The Green Forest tribune., 1914-12-25

nothin' perticler," he reassured "Hit hain't nothin' fer a gal ter fret herself erbout, only 1 kinder suspicious strangers jest now"
 Air the truce busted?" She put the question in tense, deep-breathed whisper, and the boy replied casually, almost indifferently.
 "No, Sally, hit hain't 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 a man. He's real puny. He's got white skin and a bow of ribbon on his neck-an' he paints pictchers."
 The boys face had been hardening with contempt as the description ad- vanced, but at the last words glow 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 sud den peal of laughter-"es CT pictcher."
 The young man slipped down from the fence, and reached for the rife. The hoe he left where it stood.
 "Ill git the nag" he announced briefly, and swung off without further barley toward the curling spiral of smoke that marked a cabin a quarter | of mile below. Ten minutes later his bare feet swung against the ribs of gray mule and his rife lay bal anced across the unsaddled withers. Sally sat mountain fashion behind 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 the case of his watch and put it back into his pocket with smile.
 "Snappy work, that!" he called out. "Just thirty-three minutes I didn't believe it could be done Samson's face was masklike, but as he surveyed the foreigner, only the ingrained dictates of the country's hospitable code kept out of his eyes a 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 a mule at Hixon and ridden through the coun- try, sketching where the mood prompt ed and sleeping wherever he found a hospitable roof at the coming of the evening.
 "Ye come from over on Cripple shin?" The boy flashed the question with a sudden hardening of the voice, and. when he was affirmatively ans- swered, his eyes contracted and bored searchingly into the strangers face.
 'Where'd 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.
 q knows hit all right" k'--.-.
 There was moments !. rather an awkward pause. Lesco..'s mind began piecing together frag- ments of conversation be had heard, until he had assembled sort of men, tai jigsaw puzzle.
 The South-Hollman feud had been mentioned by the more talkative of his informers, and carefully tabooed by others-notable among them his host of last night. It now dawned on him that he was crossing the boun- dary and coming as the late guest of a Holman to ask the hospitality of South.
 'I didn't know whose house 1t was." he hastened to explain, until I was benighted and asked for lodging. They were very kind to me. I'd never seen them before. Pm stranger here- abouts."
 Samson only nodded. If the explana- tion failed to satisfy him, it at least seemed to do so.
 'T reckon ye'd better let me holp ye up on thet old mule," he said; "hit's a-comin' on ter be night"
 With the mountaineer's aid, Lescott clambered astride the mount, then he turned dubiously.
 "I'm sorry to trouble you," he ven tured, "but I have paint box and some materials up there. If you'll bring them down here, I'll show you how to pack the easel and, by the way" he anxiously added, please to handle that fresh canvas carefully by the edge-it's not dry yet.
 He had anticipated impatient con- tempt for his artists impedimenta, but to his surprise the mountain boy climbed the rock and halted before the sketch with face that slowly softened to an expression of amazed admiration. Finally he took up the square of academy board with ten der care of which his rough hands would have seemed incapable and stood stock still. presenting an anoma- IOue fipura in bic rouob cIothoo O c hic