife sh e whisp ered to h ersel f as sh e co n t e m l
,
plated th e tre mendous task Of savin g the world from

its cra ss material ism .
Sh e stopp ed in Chattanooga fo r a few h ours await ’
ing th e sail ing of h er steamer for s h e w a n t e d to e n

,
j o y once more th e trip dow n th e maj estic Tenn essee .
To h er great su rp ri se s h e was m et at th e station by

th e M ayor and a bi g c rowd o f p eopl e Th e camera .
men and re porters w ere also in evide n c e .

326 PEGGY WARE
I t had b een so foreign to anyth ing s h e ha d ev er thought
o r dreamed of I n her V is ion sh e had n ever seen h er
.
s elf an d it was slowly dawn in g o n her that s h e stood

,
as an in carnation o f h er w ork to th e p ubl ic .
>I
< l
>< l
><
At l ast th e steamer an chored at th e wharf and sh e

saw all th e pup il s of th e Peggy Ware S ch ool togeth er
’
with th e population o f B ucks Pock et th ere to greet

h er H er h eart respon ded with a great throb of th ank
.
ful n ess .
“
I t s s o good t o b e back sh e sai d as sh e k issed
’
, ,
“
R alph Virginia and Mol ly An derson
,
I d l ik e to ki ss
, .
’
every o n e o f y ou b ut it woul d tak e too lon g I feel , .
”
at h om e h ere an d don t ever want to l eav e again
,
’
.
“
Th ey have b een p h oning tel egrams from th e rail
” “
road for a week h er fath er said from all over th e , ,
coun try Th ey want you ev erywh ere to l ecture to

.
, ,
p reach to act on th e stage an d o n th e screen I t s

, ,
.
’
”
wonderful my child an d I thank G od f or y o u
, ,
.
“
I thank H im f o r su ch a fath er su ch a broth er and , ,
”
su ch sisters placin g h er arms about R uth Virginia
, , ,
an d R alph an d for su ch friends as M r Anderson

, .
,
Do ctor Weston an d S i mon and al l of y ou Go d bless, ,

.
”
every o n e of y o u I lov e y o u an d th e b eautiful face
.
,
was radiant as sh e s mil ed on th e assemb l ed throng .
“
Th is is my oth er moth er sh e said placi n g h e r , ,
’
ch eek fon dly against M ol ly A n derson s a n d th es e are ,
you r ch il dren in dicating the p u pils of th e P eggy

,
Ware School I know yo u have b een good to the m

.
”
wh il e I was gone sh e declared looking at th e happy , , ,
uptu rn ed faces .
Sh e su re does feed u s o n e l ittl e fellow with a big ,

“
app etite volunteered an d a ch oru s o f You re right ,
’
”
t here ki d l eft n o doubt i n Peggy s m in d on thi s score
, ,
’
.
PEGG Y S G E T H S E MA N E
’
32 7
Tel l u s all about Wash ington th e President and , ,

”
everythin g said R alph ,
.
“
That w ill tak e a l on g tim e s h e said I will tell ,
.
you a part o f it each day an d y o u will h ave some ,

”
th ing to look forward to for m any days .
’
It was a j oyous thron g that watch ed Anderson s b ig
automob il e as it sp ed away carryin g Peggy the ideal , ,
o f every man woman and ch il d in B u ck s Pock et

, ,
.
“
Win slow and Cranston are com ing to fi l m th e
”
w eddin g P eggy said lightly
,
They s a y th ey want .
it to compl ete th eir pictu re .
A pain ful silen ce gre eted thi s announc ement wh ich ,
Peggy was at a loss to un derstan d .
“ ”
I thought th is would b e fi ne s h e said addressin g , ,
R uth .
“
R uth has b ecom e ob sessed Pe ggy by th e fear that , ,
sh e is not your sister that there may b e so me mi stake ,
about it Sh e wants th e qu estion s ettl ed b eyon d a

.
doubt s h e says b efore sh e b ecomes my wi fe I t mak es

, ,
.
n o di ff eren c e to m e but wh en a woman gets a th ing

,
”
into h e r head it s pretty hard t o get it out
,
’
.
“ ”
You said s o m e t h in th en D octor declared An d ’
, ,
“
e rs on M olly taught m e th at a long tim e a go
. .
“
I kn ow th ere is n o d o ubt that R uth i s my S ister
“
,
“
said Peggy Sh e i s j u st l ik e my moth er and I feel
.
that sh e is an d that s al l th e p roof I n eed ’

’
.
,
“
B ut th ere w ere two ch ildren stol en at th e sam e
” ”
tim e protested R uth
,
I may b e th e oth er on e . .
“
Y o u couldn t b e th e oth er on e
’
sai d Mr s A nder ,
.
s o n laugh ing
,
Y o u are j u st you
. .
“
Why n o t mak e a blood test D octor Weston P said ”
,
“
Peggy Y o u kn ow that th e Courts h ave accepted th e
.
”
b lood test as ab solu te p roof o f p arentage .
“
I hav e b een th inking o f that j ust to satisfy R uth ,
32 8 PEG G Y WARE
h e said . I care noth ing ab o ut it mysel f s o I had not ,
”
m entioned it .
“ P ”
O h can you tell f o r sure exclai med R uth greatly
, ,
“
excited . Tel l m e h ow you do it
“
I will tak e a few drop s o f you r b lood h e ex ,
pla in ed an d a few drop s Of you r fath er s an d if th e

,
’
blood vibrates in unison th en it wil l b e proven b eyond

”
a p eradventure .
H o w won derfu l said the excited girl Won t y o u ’

, .
pleas e mak e th e test right away I mu st know . .
“
Supp ose th e test S h ou ld sh ow that M r Ware is n ot .
” “
your fath er ? su ggested D octor Weston What dif .
ferenc e woul d it mak e ?

“
Th en I would not b e obtainin g prop erty under false
“
pretens e s h e sai d laughingly i f you still persisted
, ,
”
in marrying m e .
“
P ersisted is good said Weston as al l j oined in th e
, ,
laugh that greeted R uth s statement ’

.
I t was arranged that th e test sh ou ld b e made at th e

sanatoriu m th e n ext morning at nin e o clock At th e ’
.
appointed h ou r R uth P eggy Cli ff An derson an d h is

, , ,
wife Wilbu r Ware and Simon assembled in D o ctor

, ,
Weston s o ffi ce to try th e interesting exp eri ment I t

’
.
w a s a solemn occasion for all Of th em and particularly ,
so f o r R uth .
Th ere was but littl e conversation an d D octor W e s ,
t o n silently prepared f o r th e test R uth b ared h er .
arm an d a su ffi ci ent quantity o f blood w a s drawn

,
.
Fro m W ilbu r Ware s arm a lik e quantity was tak en ’

.
,
and th en th e test wa s arranged Intently W eston .
watch ed th e V ibration s o f th e b lood for a lon g tim e

throu gh h is glass .
“
I t is identical h e said Look for yourselves
,
. .
R uth w a s th e first on e to watch th e uniform vibra

3 30 PEGGY WARE
for th e w edding party t o arrive th ey began to com e in ,
wagons buggi es o n h ors eback and afoot

, , .
J u st as th e last rays of th e s u n were gl i n ting th e

h igh est p eak s P eggy b egan th e w eddin g march and
, ,
th e bridal party entered R uth was v ery b eautiful in .
a fash ionab le gown .
“
Sh e is sh o re enou gh q uality
'
m uttere d S imon ,
.
Sh e step s lak a race hoss an hol s h er h ead lak a ,

’ ’
”
Lee .
D octor W eston was as han dso me as a G reek g o d ,
an d h is manne r denoted th e man of superior qualiti es

o f min d an d h eart .
R alph an d Virgin ia were h app ily excited a s t h ey r
watch ed th e marriage of their b eautiful sister to th e

distin gu ish ed D oct o r Weston .
Wilb u r Ware p erform ed th e c eremony and Cli ff ,
An derson gav e th e brid e a way .
Wh en Doctor Weston p laced th e rin g o n R uth s ’
fi nger h is h an d tremb l ed so v iolently that it s ee m ed

,
h e woul d n ever succ eed in doing s o N o on e but .
P eggy u n derstood th e caus e of h i s agitation Sh e .
s a w that h andsom e face wh ite an d drawn an d sh e , ,
kn ew that h is soul was cryin g out for what could

n ever b e .
H er ow n soul cal led for h is across an abyss so wide ,
s o fathomless that sh e kn ew th ey must b uild for age s
b efore th e yawnin g gu l f could b e sp anned .
E veryon e was gon e an d th e last note Of th e wedding

,
march had di ed away E veryon e except P eggy an d .
S imon H e had stoo d i n an alcov e during th e wedding

.
c eremony and from th is vantage point had watch ed

,
th e peopl e a s th ey march ed o u t .
P eggy tu rned an d l ook ed down th e deserted aisl es ,
but th ey were fill e d with th e shadows of th e com ing

PEGG Y S G E T H S E MAN E
’
33 1
twi light H er hands fell to h er s ides wh ile h er h ead

.
,
rested on th e keys o f th e organ .
Si mon who w a s watchin g thou ght sh e had fainted

, , ,
an d nois el essly a s o n e o f th e shadows cast by th e p in e

trees th rough th e ch urch windows h e stol e to h er side , ,
plac ed h is han d lightly on h er shoulder saying : ,

”
Ch ile I se h e a h and so is G od
,
’
,
.
“
A nd may H e always b e w ith u s S imon said Peg , ,
g y ,
looking w istfully toward
.
th e great forest to th e
w est .
“
I a m going to write my fath er a n ote S imon You ,
.
are to take it to h im an d th en go to you r cabi n and ,
mak e me a cup of you r b est tea I think I shal l n eed .
it an d you t oo Si mon
—
she added path etically a s th e
, , , ,
old man tu rn ed away w ith a h eavy h eart to del iv er th e

n ote sh e had hastily writte n .
S imon u nderstood N o words w ere n ec essary b e

.
tween h i m an d Peggy H e r ev ery w ish had always .
b een to h i m a command and now in th e great crisis of ,
he r life th e faith fu l o l d man read h er innerm ost

,
th oughts an d su ff ered all th e agony that wrung h er

,
soul .
Wh en h e had gon e s h e slip ped ou t into th e length

,
e n in g sha dows an d w ent toward h er Shrin e o f S i

,
le n ce Sh e mu st b e alon e w ith th e on ly friend t o whom

.
sh e dared pour out th e s ecret angu ish of her soul .
O ften sh e had gon e t o H i m in p erpl exity in doubt , ,
som etim es in sorrow and H e had n ever faile d h er To

, .
H i m sh e could go in p erfect confi dence .
Sh e entered th e Shrin e of S ilen ce clos ed th e door , ,
and kn elt rev erently asking Go d to remove th e p ain

,
“ ”
fro m h er h eart I love him ! I lov e h im ! sh e cried
. .
“
Why did th is cru el thing com e into my life P ”
“
Why mu st I always sacrific e my ow n life f or oth
3 32 PEGGY WARE
ers ? What have I don e to m erit th 1 s cru el p un ish
m ent P ”
G od was afar O ff an d no an swer cam e t o h er selfish

,
a pp ea L
H er th roat was dry h er te mpl es th robb ed h er eyes

, ,
ach ed with unsh ed tears I nvoluntarily sh e reach ed

.
o u t h er h a nd and it rested on h er m ot h er s B ibl e I t ’

.
,
lay open upon th e table an d a voice out of th e shad

,
“ ”
ows whisp ered read read , , .
Sh e p icked it u p and had to h ol d it very close to

,
her eyes f o r th e sh adows w ere now fi lling th e room

,
.
Sh e read th e fi rst passage that en countered h er vision .
“
For th e fl esh lu steth again st th e Spirit an d th e ,
Sp irit against th e fl esh ; an d th ese are contrary th e on e

t o th e oth er ; so that ye cannot do th e thin gs that ye
wou ld An d th ey that are Ch rist s have cru ’
c ifi e d th e fl esh with th e a ff ecti o n s and l usts .
Sh e had n o t cru cifi ed sel f This truth stood up b e .
fore h er an d mock ed h e r Sh e had b een flattering

,
.
h erself th at Peggy Ware had long ago been nailed to

“
th e cross b ut n o w h er sou l cri ed out Cruc ify ! Cru
, ,
”
c ify !
“
I will n ot b e cru cifi ed defiantly mocked th e fl esh
, .
”
Why sh ou ld I su rren der all to th e soul ?
I t was growing dark an d Peggy had n ot foun d G od

, .
H er o w n sou l was overshadowed by a b lackn ess

greater than th e night that now h ung ov er th e forest s
A feeling o f fear crep t into h er h eart G od had h id .
den H is fac e from h er an d wh e n s h e could n ot s ee H i s

,
face s h e was afraid Sh e longed f o r h uman sympathy

, .
i f Go d no l onger h eard h er Sh e mu st h ave som eon e .
to who m sh e coul d p our out h er grief .
Th ere was b ut o n e p erson in th e world to wh om sh e

coul d go bu t o n e b esides Go d w h o had forsak en h er
, ,
.
Sh e had on e friend w h o kn ew withou t words Sh e .

3 34 PEGGY WA RE
I hop e that w il l b e a lon g lon g ti me O ff sa id , ,
“
P eggy for I seem to n eed you more and more as th e
,
tim e goes by Tonight I n eed you Si mon j u st as a

.
, ,
”
l ittle chil d needs its m o th er .
“
Pore ch il e p ore deah croon ed the o l d man
,
H ow
, .
I wish I coul d b ear it all fer you I s e s o glad I com e .

’
back fru m de toth er side dat tim e y o u call ed me fer ,
m ebb e I kin s ay s o m e t h in t o h elp th e h urt in y o a h ’
”
d eah h eart .
“
O h S im on Simon I j ust can t stand it ! M y h eart
, , ,
’
”
i s b reaking b reakin g ,
s o bb ed Peggy ,
.
S imon had n ever w itnessed such uncontrollabl e

grief . Peggy hi s b right j oyou s Peggy weeping
, , .
“ “
D on cry chil e don cry th e old man said
’
, ,
’
Id ,
.
’
ruth er di e dan to s e e you w e e p in d is way ’

.
Th e flood gates Of Si mon s tears bu rst their bounds ’

.
H e bowe d h is wh ite h ead b etw een hi s hands an d b e ,

“
tween h is moans sobb ed G od h elp dat pore li l lamb
, ,
’
,
’
dat ain t e v a h don e no h arm in h er l ife

’
.
H ero b egan to wh in e p iteou sly H is cry was al most .
h u man Th e great tears fell from h is eyes to th e floor

.
,
an d h e l ooked p ityin gly at th e te mpest tossed form o f -
h is m istress .
P eggy fin ally ceased t o sob an d Simon q ui etly ,
p ou red a cup o f tea an d s e t it o n th e tab le b eside h er ,
wh il e H ero wagged h is tail an d kissed Peggy s han d ’

.
“ ”
I gu ess I am j u st a l ittl e ch ild afte r all S im on , , ,
“
s h e said wan ting th e moon You h ave often told me
,
.
”
h o w I u sed to cry f o r th e moon wh en I was small ,
sh e said .
“
E f y o u cou ld a had th e moon i t would a stop ped ,
“
sh ini n th e o l d man said N o w e f you had what you .
want th e s u n wou ld stop sh in in fer lots ob folk s

,
’
.
“
Y o u s e e eb e r y b o d y lub es you an d eb e ry on e thinks
, ,
you lub es h i m de best Y o u is eb e ry b o dy s sw eet .

’
PEGG Y S G E T H S E MA N E ’
33 5
heart E ben H ero think s you l ub e hi m b e tt a h dan

.
o me an I th inks o u lub e 0 1
’
y o u d y ,
Si mon more ’
n ’
y o u do anybody cep t yore own folk s

’
.
“
E f y o u e v ah g o t marri ed course I k nows y o u ,
n e v a h thought about sech a thin g th en eb e ry b o d y —
would know wh o y o u l ub ed b es an you wouldn t b e ’ ’ ’
”
d e worl s sw eeth eart n o more
’
.
Yes Simon bu t it s so hard to cruci fy self said

, ,
’
,
“
Peggy I don t think I ever k new anyon e b ut yo u
.
’
that had done it successfully I sup pose th at s wh y .

’
I com e to y o u n o w wh en I feel that my ol d s elfi sh

s elf is ab out to get th e U pp er han d Tell me Sim on .
, ,
h o w you did it .
“
Ch il I a in t don e it n ot by myself I ha d a h eap
’
,
’
,
.
0
’
h elp Wh en I w u s stol e away fru m my daddy and
.
mammy in Africa I w u s full o b d e devi l an I hated ’
e b e r y b o dy
D en by an by wh en I grow ed up an m
.
“ ’
arried an d ,
’
h a d two O b de fin es pickanin nies y o u eb er s a w an

’ ’
my mastah sold my wife an de b ab ies an de man wh ut ’ ’
bough t e m took em away an I kn owe d I d n ev a h see

’ ’ ’ ’
dem n o m o a h I had de deb il h ell an e b e ry evil th in g

, ,
’
in my h eart I wanted t o k ill I laid o u t in d e swamp

. .
fer a whol e week an d ey h u nted me wid bloodhou nds ,

’
an finally d ey k et ch e d m e D en my mastah wh opp ed

’
.
me o u til I knowed h e wu s gwin e t o kill m e an I sh et ,

’
my eyes an s a y : O h Go d I gibs up ; I se whopp ed

’ ‘
,
’
.
’
A n den I s e e an angel Y e s I kn ow it w u s an
’
.
,
an gel standin dah a n I don t feel n o m oa h pain an

’
,
’ ’
,
’
de wh op seemed to m e lak it w a s fallin o n someb od y ’
else an n ot o n m e
,
’
.
“
I t wan t lon g o u til yore gr a n f a t h a h b ought me an
’ ’ ’
I s e b een in H e a b in e v a h s ence an I s e s o thank fu l

’ ’ ’
, ,
‘
I s ay Lawd I s e gwine to lib fer de folks what needs
, ,
’
m e fer de rest o f mah life an S imon ain t n o more ,

’ ’
.
’
33 6 PEGGY WARE
B ut so metim e eb en n ow I wak e U p in de nigh t de
, ,
col sweat stan din on my face my fi sts sh et a n

’ ’
, ,
’
a g r it t in
-
my teeth an my h eart a cry in fer mah wife
’
,
’
-
’
an kids an I say : Lawd dat s S imon sertin his

’
,
’ ‘
,
’ ’ ’
sel f ; h elp m e nail h i m to de Cro ss an k eep h im dah ’

.
’
“
I recon w e ll n ev a h finish de j ob o u til we lay dis
’ ’
”
O l sel f d own an fly ovah to de u dder side
’ ’
.
I th ink you ar e right S i mon You r words are a ,

.
great comfort t o me an d n o w I a m ready to go back ,
to th e world an d let my ligh t sh in e for all .
“
G et you r banj o and go with m e ,
.
”
I thank de Lawd th e o l d man said as h e picked , ,
up his banj o an d followed P eggy , .
Th e bal l had b een a dull a ff air th e dan cing m e ,
ch a n ica l A spl endi d orch estra furn ish ed mu sic for

.
th e occasion b ut th e lively strains foun d n o resp on sive

,
chord in the h earts of th e gu ests .
“
I f Peggy wou l d com e th ey k ept saying t o each ,
oth er .
H ere sh e is now a doz en exclaim ed at on ce , .
- Th e gloo m w a s gon e an d th e s u n h ad bu rst in al l ,
its noonday spl endor P eggy was radiant N o o n e . .
had ev er seen h er so b eautiful or h er eyes s o glorious ,

.
Th e G overnor and half a doz en oth ers clai m ed h er

f o r th e n ext dance .
“
I n ever l earned to danc e s h e said lau gh ingly ,
”
Th es e n ew fan gled danc es are all b eyond m e
-
.
“ ”
Then w e w ill hav e th e o l d V irginia reel said th e ,
“ ”
governor Y o u ca n dan c e th at w ith m e
. .
“
Th e secon d s e t is you rs G overnor th e fi rst o n e I , ,
”
mu st dance with M r And erson . .
“
Th en I l l ask M r s And erson t o danc e this s e t w ith
’
.
m e sai d th e G overnor
, .
“
I make bu t o n e demand said P eggy and that i s , ,
that S imon p ick h i s banj o for u s to dan ce by I cou ld .

C H AP TE R T W E N T Y TW O -
C H R I S T LI VE T H IN ME
4 I M O N y o u are lookin g youn ger th an y o u did
,
wh en w e cam e to B ucks Pocket I don t b e .

’
”
lieve y o u wil l ever grow older .
S imon had b een arrangin g th e flowers o n th e tab le

i n Peggy s Shrin e o f S ilenc e an d sh e had entered j ust
’
,
“
a s h e was saying to a b eautiful roseb u d : You se ’
sweet an b eautiful dis m i an you ll haf

’ ’ ’ ’ ’
p o w f u l a w n n
”
to do yore b e s to sh in e w id M is s Peggy
’
.
Th e o l d man looked U p startl ed at b eing ov erh eard ,
talking to h i ms el f .
“
D id y o u h e a h what I w u s h e inquired .
” “
Well n o t exactly S imon Peggy replied but I
, , ,
know i t was som ething b eautifu l f o r it s th e only lan ,

’
”
guage you know .
“
I f I k n o w s e d e b eautifu l language it w u s y o u ,
teach ed m ost of it to m e I s e b een libin wid yore .

’ ’
flowers an in yore sun shin e s o long dat I des bou n

’ ’
to git b e t t a h an y o u n ga h as I grow o l d a h
’
.
“
Th at s a paradox S imon declared P eggy laugh
’
, ,
“
ing bu t it exp ress es a great truth W e shou ld all
,
.
grow younge r in sp irit as we grow Ol der in years .
“
I do n t kn ow n u ffi n e rb o u t yore p a ra b ox e s b ut I
’ ’
,
k n o w s e dat e b e r y b o d y an e b e r y t h in g in B ucks Pock et

’
b een doin des lak I is an wh en w e hab d e big fai r

’
,
’
an show d e worl d e s what chan ge h as took p lace it

’ ’
,
”
gwine to b e d e m o s p o w f u l e st l esson e v a h b een
’ ’
.
“
I hop e y o u are right Si mon f o r I feel w e are b uild , ,
i ng on th e m i c fo undation for al l mank ind a n d n ow ,
338
C H R I ST L I V ET H I N ME 339
w e have made s u fli cie n t progress to hol d a fair where ,
we shall give a livin g de mon stration o f what right

th inking will accomplish for all thes e things have ,
b een born in th e Sp iritu al o r thou ght worl d which ,
after all is t h e w o r ld o f real ity

,
.
“ ’
It s all so w on d fu l so w o n d f u l Si mon exclaimed
’ ’
, , ,
“
reverently E f y o u coul d d es gib de w h o l worl what
’ ’
.
you given to de folks in dese mou ntains dey woul d all ,
lub Go d an o n e a n n u d a h Ef d ey coul d u n d a h s t a n d
’
.
about de cru cifixion lak y o u wus readin o n e day ; b ut ,

’
dey don t I wish you would read dat agin fer me

’
. .
P eggy p icked up h er moth er s B ibl e and read th e ’
“
pa ssage : 1 am cru cified with Ch rist : n ev erth el ess I
liv e ; yet not I but Christ liveth in me ; and th e l ife
,
wh ich I n o w l iv e i n th e fl esh I live by th e faith o f th e

”
Son o f Go d wh o loved m e and gav e H im self fo r m e
, , .
“ ”
H e mu s a been talkin e r b o u t y o u th e Ol d man
’
—
’
,
“
mused fe r you have b een cru cified an y o u shore do
, ,
’
lib by faith .
Ah S i mon I h av e had my battl es an d you know

, , ,
about some o f th em ; and I hav e many more ah ead o f

”
me .
“
Wall dey won t b e s o hard no m oa b b e ca s e de
,
’
su n b een shinin now fer five yeahs an d ey ain t n ev a h

’
,
’ ’
been o n e cloud a s big as y o a h

Peggy laugh ed j oyou sly I know what you mean .
,
S imon That was my b iggest battl e I t s b een five

. .
’
years an d I have tri ed to k eep th e su n shin in g ever

,
sin ce .
>< 1 x
>< 1
><
M y nam e is Peggy Ware Weston an dis is my ,

’
”
b ossy lisped a b lu e eyed golden ha ired fairy p erch ed
,
-
,
“
o n th e back Of H ero I s e three years o l d today ’ ’
an , ,
’
an my mam ma p ro mised m e ci I would b e dood I
coul d tu m U p h er e an d wide H ero for a b u r f d a y p res
340 PEGGY WARE
ent . M y daddy b olded me o n an h e turn to d e door ,
’
”
w if m e .
S i mon l ifted little Peggy from H ero s b ack and ’

,
s h e cl imb ed o n Peggy s kn ee
’
.
“
I wi sh you many happy returns M iss P eggy Ware ,
Weston an d I hop e y o u will always b e as good and

,
”
happy as y ou are today .
“ ”
Am en to dat said th e ol d darky , .
M y ma mmy says s h e wants m e to b e des l ik e my

A u nti e P eggy th e l ittl e child declared
, .
“
An d your A u nty Peggy wants to b e j ust lik e you ,
Peggy said kissin g the chil d s golden h ead

,
’
.
“
S O does I an I sp ec dat why you say I se look in
’ ’ ’ ’
,
”
y o u n ga h th e Old man declared as h e mounted P eggy
, ,
“
Weston o n h er h o s s y and th ey took th eir departu re ,
down th e trail littl e Peggy lookin g back occasionally

, ,
waving goodbye w ith o n e han d as sh e clung to H ero

w ith th e other .
Th e openin g day o f th e P eggy Ware S chool F air ,
arrived a nd w ith it th ou san ds of p eopl e came fro m

,
th e su rroundin g country M any v isitors were in a t .
tendanc e from the n ear b y citi es an d a few from far —

,
away parts of the world .
Th e G overn or o f Alabama w a s o n e of th e chi ef fi g

u res an d had prom ised to deliver an address o n the
,
opening day .
Th e b oys band composed o f p up il s of th e school

’
, ,
‘
w a s th e m ost celeb rated in th e state and wh en th e ,
governor arrived h e was greeted with th e strain s o f

,
” ” “
Hail to th e Ch ief fol lowed by D ixie an d Th e Star
Spangl ed B ann er .
Th e variou s exh ibits w ere op en to th e vi sitors and ,
even thos e who had b een intimately associated with

th e developme n t o f B u cks Pocket were surpri sed at th e
progress that had b een made .
342 PEGGY WARE
of thanksgiving after which h e introduced th e Gov
,
e r n o r o f A labama .
“
Thi s is th e most signifi cant gathering I hav e ever
”
attended h e said an d if I spoke until th e sun goes
, ,
dow n I cou ld not say on e half that is i n my h eart t o-
say about th e P eggy Ware S chool and those who have ,

”
h elp ed in t hi s won derful work .
B riefly h e sk etch ed th e work from th e b eginn ing its ,
growth an d far reachin g influen ce p aying a lofty trib

-
,
ute to P eg gy Ware as w ell as th os e w h o had s o nobly

aided in th e work .
“
I am esp ecially interested b ecau se of th e class o f
peop l e b eing reach ed by th e P eggy Ware School and
it s allied activities I love these mountains an d m oun
.
tain peopl e I am o n e of the m an d sp eak th eir lan

.
,
guage I know th e goodn ess o f th eir h earts the long

.
,
ing O f their sou ls th eir unfl in chin g un dying loyalty

, ,
to any caus e they may esp ou se .
“
Th ey gave th e world it s greatest example o f hero
ism an d sacrific e wh en f o r fou r long years th ey fough t
f o r what th ey b el iev ed w a s a great p rincipl e often ,
h ungry hal f clad leaving th e b lood p rints o n th e

, ,
froz en groun d fro m th ei r bare feet Wh en th e noble .
Lee surrend ered h e tol d G eneral G rant that h is men

,
had had noth in g to eat but parch ed corn for several

days an d that gal lant ch ieftain op ened h is co mmis
,
s a r ie s t o th e half starved Confederates

-
.
“
Wh en France sent U p th e M acedonian cr y for h elp ,
A labama sent th e most dash in g darin g soldiers that ,
fou gh t for th e cau se o f righteousn ess an d you r o w n ,
mountain boys w ere always first over th e top .
“
Th e Peggy Ware S chool i s teaching th e love o f
country th e lov e o f o u r gloriou s Con stitution I de
,
.
C lare m ost solemnly that in n o part of th e Un ited States

is th ere a more loyal p eople t o ou r National G over n
C H R I ST L I V E T H I N ME 34 3
ment than in th e South I t is th e most distinctively .
Am erican section o f th e land We have no E ngl ish .
A merican s G erman Americans I rish A merican s but

,
-
,
-
,
j u st p lain A merican s wh o ca n respond as o n e man to ,
the s enti ment M y country righ t o r wron g b ut still

,
‘
, ,
my country .
’
We hav e no room in th e South for B ol sh evists ,
Anarch ists an d oth er w ild eyed half baked Am erican s —

,
-
wh o woul d destroy o u r civil ization by un dermin in g th e

very foundation s on which o u r G overnm ent stands .
“
I f th e tim e ever co mes wh en a G odl ess ar my
march es un der a red flag shoutin g D own with th e ,
‘
G overn m ent th e S outh still filled with th e spirit of

,
’
,
idealism o f love o f country o f faith in Go d w ill rally

, , ,
a s o n e man aroun d th e Stars an d Strip es an d in that ,
hou r G o d have mercy on th e hosts o f disorder and de

struction wh en thes e m ountain b oys give th e reb el
,
yell an d charge a s th eir sires did at G ettysbu rg o r

, ,
as they did o n th e bloody fi elds o f France shouting ,

:
‘
For G od and Country
“
I p ray th is day may n ever co me an d if th e spirit ,
o f th e Peggy Ware school can p ervade ever y nook an d
corn er of o u r b eloved land th is great tragedy wi ll not ,

”
tak e plac e .
Th e G overnor took h is seat a midst great applau se ,

“ ”
th e ban d playing A m erica .
A s the last note died away Cl i ff Anderson b earin g , ,
a huge bou qu et o f roses app roach ed th e platform ,
wh ere Peggy sat .
“
I tried t o git somebody el se to d o th e talkin b ut ’
,
” “
th ey p ut it o n m e h e said A n I gu ess I m gittin
, .
’ ’ ’
lik e a well brok e O l hoss I work a n y w h a r e th ey h itch

’
.
me .
“
Th is b o w k a y M iss Peggy h a s a roseb u d from cv
, ,
ery memb er o f th e Peggy Ware Schoo l an o n e fru m ,

’
3 44 PEGGY WA RE
every citiz en o f B uck s Pocket an each b ud m e a ns ,
’
more lov e than I coul d carry o n my back .
“
I tol d em I cou ldn t make n o speech an I gu ess
’ ’
,
’
”
th ey know it n ow .
Peggy w a s greatly a ff ected and could scarcely find ,

“
h er voice Your sp eech M r A nderson is j u st as elo, .
,
qu ent a s the gift i s b eau ti fu l I can o n ly s a y G o d .

,
‘
”
b l ess you On e and al l
,
.
“
I a m going to a s k f o r rep orts from som e o f my
”
h elp ers said Peggy on th e progress mad e in th eir
, ,
departm ents We will now h ear from D r Weston

. . .
“
We have no more lon esome h e declared
‘
.
Th ey have all b een cured an d o u r sanatoriu m h as b een

converted t o oth er p u rposes We won t n eed it any .
’
mor e fo r w e hav e removed th e cau ses that b rough t o n

,
th e disease .
“
We hav e n o sickn ess for righ t th inking and right ,
l iving m ean s th e eli mination o f s o calle d disease We -

.
hav e taught th e b oys an d girls and even th e older p eo ,
pl e h ow to con sci ou sly ren ew and rebu ild th ei r bodies

,
a s w ell a s th ei r b rain s and by and by y o u wil l hunt

,
in vain fo r an ol d man or woman .
“
G rowin g o l d i s a hab it an d we have got o u t o f it , .
A man should retain all h is vigor and faculties unim

paired u ntil h e is a c entury O l d at least and probably , ,
mu ch l on ger Wh en h e has fulfilled his work here h is

.
,
soul will lo n g f o r rel ease an d h e w ill go over o n th e ,

'
oth er si de .
Th e B ibl e tells u s that E n och walked with G od ,
an d h e w a s not for G od took hi m

,
.
“
W e are walking with good by scientific right ‘
,
’
,
thinkin g an d wh en w e reach th e en d of th e j ourney

, ,
Go d w ill j u st tak e u s .
“
O u r scientifi c brain and body bu ildin g n eeds n o
346 PEGGY WA RE
school s is now don e through p ictures an d all th e ,
church es exhibit them .
“
M oving pictu res are a greater factor for good t o
day than any other o n e agency in th e world and I a m ,
”
tempted to say than all oth ers comb in ed
,
.
“
My fath er will tell u s ab out th e work of th e Com
”
m un ity Centers said Peggy , .
“
We h a Ve an even h undred Com mu nity Centers
” “
n ow stated Wilbu r Ware wh ere we have o u r Sun
, ,
day Sch ools O u r ch u rch s ervic e our lectures an d in

, , ,
gen eral a l l gatherings fo r th e public welfare O n Sun .
day even ings we always have a high cl a s s p ictu re S how

at a p rice th at mak es it p ossibl e for everyon e t o a t
tend .
“
I n t h e Peggy Ware S chool we teach th e h igh est ,
dra matic a rt an d many o f o u r boys are fi nish ed o ra

,
tors an d oth ers o f o u r p upils develop into real actors

an d actresses So wh en th ey go ba ck to th eir hom es
.
,
th ey b eco me l eaders in th e Com munity Center work , ,
and we now have many p reach ers teach ers and actors , .
Th ey are h el ping t o mak e l ife over in these h undred

comm un ities .
“
We have no creed no dogma in o u r ch urch es W e
, , .
teach that th ere is but on e road t o salvation an d that ,
is th e road that leads to th e crucifixion of th e an imal

man an d th e exaltation o f th e soul Th e road to sal
,
.
v ation is n ot an easy o n e and al l s o called plan s o f ,

- .
salvation that invite to flowery path s are fals e trails

and l ead t o nowh ere .
“
Salvation mean s wh oleness in body m in d and ,
spirit It mean s j oy p eac e p rosperity and th e vast

.
, ,
storehouse O f Go d wide op en to al l wh o desire to e n

,
te r It i s heaven h ere an d now in stead o f i n some

.
,
far away future .
“
We teach men an d wom en to b e b rave and fearle ss .
C H R I ST L IV E T H I N ME 34 7
No painted devil of th ei r C hildhood s fan cy with forked ’
tail an d iron p itch fork can harm th em bu t only th e ,
d evil Of self can b ring evi l to th em .
“
An d ab ov e all we tell th em that only Go d can ,
satisfy th e h un gry longing soul ,

.
“
It wo u l d require volum es to recount th e good that
h a s been a ccomp li sh ed in th ese commun iti es an d o u r ,
message t o th e world i s Co me an d ‘
“
I k now w e all want to h ear from M r Anderson .
,
said Peggy and th e crowd s e t U p a lu sty call for An d

,
‘
er son ! A nderson H e was th e h ero o f th e b oys and ,
a romanti c figure t o th e girls .
“
I ain t g ot nothin to s ay ab out mys el f h e de
’ ’
,
“
cl a r e d cept that I w u s blin d b efore M iss P eggy ca me
,
’
to B ucks Pock et an now I a m b e g in n in t o s e e a lit ,

’ ’
tle bit .
“
I v e seen it change fru m th e Wild Cat still an d mean
’
l icker t o thi s b ig school hous e an th e fin es s e t o f boys ’ ’
an gals in Alabama I v e s een th e o ld trail l ea din out

’
.
’ ’
o f th e Pock et change to th e fi n est road in th e S tate ,
ov er wh ich the Kin g and ! u een o f B elgiu m travel ed

to B u ck s Pock et an we have named it th e R oyal H igh,
’ ‘
way .
’
“
We h av e harn essed th e water o f Sauty Creek an ’
it s t u r n in mach inery an f u r n is h in el ectric lights to

’ ’ ’ ’
th e farmers fu r miles an mil es I guess I could stan ’

.
’
h ere an talk to you o n t il you d al l git tired o f h earin

’ ’ ’
me fu r it s th e only subj ect I k in sp eak o n without

,
’
gittin th e buck agu er ’ ‘

.
’
“
S o I ll q uit by sayin back o f it all is M iss Peggy
’ ’
Ware w ho is o n e o f G od s angels H e s ent down h ere

,
’
”
to lead us o u t o f o u r ignoran ce .
Thes e reports fi ll my soul with gratitu de d eclared ,

“
Peggy There are many oth ers who h ave aided in th e
.
work I sh oul d lik e to h ear fro m all o f th em b ut tim e

.
,
348 PEGGY WA RE
will n o t perm it M rs An derson has played a b ig part
. .
and s o has R uth Y O U know of th ei r work an d all .

,
j oin m e in doing honor t o them .
Th ere is on e oth er p erson whom I want to publicly

honor today b efore th is vast ass emblage o f p eopl e .
Y o u all kn ow a n d lov e Un cl e Simon I am going to .
giv e h im a b ou qu et o f these b eautiful roses from th e

o n e y o u gave m e as a token of o u r love an d esteem
, ,
for a man of anoth e r race whos e life mark s h i m a s a

”
Son of G od .
“
Let me tarry it to h i m sai d P eggy J u nior tau se , ,
I love h im too ,
.
Peggy gave h er th e bouqu et and s h e carried it to ,
th e back of th e p latform wh ere Simon sat handed it ,

“
t o h im made a neat l ittl e cu rtsey as sh e said :
,
D is
is tau se we loves y o u des a s dood as i f you warn t
’ ’
”
b lack .
Th e Old man ros e trembl ing vi sibly the roses in , ,
h is U p raised han d L iit l e Peggy holding th e other .

,
b a n d le d him t o th e front o f th e stage

,
Th e tears .
w ere cou rsing down h is b lack ch eek s an d h is voice was ,
shakin g with em otion .
“ ”
White folks h e said and it was a long time b e
, ,
“
fore h e coul d go o n White folks wh en w e all git.
,
up y o n d a h an you treat m e a s good as y ou do h e a h

,
’
,
”
it ll b e all de h e a b in I wants
’
.
Th e audien c e ros e to its feet a s on e man an d stood ,
for a mom ent in sil en t h omage to th e venerab le O l d

man wh ose ch il dh ood hark ed back to th e j un gl es of
A frica .
“
I will speak j ust a few words Peggy declared , ,
an d th en we w ill sing th e national anth em We sing .
it every morn in g at th e op enin g of o u r sch ool an d I ,

’
don t b eli eve there i s an au dience in th e Un ited States
3 50 PEGGY WARE
its ampl e fol ds all mankin d can fin d th e road to salva
tion an d to Go d .
“
We will n ow sing A merica and I want every sou l
,
”
h ere t o tak e part .
Little Peggy w a s p erch ed on S imon s shoulder a ti n y ’

,
flag in h er hand an d as th e audien ce sang each o n e

, ,
waved th e s tars an d strip es an d h igh above th e oth ers

,
c oul d b e seen th e flag h eld i n h er tiny han d by P eggy

Ware Weston .
My cou ntry tis of th ee ’
Sweet Land of Lib erty ,
O f th ee I sing :
Lan d wh ere my fath ers d ied ,
’
Lan d o f th e p ilgri m s p ride ,
Fro m ev ery mountains ide ,
L et freedom rin g ”
.
FINIS
UN IVE R S I T Y OF CA L IF O RN IA L I B RA R Y ,
B E RK E L E Y
THI S B OO K I S D U E O N THE L A S T D A TE
S T A MP E D B E L O W
B ook s n ot r etu r n e d im
on ts e ar e u b ect
j t o a fin e of
s oc p er vol u me a f ter th th i d d y
e r a ov er d i
u e, n cr ea si ng
to p er v ol u m e a ft th
er sixth d e ay B k
oo s n ot in
d d w d if pp li ti is m d
.
em a n m ay b e r en e
’
e a ca on a e b ef or e
i i
e xp r a t on of l oa n p e r id o .
DEC 2 7
5 0 m -8 2 6
’

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PE G GY WA RE

Fou r Year s C on gre ss m a n from Ala b a m a ,

All r ights res erved .

minute an d see P eggy wearing m a m a s wed

din g dress I t s th e ﬁnest dress you ever saw

h e stood in th e door Of S i mon s cab in located in one ’

R alph was j u st ten with big b rown eyes dark , ,

cu rly ha i r an d a ch ubby face

I ain t se ed dat dress se n ce you r mammy wore it at

looking a t th e great p ile Of shavings that l ittered

e rb o u t Ch r istmas e v e Y o u know dat it wu s o n .

Ch ristmas eve dat curiosity killed de ca t what you

Wall dat s whut dey a llu s tell me but I do n t

think it k illed h i m more n seben ti mes an d en de ’

ca t l earn to mi n h is own bu siness an h e stil l ha b

two more lib es lef a n he know how t o b ehave hiss elf

S i mon d e si gnated th e doubl e l og house i n wh ich th e

y o u recogniz e th is d r ess I t has b een h idde n away .

for many years but P eggy d iscovered it today a n d In

de day you an M assa Wa r e wus m arried at de big

ch urch weddin You wu s de bell e Ob Sh ena n do a h

Valley an I wus so prou d Ob you a s you stood up

long s ide Ob M as sa Ware youn g an h a n s u m an you ,

b ecaus e you r hair is white a nd you r eyes are as b lu e -

a crow a n d h er eyes are j u st like mine h e p roudly

yore m ot h a h wh e n I c oul d hol d h er ou t on o n e han ’

Virgi n ia had climbed up o n S imo n s k n ee and set ’

t le d dow n comfo r tably f o r th e story that sh e and R alph

To th em it w a s a lways a n ew story a n d grew more ,

wo n de r ful with e a ch rep etitio n .

A big log ﬁ r e bu rn ed in th e w i d e mouth ed ch i m n ey -

and Peggy an d h er mothe r took th eir seats to listen

Ob G eneral R obert E Lee an de Lees y o u k n o w had .

d e ﬁn es blood in 0 1 Virgin n y an dat s sayin s u m p in

cas e Virgin n y got de ﬁn es b lood in de Th e ’

o l d ma n s t raightened himself u p prou dly a s h e d e l iv

ered th is statement with an ai r that would have made

you ﬁ n it i n de Ca r ol i n as G eorgia Te nn essee an

Th e Old ma n scratch ed h i s h ead frowned and , ,

lon g dat I des n a ch e l ly got n o cu lat e d wid de Le e ’ ‘

W a ll b efo de wah h on ey all we n iggers dat b e

l on g t o wh ite folks go t stu ck U p a n thou ght w e wus ’

b et t ah da n de wh i t e f olks dat do n t o w n n o n igge r s

a n we call dem p o white trash an w e sorter looked

down o n dem B ut when de wah com e yore gran .

daddy Ware fou ght long side O b y oa h gran daddy Lee ’

an dey wu s bofe killed in Virg in n y a n wh en dey wus

b r ough t home d ey wu s bu ried i n de same gr a b e y a hd ,

san s Ob acres Ob lan an j oin in it y oa h grau pa Ware ’ ’ ’ ’

lef about a h un dred acres D e niggers u se to laugh

an s a y h e des had enough lan to mak e a turnip patch

B u t wh en de wah wu s ovah an de s la b e s freed an ’ ’

mos O b de m gon e y oa h gran ma Ware s p lace wus

w u t h d e s e r b o u t a s much as y oa h gran ma Lee s place

D ey bofe wove dey own cloth an made d e j eans fer ’

d e men an de l insey fer de w im min an dey warn t

no moa b p O wh ite trash afta b d e wah E v ry tub ’

stood o n it s o w n bottom an e f you had de blood it ,

didn t make no d iﬁ e n ce w h e a t h a you own ed s la b e s

Y oa h gran ma Wa re and y o a h g ra n p a Ware had

des as good bl ood as anybody e v a h had dat warn t a ’

Lee an w h en y o a h ma married M assa Wilb ur Ware

I said dey n ev a h w u s no ﬁ n a h blood j ined .