The Green Forest tribune., 1915-03-19

It was a simple fashion of resigning regency, but effectual.
 Old Caleb, however. still insurgent ana unconyinced, brought in a minor ity report.
 We wants fightin' men," he grum- Dled, with the senile reiteration of his age as he spat tobacco and beat a rat sat on the mill floor with his long hickory staff. We don't want no de- serters."
 Samson ain't a deserter," defended Sally. There isn't one of you fit to tie his shoes" Sally and old Spicer south alone knew of her lovers letter to the circuit judge, and they were pledged to secrecy.
 Never mind, Sally!" It was Sam son himself who answered her. I didn't come back because I care what men like old Caleb think I came back because they needed me. The proof of lighting man is his fighting, reckon. I'm willing to let 'em judge me by what I'm going to do."
  ly, at least, into his place as clan head, though for time he found it post without action. After the fierce out burst of bloodshed, quiet had settled. and 1t was tacitly understood that, un- less the Holman forces had some coup in mind which they were secreting, this peace would last until the soldiers were withdrawn.
 When the worlds a-lookin," con- mented Judge Hoffman, hits a right good idea to crawl under a logan lay still"
 PurVy had been too famous feud lst to pass unsung. Reporters came as far as HiXon, gathered there sucl news as the Hollmans chose to give them. and went back to write lurid stories and description, from hear say, of the stockaded seat of tragedy. Nor did they overlook the dramatic coincidence of the return of Wildcat" Samson South from civilization to sav- agery. They made no accusation, but they pointed an inference and a moral as they thought. It was a sermon on the triumph of heredity over the ad- vantages of environment. Adrienne read some of these saffron misrepre- sentations, and they distressed her.
 
 Meanwhile, it came insistently to the ears of Captain Callomb that some plan was on foot, the intricacies of which he could not fathom, to manu- fracture a case against number of the Souths, quite apart from their actual guilt, or likelihood of guilt Once more, he would be called upon to go out and drag in men too we'll fortified to be taken by the posses and depu- ties of the Holman civil machinery. At this news, he chafed bitterly, and, still ranking with a sense of shame at the loss of his first prisoner, he formed plan of his own, which he revealed over his pipe to his first lieutenant
 There's nigger in the woodpile, Merriweather," he said We are sim ply being used to do the dirty work up here, and Pm going to do little probing of my own. 1 guess I'll turn the company over to you for day or two"
 What idiocy are you contemplating now?" inquired the second in com mand.
 Pm going to ride over on Misery, and hear what the other side has to say. I've usually noticed that one side of any story is pretty good until the others told.'
 Its sheer madness. ought to take YOU down to this internal crook of a judge and have you committed to a strait-jacket.
 'If." said Callomb, you are content to play the. catspaw to bunch of as sassins, I'm not. The mail-rider went out this morning and he carried a let. ter to old Spicer South. told him that I was coming unescorted and unarmed and that my object was to talk with him. I asked him to give me safe conduct, at least, until I reached his house, and stated my case. I treated him like an officer and a gentleman and, unless I'm poor judge of men, he's going to treat me that way"
 The lieutenant sought vainly to dis suade Callomb, but the next day the captain rode forth, unaccompanied Curious stares followed him and Judge Smithers turned narrowing and un- pleasant eyes after him, but at the point where the ridge separated the territory of the Hollmans from that of the Souths he saw waiting in the road a mounted figure, sitting his horse straight, and clad in the rough habili- ments of the mountaineer.
 AS Callomb rode up he saluted and the mounted figure with perfect gray ity and correctness returned that salute as one officer to another. The captain was surprised. Where had this mountaineer with the steady eyes and the clean-cut jaw learned the niceties of military etiquette?
 T am Captain Callomb of F. com pany," said the officer. ''Pm riding over to Spicer Souths house. Did you come to meet me?"
 "To meet and guide you," replied a pleasant voice. My name is Samson