They
are Colonial-Americans in their speech and credences.
They have a love for daring that comes from the wildness and freedom of
their surroundings. They have a directness of mind that is the result of
unconscious training. They must be sure of the firmness of each footstep
they take, and it is through and past obstructions that they locate
their game. They are keen of observation, for the movement of a shadow
or the swaying of a weed may mean the presence of a fox, or a dropping
hickory-nut indicate the flight of a squirrel. They are physically
brave, for it is the inheritance of all who live in mountains. Their
word is accepted, for they wish the good will of the few among whom they
must spend their lives; and to them lying is a form of cowardice.
They are sensitive because they are observant and realize they have been
criticized and misunderstood--misclassed as a rare race of "moonshiners"
and "feudists."
Quickly and clearly they see through any veneer of democracy the
stranger may assume, to conceal an assumption of superiority. Yet for
the stranger on the roadside, in answer to the halloo at their gate, the
mountaineers are willing to go out of their way to do a favor, and they
will cheerfully share such food and comforts as they may have, with any
man. But they give their confidence only in proportion to demonstrations
of manhood and genuineness, and as humanists they are not in a hurry.
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