The Delta independent., 1915-06-11

found the Embarrassment OF MS POSI-
ton growing as the colloquy proceed
ed. 81 want to ask you whether, if
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 'em ramble,
stranger. Nobody hain't a-goin' ter
hurt em. / sees some fellers out thar
with ye thet mustn't cross my fence.
Eff they does"-the voice rang men,
acingly-"hit'll mean that they're
a-bustin' the truce-an' they won't
never go out ag'in. But you air safe
in hyar. l gives yer my hand on thet.
Ye're welcome, an yore dawgs is well
come. l hain't got pothin' 'gainst
dawgs thet comes on four legs. but 1
shore bars the two-legged kind"
Their was amurmur of astonishment
from the road. Disregarding it, Spicer
South turned his face toward the
house.
"You boys kin come out" he shout
er, "an' leave yore guns inside"
The leashes we're 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
hao cfc ole hxf tho
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
pack 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 a moment to wag
its 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 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 att"
What other fellow?" echoed the
Lexington man.
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 haint 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 g1ttin' 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 veiled 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 a modulated
tone, and he shouted his reply:
Il hain't got nothin' ter whisper
about" he proclaimed. go az 'em
who hit war thet got away from hyar."
Old Spicer South stood leaning on
his fence and his rugged countenance
etiffened. He started to speak, but
Samson rose from the stile and said,
in composed voice:
Let me talk to this feller. Unc'
Spicer." The old man nodded and
Samson beckoned to the owner Of the
dogs.
1--WE hain't got nothin' ter say ter
them fellers with ye," he announced,
briefly. I'VE nain't AKIN 'em no ques.
, tions, an we haint answerin' none.
Ye done come hyar with dawgs an
we hain't stopped ye. We've done an.
swered all the questions them dawgs
hes axed We done treated you an
yore houn's plumb friendly. Es fer
them other men, we hain't got nothin'
ter say to 'em. They done come hyar
because they hoped they could git me
in trouble. They done failed. Thet
road belongs ter the county. They
got license ter travel hit, but this