The vidette., 1915-11-11

| pose OF assassination. There had been
another object in his mind--an utterly
mad idea, 1t is true, yet so bold Of
conception that it held a ghost Of
| promise. He had meant to go into
Jesse Purvy's store and chat artlessly,
like some inquisitive "furriner." He
would ask questions which by their
very impertinence might be forgiven
on the score of strangers folly. But,
/ most of all, he wanted to drop the cas-
ual information, which he should as
| sumo to have heard on the train, that
Samson South was returning, and to
/ mark, on the assassin leader, the effect
/ of the news. In his new code IT was
necessary to give at least the rattler's
/ warning before he struck, and he
meant to strike. If he were recog-
nized, well-he shrugged his shoulders.
But as he stood On the outside, wip-
ing the perspiration from his forehead,
\ for the ride had been warm, he heard
voices within. They were loud and
angry voices. 1t occurred to him that
I by remaining where he was he might
/ gain more information than by hur-
rying In
"Tve done been your executioDer for
twenty years." complained a voice,
which Samson at once recognized as
| that of Aaron Hollis, the most trusted
of Purvy's personal guards. 81 hain't
never laid down on ye yet. Me an Jim
Asberry killed old Henry South. We
laid fer his boy, an would "a got him
eff you'd only said ther word. / went
inter Hixon an killed Tam'rack Spicer,
with soldiers all round me. There
hain't no other damn fool in these
mountings would a. took such a long
chance es thet. I'm tired of 1t.
They're a-goin' ter git me, an / wants
ter leave, an you won't come clean
with the price of railroad ticket to
Oklahoma. Now, damn yore stingy
soul, gifts that ticket or l gifts you!"
Aaron, you can't scare me into doin
nothin' amt amin to do" The old
baron of the vendetta spoke in a cold,
stoical voice. Il tell ye I amt quite
through with ye yet. In due an proper
time III see that ye get yer ticket"
Then he added, with conciliating soft
| ness: We've been friends a long
while. Let's talk this thing over be-
| fore We fall out"
Thar hain't 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 waltz Cataracts
seemed to thunder In his brain, and
yet he stood there, his hand in his coat
pocket clutching the grip of a maga-
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 a sharp report inside, and
the heavy fall of a body to the floor
A wildly excited figure came plung-
Ing through the door, and Samsons
left hand swept out and seized its
shoulder in a 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 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 mufled, 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 a 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