Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-16
MOOREHEAVENV k
 JUSTICE
By CHARLES SLOAN REID
Copyright. 1904. by Daily Story Pub. Col

' N THE district of Mooreheaven, on l the Brasstown ridge, where tho honey dew lies deep in the ravines and sparkles only in the monday sun. and where the catamount chants blood-curdling dirges to the low hang ing moon in the small hours of the night, while contemplating an attack upon the sheepfold, occurred the tra- gedy of Martha Ann Hereford's life. She had been married less than year She had married Ike Sorrel, and the two lived in a new cabin far up the side of the mountain, overlooking the valley of the Connsross. Ike was mean, mean as the lankest, hungriest catamount that ranged the hills; and he had struck Martha Ann with his big bony fist before the marriage VOWS were a month old. But the girl had nursed the sore spot in silence and done what she could to please the big animal she had chosen to abide with. Ike loved liquor, and he welcomed weakness in everything but his own muscular arm, because he could doml- neer over it with impunity. The man. beast took every attitude to inspire terror of himself in. the heart of the woman who had taken his name. He laughed big and loud at the ease with which he could slap Martha Ann sum- mersaults with his open hand. The girl grew pale, but beyond this, the neighbors had little idea of Ike's treat ment of her, until the scar marks of his abuse began to appear on her per- son.
 
 And about this time, Abe Hawkins returned from Montana. Abe had come home to marry Martha Ann, and when he found she had married Ike Sorrel he sulked, as raccoon does under in- suit He walked about over the hills in silence, and did not go to Ike Sor- rel's cabin, though there was kind of longing in his heart that only the sight of Martha Ann could satisfy. He walked miles among the hills every day, making great circles that invari- ably brought him some time during the day in the neighborhood of Sor- rel's cabin, but never quite to ths small clearing which surrounded the houses A few times he had caught the gleam of the newly hewn logs of which the cabin was built, through break in the foliage of the timber; but no glimpse of Martha Ann had met his eager eyes in their surreptitious search. He had seen Ike Sorrel num- Der of times but had passed him by without so much as nod of the head, disdaining to renew any acquaintance with Martha Ann's husband that he might have had with Ike Sorrel before his marriage.
 On these occasions Ike's anger would flare up, and he would register to himself all kinds of vows detrimental to the welfare of Abe Hawkins, and the tail of his anger would light upon Martha Ann, when he reached home, In some form of abuse.
 One day Ike got out huge clasp knife he possessed and whetted its blade to the keenness of a razor's edge Then he tried it on Martha l Ann's throat. Catching her by the hair he drew her head over the back of chair, and lightly encircled her neck with the edge of the knife, leav- 1 Ing a tiny thread of blood round her throat. Later he got out an old army l pistol from some hiding place, cleaned l it up carefully, oiled it's bearings and charged 1t. With these weapons he armed himself and walked about over l the hills, crossing trails that Abe Flaw kins traversed. And he kept his blood | hot with whisky and anger, and Mar l. tha Ann got the brunt of it all. On one occasion, when Ike second time had Martha Ann by the hair of the head, with her throat prominently exposed, and with the big knife grasped in his right hand, the girl said:
 1 t'Let it cut deep this time, Ike I'd ruther you would an make an end to 1t all.''
 ! "Oh, you'd ruther, would ye? Then i If you'd ruther, why, I won't; that's me-" He satisfied himself with jerk of her head by the coil of hair he held l in his hand. T ain't ready to hunt a new cook an wood chopper yet. But don't reckon ye ever need to look | for Abe Hawkins to come any nearer i than the Rock spring trail, for he's a l dead critter if he ever sets foot in this clearin'; you hear that?"
 Martha Ann didn't reply; and Ike gritted his teeth and fingered the trig- ger of his big revolver, making sug- I gestive clicks.
 Am let me tell ye somethin' else, Marthy Ann Sorrel Ye needn't be 1 havIn' anything to say to Abe flaw kins, or I'll make shoe strings out of yer hide and peel 'em off one at 3 time till git enough to make a rope that'll hang i'm. You understand that?"
 Still Martha Ann made no reply.
 The next day was Sunday, and Abe l Hawkins made his usual round over the hills, taking long strides and cov- ering four to five miles of rugged country per hour, without aim or pur- \ DOCS, except to be moving. Tn the af- ternoon he got around to the vicinity of Ike Sorrel's cabin and to the Rock spring trail, down which he strode at his swinging, tireless gait.
 As Abe neared the spring he saw woman kneeling by the little stream. bathing her face in the waters that