The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-11-25
CHAPTER xII-Contlnued.

~
John Moreland turned up the light
q little, and cracked a worn but time
ly 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 We do US the ia
vor O akin the blessin', eff We p~lease?'
"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 MOreland who had cooked 1t, for
pe9+!e, and for Bill Dale. .
~ was almost midnight when the
visitors left. They had been sitting
outside. on the honeJsuckle-scented
trout porch and In the cabin yard. AT
last BIZ Dale and John Moreland
wese left together on the porch.
There's a thing that has puzzled
me since the moment l got here this
evening"" said Dale. "Why Is it that
nobody seems to be %grieving over
Caleb's being In jail?"
The big hillman's answer came al
most sharply: mo Moreland ever
grieved over a sacrifyce, Bill"
Dale sat up straight. "A sacrifice
What do you mean?"
This time the big hillman's answer
,n,,o clo.,1, UI ,oon. sn% Cola hos
a-takin' all O. the load off o yore
shoulders at he can. Gale he's a-takin'
yore place in Jail ontel the trial comes
off, 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. curse you'll do It; we hain't
never doubted that TO one little min
ute, Bill. But it wasn't all done TO
yore sake. You're the hope O. the
Morelands, and you can do a heap
more here an Caleb an"
He leaned toward Bill Dale and
went on in a confidential tone:
"And l can tell We this here. eff
you're found guilty O. KILN Adam
Ball, and sentenced TO- ever one year,
the Morelands and the Littlefords is
a-goin' to take ye from the officers and
turn We loose with a good, long start
on the law"
wouldn't that be rather"
Dale broke off because he had seen
the tall figure Of a man appear In the
open gateway. 1t was BY Heck, and
he spoke.
Hello, John Moreland I"
Hello 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.
"Tve got news TO We, BILL" he said,
recognizing Dale even in the dark
ness. "Tve been a-eavesdrappln' up
at old Balls house, and had to choke
about ten dawgs to do 1t. Bill, old
boy, them Balls has done swore by
everything on earth and In Heaven
and in Torment at they'll Kill you eff
the law don't. Igod, ye'd better watch
out, Bill"
John Moreland rose from his chair.
Much obleeged to we, BY. And good
night to We. Les go into the house,
Bill. I didn't think them ID pole
cuts had that much narve-and don't
hardly believe 1t Wit, 1t might ha' been
white Ticker a-talkin. Their kind o
white ticker amt hawnest, like BY
Heck's IL, though his'n Is bad enough.
Their kind1l make a man resurrect
his dead inemieS out o. the graveyard
and shoot EN- up all over again. II
tint a-goln' to do a great deal o. harm,
Bill, eff We don't light no lamp when
ye 60 TO bed. A man CANT never tell
Jest WHAT'S a-gOin' to happen"
"And the Be!i-Torrey outfit" Dale
began, when the Moreland chief cut in
"Ef the Ball-Torrey outfit posters
you. they're every one purity burned
apt to die with what is knowed genial
w IN this section as the r~ifle-bullet dis
"s,-.'