Produced by David Garcia, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Kentuckiana Digital Library) A MAID OF THE KENTUCKY HILLS BY EDWIN CARLILE LITSEY Author of "The Man from Jericho," etc. _ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN CASSEL_ CHICAGO BROWNE & HOWELL COMPANY 1913 COPYRIGHT, 1913 BROWNE & HOWELL COMPANY _Copyright in England All rights reserved_ PUBLISHED, NOVEMBER, 1913 THE PLIMPTON PRESS NORWOOD, MASS, USA TO SARA OF THE SUNNY HAIR [Illustration: _I knelt on the tree, bent down, and took her upheld hand in mine._] CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE IN WHICH I GO TO 'CROMBIE CHAPTER TWO IN WHICH I GO TO 'CROMBIE AGAIN CHAPTER THREE IN WHICH I FIND A LODGE IN THE WILDERNESS CHAPTER FOUR IN WHICH I MEET A DRYAD CHAPTER FIVE IN WHICH I SAY WHAT I PLEASE CHAPTER SIX IN WHICH I MEET A SATYR CHAPTER SEVEN IN WHICH THE SATYR AND I SIT CHEEK BY JOWL CHAPTER EIGHT IN WHICH I PITCH MY TENT TOWARD HEBRON FOR THE SPACE OF AN AFTERNOON CHAPTER NINE IN WHICH I SIT UPON A HILLTOP AND REFLECT TO NO ADVANTAGE CHAPTER TEN IN WHICH I SPEND A PLEASANT HOUR AND HEAR SOME NEWS CHAPTER ELEVEN IN WHICH OTHER CHARACTERS COME INTO OUR STORY CHAPTER TWELVE IN WHICH I ATTEND AN ORATORIO CHAPTER THIRTEEN IN WHICH I SUFFER FOUR SHOCKS, THREE OF THE EARTH AND ONE FROM THE SKY, AND FIND ANOTHER MAID A-FISHING CHAPTER FOURTEEN IN WHICH YET A FIFTH SHOCK ARRIVES, AND ROUNDS OUT THE DAY CHAPTER FIFTEEN IN WHICH THE HISTORIAN UNBLUSHINGLY SHOWS HIMSELF TO BE A HUMAN CHAPTER SIXTEEN IN WHICH MUCH ADDED LIGHT IS SHED UPON MISS BERYL DRANE, BUT ONLY A GLIMMER UPON MY PROBLEM CHAPTER SEVENTEEN IN WHICH I ENTERTAIN SERIOUSLY A CHIVALROUS NOTION TO MY GREAT DETRIMENT CHAPTER EIGHTEEN IN WHICH I DESCEND INTO HELL CHAPTER NINETEEN IN WHICH THE SATYR AND THE NARRATOR BECOME VERY DRUNK, AND THE LATTER IS LIFTED TO EARTH AGAIN CHAPTER TWENTY IN WHICH I VIEW AN EMPTY WORLD, ACT A HYPOCRITE, AND HEAR A CONFESSION OF LOVE CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE IN WHICH, STRANGE TO SAY, TIME PASSES. ALSO I RECEIVE THREE WARNINGS, AND WITNESS AN UNPARALLELED EPISODE IN THE SMITHY OF BUCK STEELE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO IN WHICH I SPAR WITH DEATH CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE IN WHICH, THOUGH THE WORLD IS STILL A VOID, THERE IS THE SHINING OF A GREAT LIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR IN WHICH I VANQUISH A DEMONIAC, AND ENTER INTO GLORY A MAID OF THE KENTUCKY HILLS CHAPTER ONE IN WHICH I GO TO 'CROMBIE When a man of thirty who has been sound and well since boyhood suddenly realizes there is something radically wrong with him, it amounts almost to a tragedy.