The Blackfoot optimist., 1915-07-15

seemed to thunder In his brain, and
yet he stood there, his hand In his coat
pocket, clutching the grip of maga-
zine pistol. Samson South the old, and
Samson South the new we're writing
in the life-and-death grapple of two
codes. Then, before decision came,
be 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 rifle close
against the strangers face. From
its muzzle came the acrid stencil OF
freshly burned powder. Git 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 a 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 mufiled, 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.
and they were drowning with a piano
any sounds that might have come from
without. That piano was the chief
emblem Of Purvy's wealth. 1t repre-
sented the acme of having things
hung up" that ancient and expressive
phrase, which had come down from
days when the pioneers worldly con-
dition was gauged by the hams hang
ing in the smokehouse and the pep
pers, tobacco and herbs strung high
against the rafters.
Now Samson South stood looking
down, uninterrupted, on what had been
Aaron Hollis as it lay motionless at
his feet. There was pOwder-burned
hole in the butternut shirt, and only
a slender thread of blood trickled into
the dirt-grimed cracks between the
planks. The body was twisted side
wise, in one of those grotesque atti
tudes with which a sudden summons
so frequently robs the greatest phe-
nomenon of all it's rightful dignity
The sun was gliding the roadside
clods and Furnishing the green's of the
treetops. The breeze was harping
sleepily among the branches, and sew
eral geese stalked pompously along
the creeks edge. On the top of the
stockade gray squirrel, sole witness
to the tragedy, rose on his launches.
flirted his brush. and then, in a sud
den leap of alarm, disappeared.
SdMSOA IulACu " IAC udl hCucU uOOl'
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. Behind his spent body ranged
shelves of general merchandise.
Boxes of sardines and cans of peaches
were lined in homely array above him.
His lifeless hand rested as though
flung out in an oratorical gesture on a
bolt of blue calico.
Samson paused only for a monen-
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
wildfire along Misery and Crippleshin
that Samson South was back and that
his coming had been signalized by
these two deaths. The fact ttat 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 Puryy
and that Hollis had fallen in his mas
ter's 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 cabin that sat back in thitketed
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. The
doorstep was UNCOVERED, aud the
stones OF the hearth were broken. But
it lay well hidden and would serve his
purposes.
Shortly, a candle flickered inside,
before small hand mirror Scissors
and safety razor were for a while
busy. The man who entered in i'm
o10