The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1915-03-11

! ter leave, an you won't come clea
! with the price Of railroad ticket {
: Oklahoma. Now, damn yore sting
soul, gifts that ticket or gifts you'll
Aaron, you can't scare me into doir
nothin / amt amin to do" The oil
baron of the vendetta spoke in a colo
stoical voice. 81 tell We | amt quit
through with ye yet. In due an prope
time I'll see that We get yer ticket
Then he added, with conciliating soft
ness: We've been friends a Ion,
while. Let's talk this thing over be
fore we fall out"
Thar hain't ncthin' to talk over
stormed Aaron. "Ye're Jest tryin' tel
kin time till the boys gifts hyar, anc
then reckon ye lows ter have me kill
like yer've had me kill them others
Hit amt no use. I've done sent EN-
away. When they gifts back hyar
either you'll be in hell. or I'll be on my
way outen the mountings."
| Samson stood rigid Here was the
confession Of one murderer. with nc
dental from the other. The truce was
IcG. Why should he waltz Cataracts
seemed to thunder in his brain, and
yet he stood there. his hand in his coat
pocket, clutching the grip Of maya
zine pistol Samson South the old, and
Samson South the new we're writhing
In the life-and-death grapple OF two
codes. Then, before decision came,
he heard sharp report inside, and
the heavy fall Of body to the floor.
A wildly excited figure came plung-
Ing through the door, and Samson's
left hand swept out and seized its
shoulder In sudden wise grip
DO you know me?" he inquired, as
the mountaineer pulled away and
crouched back with startled surprise
and vicious frenzy.
No. damn ye! Git outen my road!"
Aaron thrust his cooked rife close
against the strangers face. From
Its muzzle came the acrid stencil OF
freshly burned powder. cit outen my
road afore l kills vel"
MY name is Samson South"
Before the astounded finger on the
trigger could be crooked, Samson's
pistol spoke from the pocket, and, as
though in echo, the rifle blazed, little
too late and shade too high, over his
head, as the dead mans arms went up.
Except for those two reports there
was no sound. Samson stood still, an
ticipating an uproar of alarm. Now
he should doubtless have to pay with
his life for both the deaths, which
would inevitably and logically be at
tributed to his agency But, strangely
enough, no clamor arose. The shot in
side had been mugied, and those out
side, broken by the intervening store,
did not arouse the house. Purvy's
had been sent away by Hol- |
lis on false alarm. Only the women
folks" and children remained indoors, |
and they were drowning with piano |
any sounds that might have come from
That piano was the chief |
emblem of Puryy's wealth. 1t repre-
sented the acme of having things
hung up" that ancient and expressive
phrase, which had come down from
lays when the pioneers worldly con-
lition was gagged by the hams hang
ng in the smokehouse and the pep
)ers, tobacco and herbs strung high
against the rafters.
Now Samson South stood looking
lown, uninterrupted, on what had been
aaron Hollis as 1t lay motionless at
lis feet. There was a powder-burned
lole in the butternut shirt, and only
slender thread of blood trickled into
he dirt-grimed cracks between the
'lanks The body was twisted side
wise, in one of those grotesque atti-
udes with which sudden summons !
o frequently robs the greatest phe-
omenon of all its rightful dignity.
The sun was gliding the roadside
lods and furnishing the greens of the
reetops. The breeze was harping
leepily among the branches, and sew
raj geese stalked pompously along
he creeks edge. On the top of the
tockade a gray squirrel, sole witness
D the tragedy, rose on his launches,
irted his brush, and then, in sud r
en- leap of alarm, disappeared. !
Samson turned to the darkened door {
'ay. Inside was emptiness, except for Il
ne other body. which had crumpled c
)rward and face down across the
ounter. A glance showed that Jesse
urvy would no more fight back the
oming Of death. He was quite I'M
rmed. Behind his spent body ranged
ielves of general merchandise.
oxes of sardines and cans of peaches
ere lined in homely array above him.
is lifeless hand rested as though
ing out in an oratorical gesture on
ut of blue calico.
Samson paused only for a momen- n
ry survey. His score was clean. He it
ould not again have to agonize over I'll
e dilemma Of old ethics and new. b.
omorrow the word would spread like dt
lldfre along Misery and Crippleshin al
at Samson South was back and that VI
8 coming had been signalized by
ese two deaths. The fact that he
as responsible for only one-and that
self-defense-would not matter. d.
hey would prefer to believe that he q
d invaded the store and killed Purvy fo
IA that Hollis had fallen in h;s MOI. I'll