The Green Forest tribune., 1915-01-08
sides, and walked with an ostentatious

sides, and walked with an ostentatious show of peace.
 "Evenin', stranger" hailed the old man. Come right in."
 MT. South," began the dog-owner, with some embarrassment, T have been employed to furnish pair of bloodhounds to the family of Jesse Puryy, who has been shot,"
 q heerd tell thet 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 elicited
 "I 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. I do not in any way di- rect their course; 1 merely follow"
 "Ye can't hardly fo'ce dawg." Old Spicer sagely nodded his head as he made the remark. "A dawg jest hatch erly follers his own nose"
 "Exactly-and they have followed their noses here" The Lexington man found the embarrassment of his posi- tlon growing as the colloquy proceed ed. T want to ask you whether, if 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 to the waiting group in the road
 We're plumb welcome ter turn them dawgs loose, an let 'em ramble, stranger Nobody hain't a-goin' ter hurt 'em. I sees some fellers out thar with ye thet mustn't cross my fence. Eff they does"-the voice rang men, acingly-"hit'n mean that they're a-bustln' the truce-an' they won't never go out ag'in. But you air safe in hyar. l gives yer my hand on thet. Ye're welcome, an yore dawgs is well come. l hain't got nothin' 'gainst dawgs thet comes on four legs, but shore bars the two-legged kind"
 There was a murmur of astonish ment from the road. Disregarding it, Spicer South turned his face toward the house.
 "You boys kin come out,'' he shout CT, "an' leave yore guns inside"
 The leashes were slipped from the dogs. They leaped forward, and made directly for Samson, who sat as un- moving as lifeless image on the top step of the stile. 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 sniffed 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 it jumped onward
 "I'm obliged to you, sir" said the man from the Bluegrass, with a 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 ye ax him." growled the kinsman of the man who had been shot, "whar the other feller's at?"
 What other fellow?" echoed the Lexington man.
 Jim Hollmans voice rose trucu- lently, and his words drifted, as he meant them to, across to the ears of the clansmen who stood in the yard of Spicer South.
 Them dawgs of your'n come up Misery a-hellin' They hain't never turned aside, an onless they're plumb ornery, no-'count CUTS thet don't know their business, they come for some reason. They seemed mighty inter- ested in gittin' hyar. AK them fellers in thar who's been hyar thet hain't hyar now? Who is ther feller thet got out afore we come hyar?"
 At this yelled charge of deceit the faces of the Souths again blackened and the men near the door of the house drifted in to drift presently out again. swinging discarded Winches- ters at their sides. It 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 with the Holman leader. But Jim Holl- man, whose eyes were fixed on Sam son, refused to talk in modulated tone, and he shouted his reply:
 q hain't got nothin' ter whisper about" he proclaimed. "Go ax 'em who hit war thet got away from hyar."
 Old Spicer South stood leaning on