The Huttig news., 1914-12-05

prisal in which he was biding his time, yet the coming of the day when the truce must end haunted her thoughts She came close, and her voice sank with her sinking heart.
 ". hat air hit ?" she tensely demand ed What air hit, Samson? What fer hev ye fetched yer gun ter the field?"
 The boy laughed. "Oh, hit ain't nothin' perticler." he treasured. Hit hain't nothin fer gal ter fret herself ] erbout, only I kinder suspicious strangers jest now"
 "Air the truce bustede" She put the qv estion in a tense, deep-breathed whisper, and the boy replied casually, almost indifferently.
 No, Sally, hit haint jest ter say busted, but pears like hits right smart cracked I reckon. though" he added in half-disgust, "nothin' won't come of hit"
 Somewhat treasured, she bethought herself again of her mission.
 This here further hain't got no harm in him, Samson" she pleaded. He pears ter be more like gal than man. He's real puny. He's got white skin and bow of ribbon on his neck-an he paints pictchers
 The boys face had been hardening with contempt as the description ad- came to his eyes, and he demanded almost breathlessly:
 Paints pictchers? How do ye know that?"
 "I seen 'em. He was paintin' one when he fell offen the rock and busted his arm. It's shore es beautiful es-" she broke off, then added with a sud den peal of laughter-"es CT pictcber."
 The young man slipped down from , the fence, and reached for the rifa.. The hoe he left where 1t stood
 "Ill git the nag" he announced briefly, and swung off without further barley toward the curling spiral of of mile below Ten minutes later his bare feet swung against the ribs of a gray mule and his rife lay bal anced across the unsaddled withers Sally sat mountain fashion beninda him, facing straight to the side.
 So they came along the creek bed and into the sight of the man who still sat propped against the messy rock As Lescott looked up he closed the case of his watch and put it back into his pocket with smile.
 "Snappy work. that! he called out. Just thirty three minutes. l didn't believe it could be done
 Samsop's face was mssklike, but as he surveyed the foreigner, only the. ingrained dictates of the counerys. hospitable code kept out of his eyes. gleam of scorn for this frail mem Der of sex which should be stalwart- \ "Howdy?' he said. Then he added suspiciously: What mout yer busi- ness be in these parts, stranger?'
 Lescott gave the Odyssey of his wan- derings, since he had rented mule at Hixon and ridden through the coun- try, sketching where the mood prompt- ed and sleeping wherever he fol l hospitable roof at the coming of tfe evening.
 "Ye come from over on Cripple shin?" The boy flashed the question. with sudden hardening of the voice. and, when he was afflrmatively ans swered, his eyes contracted and bored searchingly into the strangers face
 "Whered ye put up last night?"
 Red Bill Hollman's house. at the mouth of Meeting House fork; do you know the placer"
 Samson's reply was curt.
 T knows hit all right"
 There was moments pause. rather au awkward pause. Lescotts mind began piecing together frage ments of conversation he had heard, uptil he had assembled sort of men, tai jigsaw puzzle.
 The South-Hollman feud had been mentioned by the more talkative of his iuformers. and carefully tabooed by understandable among them his host of last night. It now dawned opssi him that he was crossing the boura- dary and coming as the late guest off a foIlmah to ask the hospitality of a South ,sS
 T didn't know whose house it was,' he hastened to explain. "until was benighted and asked for lodging They were very kind to me I'd never seen them before. I'm a stranger here abouts."
 Samson only nodded If the explanss- tion failed to satisfy him, 1t at least ; seemed to do so.
 T reckon ye'd better let me holp ye up on thet old mule.' he said; hits a-comin' on ter be night ,"
 With the mountaineers aid, Lescott clambered astride the mount, then he turned dubiously. .as.s
 I'm sorry to trouble you." he ven- tured, but l have paint box ap'XS some materials up there. If yor1'M bring them down here. I'll show Soua how to pack the easel. and, by the, way. he anxiously added, please to handle that fresh canvas carefully by the odge-it's not dry yet