Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-11

ter boys did.
IN the night of the second day Matt come proud o
- the idee o haulin in the Pine Gappers on his own
hook You see, the boss revenuer, shore enough was
sort o inclined want the glory all to hisse. Matt
had left his boss down IN the valley and come sneakin
in on foot He let into the house, whar the four
boys and their mother waitin.
well, we've found it. says Buck, as quick as Matt
had shet the door ahind of him. 1--WE found it in
thicket Of laures stuck up inst cliff We didn't git
clost enough to see who was runnin it. You see, we
couldn't be seen thar the night afore raided you
know. They had 'er fired up too Want to start right
now Matt?'
says Matt and he had the article in his hands ore the
words out of his mouth. If you want to make
friends with good woman jest brag on her cookln'
It'll work the world over, by gyar!
The night was as dark as a black cats thoughts, as
pore Tom Joe Galloway used to say when he was
Carter bows all had big handkerches tied loose around
their necks ready to slip and their faces you
All of 'em had rifles; 'cept Ike who had one
eyed shotgun loaded with rifle balls They didn't take
scrub and 1aurels, walkn' keerful not to make
noise Buck finally stopped the brow Of high crest,
afore which big gap in the mountains opened up like
some bottomess pit
listen to me- he says to Matt who stood right
expect to catch them thar feers because they're not
mauheads by any means. You've heerd these little
scrooch owls, han't you Matt, them that has been
hollerin' every step o the way up here!'
Shore Matt tells him. "The little rascals always
did make me feel lonesome"
aThen we'll have a owl scrooch for signal" Buck
goes whisper that could been heerd forty yards
or more. "You and me, Matt, will up the still
from down the Gap; the tother boys thar will come
on it from up the Gap See? Wen all GIT night up eiost
to it. and I'll give long scrooch which will tell Lige,
thar that we're ready and which he will answer with
short scrooch and long scrooch Then we'll all close in
See, Matt?"
al see,' says Matt, plumb tickled mighty nigh to
death. aThe sinners will think that it's jest the blamed
little old owls
that's the dee," says Buck in that loud whisper O
hisn. 3But, Matt, we've got to make sort o arrange
about this thing that hant been made yit. Matt
like you fine, and we believe you re man o yore
word but we'll have to have yore oath that you never
tell about shown you. Will you give it?'
Matt Brading not the kind Of teller to raise his
hand to high Heaven and say jest anything that
into his mind
1My word is as good as my OATH" he says. Il
tainy will do the right thing, and promise to protect
when fined
the revenue service?' axes Buck.
well, no. Matt says; @but you see that was diff
Il beg yore pardon, Matt" Buck breaks in @but we
REILLY don't at ALL Well, do you take the OATH
Matte'
Il can't take oath sech trife,' Matt OBJ
ects Il did believe in takn oaths every little
thing that come up.
"'Little thing!s snorts Buck Carter aMatt Brad
ing do you call it little thing for to do to turn
traitor and Judas and Benedict Arnold, to people
which is the way they would look at it, sayin that
if had anything aginst the moonshiners we'd ought
to fit it out like instead O like pzen snakes. No.
Matt it's as far it can be from ben little thing
So Matt Bradng raised his hand thar in that lone
some night, with the owls and nighthawks holerin
and the wood crickets chirpin' all around him, and
by the oath he'd took when he fined the
revenuers
That's all we AK" says Buck. ave know you won't
break yore oath. Come on, Matt The other boys'l
meet at the proper time they've not got far
to go we have
THE party divided in line with Bucks plans Buck
and Matt went into the dark that laid still
and deep the sea, walkin keerful. holdin to
saplns and rocks they went. It right patclar