Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-02-11
CHAPTER X-Contlnued.

CHAPTER x~-contlnued.
"Tm grateful for this teachers
course" said Juanita holly, land I'm
not going home"
Anse Havey went on:
But l know that boy. I know that
II Id talked thataway he'd just about
have gone out in the la'rel an got
somebody. Hit might not "a been the
right Teller, and he might have found
that out later. l reckon we never had
a father murdered, did ye?"~
Hardly" answered the girl with a
scornful toss of her head. you see, l
wasn't reared among gun-fighters."
well, l have" responded the man.
81 was in the legislature down at
Frankfort when it happened, a-helpin'
to make the laws that govern this
state. / was fer them laws in theory
but when that word came l paired off
with a Republican, SOS not to lose my
vote on the floor, an l come back here
to these hills an got that Teller. /
reckon l ought to be ashamed to tell
We that, but I'm so plumb ign'rant that
i can't feel 1t. l knew how Jeb felt
an so l held him off with a promise to
wait. OF course We couldn't accept the
help of a man like that"
He turned and withdrew his hands
from his pockets.
I'm through" he added, "an' I'm
i. lobleeged to ye fer harkenin' to me-"
There is something in your point
of view, Mr.. Havey," she acknowl-
edged. But 1t is all based on twisted
and distorted principle.
II don't think myself a saint. l
guess I'm pretty weak. My first ap-
peal to you was pure weakness. But
Il stand for ideas that the world has
acknowledged to be right, and for that
reason / an going to win. That is
why, although I'm a girl, with none Of
your physical power, and no gun
fighters at my back, you are secretly
Iafraid of me. That is why you are
making unfair war on me. l stand for
the im%placable force Of civilization
that must sooner or later sweep you
away and utterly destroy your domi-
nance"
For the first time Bad Anse Havey's
face lost its impassiveness. His eyes
clouded and became puzzled, surprised.
81 reckon l don't hardly follow ye."
he said. IF We wants 1t to be enemies
all right, but l amt never made no
war on We. don't make war on wom-
enfolks, an besides l wouldn't make
a needless war nohow. All I've got to
do is to give We enough rope an watch
,ye hang yourself"
IF you think that" she demanded,
with a quick ~upleaping Of anger in her
pupils, why did you feel it necessary
to prevent my buying land? Why do
you coerce your v~assals, under fear of
death, to decline my offers? Why.
If my school means no menace, do you
refuse 1t standing room to start its
fight?"
The mans pose stiffened.
"Who told We I'd hindered anybody
from sellin' ye land?"
Wherever inquire it is the same
thing. They must ask permission of
Bad Anse Havey before they can do
as they wish with their own"
"By heaven, that's another lie." he
said shortly. "But l reckon We believe
that, too. | did advise folks hereabouts
against sellin' to strangers. but that
was afore we come"
He paced the length Of the room a
while, then halted before her.
Some Of that property" he went
on, and this time his voice was pas
sionate in its earnestness, has enough
coal an timber on it to make its own
ers rich some day. Have ye seen any
of the coal.minin' sections of these
hills? Well, go an have a look. Ye
won't find any mountaineer richer fer
the development. Yell find 'em plum
dered an cheated an robbed of their
homes by your civilized furriner. I've
done aimed ter perfect my folks
against bein' looted. l aims to go on
pertectin' EN-"
Ignorance won't protect Them" she
insisted.
81 told We we was distrustful of fur.
r%iners," went on Havey. Some day
there1l be a bigger war here than the
Havey-McBriar war. Ye've seen some
thin of that. That other war will be
with your people, an when 1t comes