The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times., 1915-04-01

Then he added, with conciliating soft.
ness; We've been trtsnds q ioug
while. Let's talk this thing over be.
fore we fall out"
Thar hain't nothin' TO talk over. ."
stormed Aaron. "Ye're Jest tryin ter
kill time till the boys gifts hyar. and
then reckon ye lows ter have me kilt
like yer've had me kill them others.
Hit aint no use. I've done sent EN-
away. When they gifts back hyar.
either you'll be in he'll or I'll be on my
way outen the mountings."
Samson stood rigid. Here was the
confession OF one murderer. with no
denial from the other. The truce was
on. Why should he waltz Cataracts
seemed TO thunder in hts brain. and
yet he stood there. his hand In his coat
pocket. clutching the grip OF q maga.
zine pistol. Samson South the old. and
Samson South the new we're writhing
In the life.and-death grapple Of two
codes. Then. before decision came.
he heard a sharp report inside. and
the heavy fall OF body to the floor.
A wildly excited figure came plung.
Ing through the door. and Samson's
left hand swept out and seized its
shoulder In a sudden wise grip.
DO you know me?" he inquired, as
the mountaineer pulled away and
crouched back with startled surprise
and vicious frenzy.
No, damn ye! Git outen my road"
Aaron thrust his cooked rife close
against the strangers face. From
its muzzle came the acrid stencil OF
freshly burned powder. Git outen my
road afore kills vel"
MY name Is Samson South"
Before the astounded finger on the
trigger could be crooked. Samson's
pistol spoke from the pocket. and, as
though In echo, the rife blazed, little
too late and shade too high. over his
head. as the dead mans arms went up.
Except for those two reports there
was no sound. Samson stood still. an
ticipating an uproar OF alarm. Now
he should doubtless have to pay with
his life for both the deaths, which
would inevitably and logically be at.
tributed to his agency. But, strangely
enough. no clamor arose. The shot in.
side had been mufiied. and those out.
side. broken by the intervening store.
did not arouse the house. Purvys
bodyguard had been sent away by Hol.
lis on a false alarm. Only the women.
folks" and children remained indoors,
and they we're drowning with a piano
any sounds that might have come from
without.
Now Samson South stood looking
down. uninterrupted, on what had been
Aaron Hollis as II lay mo,ionless at
his feet. There was a powder burned
hole In the butternut shirt, and only
a slender thread OF blood trickled into
the dirt.grimed cracks between the
planks.
Samson turned to the darkened door.
way. Inside was emptiness. except for
the other body. which had crumpled
forward and face down acroes the
counter A glance showed that Jesse
Purvy would no more fight back the
coming OF death. He was quite un.
armed
Samson paused only for momen.
tary survey. His score was clean. He
would not again have TO agonize over
the dilemma OF old ethics and new.
Tomorrow the word would spread like
wildfre along Misery and Crippleshin
that Samson South was back and that
his coming had been signal2ed by
these two deaths. The fact that he
was responsible for only one-and that
la self.defense-would not matter.
They would prefer TO believe that he
had invaded the store and killed Purvy
and that Hollis had fallen In his mas.
ters defense at the threshold. Sam.
son went out. still meeting no one, and
continued his Journey.
Dusk was falling when he hltched
his horse In a clump OF timber, ana.
lifting his saddlebags, began climbing
TO cabin that sat back In a thicketed
cove lie was now we'll within South
territory and the need OF masquerade
had ended.
The cabin had not Tor years been oc.
cupied. Its rooftree was leaning
askew under rotting shingles The
doorstep was UNCOVERED. and the
stones OF the hearth were broken. But
II lay well hidden and would serve his
purposes
Shortly, a candle rickered inside,
before a small hand mirror. Scissors
and safety razor were for while
busy The man who entered In i'm.
peccable clothes emerged fifteen min.
utes later-transformed. There ap.
peared under the rising June crescent
a smoOth.faced native. clad in stained
store clothes, with rough wooden socks
showing at his brogan tops. and a
battered felt hat drawn over bis face.
No one who had known the Samson
South Of four years ago would fail TO
recognize him now. And the strang.
est part. he told himself. was that he
felt the old Samson.
Al point where a hand bridge
crossed the skirting creek. the boy
dismounted, Ahead OF him lay the