the valley narrowed as it ascended, wild flowers flourished, Wuhan Map and I picked some walnuts as we passed under a walnut tree.’ Later she mentioned Wuhan Map reaching a stream which had pools deep enough for diving into, so she stopped to swim. It seemed to me, reading through her journeys, that she stopped to swim every time she found a stream or river. In some gorges 500 feet high, I stopped to swim for so long that the mules went on ahead and it wasn’t until afternoon that I found them again. ‘ That night she stayed at a temple, sleeping on her camp bed in the courtyard until thunder and lightning drove her to move in among the warrior gods. The side gods were decorated with the priests’ winter hats.
No one knew if the villain escaped or was consumed in the explosion and raging inferno that followed. Living or dead, the good people of Holly hoped that he would eventually burn in hell forever.
Through the burned rubble, the town was rebuilt including the hardware/general store. By turn-of-the-century Holly was a bustling community and the hub of village activity still remained at the hardware/general store, now owned and operated by Porter A. Wright
Though shops and small manufacturing businesses were thriving, the main occupation remained farming. The Stison’s were one of the town’s most prominent farming families. In fact, the Stison brothers, cousins and in-laws owned considerable farming land around.
