Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-27
THE MOONSHINER'S
 BETRAYAL
By CHARLES SLOAN REID.
(oopyright. 1908. by Daily Story Pub. Co.,,

M oO H1L huLly tOO 0"A hSN SuSJi
 for your own good, Mag. You ought to curb that temper"
 Temper! I'm proud O my temper, Bill Burl! I wouldn't give copper for woman, or a man either, without temper. They'd about as we'll be stumps settin' off in the deep woods"
 The dark eyes of the little woman flashed gleam of defiance into the face of her big husband, who was standing in the doorway with his back to the road which lay only few feet : from the cabin.
 Bill Burl, air you goin' to take me to Ann Baxter's party?" asked Mag in a. tone which was meant to be calm, but which was, nevertheless, wavering just a little from the throbbings of her pent-up anger.
 "pve told you once, Mag" answered Bill, in a half severe tone, ''that can't take you to Ann Baxter's party. Busi- | ness comes fore frollicSin', an them singlin's has to be worked off tonight"
 He turned his head and glanced up the road. The setting sun was fash ing it's last rays through the doorway. ''Then I can tell you, you'll regret it fore another night, Bill Burl," de- clared Mag spitefully.
 "I've heard you talk that way afore," 1 replied Bill, stepping out into the yard. The big moonshiner sent one swift ] glance over the hollow below the cabin, l which was already immersed in the gray shadow; then crossed the road and turned his footsteps along a mar row hillside trail. But as he made his way among the dense timber, which clothed the mountain side, he began to reflect. He loved the girlswife back i'll the cabin with all the strength of his big, rugged heart, but he thought it wise not to give way before the out bursts of her quick temper. It was true that on the present occasion she had asked for only trif1e, merely that he should accompany her to Ann BaX- l ter's party; and he had refused rather curtly, because he felt that she must 1 have known the necessity of his hay l ing to work off withouttoo much delay l the singlings left over from the last l nights work. in the well-concealed | distillery not more than mile and a. 1 half over the mountain from the public highway. But Bills quick step soon slackened to much slower pace, as hts thoughts dwelt upon the subject of his ! girl-wife's burst of passion, and the 1 cause of it.
 "Yes reckon I'd ought to go back, D repeated Bill, with his fingers still twirling his brown locks. "Who knows, a revenue bullet might git into me this i very night, an'-an' I'd die without Mag's forgiveness. An twarn't but a i little thing she asked either; am could ha' got Ben Downs to work off them singlin's."
 "I-I--wish I could kiss her jest once, anyhow" he stanamered to himself "I know I'd feel better about it. But she's too 'tarnal mad right now," he added a moment later. and with a shake of the head as he arose from the log and stepped across the stream.
 Meanwhile, Mag, with her cheeks still glowing from the heat of her late l passionate outburst, had left the cabin and gone down the road in an almost opposite direction from that taken by her husband; and Bill would lave found only an empty cabin. had he re- turned on the impulse of his half formed resolution.
 A hay half moon rec1ined in the Ia D of the western sky, it's dim rays steal ing softly through the tops of the scrubby trees on the mountain side and casting faint, weird shadows on the ground. It was scarcely lighter thal, bright starlight, yet it seemed not dark enough for the purpose of three men, who had cautiously entered the woods from the highway in front, of Bill Burl's ca bin, for they looked at each oth CT doubtfully, and two of them shook their heads. They were following the same trail which Bill Burl had followed only a few hours before, and several yards in advance of them glided the 1.-the form of young woman. Two hours before. this girl had appeared at the temporary Headquarters of Deputy Marshal John Higgins, four miles dis tant, on the road leading to Dillsboro, and had brought the information that she could lead the officer and his asso- cia1es to the very door of the still house, where the man they were most anxious tc< capture could be found em- ployed at his illegal business. ;' But as the men had entered the woods, the q ouht eemed' to strike each mind at the same time. Possibly they were to be the victims of decoy plan. But they did not turn about. With firm grips on their weapons, and with strained ears and eyes, the three kept steadily forward in the wake of their guide. There was determined steI in the movement of the girlish figure in front, and her pace was not slack ened for more than mile, after the party had entered the weods. But a, last she began to move more slowly frequently clasping her hands above her head, and almost stopping Evi
 dently, she was puzzled about the way
 or was tugging at some mental ques
 tioh. The officers suited their pace
 to that of the girl, and som chimes were
 only creeping along the trail.
 Finally, the girl stopped and stoot
 motionless for moment. Then sh' turned to the officers, who were waiting