Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1921-09-15
Copyright By Doubleday. Page d %.
CHAPTER xIII-Continued.
illustrations by Irwin Myers

watches. The first was to renal
awake and on guard until midnight
and the other was to 60 on duty iron
midnight until dawn. The secon,
watch, with which was the faction
leader, had nightcap Of the vitrioli,
whisky, flung itself sprawling on TIL,
ground and straightway went to sleep
The first watch sat around thu
cracking brushwood fire and playet
cards for chews Of tobacco, cartridges
ana pocket knives, sang strange an6
outland1sh songs and drank more
whisky. One very drunk Torrey gam
Died away all his tobacco, all his cart.
ridges, his knife, his rifle and his belt
MS coat and his hat, his boots and his
shlrt-and offered to bet his trousers
ana his ears on the turn of single
caro- 1t was funny, and 1t was dis
gushing, too. 1t was all the work of
whisky, which Bill Dale had always
mated because 1t made men fools, made
them mouth their secrets and made
them commit murder.
After some two hours of these worse
than bacchanalian orgies the first
watch, heavy with drink, stopped play
Ing cards and singing outlandish
songs, forgot all orders and began to
nod. Then it was that Dale thought
OF the man who had been his faithful
guardian for many days, the lanky
BY Heck. Why hadn't he thought of
Heck before? He wondered If Heck
had followed him to the trap, if Heck
was near him even then. If Heck had
gone for help.
BY Heck had not followed Bill Dale
to the little basin. But he had fol-
lowed Henderson Golf, and Henderson
Golf had followed Dale to the little
basin. Golf had returned to the Big
Pine Mountain country only that day
md he knew nothing Of the plans of
the Ball-Torrey faction until he wit
messed the mockery of a trial. Golf
was now crouching In the darkness on
the low line of cliffs to the eastward
from the walnut tree; and not far
behind him, well hidden in the black
laurels, watching him and watching
Bill Dale, crouched BY Heck.
Dale's guardian had not gone for
help, because he feared to leave Dale
utterly unprotected In the hands of
the gang of cutthroats He believed
that he could rescue Dale himself.
When the first watch became a little
more drowsy, he would steal up be-
hind the tree and cut the cotton rope.
Then he realized that Golf had dis
appeared entirely. He crept forward
silently, his eyes alert, and moment
later he saw Golf stealing toward the
walnut tree. He climbed noiselessly
down over the face of the cliff and
followed Golf like shadow. When
COTS hands touched the tree, BY Heck
was within ten feet of It. Heck made
sure his rife was ready and took an.
other step forward. watching, listen
ing.
The shyster coal man leaned around
the tree to the left. In the glow of |
the low-burned fire the blade of a
small knife In his hand cleaned dull |
red. He whispered cautiously:
You're In fix. Dale. And it's |
none of my doing. either. Give me
your word that I'll get that coal prop
erty for fifteen thousand, and I'll slash
the rope. How about It? Sick of t
this country, aren't your
There came few seconds of silence /
save for the lusty snoring of the sleep
ers and the musical tinkle of the little 1
creek, after which Golf muttered dis
well, then, hang!"
And Heck. knew that Dale had re-
fused to sell the Moreland coal for
song even to save his life. AS Golf
stepped backward, the muzzle Of the
tall hillman's rifle went against the
small of his back, and the tall hillman
whispered hoarsely, through teeth
tightly clenched:
"Slash at rope, d--n yore soull
Slash at rope, or I wisht / may drap
dead ct l don't shoot yore backbone
into four thousand pieces, igod! Slash
itw
Golf Strengthened In surprise. The
rifles muzzle went harder against his
back and he knew 1t for exactly what
It was. He moved a hand upward.
then downward and the cotton rope
was severed In half dozen places.
"Stiddy thar, now" whispered By
Heck, and he began to back away.
Come along wi me, We dadslatted.
skunk. Bill he'll foller.'
The three Of them hurried into the
ieeper shadows Soon Heck halted
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