The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-07-20
WICkLYS WOODS
ii. w.
CHAPTER xyI.-fContiuued.)
By II. w. TAYLOR

CHAPTER XyI.-fContinued.)
Imaginative boys of fifteen have re-
peatedly precipitated panic by dashing
down the Overcoat road with certain
news of the rapid approach of the eremy,
now that everybody knows that Sand
town is in the lawful and peaceful pos
session of the Sandtown Circuit Court
Judge Jim Skillet upon the bench for the
purpose of hearing motions in injunction
proceedings, in a vast number OF cases
Of sales to take place on the morrow,
unless enjoined.
Squads of rifemen marching in no par
ticular order so far as the keeping OF
step and alignments are corcerned-but
not a whit the less formidable, be 1t un-
derstood-marched or struggled out along
the Overcoat road past the fields of half
grown corn on the one side and the hazel
fringed edge of 'Wickly's Woods as
the timbered hills upon the left had been
christened year ago.
Away to the east along this junction OF
bottom prairie and wooded hills there
were unwonted movements of men across
little patches of corn, or standing Ions
and steadily behind 'string" Of north
and south fence from which the occa-
sional scintillation of the sun upon a
rifle barrel gave ominous electric warn
ing of the presence of imminent war In
the land.
All manner of reports came throngina
into the Redden mansion, and directly
up to the bedroom where Lizzy Wickly
and ner mother sat at an east window,
and watched and thought, but spoke lit
tie save in answer to the frequent re-
ports and comments that some one OF
another of the numerous visitors brought
up at frequent intervals.
Now it was that Mr.. Mason had been
captured by the sheriff's REINFORCED
posse; and the Big Rattlesnake Greek
were upon the point of ''hossun him up,
as the expression was, for summary and
dire vengeance. This frequently recur-
ring form of the report always had its
effect upon Lizzy. Always startled heI
out of a pleasant reverie in which she
was going over some part Of last nights
final coiloquy with variations of her OWL
invention in the line of her after thoughts
and wishes.
Again there were martial stories OF
sanguinary encounters somewhere in the
depths Of "Wickly's Woods" or upon the
neighboring banks of Big Rattlesnake
where, according to all accounts, the
warlike clans were encamped and forti
fed.
One man brought in a new and un-
heard-of story to the effect that Coonrod
Redden and the sheriff were not in the
hands Of Mason and his men; but were
cGptives in the camp of an opposing arm
ed body of railroaders belonging to an
other and opposition company. He said
too. that the whole difficulty was really
and in fact a sharp, keen trial of shrewd
oyerreaching between two rival railroad
companies. That Mason, representing
enc of these, had secured a legal advan
tage over the other in the purchase OF
some mortgage notes upon some very
valuable mining property somewhere
And the other company discovering this
had sent down force Of armed opera
tives to prevent the making of a track
upon the mining lands. He also said that
Coonrod Redden and the sheriff's posse
had not been held prisoners by anybody
According to his story there had beer
a sharp and determined encounter be-
tween the men of the two contending in
terests, in which a number had beer
seriously or slightly wounded, and sew
eral killed outright. And that up to the
present time Mason had the best of the
fight, and his men were working like
beavers, protected By two lines Of rifle
men. He himself had seen a few Of
these men on picket guard in some open
ings of the woods; and the hills fairly
rang with the echoing blows of hundred:
of axes, and the crash Of falling trees.
This story, not at all suited to the no
tons and preconceived opinions Of tn,
people at Coonrod Redden's, was gen
orally iscredited-especially as no on.
seemed to be Acquainted with the mar
who told it. And hence. he was with
out a voucher, and his story was withou
corroboration-
However, word was brought down di
rectly from Judge Jim Silket that fv,
hundred armed men had been sworn il
as deputy sheriffs for the purpose of ar
resting a large number of railroad EN-
ployes who had been fghting-one part,
against another. That these deputy sher
ifs in columns of tours had ridden on
of town and would be heard from befor,
night.
This news was brought by Columbu
Redden, who had prudently refrainet
from joining his four brothers in tn
morning hunt for their father, but VIII,
now had his colt hitched in the from
yard, where he wouldn't be in DANCE
from the teeth or heels of the rapaciou
mares of Redden township that wer
making day hideous with their squealin
and trampling in perpetual combat. I'm
Colxr
to take the road in person; and every
body believed that he, too, would b
heard from.
In this state of active siege, with s
many sorties in progress or contempla
tion: with hundreds of rumors comm
and going. and the sight of little squad
of men riding this way and that, becom
ing of less and less moment to Lizzy an
her mother, the day went By.
Long before it had passed the hungr
Hoosier mothers of Reelfoot Pond an
vicinity had filed their good, strong, re
liable stomachs to repletion; had smok
ed comfortable pipes of twist tobacco
and had talked in loud, strong voices a.
ut once on the south porch and the mort
porch, and the back porch, from all O
which quarters a roar Of "s'ze's" an
's'zis" had gone up about the four col
ners Of the Redden mansion unrestraine
BY any of the modern tricks of courtes
that throw plentiful dashes of cold waite
upon general conversation, with numel
Gus excuse mes" and beg pardo
frinterrupting's," etc., etc. And havin
performed all these neighborly and pat
rictic offices, by far the larger humble
had led their refractory mares up besid