The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-09-23

Ill WAS nlne-ran fenss, BY. I'M
patiently cut In John Moreland,
You've done told that sa much at
| It's dang nigh wore out s'posen ye
80 back thar to the orchard ahind o.
the house and see what Gale and
Luke's a-doin'; hey. rs"
Heck nodded and went toward the
orchard. He knew they didn't want
him to overhear what they were going
to say, but 1t didn't offend him. Ii
wasn't easy to offend the good-natured
Heck.
Moreland turned to Dale. "WelIf'
Dale turned to Hayes.
Were going TO begin the building
of the little railroad mt the earliest
possible moment. And because don't
know anything about the work, I'm
going to ask you TO take the lead. Now,
there may be some fighting. / don't
want you to go into this thing blind
ly, you see. IL you're going TO with
draw at all, do 1t now"
..Tm not a stranger to hghting.'
Hayes replied smiIngly. 1--WE been
through half dozen coal strikes.
think You may count on me, Mr.. Dale"
Then lay out q plan for immedi-
ate action.
I'D suggest" acdulesced Hayes,
that we send to the little town In
the lcwland for supply OF picks and
shovels, axes and saws, hammers,
drills, and explosives. In the mean
time, you and can stake out the
way for the track"
Ii sounded businessllke, Dale
thought.
Within the hour John Moreland and
his son Caleb started for Gainesville
on foot, and in the older mans pocket
was money sufficient to buy the things
that were needed.
Dale and Hayes set out for the north
end of David Moreland's mountain,
and each of them carried hand-ax
for making stakes.
II was not often that the quiet Hayes
permitted himself to 30 into raptures
over anything; however, he went In
to raptures over the Moreland coal.
II was, he declared, one Of the best
propositions he had ever seen. 1t
was no wonder that Henderson Con
was determined to get possession of
1t, he said
Then they went to work.
by shutdown two days later they had
| chosen the route for the narrow-gauge
railroad and set stakes accordingly.
Hayes told his general manager that
with o good force of men the last rail
could be put down within two months.
During those two days they had
several times seen Henderson Goff in
] company with Black Adam Ball and
/ some of his relatives, once they had
| come upon Gotf talking earnestly with
| Saul Littleford, the big, bearded. gaunt
| brother of the Littleford chief. Hayes
reminded Dale OF this, and said to
him further:
| "Goff will have the Littlefords on
his side the first thing You know!
Maybe some of the Llttlefords, as well
as some of the Balls, knew about this
coal before David Moreland got his
mountain by states grant at few cents
per acre. Ii you'll take my advice, Mr..
Dale, you'll make friends of these two
sets just as quick as you can"
Dale thrust his hand-ax inside his
belt and turned to the mining expert.
"D'you know, was thinking of that
piled, And believe can manage it,
now that Miss Littleford's accidental
| woundlng has given the old feud such
| a big blow. I'm fairly sure can man
age il SO far as Ben Littleford is con-
cerned; It's John that's going to be
| hard TO bring to taw. He should be
/ home this evening, II he's had good
luck, and LII tackle him as soon as he
comes"
Together they started across David
| Morelands mountain, walking rapidly,
with Dale leading.
! Darkness came down on them when
1 they had covered half the distance.
The great hemloeks and poplars
doomed spectral and gaunt in the early
starlight. The almost impenetrable
thickets of laurel and ivy whispered
uncunny things, and their seas OF pink
and snowy bloom looked somehow
ghostly. Now and then there was the
pattering OF some little animals feet
on the dry, hard leaves OF bygone
years. A solitary brown owl poured
1 out its heart In weird and melancholy
cries to the night II loved. There was
the faint, far-ofr baying of a hound,
and the soft swish OF Nightmares
wings.
/ Men from the core OF civilization
must feel these things Of the wilder
4 ness.
4 suddenly Dule drew hnck and stool
still. In the trail ahead, stantiing a.
motieniess as the trees abou, him, wa
the tall figure Of man. II was almost
as though be We're there to bar the