The Adair County news., 1921-09-20

81 keep my promises" was the quick
reply, lest like every other LittlefOrd
that ever lived kept their promises. l
would ha' went back this mOrnin',
eff it hadn't ha' been"
And there she broke off abruptly.
After a silent moment, she continued
sadly, half tearfully: And yct-and
yet--the's not a bit o. use in me
a-gOin' back nOw!"
"Why?" Dale was smiling, and she
was glad to note that he did not ap-
pear to be grieving over his misfor-
tune.
"'Cause the amt" simply.
But you'll goT"
"Yes," she said, ''in the mornin' I'll
60"
He bent toward her and held down
his hand. "Good-by, little girl. l hope
it will come out all right, and / be-
lieve it will"
Babe slowly lifted her hand to his.
Her eyes were downcast.
"Good-by," she told him brokenly.
"And hope it will come out all right.
too-God knows do, Bill Dale"
Thus they parted. Dale rode back
to the sheriff and Major Bradley, and
a minute later the three of them start
ed for the lowland and CarterSville
Jail.
When a bend in the dusty ox-wagOn
road had hidden them from view,
Elizabeth Littleford turned homeward.
Her mother followed her.
The younger woman dropped to the
stone step at the vine-hung front
porch with the air Of on2 who is very
tired, plucked a full-blown marigold
and began abSently to tear its petals
slowly apart. Mrs. Littleford looked
! out across the meadows, sighed.
smoothed back her gray hair with
both hands, and sat down beside her
daughter.
Il wouldn't worry about it, Babe,
honey" she finally said. Then she
too plucked a marigold and began to
tear it's petals slowly apart. EFF he
killed Adam Ball, it was to save him
self. He's a good man, honey. | think
he's about the best man l ever seed,
Babe"
mo, he never killed Adam Ball to
save hisself even," Babe replied.
Hes a fighter, but he amt no killer.
Listen, mother, it might ha' been this
away:
"He is ahind of a tree and Adam is
! ahind of another tree. Adam shoots
at his hat, and he shoots at Adams
hat-which is the reg'lar way of
| twO-man fight, as you know. Well,
suddenly Adam he jumps up like he's
been shot, and falls a-grOanin' and
a-twistin'. Bill Dale, a-thinkin' he's
killed Adam, comes out from ahind of
his tree. Hayin' drawed Bill Dale out
into the open by his trick, Adam gifts
ready to shoot and kill him. Jest as
Adam is about to shoot, somebody else
shoots and kills Adam and saves Bill
Dale-mebbe the amt time fO' any
thing else Now don't We see? And
don't it all sound natchel, mother"
81 reckon it does" granted the old
woman. "But who was it shot Black
Adam?"
Somebody who is a friend O. Bill
Dale's," said Babe. Somebody who
was a-follerin' Bill with the. idee O.
pertectin' him eff he needed it. Some
body who knOwed it was dangerous
fo' him to go off by hisself in the
woods that away. I've got it reasoned
out jest like this. And who
ever it was at was friend enough to
Bill Dale to kill a man to save him
will be friend enough to own up when
the proper time comes and keep Bill
Dale from a-bein' hung. Whoever 1t
was at done it is skeered bad now,
but later on he'll shore tell it, eff it'll
save Bill. You jest wait and see
mother
81 hain't never fo'got," Babe went
on, after a moment. "abOut Black
Adam Ball a-tellin' me about a-wOrkin'
that same trick on a man over in
Nawth Ca'lner-and he killed the
man. The law never found it out.
And We see what Black Adam got.
Who lives by the sword shall perish
mother honey; and everything in the
Good Book is God A'mighty's truth, as
you know"
EFF was pinned down to guess who
it was at done it," drawled Mrs. Lit
tleford, I'D guess it was By Heck.
He was plumb fool about Bill Dale.
! His NAV she says he talks in his sleep
about Bill Dale. He was allus a-fol-
lerin' him around like a dawg."
Babe pointed to the meadow. An
aged and stopped and witchlike wom-
an was limping slowly through the
clover, coming toward them.
Granny Heck" muttered Babe.
The neighborhOOd's newsbearer and
fortune-teller limped on up to the
cabin, and dropped to the stone step
beside Ben Littleford's wife and
! daughter.
ia, la, Lar she painted, for the
days were warm. "And hain't it jest