Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1915-10-29

shrank from a meeting with FletCl
McNash; but IL she went out by the
only door she knew she would have
to confront him, so she lay still.
Fleteh was deposited in one Of the
split-bottom chairs by the doorstep.
Il jest went over thar ter borry a
hoe" he proclaimed. an | met up
with some fellers and thar was all
manner of free ticker They had white
Ticker an bottled-in-bond Ticker. an
none OF hit didn't cost uothiu' Them
fellers Jest wouldn't hardly suffer me
ter come away
AN whilst ye war a soakin' up tibet
thar free ticker them pertater sets Was
adryin up waitin' ter be sot cut q"
came the stern wirely reminder.
Between the stTldtut voices came
every now and then the softly mudu.
lated tones Of the stranger whose
words Juanita lost Yet somehow
whenever she heard them she relt
soothed and after each ut these at.
teranCes the woman outside also
spoke in softer tones.
Whoever the stranger was. he car.
ried In his voice a reussuriug quality
SO that without having seen him the
girl felt that in his presence there was
an element OF strength and safeguard.
ing.
At last from one Of the beds she
heard sCuhiug sound and a moment
later childish form opened a door at
the back of the cabin and slipped out
into the darkness
That revealed an avenue of escape
Juanita had not known that these win
dowless cabins are usually supplied
with two doors, and that the one into
which the wind does not drive the
weather stands open for light on win
try days Now she. too. rose noise
lcssly and went out OF the close and
musty room. 1t was quite dark out
there and she could feel rather than
see, the dpus,ly fuliagrd side of the
mountain that doomed upward at the
back.
In her brooding she lost account OF
time. At last she heard voice sing
out from the stile.
I'm Jim White. an I'm a-comin'
In"
A thick welcome from Flet,h Nc.
Nash followed. and then again silence
settled.
Alter d while as she sat there on
the rock, with her chin dIsoonsOlately
in her hand and her elbows on her
knees Juanita became conscious OF
800
coming toward her Then she caught
the calm voice which had already in
pressed heT-the voice Of the stranger
who had brought home tie half-help-
less householder
Il reckon we're out OF earsh0t now,
reckon We kin hey speech here; but
heed your voice an talk low.
In the face OF such preface the girl
shrank back In fresh panic. She had
no wish to oyerhear private converse
tiOns.
She huddled back against the rock
and cast an anxious glance about her
for n way to escape Behind lay the
mountain wall with its iurgl2like
growth, where her feet would sound
an alarm of rustling branches and dis
turbed deadwood. But the men were
strolling near her, and TO try 20 reach
the house would require crossing their
path.
Then the second shadow spoke, and
its voice carried beside the nasal
shrillness so common TO the hills the
tenseness of suppressed excitement.
"Thar's liable ter be hell ternight.'
The girl thought that the Guiet
stranger laughed. though Of that she
could not be certain
Il reckon ye mean cOnCernin' Cal
Douglas?"
Thets hat, when rid Outen Peril
This afternoon Their jury he'd done took
Their case an every body lowed they Il
ma a verdict atoie shutdown
Il reckon"-the taller OF the two
men answered slowly and into his
softly modu lated voice crept some
thing Of ruty hualtty - reckon ,4u
tell ye what that yeriicts gJiu to
be. Cal will cone clear"
Tibet haint Their pint" urged the
messenger eXcitedly. Tibet haiut why
I've rid over hyar like a bat outen
hell ter cotch up with ye. was
Amin ter fotch word over ter Their
dance, but IS | come By hyar / seen
yOre boss hitched out thar in Their
road so liz an come ia. reckon
We knows tibet cote an tibet jury
Thet's yOre business, but thet hain't
all"
Well. what's the balance Of il?
Talk out. What are ye amin to tell
me?
Il met up with a Teller in job
Heaths blind tiger Jest outside Peril
He'd drunk a lot OF Ticker an he got
ter talking mighty loose-tongued an
free"
The girl sickened little as she felt
that her fears were being realized
and one hand went Involuntary up
10 her breast and STAYED there The