I think the woman in the holler is a actually a bit of a mystic-- in a place with hollers, I think her respectful friends would say she had the second sight. Catherine is a town girl, so the woman in the holler is considered strange. In other words, she's being described by a townie point of view. Cultures living side by side, with ancient holler wisdom seen as witchery?

Anyway, she gives her own rude (probably wooden or reed) flute to the girl, knowing she herself is doing right to pass it and all its power on to this girl who only knows she WANTS it, but trusting Catherine and music itself to let the future unfold through the flute. Knowing with her years and holler wisdom that a woman is a woman and a girl with longing is a girl with longing-- as she herself once was.

~Susan