The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-19
] Colonel TODHUNTER
 of Missouri
a9-- 7a77- By RIPLEY D. SAUNDERS
Copyright, 1911. by the BObbS-MerriI
 Company (Continued.)
 CHAPTER VI.
Tho striokIand-Tuoker Feud.

footsteps, and Sim Birdsong joined him, breathless and much perturbed.
 ''What's on your mind now, Sim?" asked the colonel. .' 'Tain't often you 20 gaIIopin' aroun' with your tongue hangin' out O your mouth like a young dogs in his first rabbit chase. Whats the trouble?''
 q was jes' startin' out to look you up. colonel" replied Sim. There's trouble enough suh. Tom Strickland's got to drinkin' and picked quarrel with Stam Tucker in the hotel bar room and you better come quick, suh, and prevent it's bein' a mighty serious difficulty
 'I atn't got no patience with you young fellows here. in NineEeh, Sim Birdsong,' commented the colonel. s'When Tom Strickland gets two or ~ three drinks under his belt and wants to pick a fuss why don't some of you turn in and lick the stuffin' out'n him? That's one of the best cures for the whisky quarrelin' habit that ever was invented, suh." t%
 The colonel chuckled as he, spoke ''The most quarrelsome man in his cups I ever knew, Sim, was old Bob Prewitt, in my regiment durin' the late unpleasantness, and he was cured just that way, sub. Sam Fossbrooke made a point of campin' on Bob's trail ever time Bob got to naggin'. any O the other fellows, and Sand thrash Bob till his own mother wouldn't ha' known him, suh. And, suh, before the war was over I'll be double hamstrung If Bob Prewitt wasn't a teetotaler, suh, and he never got fghtin' drunk after the war neither till he'd put two whole counties between him and Sam Toss brooke. Some of you boys ought@to try that plan on Tom Strickland, Sim.''
 Colonel, answered Sim solemnly, tits a sort O curse on the StrickIands, that fierce temper O their'n when they get under the influence of Ticker, suh. You mustn't forget that Toms own un- cle killed his best friend, Lawrence Tolliver, durin' a spree and then drank himself to death afterwards tryin' to forget it, suh. It's a curse, sub, that's what it ts!"
 "It ain't no curse that can't be lifted easy as rafsfn' your little inge1s Sim Birdsong," said the cOlonel. "All in the world Tom Strickland's got to do is to leave whisky aIone--he ain't hard drinker now, and maybe he never will be, but he's got to leave it alone altogether. It don't agree with him. ThekFodhunters has got that same kind of a curse In their family, only it's cu- cumbers stead of whisky. Tn ain't none of us Todhunters can eat cucum- bers without bein' doubled up with cramp collie. Well, suh, I lifted that curse by cuttin' cucumbers out O my list of vittles same as if such a thing never growed, and Tom Strickland or any other man can do the same thing with whisky, suh.''
 Then the colonel tapped Sim on the shoulder. And let me tell you one thing. my boy" he continued. ""AIl this here talk about the turrible hard fight necessary to break off from a bad habit makes me tired, sub. A man don't never have to fight but one days fight at a time, and there's always a nights rest -cOmin' in between if he don't Hay awake pityin' himself, suh. know what I'm a-talkin' about. It ain't but twelve hours fight no time, and man who can't fight that long is mighty measly specimen of a man. suhp'
 That's all very well, colonelSs' spoke Sim uneasily, "but Tom has egged Stam Tucker on till Stam's hurried out O the barroom, white in the face, hol- lerin' over his shoulder that he'll be back in a minute-and you know just what that means, suhv'
 Colonel Todhunter's face grew in- stantly grave He's gone to get his shootin' iron-the d-d little foolr' he exclaimed. Tell me. Sim, Is Tom Strickland armed?"
 "I don't think he is, suh, but he's a-waitin' for Stam Tucker in that there barroem, and he's just feelin' reckless fn civ i,, the world for shootin' him after he himself picked the fuss and forced the personal difficulty, colonel"
 You come along with me, Sim" said the colonel. 'FWhy the blaZes and Sam Hill didn't you tell me all this at the start suh?"
 Swiftly thay crossed the town square and entered the barroom of the Nineveh hotel Tom Strickland, alone now but for the bartender. stood with one elbow resting on the bar.
 "Howdy, coIonelr' he cried. "You and Sim are just in time to join me in a drink, sir. WhatH you have?"
 ''Tom," replied the colonel, "ordinari- ly I'd be glad to accept your invita- ton, but not today, my boy. I want you to go home, Tom"
 Young Strickland smiled. "Im sor- ry to disoblige you, colonel" he re- piled. ''but I don't feel like going home right away"
 You've got to go, Tom" replied the colonel
 ''Well, now, sir," suggested the oth- CT. that's fairly open to argument in spite of your being so positive about It. I've got a special reason for stay Ing, coIonel.''
 ''Yes. I know, Tom. You're wait1n' to have a personal difficulty with Etam Tucker. suh-"
 Tom Strickland laughed "You've