Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-12-09

~A~-~&~
the younger children up Meeting
house fork to live with brother, the
missionary and the teacher started
back. Jeb was to stay here alone to
run the farm, and when Juanita re-
turned to the ridge Dawn went with
her.
They were passing tumbling wa
terfall, shrunken now to a trickling
rill, when Dawn broke the long silence
''Wunst, when 1 war IeetIe gal, :"
she said, "Unc' Perry war abiding out
up thet branch from Their revenuers. l
used ter fotch his Yictuals up thar ter
him"
Juanita turned suddenly with
shocked expression. It was as if her
little songbird friend had suddenly and
violently reverted; as if the flower had
turned to poison weed. And as Jua-
uita looked Dawn's eyes were blazing
and Dawn's face was as dark as her
black hair-dark with the same ex-
preston which brooded on her broth
er's brow.
What is it, dear?" Juanita asked,
and in tense and fiery voice the
younger girl exclaimed:
Il wishes | war a man. | wouldn't
wait and set still like jobs dom. BY
heaven, I'd git thet murderer. I'd cut
his heart outen his body"
Il tole ye," quietly commented
Brother Anse, tibet Their instincts in
Their blood. Anse Havey went down
ter Frankfort an set in Their legislator
but he come back ther same man
tibet went down. SCmethin' called
him. Somethin' calls ter every noun
tain man thet goes away, an he bark
ems ter Their call"
Anse come back repeated Dawn
triumphantly. An Anse is hyar. Eff
Jeb sets thar an don't do nothin', |
reckon Anse HaVey won't hardly let
hit go by without dom nothin'. Thank
heaven, thar's some men left in Their
hills like Anse Havey-but eff Jeb don't
do nOthin' I'll do hit myself
Again Juanita shuddered, but it was
not the time for argument, and so she
went on, bitterly accusing Ravey in
her heart for his wizard hold on these
peCple-a hold which melted them to
bloodshed as the fanatical priests of
the desert urge on their wild tribes
men.
She did not know that Bad Anse Ha-
vey went every few days over to the
desolated cabin and often persuaded
the boy to ride home with him and
spend part of the time in his larger
brick house She did not know that
Bad Anse was coming nearer to lying
than he had ever before come in with
holding his strong suspicious from the
boy because of his unwillingness to
incite another tragedy.
So when one day a McBriar bench
man by the name of Luke Thixton had
left the mountains and gone west, Anse
hoped that this man would stay away
for long while, and he refrained from
mentioning to Jeb that now, when
the bird had flown, he knew definitely
of his guilt.
While Dawn, under the guidance OF
her preceptress, was making the &C.
quaintance of a new and sweeter life,
whose influences fed her imagination
and fired her quick ambition, ner
brother was more solemnly being
nodded by the Havey chief.
The water-miIl of old Bob McGreego1
was the nearest spot to the dwelling OF
Bad Anse Havey where grist could be
ground to meal, and sometimes wnen
Jeb came over to the prick house ne
would volunteer to throw upon his
shoulders the sack of corn and pIotl
with it up across the ridges. He woul1
sit there IN the dusty old chill while
the slow wheel groaned and creaked
and the cumbersome millstones did
their slow stint Of work.
So one day, Cowaro the end of Au.
yust Iuarita. who aad ciimbed up the
path to the poplar to look over her
battlefield and renew ner vows, saw
Jeb sturdily plodding his way III long
reSolute strides through the woods
toward the mill, a heavy sack upon MS
shoulders and rife swinging at his
side
That day chance had it that no one
else had come to mill and Bob Nc
Greegor had persuaded the BOY to
drink from the Hectic blue kag" until
his mind was ripe for mischief While
the mill slowly ground out his meal
Jeb McNash sat on pile of rubbish
in the gloomy shack, nursing his
knees in interlocked fingers. Old Bob
drank and stormed ana cursed the in
ertia of the present generation. The
lads lean fingers tautened and gripped
themselves more tensely and his eyes
began to smoIder ard blaze with a
wicked light as he listened.
''Ye looks like a right stand-up sort
Of boy, Jeb,' growled the old fire
eater who had Sc more than a few
couples at each others Threats. AN
1 reckon hits all right. too, fer a fell
Ter ter bide his time, but hit pears ter
me like Their men of these days don't
do nothin' but bide thar time"
Il won't bide mine no longer than
what l has ter" snapped the boy.
''Anse lows ter tell me when he finds
out who hit war tibet got my pap
Thet's all | needs te1 know"
Old Bob shook his head knowingly
and laughed in his tangled beard
Il reckon Anse Havey'n take his lei
sure. He's got other fish to fry. He's
a-thinkin' bout bigger things than yore
grievance SON."
The boy rose, and his voice came
very quietly and ominously from sud
denly whitened lips. What does ye
mean by tibet, Uncle Bob?"