Evening star., 1913-02-23

ag'inst the Sheriff. but jest want to call
wore attention to the difference atwixt a
great, big man and sort O common feller.
Did yo / notice that the Sheriff called me by
my last name, and that the Gov'no called
me Mister
| Jest couldn't refuse the man that had
PLAYED "The NIockin' Bird! So / didn't
stop no longer to find out what was up. [
grabbed up my hat and went up the path
towards Jep's house.
Jep's cabin is stuck atwixt two big hemlock
trees, and it hain't got but one room,
sides the loft. 1t looked sort o homellke,
though, with the marigolds and touchmenots
and gourd vines around it. AS | walked up
the path to the door | seen the remains of a
fiddle layin' out in the yard. Jep had kept
his word: he had shore tore up his fiddle,
and the wasn't piece left big enough to
pick yore teeth with. | hollered, and Jep's
wife, a little black-eyed woman, come to the
door, with the boy Bruce taggln' at her
skyrts with one hand and slab o cornbread
and cane molasses in t'other, with most O
the molasses plastered to his speckled face.
"Whar's Jep?" | axed her straight out.
"He's gone huntin' for some young tur-
KEYS she tells me. "He went soon this
mornin'.
| noticed that the boys face was all
streaked and pieded with tears, and l de-
cided to find out what was the matter with
him.
"Pap wouldn't let me go a huntin' with
him!" the boy says, half snubbin'. "He's
mad about somethn', what he is! He busted
his fiddle over the hearth last night, what he
did! hain't gon' to carry in nary stick o
wood, neither! l cut a whole lot of wood
yesteday, SOS could go huntin' with Pap
today, and if | had any nails l d nail 'er back
together, what | would
"Now, that's Jest too bad, | says. 81
shorely think he ought let you go huntin
with him Then looks up to his nanny
"I reckon you hain't seen nothin' O Lafe
Sliger today?'
"No, l hain't," says the woman, "and
don't keer if never do see him. | couldn't
tell you why, but l never did like that thar
man, Grandpop Moreland
l seen good openin' then. "Jep don't
like him much, neither, does he?' says |. I'd
guessed somethin' of the trouble, you see.
"Well, he hain't got no pa tic'ler love for
him." Jep's wife tells me; "but | reckon he
hain't got nothin' much ag'in' him. How's
Aunt AIimy?'
1t was good thing to close up the talk on.
"Why," says l, "she's as peart as cricket.
She said to tell you to bring yore knittin'
and come down."
I'd found out all l could find out. |
knowed the best thing for me to do was to
light out and take the info nation to the law.
So | did.
AND it was all we found out anywhere. 1t
\ was all the was to get hold of-'cept
from Jep hissef, and Jep wouldn't talk
much. At the Sheriff's akin, l went with
EN- back to town, whar they had Jep in jail.
Me and the Gov'nor and the Sheriff went
into the cell whar Jep was. Jep was a settin
on the little nakeshift of bed, his hat pulled
down low on his forehead, his knotty hands
held tight together. He didn't look up nor
say nothin' when we went in. l guess he
knowed who it was.
The Gov nor set down right aside of him,
a putin one hand on his shoulder in a
mighty friendly way. @Jep," says he, @I'm
tired of all this here KILN and knockin
down and draggin' out right in my own sec
ton. I've come to the conclusion that it's
best to put the law on all sech crimes to the
very limit. But don't want to do anything
wrong. Jep, if you've got anything to say
as to why you killed Lafe Sliger, you'd bet
ter out with it in short order. If you had
reason, well and good: you'll git the benefit
of all sech. If you didn't have no reason,
and killed Sliger without no prov cation at