The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-17


brought the message.
"Go slow now, Samson. Don't be no
blame fool" dissuaded Vile McCager.
"Hixon's plumb full of them Hollmans.
an they're likely ter be full Of licker-
hits Saturday. Hits apt ter be shore
death fer ye ter try ter ride through
Main street-ef ye gifts thet far. Ye
dassent do hit" ..........
"I dast do anything!" asserted tho
boy, with q fash of sudden anger.
Some liar lowed awhile ago thet
was coward. All right, mebby l De-
Unc' Vile, keep the boys hyar tell ye
hears from mean. keep 'em sober.
He turned and made his way to the
fence where his mule stood hitched.
When Samson crossed the ridge and
entered the Holman country, Jim AS.
berry, watching from hilltop point OF
vantage, rose and mounted the horse
that stood hitched behind a nearby
screen of rhododendron bushes ana
young cedars. Sonetimes. he rode JUST
one bend Of the road in Samson's rear.
Sometimes, he took short CUTS ana
watched his enemy pass. But always
he held him under a vigilant eye.
Finally, he reached wayside store
where a local telephone gave communl'
cation with Hollman's Mammoth De-
partment store.
"Jedge," he informed, Samson
south's done left the party ct ther
mill, an he's a-ridin' towards town.
Shall / git him?" .....
"Is he comm by hisself" inquired
the storekeeper. .. ....a
EYES," -..... H.. ...,
"Well, Jest let him come on. We
can tend ter him hyar, eft necessary. :
So Jim withheld his hand. and merely
shadowed, sending bulletins, from tlVe
to time. -. -
It was about three o'clock when Sam
son started. It was near six when Dc
reached the ribbon Of road that loops
down into town over the mountain.
His mule was in q lather Of sweat. lie
knew that he was being 'spied upon,
and that word Of his coming was tras-
cling ahead Of him. What ne dld NOT
know was whether or not 1t suited
Jesse Purvy's purpose that ne snouiu
slide from his mule, dead, before ne
turned homeward. If Tamarack neo
been seized as a declaration OF wal,
the chief South would certainly not
be allowed to return. II the arrest naa
not been for feud reasons, he might
escape. That was the question WHICH
would bs answered with. his lie or
death.
The "1ailhouse" was a small build
Ing of homemade brick, squatt1ns Al
the rear of the courthouse yard. As
samson drew near, he saw that some
ten or twelve men, armed with rifles,
separated from groups and disposed
themselves behind the tree trunks and
the stone coping Of the well. None OF
them spoke, and Samson pretended
that he had not seen them. He RODE
his mule at walk, knowing that ne
was rifie-coyered from a half-dozen
windows. At the hitching rack direct
" beneath the county building, he
flung his reins over a post, and. swing
ing his rife at his side, passed eau
tiously along the brick walk to the
ia,l. The men behind the trees edged
around their covers as he went keep
ing themselves protected. as squirrels
creep around trunk when hunter ia
Iurking below. Samson halted at the
tail wall, and called the prisoners
name. A tousled head and surly face
anneared at the barred window, and
the boy, went, over and held converse
from the outside.
"How in hell did ye git into town.
demanded the prisoner. -.
"I rid in" was the short reply
How'd We git in the jailhouse?" D.
The captive was shamefaced.
81 got a leetle too much licker, an
WAS shootin' out the lights last night
he confessed. .E:. =
what business did ye have hyar In
Hixon?" -
81 Jest slipped in ter see gal"
Samson leaned closer, and lowered
his voice.
'Does they know thet ye shot them
shoots at Jesse PurVy"
Tamarack turned pale.
"No," he stammered, "they believe
you done hit
Samson laughed. He was thinking
of the rifles trained on him from
dozen invisible rests.
Glow long air they a-goin ter Keep
va hyar?" he demanded.
m kin git out tomorrer Ell pays tne
fine. Hits ten dollars.
"And' eff 20 don't pay the hne!
"Eit's a dollar day"
T reckon ye don't low Ter pay LII
do ye?" ,,+ %,
me, Samson"
eve done lowed plumb wrong.
come hyar ter see eff ye needed nelp'
but hit pears ter me they're lettin' 9e
of easy" =. 49,, -, ,,,
,ooL to h,s mule. The men behind the
trees began circling again. Samson
r,o,,nted and, with his chin well up
t-otted back along the main street II
wos over. The question was answered
The Hollmans regarded the truce AZ
st;,l effective. The fact that they Wera
permitting him to ride out alive was