South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-06
The Blackjack Bargainer

Bethel rested upon the foothills
OF The Blue Ridge Above 90 the
mountains were piled 90 the sky Far
beioW 10 he turtid Catawba cleaned
yellow along its dlscCnsolate valley.
The June day was az It's sultriest
hour. Bethel dozed fra the tepid
shade. Trade was not 1t was 90
stiil that Goree. reclining fn his
chair, distinctly heard the clicking
% the chips 90 the grand jury
room, where the court house gang
was playing poker From the open
back door Of the Office "a well-vgo ru
path meandered across the grassy
TOT 20 the court house The treadinp
OF THAI path had cost Coree ali he
ever had-frst inheritance Of "a few
thousand dollars. next the old family
Rome. and. Iatterly the last shreds
or hls self-respcCt and manhood.
ne gang had cleaned him out.
me broken gambler had turned
nFunkard and parasite, ne had lived
go see ms day come when the men
VINO had stripped him denied him A
seat At the game. His word was no
longer 20 be taken. The daily Douts
at cards had arranged itself accord
ln9i}t and o. him was assigned the
lgnoble part II the onIooker. The
sheTlu, the county clerk a sportfve
deputy gay attorney and "a chalk
laced man halIing from the valley"
sat az a table. and the sheared one
was mus tacitly advised 20 90 and
grow more wool
soon wearying OF his ostracism.
'foTee had departed for his office
rnutterinE % himself aa he uusraad-
I1 iraFersed the unluckv pathway.
AFTER drink OF corn whisky from a
demiJChn under the table. he had
Ilung himself into the chair. star
ing. IN sort Of n1audliu apathy. ont
dl the mountains immersed I'm the
summer haze The little white match
me saw away up on the side Of
blackjack was Laurel the village
near which he had been born ana
pred There. also. was the birth
place OF the feud between the Coreea
ana the Coltranes Now no direct
lelF OF the Gorees survived except
ms plucked and singed bird Of mis-
LoItuhe- To the Coltranes. also. but
one male supporter was left Col
AoneF Coltrane. a man OF substance
: and standing. a member Of tbo 80.
legislature. and a contemporary with
Eorees father. The fued had been
typical one of the region. fl had
IeIt g red record Of hate. wrong and
But fancey Gorre was not think
ING OF teuds. His bcfuddIed brain
vas hopelessly attacking the prob-
rem OF the future maintenance 90
himself and his favorite follies or
iate' old friends OF the family ba.d
seen 20 10 that he had whereof
20 eat and place 10 sleep bur
WhlsAy they would not buy for him
ana ne must have whisky. His Law,
bes 50 was extinct. no case had
Hltf listed to him i'm two wears.
He mad been a borrower "a .
sponge. and it seemed mar II be foii
no Io"er -lt would DE from Iack 80
opportunity. One more chance-be
was saving 20 himseIf-if ne had ~
more stake 40 the game. he thougbt
ne could win. but he Sad notb3,~
lsit % sell. and his credit vv1s NOR
than eXhaLSt6d. '''0i z
de. could not help smiling. even IN
ms misery Us. n 2 -7hp4lelfT ~ The -aar
20 Whom six months before he bad
SOLO the old Goree homestead There
Hau come from back yam" in The
.lIou'l'aInS two of TIE strangest crea-
man named Pike Ciafvev
- u Wte. Rack yam" with a
wave or the hand toward the btus
was understood among No , ms
tanners 10 designate the re+,,C -.
tastii eSses, the uuplumbed rorgss
the haunts Of v-breakers IN
NoIL S den, and the boudoir of 81
1eoi. IN the cabin far up ON Rlac1--
JACK ; shoulder. i'm the zyiIdest ,,.-+
OF these retreats. this odd coi,~Is
had iVed for 20 years. They Ma
heIther dog nor children 10 r,i,i,,' -
~ Hea'H silence or the hills Pic
IaIFey was little known In the set
1lelnFnts. but all who had death
.N!hi pronounced him cray az
,ooii' he Acknowledged no occu-
- ~ mat ot squirrel hunter
out ne 'moonshinedf occasfonaTI,. -,
way or diversion 0rcc ~ - ~
enues- had dragged him iron, Lt.
,dlr hghtinE silently and desnsr, -
IKE terrier and he had -,
70 states prison for two wears
- 1sed, ne had popped back into
''9 mole IKE an angry weasel
'i tune passing over n1an,- INV
ous Wooers. made "a freakfsb flie-Lt
mo biacklack's boskv port-ots ~ az
sllIie upon Pike and his faitbf,,]
, one day "a party Of specialized
80 =, oocA cred. and altogether an
it,- 80 80 Si3ectors invaded the 1icfn-
81 ''.e GaIVe} cabin. Pike lift-
MS squirrel rifle off tho 49,
ana took "a shot at tba,,, n :
-dHhe on the chance of thor hl5,ss
tehueS Happily he missed -
- unconscious agents of GOOD -
nearer. disclosing their 49,.
OF anything resembling Ian.
Justice Later on. tbev oey,r-.,
FdLFey an enormous o,4,~+f...
eadl' green. crisp mona,- -
eI'eI 'V-acre patch OF cleared -,
-'ielelonlng. as am excuse fo7, -,
mao action. some irrelevant -
''aoequate nonsense about n bo,J e
- underlying the said proDert,-
men the GarNcyS became nos
- OF so many dollars that fbav,
s't-.- ~ e9mputinC them. the de-
$500 on NE on Blackjack began
- STOW prominent "a hogShead of+,,
oacco 90 set in The corner
lock 20 his rifle. and. fs7dire ~
tetIa % q certain spot on the r,o,rr
talnside. ne pointed out fo h., -.
sHlaH cannon doubtless tbt-r
not beyond the SCOPE of thc;~ -
tune IN price-uight be pisrfad -,
As 20 command and defend tbs 80
accessible trail 90 the cabin - .to
toll 9Sion OF revenues and rneddriD-
strangers forever.
but Adam reckoned v-ftbor- t,fe
-Ne- These thInzs represented -
MIN the applied power of wo1lt5
OUT There slumtered in his si7c,.
Sto-n an ambition that scared far
aooEe ms primitive wants. some
where in Mrs. Garvev's bosoD, stfu
survived spot of feufufuffv vD
starved by 20 Years of Rlactisrt
or 60 long time the sounds =, -
ears mad been the >calybarks dron.
ping in The woods 40 noon and 49,.