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Show HAD IT DOWN" FINE, v, Wliare tha Jawtbarp Htlll Ranka High aa Mailcal IiMtrnmant. The sun had Just broken oror th topi of' tho Oiarlcsono warm morning in July, says tho Chicago Ilorald. The milt that always sottlos thickly over theso halt mountains with tho night-fall was going go-ing to pieces and disappearing as tho sun roso hlghor, loavlnfr the green and dense vorduro hoary and wet with the dow. In a cozy nook, on a log oror-hanglng oror-hanglng tho wild Uttlo stream that daBhed down from a gushing spring abovo, a natlvo was seated, earnestly playing a Jowsharp. Ho twangod tha vlbrknt metal with his thumb, koaplng tlmo by splashing ono ot his bare feat In tho oloar water below. Af tor ton minutes, min-utes, during which tlmo tho sun had got high enough to shlno straight into his oyos, ho took tho harp from his mouth and, wiping It on tho leg of his trousers, ozolalmod: "Tharl Ef that don sottl' 'or, whut will?" Boforu ho had spoken another word a stranger stopped from boblnd a big treo and addressod him: "That was tho best tune I erer heard played on ono of those Instruments." Tho mountaineor lookod at the strangor a moment, and then, drawing hlmsolf up in a knot on tho log, laid: "D'yo moan It, mister?11 - "Mean It? Ot course. Why flo -i .11k?" 'It'a lak this, mister. Ycr r 1iot 'con jost on the algo o' ,liiin' th' rnpson gal, ovor 'n th' hulior, fer nioro'n ur yar, an' whon th' peppln' time kern she up an' says thot I kain't hoy 'or 'less I kin play thor Jows'a'p. I bin praotlcln' hyar on this log for nigh a month now, I reckon, ovory day In th' mornln' 'foro sunup', an' I wui thlnkln cz I sot hyar, oz ef I didn't git th han-o' han-o' it purty soon, it'd bo good-bye, Sat. But yor mako mo fool bettor, stranger, an' of yor round thoso parts nox' week os' drop ovor on thor s3opo 'cross th' way an' yo kin bo my boat man." As tho strangor movod on down the path tho mountalnoor struck up his tuno again and played with a vim that was ovldonce that tho stranger had been telling the truth. Along with tho flddlo, tho jowsharp still ranks high as a musical instrument instru-ment in tho mountain regions ot Arkansas Arkan-sas and Missouri. A natlvo who can't play the Jowsharp is looked upon as having very poor prospoots. |