The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-04-02


zine pistol Samson South the old, ana
Samson South the new were Wrltnlhe
in the life-and-death grapple OF TWO
codes. Then, before decision came,
he heard a sharp report inside ana
the heavy fall of body to the hoor'
A wildly excited figure came piuns-
ing through the door, and Samson
left hand swept out and seized us
shoulder in a sudden wise grip.
DO you know me?" he inquired, as
the mountaineer pulled away ana
crouched back with startled surprise
and vicious frenzy
mo damn We! Git outen my road!
Aaron thrust his cooked rifle close
against the strangers face. FROM
its muzzle came the acrid stench OF
freshly burned powder. Cit outen my
road afore kills ye!"
"My name is Samson South"
Before the astounded finger on the
trigger could be crooked, Samson
pistol spoke from the pocket, anf as
though in echo, the rifle blazed, a little
too late and a 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 Wlth
his life for both the deaths, when
would inevitably and logically be al
tributed to his agency. But, strangely
enough no clamor arose. The shot IN
side had been mufIled, and those out
side, broken by the intervening store,
did not arouse the house. Puryys
bodyguard had been sent away by Hol-
lis on a false alarm. Only the women
folks" and children remained indoors
and they were drowning with piano
any sounds that might have come from
without. That piano was the cher
emblem Of Purvy's wealth. 1t repre-
scented the acme of having things
hung up" that ancient and expressive
phrase, which had come down from
days when the pioneers worldly con-
dition was gagged by the hams hang
ing in the smokehouse and the pep
pers, tobacco and herbs strung high
against the rafters.
Now Samson South stood looking
down, uninterrupted, on what had been
Aaron Hollis as it lay motionless at
his feet. There was powder-burned
hole in the butternut shirt, and only
a. slender thread of blood trickled into
the dirt-grimed cracks between the
planks The body was twisted side
wise, in one of those grotesque atti-
tudes with which a sudden summons
so frequently robs the greatest phe-
nomenon of all its rightful dignity.
The sun was gliding the roadside
clods and Furnishing the greens of the
treetops. The breeze was harping
sleepily among the branches, and sew
eral geese stalked pompously along
the creeks edge. On the top of the
stockade gray squirrel, sole witness
to the tragedy, rose on his launches,
flirted his brush, and then, in sud,
den leap of alarm, disappeared.
Samson turned to the darkened door.
way. Inside was emptiness, except for
the other body, which had crumpled
forward and face down across the
counter. A glance showed that Jesse
Purvy would no more fight back the
coming of death. He was quite un
armed. Behind his spent body ranged
shelves of general merchandise
Boxes of sardines and cans of peaches
were lined in homely array above, him
His lifeless hand rested as though
flung out in an oratorical gesture on q
bolt of blue calico,
Samson paused only for a 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
wildire along Misery and Crippleshir
that Samson South was back and that
his coming had been signalized BY
these two deaths. The fact that he
was respo' bic for only one--and thai
IN 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
ter's defense at the threshold. Sam
son went ut still meeting no one, and
continued mis- journey.
Dusk was falling when he hitchet
his horse n clump of timber, and
lifting h@ ddlebags, began climbing
to a cabin thai sat back in thicketed
cove. I4e #as now we'll within South
territory md the need of masquerade
had Cntd.
The aain mad not for years been oc
cupied. IS rooftree was Ieanine
askew under rotting shingles. This
doorstep mas uncovered, and the
stones OF the hearth were broken. But
t lay well hidden and would serve his
purposes
Shortly, a candle fliekered inside
before small hand mirror. Scissors
and safety razor were for n u,hrt