Sheperd Of The Hills

9

Sammy Lane

Preachin ' Bill says, " Hit's a plumb shame there ain't more men in th' world built like old man Matthews and that thar
boy o'his'n . Men like them ought t be as common as th '
other kind, an ' would be, too, if folks cared half as much
'bout breeding folks as they do 'bout raising hogs an'
horses.”
Mr. Matthews was a giant. Fully six feet four inches in
height, with big bones, broad shoulders, and mighty mus
cles. At log rollings and chopping bees, in the field or at the mill, or in any of the games in which the backwoods man tries his strength, no one had ever successfully con
tested his place as the strongest man in the hills. And still,
throughout the countryside, the old folks tell with pride
tales of the marvelous feats of strength performed in the
days when " Old Matt " was young.
Of the son , “ Young Matt, ” the people called him , it is
enough to say that he seemed made of the same metal and cast in the same mold as the father; a mighty frame, soft
ened yet by young manhood's grace; a powerful neck and
well-poised head with wavy - red -brown hair; and blue eyes that had in them the calm of summer skies or the glint of
battle steel. It was a countenance fearless and frank , but
gentle and kind, and the eyes were honest eyes .
Anyone meeting the pair, as they walked with the long
swinging stride of the mountaineer up the steep mill road