Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-12-19
We Cal | offhe
UN\BERLANDS.
~ Z2Y CHARLES NEVILLE BUCFN
OF SCENES ~ HE PLAY SSsRSSE1NTr ss9aastAzY

a
5 FROM Pin GRAPHS If
PLAY s. Sr1sNISS1lrr s &aRxY
"Ye're plumb welcome ter turn them
dawgs loose, an let 'em ramble.
stranger. Nobody hain't a.goin' ter
hurt EN-. sees some fellers out thar
with We tibet mustn't cross my fence.
Ef they doesp-the voice rang mon
acingly-"hitll mean that they're
a-bustin' the truce-an' they won't
never go out ag'in.. But you air safe
in hyar. gives yer my hand on thet.
Ye're welcome. an yore dawgs is well
come. hain't got nothin' 'gainst
dawgs thet comes on four legs. but
shore bars the two-legged kind"
Their was amurmur Of establishment
from the road. Disregarding 1t. Spicer
South turned his face toward the
house.
"You boys kin come out" he shout
er. IAN leave yore guns inside"
The lenshes were slipped from the
dogs. They leaped forward. and made
directly for Samson, who cat as un-
moving as lifeless image on the top
step of the rtile. There was half-mo-
ment Of terrific suspense, then the
beasts clambered by the seated figure,
passing on each side and circled aim
lessly about the yard-their quest un-
ended. They shifted indifferently about
the trouser legs OF the men who saun-
tered indolently out Of the door. They
%ro$%nA {,to Tho hn,,eo opd ou< a uoin
and mingled with the mongrel home
pack that snarled and growled hos
tility for this invasion. Then, they
came once more to the stile. AS they
climbed out, Samson South reached
up and stroked tawny head, and the
bloodhound paused moment to wag
It's tail In friendship, before 1t jumped
down to the road, and trotted gingerly
onward.
"I'm obliged to ycu. sir" said the
man from the Bluegrass, with voice
Of immense relief.
The moment Of suspense seemed
past, and. In the relief Of the averted
clash, the master Of hounds forgot
that his dogs stood branded as false
trailers. But when he rejoined the
group in the road he found himself
looking into surly visages. and the
features Of Jim HOLMAN IN particular
were black In their scowl Of smolder-
ing wrath.
why didn't ye AZ him." growled
the kinsman Of the man who had been
shot. "whar the other feller's att"
What other fellow?" echoed the
Lexington man.
Jim Hollman's voice rose trucu-
lently. and his words drifted. as he
meant them to, across to the ears Of
the clansmen who stood In the yard
Of Spicer South.
= Them ,dawgs Of your'n come up
Misery a-hellin' They hain't never
turned aside. an onless they're plumb
ornery. no-'count ours tibet don't know
their business, they come for some
reason. They seemed mighty inter-
ested in sittin' hyar. Ak them fellers
In thar who's been hyar tibet hain't
hyar now? Who Is Their Teller thet
got out afore we come hyar?'
At this yelled charge of deceit the
faces of the Souths again blackened
and the men near the door Of the
house drifted in to drift presently out
again, swinging discarded Winches-
ters 1T their sides. It seemed that,
after all. the incident was not closed.
The man from Lexington, finding him
self face to lace with a new difficulty,
turned and argued In q low voice with
the Holman leader. But Jim Holl.
man, whose eyes were fixed on Sam.
son, refused to talk in modulated
tone, and he shouted his reply:
II hain't got lothin' ter whisper
about" he proclaimed. go az EN-
who hit war tibet got away from hyar."
Old Spicer South stood leaning on
his fence and his rugged countenance
stinened. He started to speak. but
Samson rose from the stile and said,
in composed voice:
LET me talk to this Teller, Unc'
spicer." The old man nodded and
Samson beckoned to the owner Of the
dogs.
1--WE hain't got nothin' ter say ter
them fellers with ye." he announced,
briefly. Two iain't AKIN 'em no Ques-
tons. an we hain't answerin' none.
Ye done come hyar with dawgs an
we hahn. stopped ye. We've done an.
swered all the questions them dawgs
! hes axed. We done treated you an.
yore houn's plumb friendly. Els fer
them other men, we hain't got nothin'
ter say to 'em. They done come hyar
because they hoped they could git mo
in trouble. They done failed. Thet
road belongs ter the county. They
got . license ter travel hit, but this
strip right hyar hain't the healthiest
section they kin ind. reckon ye'd
better advise EN- ter move on"
The Lexington man went back. For
a minute or two Jim Holman sat
/. scowling down In indecision from his
saddle. Then he admitted to himself
that he had done all he could do With
out becoming the aggressor. For the
moment he was beaten. He looked up
and from the road one Of the hounds
raised its voice and gave cry. That
baying afforded an excuse for leaving
and Jim Holman seized It.
"Go on" he growled. Lets sec
what them id ours hes ter say
now