The state herald., 1915-08-13

/
through with ye yet. In due an proper
time I'll see that ye get yer ticket"
Then he added, with conciliating soft.
ness: We've been friends q long
while. Let's talk this thing over be-
fore we fall out"
Thar haint nothin' to talk over"
stormed Aaron. "Ye're Jest tryin' ter
kill time till the boys gifts hyar, and
then reckon ye lows ter have me kilt
like yer've had me kill them others.
Hit amt no use. I've done sent em
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 no
denial from the other. The truce was
off. Why should he wait? 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 were 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.
mo, damn ye! Git outen my road!'
Aaron thrust his cooked rifle close
against the strangers face. From
Its muzzle came the acrid stencil OF
freshly burned powder. Git outen my
road afore ! kills ye!"
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 rife 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 mufiied. and those out.
side. broken by the intervening store,
did not arouse the house. Purvy's
bodyguard had been sent away by Hol.
lis on false alarm. Only the women
folks" and children remained indoors,
any sounds that might have come from
without.
Now Samson South stood looking
down, uninterrupted, on what had been
Aaron Hollis as II lay motionless at
his feet There was powder-burned
hole in the butternut shirt. and only
slender thread of blood trickled into
the dirt-grimed cracks between the
planks. ~
Samson turned to the darkened door
way. Inside was emptiness. except for
the other body, which had crumpled
forward and face down across the
counter. A glance showed that Jesse
Purvy would no more fight back the
coming OF death. He was quite un-
armed
Samson paused only for = momen-
tary survey. His score was clean. He
would not again have to agonize over
the dilemma OF old ethics and new.
Tomorrow the word would spread like
wildhre along Misery and Crippleshin
that Samson South was back and that
his coming had been signalized by
these two deaths. The fact that he
was responsible for only one-and that
in self.defense-would not matter.
They would prefer to believe that he
had invaded the store and killed Purvy
and that Hollis had fallen in his mas.
ters defense at the threshold. Sam.
son went out. still meeting no one. and
continued his journey.
Dusk was falling when he hitched
his horse In clump OF timber, and.
lifting his saddlebags. began climbing
to n cabin that sat back In u thicketed
cove. He was now well within South
territory and the need OF masquerade
had ended.
The cabin had not for years been oc.
cupied. Its rooftree was leaning
askew under rotting shingles Tho
doorstep was uncovered. and the
stones OF the hearth were broken. But
II lay well hidden and would serve his
purposes
Shortly. u candle nickered inside.
before small hand mirror. Scissors
and safety razor were for while
busy. The man who entered In i'm.
peccablc clothes emerged fifteen min,
utcs later-transformed. There np.
poared under the rising June crescent
a smoo,h.faced native. clad In stained
store clothes. with rough wooden socks
showing nt his brogan tops. and a
battered felt ha, drawn over his face
No one who had known the Samson
South OF four years ago would fai; TO
| fecosuizs him noN And tha ,trnov.