Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1914-12-17
sides. and walked with an ostentatiOus

man. Come right in"
"Mr. South" began the dog-owner,
with some embarrassment, Il have
been employed to furnish a pair OF
bloodhounds to the family Of Jesse
Purvy, who has been shot"
II heerd tell tibet Purvy was shot,"
said the head OF the Souths in an af-
fable tone, which betrayed no deeper
note of interest than neighborhood
gossip might have elected
Il have no personal interest in the
matter" went on the stranger. hastily,
as one bent ON making his attitude
clear. except to supply the dogs and
manage them. l do not in any way d.
rect their course; merely follow"
"Ye can't hardly fo'ce dawg." Old
Spicer sagely nodded his head as he
made the remark. "A dawg Jest match
er'ly follers his own nose"
"Exactly-and they have followed
their noses here" The Lexington man
found the embarrassment of his posi-
ton growing as the colloquy proceed
ed. Il want to ask you whether, IL
these dogs want to cross your fence.
have your permission to let them?"
The master of the house crossed the
stile, the low sun shining on his shock
of gray hair, and stood before the man
hunter He spoke so that his voice
carried 20 the waiting group in the
road.
"Ye're plumb welcome ter turn them
1Cnua Lot fov,a hla
stranger. Nobody hain't a-goin' ter
hurt EN-. | sees some fellers out thar
with ye tibet mustn't cross my fence.
IF they does"--the voice rang men,
acingly-"hit'll mean that they're
a-bustin' the truce-an they won't
never go out ag'ln. But you air safe
in hyar. | gives yer my hand on tibet.
Ye're welcome, an yore dawgs is well
come. I hain't got nothin' 'gainst
dawgs tibet comes on four legs, but
shore bars the two-legged kind"
There was a murmur of astonish-
ment from the road. Disregarding 1t.
Spicer South turned his face toward
the house.
You boys kin come out" he shout
er. AN leave yore guns inside"
The leashes we're slipped from the
dogs. They leaped forward, and made
directly for Samson, who sat as I'M
moving as a lifeless image on the top
step Of the stlle. 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
trotted into the house and out again.
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 a moment to wag
its tail in friendship. before 1t jumped
down to the road, and trotted gingerly
| onward
I'm obliged to you. 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 we AK 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 ht
meant them to, across to the ears o.
the clansmen who stood in the yarC
of Spicer South.
Them dawgs of your'n come VI
Misery a-hellin'. They hain't nevel
turned aside, an onless they're plumb
ornery, no-'count ours tibet don't know
their business. they come for som,
reason. They seemed mighty inter
ested in gittin' hyar. AK them felleri
in thar who's been hyar tibet hahn
hyar now? Who is Their Teller the
got out afore we come hyar?"
At this yelled charge of deceit tn,
faces of the Souths again blackeneC
and the men near the door of tn,
house drifted in to drift presently on
again. swinging discarded Winches
tiers at their sides. 1t seemed that
after all, the incident was not closed
The man from Lexington. finding him
self face to face with new difficulty
, turned and argued in a low voice witt
the Holman leader. But Jim Holl
man, whose eyes were fixed on Sam
} son, refused to talk in a modulatet
: tone, and he shouted his reply:
Il hain't got nothin' ter whispe
= about" he proclaimed. 60 AK 'en
r who hit war tibet got away from hyar.
Old Spicer South stood leaning Of
: his fence and his rugged countenanc
: stiffened. He started to speak, bu