"Mountain Men" by Joseph Cavano

description:
A moving account that may remind you of Faulkner's "The Bear."In this selection,Joey has disregarded the advice of his students who have warned him not to seek out the legendary woodsman and ginseng hunter,Luther Carver, who dislikes people and has been known to shoot at strangers.Over time, Joey has somehow gotten Luther to take him into the "deep woods" and instruct him about what lives there.Even more surprising, Luther has taken a liking to him and invited him into his dirt floor cabin.After the most surprising night of his young life,Joey realizes it is time to leave.

"Joey rose from the table and placed a hand gently on Luther's shoulder.He moved to the door and took one last look at the old man who still stared out the window, the only sounds to break the silence the calls of crickets begging to come inside.How many nights would the old saint sit like this he wondered? Alone surrounded by nothing but the four walls which more or less came together,nothing to distract him until the twilight signaled it was time to sleep.Joey thought of him drifting off to sleep, his head against the wall,listening to the rain on the corrugated tin roof working its way down the gutter and into the rain barrell,lulling him to a deep sleep and dreams ,if not of lions like old Santiago, then of expanses of ginseng, gold in the glow of an autumn day.He closed the door quietly and walked to his car."( to be Continued.)