Licking Valley courier., 1921-10-06
Me-o-nny,.

made table.
John Moreland turned up the light
little. and cracked a worn but time
" Joke; then he looked toward one
OF the men whom he had fought
throughout many years, and muttered
into his thick brown beard:
saul, friend, will ye do us the IA
Wor O. AKIN the blessln', eff ye pleaseT
"Shore, John, O. course"
Saul LittlefOrd, the very illiterate,
laced his big fingers together across
his plate, bent his head, and told the
good Almighty that they were all
very much obliged to Him for the fine
supper they had before them, for Ad-
die Mpreland who had cooked 1t, for
peace, and for Bill Dale.
II was almost midnight when the
visitors left. They had been sitting
outside, on the honeysuckle-scented
front porch and In the cabin yard. AT
last Bill Dale and John Moreland
were left together on the porch.
"There's thing that has puzzled
me since the moment l got here this
evening"" said Dale. "Why is 1t that
nobody seems to be grlevlng over
Caleb's being in jail?"
The big hlllman's answer came al
most sharply: mo MOreland ever
grieved over a sacrifyce, BILL"
Dale sat up straight. "a sacrifice !
What do you meanT
This time the big hlllman's answer
came slowly. ~ mean at Gale he's
a-,akln' all O. the load of o yore
shoulders at he can. Gale he's a-takin'
| yore place In jail ontel the trial comes
of, which1l be at the October term
o. cote. He trusts you to come back
and set him free on the day o the
trial. o. course you'll do 1t; we hain't
never doubted that TO one little min
ute, Bill. But 1t wasn't all done fo'
yore sake. You're the hope o the
Morelands, and you can do heap
more here an Caleb can"
He leaned toward Bill Dale and
went on In confidential tone:
"And can tell ye this here. ef
you're found guilty O killin' Adam
Ball, and sentenced TO- even one year,
the Morelands and the Llttlef0rds is
a.gOln' to take We from the officers and
turn We loose with a good, long start
on the law"
"Nouldn't that he rather"
Dale broke off because he had seen
the tall figure of man appear in the
open gateway. II was BY Heck, and
he spoke.
"Hello, John MorelandW
"Helio yeself" growled Moreland
who was not at all pleased at the In
terruption.
Heck advanced, carrying his rifle
by Its muzzle. He halted with one
foot on the stone step.
ave got news 70 ye, Bill" he said
recognizing Dale even in the dark
ness. "'ve been a.eavesdrappln' III
at old Balls house, and ! had TO CHOKE
about ten dawgs to do II. Bill, 0l'
boy, them Balls has done swore b!
everything on earth and In HeaveI
and In Torment at they'll kill you e
the law don't. lgod, ye'd better watcl
out, Bill"
John Moreland rose from his chair
"Much obeeged to ye, BY. And good
night to We. Les go into the house
Bill. didn't think them ID pole
cats had that much narve-and | don
hardly believe 1t yit. II might ha' bee
white licker a-talkln. Their kind
white Ticker amt hawnest, like b
Heck's is, though hls'n is bad enough
Their klnd'll make man resurreC
his dead lnemles out o. the graveyar
and shoot 'em up Nil over again.
aln't a.goln' to do a great deal o harm
Bill, ef ye don't light no lamp whe
ye 60 10 bed A man caln't never te
Jest what's a-goln' to happen"
"And the Ball-Torrey outfit" Dal
began. when the Moreland chief cut In
4 "Ef the Ball.Torrey outfit pester
you, they're every one purity durne
ant to die with what Is knowed gen'a
" in this section us the rllle-bullet di
ense."