The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-02-21
BY REX E. BEACH.


have 10 follow instructions. The thin%
for YOU to do is to appear before the
court tomorrow and have the receiver
dismissed. II your title is as good as
YOU say it is. you won't have any trou-
BILE" :.
you're not the only ones to suffer
.dded McNamara. We've taken pos
session OF all the mines below here. :"
He nodded down the guleh. I'm an
officer OF the court and under bond
"How much?"
give thousand dollars for each
claim"
'sWhatf why. heavens, man, the
noorest of these mines is producing
that much every day|
while he spoke Glenister was rapid
" debating what course to follow.
''The place to argue this thing Is Pc
fore Judge Stillman," said Strive, Out
with little notion of the conflict GONG
on within Glenister. The youth yearn-
All to FIGHT not With words nor duib-
bIes nor legal phrases. but win steer
and blows And he felt that the I'M
pulse was as righteous as 1t was natu-
raj. for he knew this process was un-
inst an outrage. Mexico Mullins
warning required to him. And vet
He shifted slowly as he talked TIL MS
back was to the door Of the big tent
They were watching him carefully, TOT
all their apparent languor ana loose
ness In saddle; then, as he started 10
lem within and rally his henchmen'
his mind went back to the words OF
Judge Stillman and his niece. SurelF
that old man was on the square =
couldn't be otherwise with her beside
him. believing in him, and Suspicion
of deeper plots behind these actions
was groundless. So far all was legal.
he supposed, with his scant knowledge
of law. though the methods seemed
unreasonable. The men might be DO
ing what they thought to be right.
WHY be the first to resistf The men
on the mines below had not done SO.
The title to this ground was capable
of such easy proof that he and DeX
need have no uneasiness. Courts 40
not rob honest people nowadays, ne
argued, and, moreover, perhaps the
girls words were true; perhaps she
would think more of him II he gave up
the old fighting ways for her sake.
Certainly armed resistance to her I'M
cle's first edict would not please hef.
she had said he was too violent, so ne
would show her he could lay his saw
agery aside. She might smile on him
approvingly, and that was worth tax
ing a chance for. Anyway 1t would
mean but a few days delay in the
mines run. AS he reasoned he heard
a low voice speaking within the open
door. 1t was Slapjack Simms.
"Step aside, lad. I've got the big un
covered"
Glenister saw the men on horseback
snatch at their holsters and just In
time leaped at his foreman. for the OLD
man had moved out into the open,
winchester at shoulder, his cheek cud-
ding the stock, his eyes cold and mar
row. The Young man flung the barrel
up and wrenched the weapon from his
hands.
"None of that, Hank!' he. cried
sharply. 'I'll say when to shoot" He
turned to look into the muzzles OF
guns held in the hands of every horse
man-every horseman save one, for
Alec Mcnamara sat unmoYed. his
handsome features, nonchalant and
amused, nodding approval. 1t was at
him that Hanks weapon had been
leveled.
"This is bad enough at the best.
Don't let's make it any worse" said
| he.
Slapjack inhaled deeply, spat with
disgust and looked over his boss In
credulously.
"Well, of all the different kinds OF
blame FOOLS" he snorted, 'you are the
kindestY' He marched past the mar
shall and his deputies down to the cut,
nut on his coat and vanished down the
trail toward town, not deigning q
backward glance either at the mine or
at the man unfit to fight for.