The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-03
sides, and walked with an ostentatious

show Of peace. &c.,. ..
"Evenin', stranger" hailed the old
man. "Come right in"
"Mr. South" began the dog-owner,
with some embarrassment, Il have
been employed to furnish a pair OF
bloodhounds to the family OF Jesse
Purvy, who has been shot"
81 heerd tell thet Purvy was shot"
said the head of the Souths In an al
fable tone, which betrayed no deeper
note of interest than neighborhood
gossip might have elected. -
"I have no personal interest in the
matter" went on the stranger, hastily,
as one bent on making his attitude
clear, except to supply the dogs and
manage them. do not in any way d.
rect their course; I merely follow"
"Ye can't hardly fo'ce dawg." OLD
spicer sagely nodded his head as ne
made the remark. "A dawg jest match
er'y follers his own nose."
"Exactly-and they have followed
their noses here" The Lexington man
found the embarrassment Of his posi-
tion growing as the colloquy proceed,
ed. 81 want to ask you whether, II
these dogs want to cross your fence,
have your permission to let them"
The master Of the house crossed the
stile, the low sun shining on his shock
Of gray hair, and stood before the man
hunter. He spoke so that his voice
carried to the waiting group IN the
road. ,
"Ye're plumb welcome ter turn them
dawgs loose, an let Fem ramble,
stranger. Nobody hain't a-goin' ter
hurt EN-. l sees some fellers out thar
with ye thet mustn't cross my fence
Ef they does"-the voice rang men
acingly-"hitll mean that they're
| a-bustin' the trace-an' they won't
neve. go out ag'in. But you air safe
in hyar. gives yer my hand on thet.
Ye're welcome, an yore dawgs is well,
come. I hain't got nothin 'gainst
dawgs thet comes on four legs, but ]
shore bars the two-legged kind"
There was murmur Of astonish-
ment from the road. Disregarding 1t,
Spicer South turned his face toward
the house. r. 5"5#
"You boys kin come out" he shout
er, "an' leave yore guns inside" :. i.
The leashes were slipped from the
dogs. They leaped forward, and made
directly for Samson, who sat as un-
moving as a lifeless image on the top,
step of the stile. There was half-mo.
ment of terrific suspense, then the
beasts clambered by the seated figure,
passing on each side and circled aim
lessly about the yard their quest un-
ended. They shifted indifferently about
the trouser legs Of the men who saun-
tered indolently out of the door. They
trotted into the house and out again,
and mingled with the mongrel home
lipack that snarled and growled hos
tility for this invasion. Then, they
came once more to the stile AS they
climbed out, Samson South reached
up and stroked tawny head, and the
bloodhound paused moment to wag
it's tail in friendship, before it jumped
down to the road, and trotted gingerly
onward. ~
I'm obliged to you, SIR" said the
man from the Bluegrass, with a voice
OF immense relief.
The moment Of suspense seemed
past, and, in the relief Of the averted
clash, the master of hounds forgot
that his dogs stood branded as false
trailers. But when he rejoined the
group In the road he found. himself
looking into surly visages, and the
features of Jim Holman in particular
were black In their scowl Of smolder-
ing wrath.
"Why didn't ye az him." growled
the kinsman Of the man who had been
shot, "whar the other feller's at?"
"What other fellow?" echoed the
Lexington man. 81.
Jim Hollman's voice rose trucu-
lently, and his words drifted, as he
meant them to, across to the ears Of
the clansmen who stood in the yard
Of Spicer South.
Them dawgs Of your'n come up
Misery a-hellin'. They hain't never
turned aside, an onless they're plumb
ornery, no-'count ours thet don't know
their business, they come for some
reason. They seemed mighty inter-
ested in gittin' hyar. Ak them fellers
in thar who's been hyar thet hain't
hyar now? Who is ther feller thet
got out afore we come hyar?" :
AT this yelled charge of deceit the
faces of the Souths again blackened
and the men near the door Of the
house drifted In to drift presently out
again, swinging discarded Winches.
ters at their sides. 1t seemed that,
after all, the incident was not closed.
The man from Lexington, finding him:
self face to face with new difficulty,
turned and argued In low voice with
the Holman leader. But Jim Holl-
man, whose eyes were fixed on Sam
son, refused to talk In modulated
tone, and he shouted his reply: &
81 hain't got nothin' ter whisper
about" he proclaimed. go az EN-
who hit war thet got away from hyar."
Old spicer South stood leaning on
his fence and his rugged countenance
stiffened. He started to speak, but
Samson rose from the stile and said,
in a composed voice: ....
LET me talk to this feller, Unc'
| 80 ns.I