Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-23
CHAPTER XXxvJ

I'm an American" 1 retorted hot
ly. II have business wherever I
choose to CO."
But to come spyin' on me like
this!" he was mad and raved on
II see now. You are a 'ferriner.'
You come out hyar to catch onto
things. You was sent, not to nurse,
but to spy!" and he spit tobacco
juice angrily, and looked at me like
l was poison! It hurt, because it was
unjust.
Hush, Jason; I'm your friend!"
I said it in a low, tense voice, look
ing him square in the eye. He low
cred his swapping black eyes then.
II wouldn't give you away for
anything. Believe what I say to
you. AS God hears me, I came here
to help your wife and you! couldn't
be the cause Of sending you to the
penitentiary. Jason, why are you
moonshiner? There's some reason.
Tell me-
He glowered at me fiercely, a
strange look of fear born in all in
slant, died out as quickly as it had
come. My every movement must
have proved to him my conscience
was clear Of any thought to spy on
him in order to turn him over to the
law.
"I amt sayin' it's any your bust
ness"
Il amt sayin so, either, Jason.
Only, I'd love to know. I'm wom-
an and my curiosity Is burning to
know. Doesn't the farm make you
a 1iving?"
Il mought could live off'n it, but
Wife's been down off and on for SO
long. She can't help me no more
in the fields, and Warren he said an
operation had to be sooner or later
in case she ever lived, an I hadn't
the money for that, an this was
easy money. Folks is gofn' to have
their liquor, I tell you! Law or no
law. They aim to have it, an I saw
where I could lay by a sight Of
money, easy money, and give wife
her operation by time she was able
to go through with it, That's in
the main why I took to be a moon
sinner, as you called it, and he
glared at me as if defying me to
say it was otherwise.
Jason, what if they get your" I
asked. o..
'"They won't, unless you go cheep
it," he was sure.
Upon my word of honor; who do
you think I am anyway? Why, ia
son, 1 owe YOU" L stopped sud
denly. TO tell him who 1 was would
tell him 1 owned the farm. 1 hushed.
He looked at me wonderingly, then
said, I'll take your word. That
was my boy whistled. He's my
guard. Folks thinks he works in
town, but he lays out down here.
He's fixed UP purity good, too, an we
sure have him slowed away purity
nice. He's got his shack an eats
down hyar," he concluded. I wanted
to go on a tour of inspection, and
told him SO.
After celebrating for a moment,
he agreed provided I'd swear to ST.
lence hereafter. l promised faith
fully. So then I saw the first still
in operation I'd ever seen. 1t was
quite an experience. But was
afraid-for Jason's folks I told him
as much, but he only laughed ana
allowed somebody would die be-
fore he was ever took.
Atferward. I had my misgivings.
[ argued vainly for him to quit while
the quitting was good, but he wanted
to make Just a "leetle" more money.
That's usually the way it goes.
Mrs. Sanford improved so that 1
felt free to return to the Greer
House to finish my rest.
But I'd learned many things. Some
men, agents for a large mining con-
Germ, were looking over the farm,
with a view to purchasing same. The
old abandoned mine was inspected
carefully, samples Of surface ma
terials were carried away to head
quarters.
Also, adjoining my place was the
old Warren homestead. where Clarke
was born. There were two hundred
acres of It. but his father died
poor, and the man who held the
mortgage foreclosed. This same
man lived on the place now. 1 pre-
tended I knew a person who might
buy, If he'd sell at all reasonable.
1 could see he'd sell. if ready money
were forthcoming. a mild. sweet
idea was born within my heart!
CHAPTER XXXVIT.
The mining company's agents
thought themselves very shrewl
men, Under pretense of looking it
over for farming purposes, they Oh
tanned ore samples. And, one day,
I'd been down in the woods enjoy.
ing the coming of spring that had