“These mountains are pretty well known,” the coach replied. “The people in them have been in contact with civilization for a long time, and tourist and the summer camper have come into them frequently. But in the Kentucky mountains we find an arrested civilization, and by that I mean that people poured into its hollows and gaps and then progress jumped clear over them and kept going west, while the mountaineer remained the same as he had been in the time of the Revolution. I have frequently seen old mountain women working the old-time spinning wheel, and many of them smoke a pipe all the time.”
Kent had finished his work, and after drying his hands he went into the nearest bedroom to see how the fire was. Finding that it needed coal, he seized a bucket and flashlight and went out to get some. When he returned he met the twins in the hall.
“Here you are,” Mac exclaimed. “We were wondering what had become of you.”
“Just lugging in some coal,” Kent explained. He entered the bedroom and began to fix the fire. “What are the girls doing?”
“They have toasted some marshmallows that melt right in your mouth,” Tim replied.
“That’s where you want ’em to melt. Sounds like you have had some.”
“We did,” Mac admitted. “Now that the dishes are done, we can all have some.”
“Where is Barry?” Tim asked.
“I don’t know,” Kent answered, straightening up. “The last I saw of him, he had gone out to the tool house to get a pail. I suppose he is in the kitchen now.”
“I wonder if anything will happen tonight,” Mac said, in a low tone.