Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05

hiding place. The men chatted away while
the keen ears gathered their plans. Bess
happen In that cave below the ridge. where
doubtless Jack was hard at work that very
moment. If they were surprised 1t meant
long months in the untold horror of
prison. Jack In prison! or worse, dead in
the struggle that was inevitable.
Jim, I'm gettin sleepy" No answer.
Jim, say! Here. man, you mustn't go to
sleep like this" and he shook his partner
stretched themselves. "Guess we'd better
take a turn"
Yes. and run up on some Of them
sinners acting picket. You're bright!'
q rabbit scudded across the road and the
two pursued the fleeting shadow, not more
than ten yards, but 1t gave Bess her
chance. and with swift movement she
up and away as the two men, attracted
by the rustic, came back to the log. THE
woods are alive with rabbits. There'u be
fine hunting later along"
Past jungles of the blackberry, between
the network of grapevines. up slanting
cliffs and over the crest of the ridge into
an unknown world went Turner's BeSs,
her red curls afioat in the moonlight. She
had heard of HaskinS cave-all the other
mountain children had been there, but she
had never dared to cross this line. Still,
where knowledge failed instinct guided,
and she went unhesitatingly down the zig
Haskins house. whose gray roof she could
see a CLEAN in the shifting light; then
turned sharply to the right, and lifting a
swinging curtain of vines sped up the face
of the cliff along path that only the blind
could have trodden fearlessly. Far beneath
the blue river ran. and she heard the birds
uttering their night calls in the tree tops
below as she stopped beneath the arch OF
the cave mouth. All was dark along the
winding labyrinth and the girl felt her way,
her hands touching the stone walls on eth
er side: then a sudden turn and the red
light famed from an open fire, around
which were gathered two men and Wo-
man. Black In the shadows stood a mass
of pipes. and the faintish odor OF new
whiskey filled the cave The woman
screamed shrilly and young Jack sprang
for his rifle. but stood paralyzed as he saw
who it was that stood before him, her red
'curls tossed back. her brave blue eyes see
ing none but him as she gasped OUT Mol
1y JameSon's bringing the revnoos. They're
comm at midnight. en- its most that now;
but jest couldn't git here no sooner"
Scatter the firebrands!' Old Jack Has
kns commenced to trample them as he
spoke. but his wife crept forward and
peered into the girls face. who be your
she said. and then her voice rose to
shrek Turner's Bess!-My Gawd, gall
en- my boy!' The mother looked from one
to another. the present danger forgotten
in the horror of the truth she instinctively
grasped. The old man stood stock still
Bess broke the silence. Theirs no time
ter lose 1 tell yer they're comm" and
with movement that carried conviction
she half lifted, half dragged the old wo-
man out of the cave. Twenty minutes
sight and they were making their way to
the HaSkinS cabin.
The old people had crossed the threshold
when Bess stopped and laid her hand on
young Jacks arm. Here's where l got to
turn back. Pap would kill me eff he knob
Whar 1 be tonight"
Until then young Jack had not ques-
toned her, but he suddenly realized that
the girl had ventured into forbidden terri
tory, had risked life Itself to save her
blood enemies-to save him. He thought Of
the prison walls, with never a watt of
laurel, the light of the stars or the Irvine
hills, or a sight of Bess. He thought of
his old father and mother, who must have
suffered, too; and then, as the moon went
behind a cloud, in lieu of the unready
words, he gathered the 1.-THE figure against
his breast smothering his kisses into the
red curls, sought and found with his own
the quivering lips of Turner's Bess''
There was a restless time on the noun
tain. There was much talk of the revenue
men, and the story of Molly Jamesons
treachery to her people had been whis-
pered and was loudly discussed when
Molly. unable to front their scorn, fled to
the city. Haskins' Jack toied on with his
desultory farming. They had not dared
to resume the still, but nevertheless In a
SHeiteltO HOOK DelOW the ola CABIN, a new
one was going up between the intervals
of crop gathering and the fall hunting.
The ridge reared it's line against the sky
as uncompromisingly ever. but the
Whispering pines could have told of stall
wart iigure that boldly crossed 1t in the
sunset glow, and another, whose red curls
came flushing up to meet 1t. All! the woods
are full of whispering voices-it may be
that the red squirrel chartered too loudly
TO the bluejay; but one evening, as "Tur-
ners Bess' came up the trail and the Win
chester lay on the ground while the red
curls were pillowed on the homespun
jacket. two other figures stepped from
the covert of laurels Old man Turner
and old man Haskins stood face to face,
rifle in hand and between them young
Jack, with his arm thrown around the
waist Of Turner'S Bess."
No sound, save the lark that greeted the
sunset and the whirr of the falling leaves
then old man Haskins spoke to old man
Turner:
''Silas Turner, your pap en- mine wuz
debtors all their lives for the blood shed by
their daddies over a measly thirty poun
shote; en- you en- me has been totin our guns
fer each other ever since we wuz knee-high
ter katydids, en- neither dasn't climb Their
ridge 'thout riskin' a bullet at Their TOP
Theirs graves down yander by the old
cabin, graves of your peoples maxim, en-
over thar, where the cedars is the tallest
Is folks of yourn what my kin planted; en-
now there's no young Haskins but him en-
there hain't no young Turner's but her-en
look at EN-" He paused a long moment
''Silas Turner, there's an end ter all things. |
en- when your gal saved my ole woman
from that Their prison down at Louisville |
knocked my gun" and he threw down
the old fintlock and stood, head barred and
shoulders back, fair target
Crash! Silas Turner's rife lay beside It,
and the old men turned to the two who |
waited there in the gathering shadows.
and the horny hands met for the first time
In two long lives old Silas laid the other |
hand on the red curls: "Bess. my gal, you
Wuz Their first ter cross the ridge en- l
reckon you'll have ter stay there