The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-09-23

A> NAoA eaA iAN
me feel like a man. Then ! put my
bag down and took him by both shout
d9Is and told him this:
"Look here, Bobby, I'm going to
give you some advice, and you take
1t. You steal Pat and marry her. Steal
Pat and marry her if you have to live
in q hole in a hillside. You're as good
as any of them, and lots better than
most of them. You can work your way
to a better salary. You see,' l told
him, we get about what we deserve
in this world. Most of us don't deserve
much
II asked lim If mother was badly
cut up. lie said she was that she had
tainted. Dad swore aloud, he said,
there In church. l told Bobby good-by
and got aboard the train without say
ing anything about where / was go
ing-but l didn't know myself where
| was going, at the time.
Nov you've heard it. Every word
was truth. If you'll trust me with the
coal, I'll make this land my land, your
people my people. I'll suffer with you
when you suffer, and be happy with
you when you're happy; and when you
fight, I'll fight with you"
The Moreland chief arose, and Bill
Dale arose. The hillman put out his
hand, and Dale gripped 1t.
Il believe in We, Bill" said John
Moreland. go another thing, I've
seed We fight. You can work the coal"
He looked toward the closed inner
door and called, "Oh, Addie; you and
the boys can come back now"
Out Of the night a face appeared at
one Of the small windows. 1t was a
feminine face and handsome rather
than pretty. Two slender, sunburned
hands gripped the window-ledge nerv-
ously. The face pressed closer to the
glass. then disappeared. Soon after
ward the outer door Of the guests
room opened, and Ben L%ittleford's
daughter entered. Her skirts were
dripping wet.
Mrs. Moreland arose and went to-
ward the young woman She knew
that only something Of great impor-
lance could bring a Littleford into her
home In this fashion.
"What's the matter, Babe?"
Babe Littleford gave nc attention
to Mrs. Moreland. She went on to
Bill Dale, walking softly on bare feet.
BLACK Adam is a-goin' to kill you
tonight, Bill Dale"
surh.& CO ~, n,loI, c,ogJo uyoe rothnr
grim. How did you find that out,
Miss Littleford?"
Il found it out, all right. AS he
went off from the river this mornin',
l made fun Of him and he patted tho
stock Of his rifle and said he'd git you
through a window! He was at our
house this evenin' to help fix pap's
| gun, and when he left he started this
way, a-goin' by the blowed-down syca-
more l waded the river at Blue Cat
| shoals to beat him here. I thought you
might want to know about 1t, SOS We
could mebbe save other folks the trou-
bic O. maxim a funeral TO ye."
She backed toward the door, her
eyes eve leaving Dale's face. Another
second, and she was gone.
They were all on their feet now.
John Moreland gripped Dale's arm.
"Over thar aside O. the chimbley,
Bill" he ordered, his native drawl for
the moment absent. "Out, Addie,
honey! Luke, bring my rifle and hat
jump keen! Gale, bring water and
drownd this here fire
1t was done. Moreland took his hat
and the repeater and went alone into
the night.
When some fifteen minutes had
passed, there came to Dale's ears the
sound of shooting. There were ten
shots In such rapid succession that they
made almost a continuous roar Then
came echoes and reverberations, and
then silence. Soon John Moreland let
himself into the dark room.
His wife's voice was low and filed
with anxiety:
"What happened, John?"
A dull thud came through the dark
ness as her husbands rifle-butt struck
the floor.
This is what happened, Addie: AS
/ passed the cawner o. the house, I got
down that thar old oXwhip to take
along. I went acrost the road and into
the meadow, and thar I seen Adam
Ball a-comin'. ! hid, and when Adam
was about to pass me, ! jumped up
and jerked his rife from him and
busted 1t ag'in a rock. Then | lights
in and thrashes him with the Oxwhip
ontel he broke and run And EN- this
here happened, Addie:
81 was a-watchln' to see eff Adam
had RELY went Off, when ! seed a man
a-comin' toward me fast. l thought
Il was Ball, o. course. So / up and
tells him to show me how fast he can
run and commences a-shOOtin' over
his head to skeer him. But 1t didn't
happen to be Adam Ball-it was Ben
Littleford! He was a.follerin' Babe
to see what she was up to, o. course"
How do we know II was Ben, papT
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