The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-09-29
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Eh, HayesI"
Sure" nodded the mining expert.
Dale was on his way to the new
siding the following morning, when he
met Henderson Goff Again Dale was
forclbly reminded of stories he had
heard and read of Mississippi river
steamboat gamblers of the long ago.
Con- stepped out of the trail smiled
and spoke with apparent good humor.
Dale passed him without word.
Then the shyster coal man called
out, Ready to sell yetT
The Moreand Coal company's man
ager halted and faced about with a
puckering of his brows.
For a fair price, yes"
"Just what would you call fair
price2"
"Oh, somewhere between two and
three hundred thousand" promptly.
Goff shifted, and the corners of his
mouth came down.
"You don't want much. You won't
get it from mel"
IL don't want il from you"
Dale turned and went on. He was
sorry that he had stopped to talk with
the fellow.
That afternoon he again met Con
in the trail The bare sight of the
Shyster made him very angry now, and
his right hand fell upon the butt of
the big revolver on his hip. Goff was
! about TO sldestep in the laurels, when
Dale caught him roughly by the arm.
"See here" he said sharply, you've
about cut your tttIe swath. We've
had enough of you. You can't get this
coal at any price, and the sooner you
get yourself out of this country the
better and safer it will be for you.
To be plain I'm pretty apt to thrash
you the very next time | see you. Now
move ont"
Goff went off laughing wlckediy.
"Oh, all right, Dale; go ahead and
build the little road for me-" he said.
Late that night every sleeper in the
valley of the Doe was awakened by a
great, rumbling explosion, which was
followed almost Immediately by an
other great, rumbling explosion. Be-
fore the reverberations had died
away, Bill Dale had dressed himself
and was standing on the vine-hung
front porch. and he was only a few
seconds ahead of John Moreland-
Then there came the tearing sound
of heavy explosion miles to the east
ward.
do We know what it Isl" inquired
the mountaineer.
They've stolen our dynamite from
the tobacco barn, and blown up the Of
flee and supplies building and the COM
missary building; also they've blown
up the big trestle near the siding
Dale answered.
eats my guess, too" said More
land.
Within the next half hour Dale and
Hayes Major Bradley, and the men.
folk of the Morelands and the Little
fords had gathered around the wreck
of the two big, unfinished frame build,
ings. Dale blamed himself much fol
having left dynamite unguarded in the
tobacco-barn-but nobody else blamed
him for it.
ITS time to let the law in," he said
when he had viewed the jumbled mass
of broken planks and timbers by the
light of lanterns. lie turned to stal
wart Luke Moreland.
You get on my horse and ride u
Cartersville for the sheriff. Tell hin
he can get the best posse in the worlt
right here, If he needs one. It's tn
proper thing, isn't it, major?'
Yes" said Major Bradley. ats the
proper thing. You've got real griev
ance now. But fancy Con- had moth
ing TO do with this; he is shrewt
enough to know that a thing like thii
would cook his goose. Goff has beer
playing a bluff game all along, you
know. Some Balls or some Torreys
perhaps a mixture of both, have don,
this without Goff's knowing anything
about 1t. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
rest several of the Balls and severa
of the Torreys, and try to scare then
into turning states evidence to saw,
themselves"
The major finished In a low tone
because of the probability for caves
droppers, and in this he was wise.
"We1l do that" Dale decided
He faced Hayes, his rlght-hand man
and began to give orders like vet
eran general manager. The men wer'
to take their rifles with them to worl
In the morning, but they were to fir,
no shot unless 1t was in defense o
life or property. In the morning ever.
, available wagon in the valley was t
be sent to the little sawmill that wa
In operation ten miles toward the low
, land for more building material.
By Heck Joined them then. HI
guessed just what had happened
plucked at Dale's sleeve and whis
pered:
"Sposen takes a sneak or two to
ward them lowdown, wa]nut-eyed
knock-kneed, dadblamed Balls ant