The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-04-30
A DESPERATE FEUD.
TIL Old Man Tells the Stranger A
About 1t.

TIL Old Man Tells the Stranger All
About 1t.
"1f ye don't wans tibet yere head of
yourn blown plum off, ye'd better giS s
move on"
was eating my lunch by the road
SIDE, and at this abrupt announcement
/ turned my head and discovered a long
rifle %protruding from a clump of bushes
that were growing near the roadway.
/ made haste to get out of the way,
and making my way to where the party
stood asked the meaning of it all.
"Hist!' cried the party with the
gun as he cooked the weapon "Year
he comes"
l glanced down the road and discov-
cred a man ~unconsciously approaching
the ambush.
Good heavensl' 1 gasped. "Do you
mean to commit murder"
"Ye keep tibet year trap of yourn
shet, " Missed the man, "or I'll pepper
ye."
Frozen to the spot with horror at the
tragedy to be enacted before my very
eyes, wishing to warn the man APP
preaching to his doom and yet not dar-
ing to, | closed my eyes and waited with
a chill at my heart for the report of the
rifle.
1t did not come. The party in the
road went by whistling, and opening
my eyes [ discovered the old man with
the rifle making silent motions of dis
gust.
"Stranger, - said the old man finally,
"this year is a feud.''
"And yop were after his blood?''
"Thet's hit. | want buckets of blood.
I'm after gore. 1 want ter lay right
down an wallow in hit. This year feud
has bin runnin fer over 20 years, an hit
grows more bitter every year. Hit start
ed in Nor Caroliny, an we tore up the
sod there SO tibet the neighbors made us
git out cause we wuz distroyin the
peace of the neighborhood, SO we kim
out year ter Californy ter fight hit out. .
"How did it START" I asked.
"Waal, old Spinks-thet's him goin
down the road yander-stepped on my
dawg's tail, an then | threw a dead
cat down his we'll; then he heaved a
rock at my shack, an then l slapped one
VI hlS OiaLS tdCh liz UlcO IL huoJ Ill lily
cows tail, an then 1 stuck a pitchfork
in his old hog; then he kicked a hole in
one of my pumpkins, an l evened up
things by THROWN one of his hens in the
zanja, an so hit went a-growin bitterer
an bitterer every day until now nothin
but blood kin wipe hit out"
$50 you laid for him?"
"Thet's hit. An ye saw how he funk
ed, gol drat himl No one but a drafted
coward would hev left his dawg at
home
"Then you We're after his dog?"
eye bet! | wuz goin ter hev tibet
dawg's blood or die in the attempt"
At this point a yellow cur came yelp-
ing down the road and crouched at his
feet.
"Look at himl' yelled the old man
as he danced wildly around. "Look at
him! He's gone an kicked my dawg
Tibet settles hit! This yere feud has got
ter be fought out to the bitter end!"
He thrust "a she'll into his gun and
shouldered it.
"See here" said l, taking hold of
him and trying to detain him, "don't
be rash!'
"Let me go!" he howled. "Let me
go! This yere insult has got ter be
wiped out with blood, I tell ye! Jump
in coyotes, I'm goin right up ter his
shack-yes, sir! I'm goin right up there
an make faces at his ole woman!"
AS there has been no report of any
sudden deaths in the San Dimas district
the feud must still be going on.-New
York Sunday World.