Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-16
CHAPTER XVIH.-Runnion Finds
fbe Singing People


post on the following morning, and found
--z attending store as IL nothing IN
usual had occuued-
"Savl what's this about you and
stark? I hear you had horrible run-in,
and that you split him up the back ike
uuaI.-
I'VE had a row." admitted the trader.
..It's been a long time working out. and
last night Il came 10 a head
s.hora-ees And 20 think of Ben stark
helm licked, Why. the whole camps talk
IN about It. They say he emptied two
six-shooteTs at you. but you kept a-com-
in. and when you did get TO him you
just carved your initials on MIN IKE ne
vas a Eastwood tree Say, John, he's
svnsr. sure"
DO YOU mean he's-passing outT
..Oh. no. reckon he'll get well, from
What hear. though he won't let nobody
come near him except old Doc; but he's
lost a battle. and that ends him Don
YOU savyD-g Whenever killer quits sec
end best II breaks his hOOdOo. Why
there's been men laying for him these
twenty years. from here TO the ITO
c.aude. and every Teller he ever bested
vii hear OF this and begin to grease MS
holster. then the first shave-tail desperate
that meets him will spit in his eye. JUST
to make a name for himself. No. SIR
Hes a spent shell. He's got to tight all
other Teller will open the ball on, I've
seen il happen before You killed him
last night. Just as sure as II you'd huns
I'D lis hide 70 dry. and he knows Il.
.sT.m a peaceable man." said Gale, on
the defensive II had TO do it
Il know. I know, There was wit
ncSSes-this dressmaker at the fort seen
IT. so I hear"
The other acQuiesced silently.
ssWeuf WeIi Ben Stark lickedl
can't get over that II must "a been
Romethin' powerful strong TO make you DO
n John." II was as close TO a question
as the miner dared come, although ne was
avid with curiosity, and. like the entire
town. was in a fret to know what lay
hack OF this midnight encounter. con-
c.srning which the most exaggerated ru-
rnorS we're rife. These stories grew the
more rrotesoue and ridiculous the longer
the truth remained hidden, for Stark
ros,Id not be seen, and neither Gale nor
EiIrreu would speak. All that the people
knew was that one lay wounded 10 death
hahind the dumb walls of his cabin, and
80, the other had brought him down.
when the old man vouchsafed no more
than a nod TO his question. the prospector
inquired:
.:where's PoleOn? I've got news for
him from the creek
Il don't know: he's gone"
Back s0onT'
7 don't know. Why?'
His lsyrnen have give up They We
cros-cut his ground and the pay ain
there. so they've quit work for good.
He drew a blank, eh2
.sVyorse'n that-three of them The
creek is spotteder than a leopard. Run
MONS men. for. instance. are into il big
ger than a house, while Poleon's people
can't raise a color. / call il tough luck
yes. worse'n tough; it's hard billed and
picked. To them as has shall II be given,
ard N them as hasn't shall be took even
what they amt got. as the poet says.
Look at Necia, She'll be richer than a
cream puff Guess I'll step around and
see her"
shes gone" said the trader. YEARLY
turning his haggard face from the pros
pector.
Gone, where?"
..Up-river with Runnion. They got her
away from me last night"
'asuTerin' snakesl' calculated Lee. so
that's whyr' Then he added. simply,
Lets go and git her. John"
The trader looked at him queerly.
Maybe / won't-on the first boatl I'm
eating my heart out hour by hour wait
fnE-waiting-for some kind Of a craft to
come. and so is Burrel"
whats he got 10 do with it?" said the
one-eyed miner. jealousy. Cant you and
me bring her backT''
Hell marry her. God. won't there
never be a boat
For the hundredth time that morning
he went TO the door of the post and
strained his eyes down stream.
well. well, Them two gOin' to be mar
Red" said Lee. Stark licked, and Nicola
goin' TO be married-all at once. 1 hate
10 see il. John; he amt good enough;
she could "a done a heap better. There's
a lot Of regIar men around here. and
she could "a had her pick. OF course, al
ways bein' broke like a dog myself 1
amt kept up my personal appearance
like I'D ought. but I've got some new
clothes now. and you wouldn't know me.
] bought 'em or a tenderfOOt with cold
feet. but they're the goods, and you'd
see a big Improvement IN me-"
Hes a good man. said Gale. Better
than you or me. and he'san torn up over
this. ! never saw a man act so. When
he learned about II / thought he'd 60
mad-he's haunted the river bank ever
since, raging about for some means OF
following her. and IL hadn't fairly held
him he'd have set out singIe-handed."
I'm still strong in the belief that Necia
could have bettered her hand by stayin'
out a while longer" declared Lee stub
bornlys but IL she wants a soldier, why.
wen get one for her. only I'd rather
have got her somethin' real good and
pronounced in the military line-like an
agitant gen'ral or a waIkin' delegate"
While they were talking Burrell came
in. and NO Creek saw that the night
had affected the youth even more than
It had Gale. OF at least he showed the
marks more plainly. for his face was
drawn, his eyes were sunken Is IL from
hunger, and his whole body seemed to
have fallen away till his uniform huns
upon him loose, unkempt and careless
II was as IL hope had been a thing OF
avoirdupOis. and when taken away had
caused shrinkage. He had Intercepted
Stark again after getting the doctor. but
the man had only cursed at him, declar-
ing that his daughter was out Of reach
where he would take care TO keep her
and torturing the lover anew by linking
Runnion's name with the girls till the
young man fed from the sound OF the
monsters voice back TO his own quarters