Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-08-15
The Mountain Fiend.
A Tale of Tug River.
BY H. A. COMPTON.

low trunk
Jim sal upright in perfect silence. evi-
IDENTIFY brooding over his sad past, while
his companion was watching a large
hawk sailing high overhead Thu they
sat for some time. when they were
! startled almost to their feet BY a shrill
whistle, which came from high up on
the mountain above them. Both listen
ed intently for its repetition. but l, did
not come, and they spoke in whispers
to each other concerning the sound.
Just th"0 similar whistle sounded
across ,ar va'ly fcon ,he opposite
II '--r, causing Reuben TO cxr!.in:
"Whar could SIGH q noise come frum.
and what or 'arth makes it sound so IN
esrthly?"
Hit wuz surely = human bein'. 8"
said Jim, land likely signal betwixt
the sorry devils we'se are looking fer"
Very likely we're surrounded by the
Copperhead and his blood thirsty gang, g"
said Reuben
The two strained their ears for fur
Their sound, but hearing none. they
stepped cautiously behind a tree and
awaited The attack, which they felt
sure was to follow the mysterious sig
nails which they had so recently heard.
I The tree behind which the two men
took refuge was large hemlock. which
stood or slight knoll The branches
hung low and heavy and entirely hid
them from view.
As they crouched there waiting. the
mysterious signal was again heard. this
time louder than before, and as it echo
ed and re-echoed through the noun
tains it seemed TO the two mountaipeers
SIS If the woods were swarming with
outlaws. As the signal died away among
the crags 1t was answered from the Oh
posite spur Of the mountain. Both Jim
and Reuben peered through the branch
es OF the hemlock in an effort to locate
{ the place from whence the sounds came
ana to their eurprise beheld one OF the
outlaws seated on q shelving rock far
above them and gazing steadily across
at the opposite hill
"Oh, yes" muttered Jim, az know'd
they wuz here. see one up yonder
now" he said, pointing to the desper-
ado whom he had just discovered.
Reuben raised his sife and was in the
act Of firing at the outlaw when Jim
cautioned him not to 90 so. saying.
Yer mustn't do that, Rube, don't yer
know hit mought bring death to both of
US. Why, eff hit wuz old julie his self
We shouldn't shoot here. -
AS they watched, the outlaw arose
from the rock on which he was sitting
and climbed slowly up the mountain
side. 1t was evident that he had not
/ discovered th5 two men hiding in the
hemlock
1T that moment the two mountain
GERS heard the cracking of dry txigs
and turned their gaze in direction of
the sound, but no one was to be seen.
Ihey were beginning to think their ears
had deceived them, when 4 man stem
ped from behind a large beech and
started slowly up the hill towards them.
be was tall and muscular with let black
hair aud beard. He carried a long rife.
similar to their own, and under his left
arm hung a heavy revolver. He was
walking SIS one who thought hiraself
alone, although he knew of his COM
RACES farther up the mountsinside. II
was he who had answered the WHISTLE |
signals short time before, and was
now going to join his companions. lie
came on, nearer and nearer the ,-reat |
hemlock, but before he gained the cum |
NIT OF tie little knoll Jim stepped forth |
from his place of conceaIment. and
ieVeilng his rifle at the outlaws head.
commanded him to halt and tell his
name and business.
The outlaw, taken completely by sur
prise, was greatly bewildered; but see
ing the determined look in the eve of
MS captor and the fierce countenance of
Rube Nelson, and quickly collected him
self, and without even making answer
to Jlm's interrogatives, leaped down
the mountainside and was soon lost tn
view.
~- "SNAO hafS ScLJ bullet after
the fleeing outlaw, but he knew that
to do so would but serve to arouse all
the outlaws within hearing and prob
ably cost him and his COMPANION their
lives, and instead of do so returned
quickly to cover beneath the branches
Of the hemlock.
mere he and his companion remained
Tor several hours without again seeing
Or hearing any of the outlaws.
The evening was now wearing awav
INTO the gloom of twilight. Deep shad-
'ws were beginning to steal DER hill
and vale alike, making the forests e
ireary place in which to be. An awful
stiffness had crept over the little valley.
md the two mountaineers began to feel c
sensation of lonliness. Not breath c
II arr stirred the tree-tops and except {