Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1915-03-11
CHAPTER Iv-contlnued.

He sauntered down the road, but,
when he had passed out OF vision, ne
turned sharply into the woods, and
began climbing. His steps carried MIN
to the rift in the ridge where the white
oak stood sentinel over the watch
tower Of rock. AS he came over the
edge from one side his bare feet max
Ing no sound, he saw Sally sitting
there, with her hands resting on the
moss and her eyes deeply troubled
She was gazing fixedly ahead and her
lips were trembling. At once Sam
sons face grew black. Some one had
been making Sally unhappy. Then he
saw beyond her a standing figure.
which the tree trunk had hitherto con-
cealed. 1t was the loose-knitted figure
of young Tamarack Spicer.
"In course" Spicer was saying, I'VE
don't low Samson shot Jesse Purvy,
but them Hollmans II 'spicion him, an
l heered just now thet them dawgs
was trackin' straight up hyar from the
mouth Of Misery. They'll git hyar
against sundown."
Samson leaped violently forward.
With one hand he roughly seized his
cousins shoulder and wheeled him
about. y-'s,
"Shet up!" he commanded. "What
d--n fool stuff hev ye been tellin'
Saily?"
For an instant the two clansmen
stood fronting each other. Samson's
face was set and wrathful. Tamarack's
was surly and snarling. "Hain't I got
) license ter tell Sally the news?'' he
demanded. aig va
Nobody :.haint got no license" re-
sorted the younger man: in the quiet
cold anger, "ter tell Sally nothin..
thet1l irst her" A
Df5tty Ssoons Them dawgs
tDidnt u tell 70 ter shet up?s Sam
I son rclenched his fists, and took q step
forward "Ef ye opens yore mouth
again. I'm a-goin' ter smash hit. Now.
Sxit!"
Tamarack Spicer's face blackened,
and his teeth showed. His right hand
swept to his left arm-pit. Outwardly
he seemed weaponless, but Samson
knew that concealed beneath the
hickory shirt was holster, worn
mountain fashion.
What air ye a-reachin' after
Tam'rack?" he inquired, his lips twist.
Ing in amusement.
"Thet's my business"
well, git hit out-or git out yeself,
afore throws ye often the cliff"
Sally showed no symptoms of alarm.
Her confidence in her hero was abso-
lutte. The boy lifted his hand, and
pointed off down the path. Slowly
and with incoherent muttering, Spicer
took himself away. Then only did
Sally rise. She came over, and laid
hand on Samson's shoulder. In her
blue eyes. the tears were yelling.
Samson" she whispered, "ef they're
after ye, come ter my house. / kin
hide We out. Why didn't We tell me
Jesse Jurvey'd done been shot?"
"Hit tain't nothin' ter fret about,
Sally" he assured her. He spoke
awkwardly, for he had been trained to
regard emotion as unmanly. Thar
hain't no danger"
She gazed searchingly into his eyes,
and then, with short sob, threw her
arms around him, and buried her face
on his shoulder.
"Ef anything happens ter ye, Sam
son." che said, brokenly, "hitll Jest
kill me. couldn't live withouten We,
Samson. l jest couldn't do hit!"
The boy took her in his arms, and
pressed. her close. His eyes were gaz-
ing off over her bent head, and his lips
twitched. He drew his features into
a scowl, because that was the only ex-
preston with which he could safe
guard his feelings. His voice was
I. husky.
81 reckon, Sally" he said, 81 couldn't
live withouten you, neither"
The party of men who had started
at morning from Jesse Purdy's store
had spent hard day. The roads fol.
lowed creek-DeQS, crossing and re-
crossing waterways in a fashion that
gave the bloodhounds hundred baf-
fling difficulties. Often. their noses
lost the trail, which had at first been
80 surely taken. Often, they circled
and whined, and halted in perplexity,
but each time they came to a point
where, at the end, one Of them again
raised his muzzle skyward, and gave
voice.
Toward evening, they were working
up Misery along course less broken.
The party halted for moments rest,
and, as the bottle was passed. the man
from Lexington, who lad brought the
dogs and stayed to conduct the chase,
put question:
"What do you call this creek?"
@IJif'o Mirpry"