Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-03-10
XIX.

Once, when Anse Havey had been
tranping all afternoon through the win
try woods with Juanita, he had point
ed out a squirrel that sat erect on a
branch high above them with its tail
curled up behind 1t. He had stopped
her with a touch on the arm; then,
with a smile Of amusement, he handed
her his rifle with much the same man.
ner that she might have handed him a
novel In Russian. and his eyes said
banteringly: See what you can do
with that"
But to his surprise she took the gun
and leveled it as one accustomed to its
use. Bad Anse Havey forgot the squir-
rel and saw only the slim figure in its
loose sweater; only the stray wisps
of curling hair and the softness of the
cheek that snuggled against the rife.
stock. Then, at the report, the SPUR
rel dropped.
She turned with a matter-of-fact nod
and handed back the gun.
I'm rather sorry l killed it," she
said, but you looked so full Of scorn
that l had to show you. You know,
they do have a few rifles outside the
Cumberland mountains"
Where did you learn to shoot?" he
demanded, and she answered casually:
II used to shoot a rifle and pistol, too,
quite a good bit"
He took the gun back, and uncon-
sciously his hand caressed the spot
where her cheek had laid against its
lock. He had fallen into a reverie out
of which her voice called him. They
had crossed the ridge itself and were
overlooking his place.
why are they clearing that space
behind your house? Are you going to
put it in corn?"
NO" he laughed shortly. Corn
would be just about as bad as laurel"
He was instantly sorry he had said
that. He had not meant to tell her of
the plans he was m~aking-plans of de-
Tense and, if need be, of offense. He
had not intended to mention his pre-
cautions to prevent assassination at
his own door or window.
But the girl understood. and her
voice was heavy with anxiety as she
demanded: do you think you're in
danger, Anse?"
There's eve a day I'm not in
danger" he replied casually. 1--WE got
pretty well used to it."
But some day." she broke out,
they'll get YOU"
He shrugged his shoulders. May.
be-" he said.
As Juanita's influence grew with Bad
Anse Havey, so 1t was growing at the
school. She had to turn away pupils
who had come across the mountains
on wearisome Journeys because as yet
she had only limited room and no
teachers save herself and Dawn to care
for the youngest.
At the front of the hall which led
into the main school building was a
rack with notches for rifles and pegs
for pistols. She told all who entered
that she made only n stipulation. and
that was that whoever crossed the
threshold must leave his armament at
she door.
At first some men turned away
again, taking their children with them,
but as time went on they grudgingly
acquiesced, and at last. with a sense
of great victory, she persuaded three
shaggy fathers, who were coming reg
ularly with their children, to ride back
home unarmed.
Disarmament was her idea for the
great solution, and when Bad Anse
came overland he came every night
now-she led him with almost
breathless eagerness to the rack and
showed him two modern rifles and one
antiquated squirrel gun.
What's the idea?" he asked with
his skeptical smile. He found 1t very
difficult 70 listen always to talk about
the school in which he felt no inter.