Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1906-08-30
The Tail Of
the Serpent
nv A. T. BoNNEY.

doorway of her ranch house home.
"You are Just mad at me, Charley
Farrel," she cried, "'cause ! went rid
ing with Mr.. Mcintyre"
IL don't Just trust these tenderfeet
who come browsing around In store
clothes" he replied, for I've seen too
many of that kind Of cattle, and l
think too much of you to give anyone
chance to play low-dOwn mean tricks
on YOU"
Jealous, amt your" she jeered.
"No. not Jealous" he said, low and
quiet-like, only, love you"
az love you, love YOU she
Knocked. Il don't believe you love a
thing on earth except yourself and
that brute of a pony you ride"
Considering that her love for Niger
was fully as great as his own, the re-
mark showed that she was becoming
quite unreasonable, and the man
smiled.
"Of course love Mig" he said, and
so do you"
She stared unwinkingly at the dis
tant mountains. "Still, love you bet
ter than anything else in the world,
Mollie. L"
"Jim Noman told me the same thing
only yesterday" she saids with side
glance at his troubled face.
eff l catch that coyote prowling
around here" he growled, I'll attend
-"
Jealous" she laughed.
Realizing that he was getting the
worst of 1t, as men always will In such
encounters, and also feeling his hot
temper rising, he left her abruptly.
Presently, as she worked, voice
from nearby window startled her.
May l come in, Miss Mollie?" 1t
said.
"Why, Mr.. Mcintyre, where did you
come from?"
Same old place." laconically.
"And what brought you here?" inno-
Gently.
Same old thing-no-I mean-er-
the same"
"Your horse?" ignoring his meaning
glanoes.
"Well, rode the pony, of course" he
laughed, "as l am much too lazy to
walk. However, did not come to see
the horse" with a suggestive accent on
the "see."
Want to see dad?" Gathering the
dishes she was washing.
Saw him on the way over"
Maybe you want to see Mr.. Farrell?
He's down"
Charley? Oh, he is down at the
coralI, playing with Niger. No, Mollie.
came to see you" leaning in at the
window and trying to take her hand.
"Me?" with a brazen effort to APP
pear surprised. what for?"
ooh, just want to see you-you-
know IL"
Unsophisticated girl that she was,
womanly intuition told her that some
thing was lacking, and all the anger
and resentment she had felt while
uuarreling with Farrell flared up blind
ingly. From the corner of her eye she
could see Mcintyre pulling at his long.
blonde mustache, while he smiled COM
placently, and his air OF easy self-as-
surance added fuel to her rage. She
had felt the fascination of his genial
personality, still 1t might be as Charley
had said. She turned on him In blind,
unreasoning fury. ..
"You just want to see me-" she
stormed. "Well, look at me, with your
big, green eyes, Chase Mcintyre, and
what do you see? Think I'm fool?
Do you think you can come here, where
people don't know anything about the
world, and make fun of us? Do you
think we can't see through your store
clothes and boiled shirts, and-and-"
"Mollie! Mollie!" he kept interject-
ing, while she ragged, What in the
world do you mean? Surely, 1 have
never done anything to deserve this,
have I, Miss Mollie?"
She was, however, deaf to all he said.
weeping stormily In corner Of the
room, where she had crowded herself
beyond his reach.
what have ever done to cause you
to talk so to me?"
Jim Noman says"
"Well, what does that exemplifca-
ton Of reptilian cunning have to say
of met"
"He says" came a snarling voice
from behind Mcintyre, chat yer a
- sneak, trying to get yer iron onto
other peoples cattle"
Mcintyre had turned at the first
sound of the mans voice to find him
self looking into the muzzle of pistol.
He had been warned of the mans cow
ardly methods of attack, and realized
with a sickening rush Of blood to his
heart that a word or move meant in
slant death, and while his whole ma
ture revolted, he stood quiet, both
hands in sight.
eye swallows It," sneered Noman,
with an exasperating leer, trying to
goad the other into the slightest show
of hostility. Don't We, We dirty cow
ard?
Mollie could see the white Of McIn-
tyres cheek growing dull red, the
muscles of his neck swelling tense and
hard, then she scrambled through the
window.
"Jim Noman, you quit" she
screamed.
Mcintyre thrust the girl aside, an act