The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-09-30

"The devil I"
The m~Ountaineers began to crowd
about Dale.
And who" asked their leader, 'do
We think done it,"
Bill Dale shook his head slowly and
threw out his hands.
How should l know?'" He went
on Babe told me about the Littleford
guns disappearing. | saw her down
at the river; she was fishing
did she say anything" pursued
John Moreland, lat sounded like she
knowed whar them guns went to?"
"She told me-" said Dale, "she would
give her life to stop the fighting. She
seemed rather badly worked up over
it,"
From the cabins front doorway came
a Woman's SOrrowful voice:
And me, too; I'd give my life to
stop this here hghtin'. / had a boy,
a big, %strappin' boy"
John Moreland frowned toward his
wife and interrupted, Now, Addie,
honey, don't do that"
II ended the talk.
Mrs. Moreland dried her eyes on Il
corner Of her freshly ironed gingham
apron, and announced the MONDAY
meal. The mountaineers dispersed.
Grandpap Moreland went away claw
ing at his long white beard and gruIn-
bling over the loss Of his beloved Old
Lancaster.
An hour later Dale cOrnered the
Moreland leader on the vine-hung
front porch and suggested that they
look over the coal property that after
noon. He was eager to go to work,
eager to be doing something worth
while, he told Moreland. The hillman
stood very still for what seemed to
the other a very long time, and had
no word to say. Evidently the feud
had all his mind now.
When he did speak, he said simply:
"All right, Bill"
After half IN hour of fighting their
way through thickets Of blooming lau-
rel and ivy, they drew up before an
old and widowed cabin at the north
end OF David MOreland's mountain.
Moreland led the way in and pointed
to q spot under a small, %paneless win
dow.
Thar said he. lis whar we found
my brother David"
The two men turned for the point
at which the coal vein ran out to tie
light Of day.
Dale picked up q piece OF the shin
ing black stuff. Judging by the little
he knew and the great amount of de-
scription he had heard, the vein was
very large and the coal itself Of the
finest grade.
1t was a big tind," he told his com-
paniOn, "a big find. 1t was q pity to
let 1t lie here untouched for s. long /;
and yet It's worth more today thar 1t
was ever worth before"
HIS enthusiasm ran warm, and More
land caught it quickly. Together they
hastily planned out the little railroad
that was to wind It's way through the
wilds and connect with the big rail
road at the Halfway switch.
IL know I'm a-dOin' right about It,"
the mountaineer said twice for the
benefit of his conscience. ." know
pore David he would want me to do
this eff he could know"
I'm sure of it," agreed Dale. I'll
start for Cincinnati tomorrow. I've
got enough money to take me there
and back. l have a very wealthy
friend there-his name is Harris; l
think l can borrow enough from him
to finance the beginning of this thing.
And I'll buy q locomotive and cars,
and all the other necessary machinery,
to get the money from Harris. When
l get back, which should be within
eight days, Wen start the work. At
a guess, I'd say Wen need twenty
men. Can we get them?"
"Shore," nodded the m~Ountaineer.
And all MOrelands at that"
They turned homeward. At last
Bill Dale was happy. He had some
thing to do now-an aim in life. He
had difficulties to overcome, obstacles
to remove, barriers to surmOunt-it
was his big chance!
1t was almost shutdown when Dale
returned from his visit to the coal
vein-Big Pine mountain hid the sun
at a little after three in the afternoon.
He borrowed a fishing rod and a min
now pail, which made his going to the
river seem proper enough to John
MOreland, and set out to meet Babe
Littleford. He vas glad that nobody
expressed a desire to accompany him.
ne found Ben LittlefOrd's daughter
where he had found her twice before
sitting on a stone the size Of a small
barrel. She was hshing with an I'M
baited hook, which was equal to fish
Ing not at all, and she seemed pleased
when she saw him coming. He sat
down on the stone at her side. She
moved over a little shyly, and tried to