The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1915-08-19

parley toward the curing 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 tie messy
rock. AS Lescott looked up he closed
the case of his watch and put it back
! into his pocket with a smile.
/ "Snappy work. that" he called out
Just thirty-three minutes. didn't
/ believe it could be done
Samsons 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 CLEAN 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 sudden hardening of the voice,
and, when he was affirmatively ans
swered, his eyes contracted and bored
searchingly into the strangers face.
"Where'd We 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.
Il knows hit all right"
There was a moments pause
rather an awkward pause Lescott's
mind began piecing together frag-
ments of conversation he had heard,
until he had assembled a sort of men,
tai jigsaw puzzle.
The South-Hollman feud had been
mentioned by the more laxative of
his informers, and carefully tabooed
by Understandable among them his
host of last night 1t now dawned on
him that he was crossing the boun-
Diary and coming as the late guest of
Holman to ask the hospitality of a
South
Il didn't know whose house it was"
he FASTENED 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 explana-
tion failed to satisfy him, it at least
seemed to do so.
81 reckon yed better let me holp
We up on tibet old mule" he said;
hits a-comin' on ter be night"
With the mountaineers aid, Lescott
clambered astride the mount, then he
turned obviously.
I'm sorry to trouble you," he ven
tured, "but l 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--iIs 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 a 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-
lous figure in his rough clothes as his
eyes grew almost idolatrous. Then
he brought the landscape over to it's
creator, and though no word was
spoken, there flashed between the eyes
of the artist, whose signature gave to
a canvas the value of precious stone,
and the ieans-clad boy whose destiny
was that OF the vendetta, subtle,
wordless message. 1t was the coun-
tersign of brothers-in-bl blood who rec
ognize in each other the bond of a
mutual passion.
The boy and the girl, under Lescotts
direction, packed the outfit and stored
the canvas in the protecting top of the
box. Then, while Sally turned and
strobe down creek in search of Les
colts lost mount, the two men rode
upstream in silence. Finally Samson
spoke slowly and difTidently.
Stranger" he ventured, "ef hit
hain't askin' too much, will We let me
see we paint one of them things?'
GLADLY" was the prompt reply.
Then the boy added coyertly;
Don't say nothin erbout hit ter
none of these folks. They'd devil me-"
The dusk was falling now. and the
/ hollows choking with murk.
We're nigh home now" said Sam
son at the end of some minutes silent
plodding Hits right beyond tibet
thar bend"
Then they rounded point of TIM
Der and came upon a small party of
men whose attitudes even in the dim
ming light conveyed a subtle sugges-
ton of portent.
Tibet you, SaInson?" called an old
mans voice, which was still very deep
and powerful
Hello, Unc' spencer!" replied the
boy.
Then followed a silence unbroken
until the mule reached the group. re-