The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-09-01

Babe Littleford bushed. He went
on. to hide her confusion. Tell me
| about the rifles"
! -.fou must shore keep It secret
| she told him.
|. II PROMISE"
Better put yore hook In. SOS ef any
body comes aro1gz'' -----
Dale threw out an empty hook.
II want to tell ye some other things
fust SOS yen understand better when
| come to the part about the rifles"
Babe began, looking thotightfully
| across the water TO where kingtisher
sat In watchfulu waiting. She ,contn.
ued slowly. choosing her words care
fully, u was brought up TO hate them
Morelands, butt don't think | do. My
people Is Jest like the Morelands. The
| biggest difference ye can find is that
| one side mostly has grey eyes like
you and 'other side mostly has brown
| eyes like me. All but their everlustin'
hghtin' they're good people, Blli Dale.
| Each side. We see, Is brought up to
hate fother side. I'm ashamed to tell
| II, butt understand the fust plain
words my Uncle Saul Llttlefords last
baby said was these here: D-n John
Morelnnd" II started long time ago,
aud 1t started over nothln' Grnndpap
Littleford and John Moreland's pap
! got in a dispute over whether Kahn
lucky was IN Nirglnny or Nawth Ca
liner, and went to hghtin about il.
| Purity soon my Uncle Saul and Abner
| Morelnnd happened along. and they
went TO fightin', too. Thank goodness,
| u was on Sunday, and none of 'em
] lidnt have their rifles with 'em. What.
! ever else we are or ain't up here, BIZ
Dale. we gen'ally respects the Sabbath
day TO keep II holy {. -
| 81 see Dale muttered sympathet-
lrally.
| I've seen my own mother set down
In the floor and take her boys head
In her lap-oh. such II big fine boy he
was while the blood run through her
dress from Moreland's bullet He
died with mothers arms and mine
around him. II was all we could do
TO him, was TO Ave him. I've seen sis
ters watch their brothers die from
Moreland bullets, and young wimmen
watch their sweethearts die, and wives
watch their husbands die.
II tell you. Bill Dale, them More
lands never misses when they have
even half fair shot. You'd be puff
! fectly safe In a-Iettin' any of 'em shoot
dimes from atween yore finger and
thumb all day. And It's the same way
with the Littlefords. They're fighters,
too, every one. ans tiey don't give In
any more than the Morelands does.
"Addie Moreland knows what II is
10 take her dyin' boy's head in her lap.
whilst blood run through her dress to
her knees. His name was Charley,
| and he was bad he'd drink. and oncet
he shot up Cartersville. Hut Addie.
she allus loved him bettor'n Gale or
Luke. Wimmen like her alus loves
the worst boys the best; cause they
need II the most. the worst boys does.
ITS the wimmen that pays, Bill
Dale, when the's tightin'. The vim
men o. this valley Is right now on
needles; they're afeard the'men1l find
their rifles. You can guess whur the
| guns went to now. cain't ye? The vim
men hid 'em last night after the men
had gone to sleep! by good luck, they
had almost whole night 70 it. You
must be shore To keep IL to Yourself
hut | know we win. Addle Morelnnd,
/ she started the idee She got Granny
| Moreland TO spread the word amongst
| the wimmen o my people When the
| tightn' fever sor' o dies down the
guns'l all he bror .,ht back and put
whar they belong" .
She arose and stood there smiling
| down, upon him. lie was staring at
the swirling water without seeing IL
nj oil.
Her voice brought him to himself.
"What're you a-thinkin' about, Bin
Daley"
Dale went TO his feet lie saw that
she was smiling, and he smiled, too.
81 was thinking" ne said. "of the
difference between you and some other
women | know
Her clear brown eyes widened.
And reckon ! seem purity no count,
don't IT.
NO, not at all. II ls--er. quite the
opposite, Babe. You make them ap-
pear unreal, artificial"
Babe Littlefords countenance bright
ened. She did not doubt that he meant
| IL. lie was not of the sort that flat
| tered. She began to like BIZ Dale nj
that same moment.
And Bill Dale told himself as he
Went homeward that he was beSlnnins
TO like Babe Littleford. He did not
| fight the feeling, because II somehow
made the world seem "A better place.
Early the following morning Dale
made ready for his journey to Cincin-
natl. Having learned the evening be-
fore thnt he was going, by Heck had
come to accompany him TO the Half
way switch.
| The two set out. They had three
/ a