The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-02
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Our Daily Short Stories
A MOUNTAIN COURTSHIP.
BY HON. w H. (BUcK) HINR1cHsEN.
Copyright 1901. by Authors Syndicate,

''You can marry him If you like,
Mandy, but he's no good" said old
John Scott, as he sat on log outside
his cabin door one warm morning in
June.
Amt you little hard on him, Dad
dy?" said Mandy, a tall, 1.-THE girl of
IS, who stood near him.
II guess not a Teller who can't shoot
when his mark is plain and his finger
is on the trigger lacks sand, and won't
do TO tie to-"
Maybe he didn't want to kill How
ard" said Mandy
What the thunder did he take his
boss for, them"
Mandy looked down at her bare feet
without answering, while her father
continued to smoke his pipe. Finally
he said:
mo use talking about it now, but
I'll watch him close after this"
Mandy went about her household
duties troubled by her fathers words,
for she thought she loved Sam Will
liams, the subject of their converse
ton.
The Williams and the Howards were
at feud, and at the county seat the
day before her sweetheart, to show his
contempt for all the Howards, had led
away Abe Howards horse, which he
found tied to the rack by the court
house. He had called to see Mandy,
leading the horse, and had Dragged of
his feat saying that Abe Howard
would have to follow him and get hurt
or play the coward and lose his horse.
Mandy felt pride in her lover. and
her father had nodded approvingly.
Two hours later Abe Howard rode
up TO the cabin on a borrowed animal,
seized his own animal and in spite of
Sans threatening rifle had led it away.
He even stopped long enough to cut
the bride reins of Sans horse, which
stod near his own, and he also hurled
at his enemy several insulting cpl
thets at that time fashionable in the
mountain districts. Sam had stood in
the cabin door, his rifle pointed at
Howard, but he did not fire, and his
host had noticed a certain agitation in
his manner that ruined him in his es
timation.
Hes a coward" he muttered. and
he did not ask him to stay to supper.
Mandy. as she washed the breakfast
dishes, thought over the incident of the
day before. She tried to find excuses
for her lover, but could not. He had
certainly shown the white feather.
II felt so sorry for him." she muir
INJURED, and that low down Abe How
ard hollerin' coward and boss thief
at him but maybe Sam will fix him
yet" and she took some comfort in
the thought.
After dinner she concluded to run
over to her aunt's. just beyond the
ridge, for a little visit, and, telling
her father, she started. Her way lay
through a notch in the ridge. which
made a very fair road. She had gone a
coming. whom she easily recognized as
mile or so when she saw a horseman
Abe Howard. They were quite we'll ac-
. quainted, but being engaged to Abe's
enemy, it was the custom of the noun
tains under such circumstances to ig-
more his existence, so she kept on her
way. with her sunbonnet turned so as
to hide her face from him.
Presently she heard the sharp report
of a rifle, and, looking, she saw Abe
throw up his arms and tumble from his
horse to the ground, where he lay as
if dead. A thin puff of smoke among
the trees at the roadside showed from
whence the deadly bullet had come. The