The National tribune., 1886-06-10

the door and making his way through it, almost
by pushing the women 10 one side. no mo- o.
this nonsense, fo' Pm in no hume fo' it,"
"Nuther am ]" answered the storekeepers
wife, stoutly, "an' don't perpose e have none.
Nary a mouthful O. vittles yen git hyar, Mis-
ter, eff We wait for me T. git 'em for ye. Nor
will any o. the gang that's been traipsin' arter
We git any anywhere in the town. We amt none
on us doin' that kind o. business, I'd hev ye
know"
"Yo' call yo'self Christian Mrs. Brackett."
said the Kunnel, changing his tack; is it
Christian to refuse food TO hungry, almost
starving men2"
aye r. nice man C. talk about Christianity,
amt ye, now? Ridin' thru the country o.
nights, huntin' down men an women an a.
KILN 'em. Purity man t talk bout Christian
duty"
"If yo' amt mo- careful, )" said the Kunnel, be-
coming enraged, "yo' won't have a roof to
shelteh yo. Yo-all's houses III be burnt down
oveh yo' heads befo' anotheh houah passes"
Huh! Talk bout burnin', Kunnel Oldri
Dye think nobody else kin burn but your Ye
furgit, reckon, that hit amt very fur O. yer own
house. Burn, will ye2 Now, Mister, / want
Z tell We that know all what the law sez bout
adm an abettin' the innimies o. the country,
an I'll see ye an yer men starve afore my very
eyes afore I'll gin ye spoonful o corn n-meal.
I'm sot right thar, an ye may talk till yer
tongue wears out yer teeth, an ye can't change
my mind a mite"
To emphasize her words she went to the cup
board, and took from il a couple Of loaves Of
corn bread, which she cut into bits and threw
to the hungry dogs that came into the yard at
her call.
"There goes the last bite o. bread in the
| house" she announced.
The Kunnel had risen to snatch the bread
from her hand, but she was too quick for him.
He felt tempted TO strike her, but she, divining
what was passing in his mind, turned toward
| him with a taunting look, as if daring him to
touch her. He bethought himself and also how
foolish it was to continue 10 handy words with
| a bitter-tongued mountain woman.
"Well," he sad with forced laugh, if 20
won't get me something to eat III have TO do it
myself i reckon i can find enough in the
house 70 stay my hunger"
At the same time he was badly puzzled He
felt that il would be sadly undgnified to ran
sack the house in search of food in the face of
the women who had seated themselves in their
rocking chairs and were watching him curl
ously and at the same time he did not dare
call in one of his men and order him to do the
| work, because this would be a confession OF his
| defeat He hesitated a minute, then took of
/ his bat and overcOat and tossed them on the
bed,-from which they were instantly jerked by
| the storekeeper's wife, with some caustie CON-
ments about his soiling her bed with dirty, wet
clothes,-and began the search for food.
| The cupboard was found destitute OF both
| bread and meat. Worse, still, the closest ex-
| animation did not reveal the presence of q
flask of whisky, which the Kunnel had conf
IDENTIFY calculated on finding there, for no we'll
provisiOned cupboard in that region is without
a bottle of what is usually termed by the
women "sperits."
"Ef y're lookin' TO- sperits, Mister" said the
storekeepers wife, speaking for the first time in
several minutes. "the sperits o. camphire's
over hyar on the mantelpieee; the spirits o.
turpentine's inside the clock case. and the bed
bug poison's on top o. the cupboard. out o. reach
O. the children. If ye want airy one on em
/ y're perfectly welcome to 'em,-'specially the
| last, which / would MT mind givin' ye myself
i think it ID jest bout suit yer case. But ef
\ ye want something q guZZle yell not find hit.
/ throwed the bottle out into the road an
smashed hit when seed ye comm"
The other women chuckled.
"Kunnel." said BIukes, coming in at this
moment, with a rueful countenance, we can't
git mouthful o. vittles anywhar. The women
/ throwed all the bread an meat an meal out e
the hogs an dogs ez soon IS they seed rs comm
Hit bein' Spring, all the tater and cabbage
holes 8 empty, an we can't find nothin' q eat
'eeptin' some dried apples an dried puEkins."
They're very film eff yen only drink lots
| o. warm water arter eatin' EN-" said the store
keepers wife, grinning with the rest of the
| women.
go oveh TO the mill theh," commanded the
Kunnel. "Theh must be some corn an meal
theh."
"That thar amt, - said the storekeepers wife,
| triumphantly. Jim Tolbert, who runs the
mill, let ali the meal and corn run into the
crick ez soon's he found out that ye war likely
TO want hit Ye can see him now, scootin' up
the side o. the mountain"
Its well he's gone" said the Kunnel; "Or
I'd hang him TO the nearest tree"
He thought likely ye'd feel that away, so
| he concluded not { poster We by stayin' around.
Jim's very thoughtful man."
"Tell the men t. kill something; theh must
be some cattle or hogs running arOand. Shoot
down few o. them"
I'VE thought o. that afore, " answered BIukes,
"but thar aint nary one on the diggins', as we
kin see"
They've all been driven OF an hid" ex-
planned the storekeeper's wife.
Well, Tolbert may get away" said the Kun
mel angrily, "but he can't take his mill with
him. Blukes, go out an set fire TO that mill.
Be sure yo' do il well. Now, Mrs Braekett, I've
got Z have something fo' my men T. eat. YO'
and yo' women know wheh theh's enough 70
feed 'em all, and I'll just give yo 10 minutes by
the watch TO git it, You see the mills already
afire, and yO' know what yo' fate III be-"
The Kunnel pulled out his watch and posed
himselflike an Arbiter of Fate,-that is, as much
like an Arbiter of Fate as a man could who was
dead tired" famishing for drink Of whisky,
ana SO hungry that one portion OF ms internal
economy seemed to be eating the other portion.
The storekeeper's wife renewed her storm OF
abuse, but as she got fairly under way the
blaeksmith's wife entered in a state of evident
excitement, and pulled her into the back room.
THE whole hill up thars full o soljers,
gasped the newcomer My Jim, who was
drivin' the cow away Z hide her. seed 'em. an
run back & tell me. They're gettin' ready T.
swOop down on these fellers, and then, D my
won't the ha'r fyI guess not! Keep that ole
fools attention s long s ye kin, so he wont
suspect nothin', an you be ready to run when
the shootin' begins. Pm a-gwine to put out the
fire an git in the fireplace"
So saying the mate of the brawny iron
worker rushed away. giving an anxious look
over her shoulder toward the hilltop as she did
so. Mrs. Bracket could not refrain from
turning her eyes in the same direction, aud the
earnestness of her look attracted the attention
of the kunnel
What are yo' watching up on that hill 2"
said he, stepping to her side, and following the
direction of her gaze. Got yo' cattle hid oui
theh, somewhehf I'll send -"
lie never finished the sentence for as be
spoke he saw the whole road covered with
tide OF rushing cavalry. Maddened by the
sight of the blazing mill. Grimsted would moi
wait until Barnard could gain the flank and
rear of the town, as to bag " the gueFrillas
but drove squarely at them with the intent o.
riding down, shooting and sabering them to the
last man.
} When the Kunnel ran out into the road, h,
; found his men rushing out Of the houses in the