Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-08-23

would COOK his goose. UOH iiaS Ueeii
maying a bluff game all along, you
know. Some Balls or some Torreys.
perhaps mixture of both, have done
this without, Goff's knowing anything
about 1t. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
rest several Of the Balls and several
of the Torreys, and try to scare them
into turning states evidence to save
themselves"
The major finished in a low tone,
because Of the probability for caves
droppers, and in this he was wise.
"We'll do that" Dale decided. -
He faced Hayes, his right-hand man,
and began to give orders like a vet
eran general manager. The men were
to take their rifles with them to work
In the morning, but they. were to; frP
no shot unless 1t was in defense or
life or property. In the morning every
available wagon in the valley was TO
be sent to the little sawmill that was
in operation ten miles toward the low
land for more building material.
BY Heck joined them then. He
guessed just what had happened,
plucked at Dale's sleeve and whis-
pered:
"Sposen I takes sneak or two TO-
ward them lowdown, walnut-eyed,
knock-kneed, dadblamed Balls and
Torreys and finds out what can find
out; hey, Blll?"
The answer came readily: "Slre.
you be detective. But be careful that
you don't lose anything for US, y
know, If you don't gain anything" :
BY Heck and his rifle disappeared
in the darkness Of the mountain night.
A little after work-time that day,
Bill Dale started alone on the way OF
the narrow-gauge railroad for the Sid
ing. He wished to see for himself just
what the damage had been to the
trestle, and he hoped to meet Con, or
Ball, or a Torrey, and learn some
thing that would be to his advantage
Before he had covered two miles, he
had seen two Of the enemy skuikine
through the woods, and he recognized
them for Torreys from Jerusalem
Cove and Hatton's He'll; he knew u
by their very swarthy skin, their high
cheekbones and their coarse black
hair, the outcropplngs of the Cherokee
Indian blood In them. They looked
cunning. and wicked. Dale loosened
In its holster the big revolver thai
Major Bradley had persuaded him to
carry for his own protection. John
Moreland had taught him how to use
firearms.
At a point near where the little
stream that flowed past the Halfway
switch emptied into Doe river, where
Doe river turned almost squarely to
the left, Dale halted abruptly. He had
seen man dart behind scrubby oak
some thirty yards ahead of him; quite
naturally, he concluded that the fel
low meant to waylay him, and he, too
stepped behind tree, big hemlock
A silent minute went by. Then Dale
put his hat out on one side OF the tree
and peeped from the other side; u
was an old trick that Grandpap More
land had told him about. A rifle
cracked promptly and sharply. and q
bullethole appeared in the rim OF his
hat!
Following 1t, there came the coarse.
bass voice of Black Adam Ball, the
mountaineer Goliath:
"You CANT fool me. / Jest shot TO
nut q hole IN yore new hat and to
show We at l amt no bad shot. You
caln't hit my hat!"
Dale's temper, the temper that had
always been so hard to keep under
control, rose quickly. He tried to rea
son with himself, and couldn't; MS
passion mastered him. He snatched
the big revolver from Its holster and
cooked it. With as steady a hand as
ever held q weapon trained, he began
to take ain at Balls siouch hat, the
half of which was In plain view at one
side Of the scrubby oak.
"I fooled you once, back there IL
the SlIadle Of the river" he cried hot
ly, "aid now I'm going to fool you
againl"
There was In his voice that old, old
primitive rage, which frightened him,
and puzzled him too, in his better mo-
ments.
He let down the bead until 1t was
barely visible In the notch, and eased
Off the trigger. The revolver roared
and spat forth tiny tongue OF hame
and little cloud Of white smoke. Ball
sprang erect, wheeled, and fell crash
ing to the leaves!
Dale dropped his weapon. lie went
as white as death, and his two hands
clutched uncertainty at his throat. de
was murderer! No, he wasn't-his
bullet had gone wild; 1t had struck
Balls head on the other side OF the
tree, by accident. But now could he
prove that 1t had been an accident!
Would any jury beliece him? 1t was
far from probable.
He stepped from behind the hem
lock and went toward the writhing
Goliath, whose legs only were visible
now.
rpban third shot rang out on the