Taiban Valley news., 1921-10-21
CHAPTER u
In the Gun.

ttt SuG OuRs
Dale found the humble koms Of hi
mountaineer host q home In the fulles
sense Of the word.
At the MONDAY meal, he met Mrs
Moreland and the sons Of the house
hold, and they were exactly as he hat
pictured them. Mrs. Moreland wa,
quiet. motherly, always smiling, a.
straight and real as her husband. TIL,
sons, Caleb and Luke, were as mucf
alike as the fingers on your hands
they were tall and broad-shouldered
grey-eyed and brown-haired.
Before sundown Dale had become
acquainted with the rest of the More
lands, and he liked them, every one
He was at the cabin Of his hosts gray
old father and mother for long time
When S0pper was over John More.
land lighted the big glass lamp In the
best room. and the family and their
guest gathered there to spend the eve
ming. Then the lanky moonshiner and
his mother came in.
Granny Heck had the sharp features
and the stopped, thin figure of witch.
She wore faded blue bandana about
her white head. and she carried long
hickory staff; there was a reed
stemmed clay pipe In her mouth, and
her dark calico skirt had a tobacco
pocket In 1t.
Her son preceded her into the room.
de walked to the, center table, faced
about, and said with low and airy
sweep of his right hand:
bill, old boy. this here's nav. Nav.
she tells forchunes."
$50 this here" creaked Granny
Heck, looking over the brass rims Of
her spectacles. 'is Mr., Bill! Well.
well | jest thought to myself at I'd
come up and see ye, Mr.. Bill, and tell
yore forchune."
She dropped into the rocker that
Caleb had placed for her.
"Addie." she said to the smiling Mrs.
Moreland. twill We bring me a cup half
full o. coffee grounds2"
When the cup came, the fortune
teller took 1t and shook It and patted
II, all the while muttering mysterious
words that she had learned from the
old Indian, Cherokee Joe = which
served her purpose very we'll.
Il see," she mumbled more or less
sepulchrally "a pow'ful good-lookin'
gyurl in caliker dress, with her hair
a-hangin' away down her back. A bare
footed gyurl, with big, purity eyes.
She's a-standin' on low cliff, a-peep-
in' at you through the laurels, Mr.
Bill. This is in the past. -.
I'm the future" she went on slowly.
II see this here as plain as daylight
through a knothole; awful big man,
with curly black hair and curly black
beard, and with eyes like a cliff
hawks; and 1 see you, too, Mr.. Bill;
and see a fight, master fight-Lord
fa' mussy, what a fight But you'll
marry the gyurl after all, Mr.. BILL"
Dale laughed. The old woman had
described Babe Littleford. But who
was the big, dark man? Some fell
low who had lost his heart to the
mountain girl, perhaps.
When the Hecks had gone, John
Moreland leaned forward and touched
his guest on the knee.
'That thar big man mentioned in
tellin' yore forchune," he said, ''might
ha' been Black Adam Ball. Black Adam.
he lives with his pap and mother
few mile up the river. AS big as
q skinned boss, he is, and plumb on
godly strong. He's been a-beggin' Babe
Littleford to marry him TO- year or
two, and she won't listen to hun.
"Ef ever We do haf to fight Black |
ADAM" John Moreland went on, I'VE
want to fight him with a two-eyed |
shotgun and buckshot. He's the mean
est man on earth; snake-broth and
plzen vine is religious aside o. him.
But ontel We begin a-makin' love to
Babe LittlefOrd, / reckon the amt no
danger o. you a-havin' trouble with
Black Adam; and you amt likely, 1
take 1t, to make love to Babe"
"But Babes the best one o. the Lit
tlefords," declared Luke.
John Moreland reached for the
leatherbound old family Bible. He
opened the Book ut random.
ITS about time we was a-goin' to
our rest, and we'll go Jest as soon as
we've had prayers, Mr.. Dale"
When half a chapter from st. Mat
thew had been laboriously but rever-
emily read, the Morelands knelt at
ek~nm -haA~. - aaA N1ane w-A-I