The Van Buren press., 1896-02-08

heerd l knowed thet it was some of
them di'monds. I hustled over to Sims,
which was a good two miles away, an
there I found Bill stormin' up and
down, tellin' his dad, who died the
next year, what he was goin' to do. 1t
seems thet the Pearsoll boys rode right
over to Sims place and without goin'
in looked all over the new timber and
found the place where Bills di'monds
was. They put all they could get in
a sack and then went cant'rin' past
the Sims shanty outen pure devilment.
Bill sees 'em. but they rot away aud
back home. Thet evenih' Pete Pear
soil went over to the river to ketch
the boat thet was doc about thet time
of year. They left Ollie at home to
fight it out with Bill. The trouble
wasn't long in comm. Ollie Pearsoll
knowed thet Bill would be over to de-
mand his rights, and so he fixed fer
him. He loaded the old family gun an
put it in a handy place. 1t wasn't much
after sunrise when Bill hallooed out in
front of the Pearsoll place. ollie's
mother went out and spoke to Bill in
a pleasant way, but he told her to get
in the house, eff she didn't want to get
hurt. He was there to see Pete and
Ollie, and he'd see them if he he'd TO
wait till doomsday. While the old
woman was parleyin' Olcame out.
"'Git in he said, I'll do the tallSin'.'
"The old mother went to the house,
lookin' with fear an tremblin' at tho
guns the boys carried.
"'Air ye goin' to keep themdi'mon'sT
Bill asked, without takin' his eyes off'n
Ollie.
"'Tm goin' to keep my SHARE he
said, doggedly.
"'You've got no sharel' Bill ex-
claimed. They're all mine; an you,
like the sneak thet ye air, hev come
along an stole them from me-
"'You'll eat them Words Ollie said,
and without another word, he turned
back into the shaDty. Bill raised his
gun to fire; but old Mrs. Pearsoll put
up her hand.
"Don't, Billl' she exclaimed. IF ye
must HSub, uO II ldli. NY Wy am
afeard of ye; he'll meet ye when and
where ye say
"sOn the old camp nleetin' ground,
then, at daylight to-morror. Well set
tie it oil there, onet nm fer all ~
"He .clucked' to his critter an rode
off in canter.
"Some one told mo that there was
scientific feller from London prospect
in around the country, and looked
him up, and late tibet night we slipped
over to the new timber back of the
Sims place and took look at the d.
mond fields. 1t didn't take thet man
long to bust out in laff.
"Thet's IL form of quartz he said,
an amt worth nothin'. Them fellers
down at Moo Orleans win have good
laff on Pearsoll when he brings in that
bag an calls 'em di'monds. Why, ef he
had bag of di'monds he'd be the rich
est man ever dreamt Of
'When | heard the feller say thet l
told him of the dooei thet was about to
happen on account of the trouble be-
tween the boys, We agreed thet 1T
would hev to be stopped. There had
been some dooelin' in them parts before
and there was no malse-believe in it.
AS there was no reason fer no fghtin'
in this case, we felt it our dooty to in-
terfere.
"Long before daylight we went to
see Bill Sims. When we got to the
house Bill was settin' in the back room
by knot fixin' his gun.
"Put it up, BILL says /. There amt
goin' to be no fight
elias he backed out% Bill asked.
"Haven't seen him. said, but this
man here and me has bin over to your
di'mond mine, and he says they amt
di'monds at all. He knows, fer he is
from London, where di'monds grows
on trees
"'Guessy you folks is in with the Pear
Soils Bill said, careless like, blow
ing down his gun an lookin' along the
barrel
"Well, we talked an pied and ar
gied until it began to be daylight, and
then Bill, he got up an said he'd hev
to 20. We saw il was no use to say
nothin' there, and we follered. 1t
wasn't long till we got TO where Pear
soil was. He he'd Jest come along, an
was look in at his gun when we rode up.
"The two men glared at each other
fer a minute, and then Bill blurted
out:
"'Air We ready?'
"Allus ready Ollie replied back.
"Then the man from London stepped
up and began to talk. I've heered
preachers tbet could talk ye black in
the face, but / never heerd none thet
could sling language by the side OF
that feller from England. He used
words that nobody understood, talked
about the field of honor an the abusin
of il, an the Lord knows what else, but
when he got through Bill and Ollie
looked kinder disguised, and Bill said
"'Course we feels glad thet yer so in
terested, but no game like tbet kin
stop business of this sort. I've bin
robbed, an I'm going after the robber.
"'At least said the man from Lon
don, 'ye1l let us act fer yer"
"'Say the word, ye mean| Ollie
asked. Il don't see why not
"Out there under the trees Of the'
pretty place on one of the finest morn
in's 1 ever see, them two men stood q
PAGES apart. The man from Londor
measured of the ground aud asked tbs
-. -, 4oeo nm a r,auuv for nogitiOn