Elizabeth Burgess

Prison Camp Road Elizabeth Burgess

"Prison Camp Road" is a novella set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the cotton mill village of Hildreth, North Carolina in Coldwell County. The time frame is mainly during the late 40's, 50'sand early 60's. Allthe main characters are from three families who live on Prison Camp Road. Cassie Miller is the plain talking mother of fourgirls and much of the story is told through her wit, humor, the anguish oflosing a baby to the polio epidemic and her Fuller Brush selling husband to"the hell horse." Cletus, Junior lives across the road from Cassie and has visions of the Sunbeam girlall grown up and pythons and redwood trees. After an accident in his dadspick-up Cletus describes his face as "sore as 10 boils on the butt."When Sam Collins, the new mill superintendent, and hisfamily move in it changes Cassie's life forever. Herworld is bordered by Mother Nature's Bounty of Queen Anne's Lace, fragrantmimosa trees and wild lilies as well as the clanging of the bell from theprison camp- just across the valley where. cook smokerises.