Licking Valley courier., 1921-08-18
CHAPTER |.
David Moreland's Mountain.

himself and a few close friends as Bill
Dale-had laid out course Of action
almost before the nOrthbound train
had left the outskirts of the state cap
ltal behind. 1t incurred facing big
odds; but other men had faced big
odds and won out, and what others
had done he could do, Indeed, he had
already done several things which
other men might not have thought Of
doing, and one Of them was leaving q
bride, not fguratlvely but literally, at
the altar in a fashionable church But
he knew Patricia hadn't wanted to
marry him any more than he had
wanted to marry her.
1t was only natural for him to think
Of coal, now that he had cut loose for
all time from the "set" in which he
had always been a colossal misiit, now
that he must pull his own oars or vir-
tually perish. He had heard coal
talked since the day of his birth; to
him coal and business meant exactly
the same.
One Of his fathers associates had
often spoken of fine vein in the
mountains Of eastern Tennessee-had
often tried to persuade his father to
look into 1t, to no avail, Young Dale re-
membered that this vein lay not far
from long railroad siding called the
Halfway Switch, In the vicinity of Big
Pine mountain. The owners were
mountain folk of English descent, his
fathers associate had said. Decidedly
strange, thought Dale, that his father
had never cared to investigate 1t.
The clndery little. train reached the
long siding about the middle Of fine
spring morning. Dale took up his bag,
hastened out, and soon found himself
standing alone in the heart of an ex-
tremely wild section Of country.
When the noises of the little train
and the fast mail 1t had just met had
died away, there came the saucy chat.
tering of bOomer-squlrrels and the
sweet twittering Of birds. Dale caught
the joyous spirit. He could have
fairly shouted out Of the fullness Of
his very human heart. Here all was
unspoiled and unprOfaned, and some
thing whispered within him:
"They won't call you savage
here-make this your own country"
From somewhere on nearby
mountalnslde n rifles keen report split
the air; bullet whlned like mad
hornet; Dale's hat jumped a little on
his head.
The awakening was exceedingly
rude. Dale wheeled, his gray eyes
ablaze, and saw only tiny cloud Of
smOke-mist rising from the laurels
more than fifty feet away.
"Come out, you coward !" he roared.
Come out and let me see you" curl
osity taking the place Of anger In his
voice. "Ive always wanted to know
just what real highwayman was
likew
The muflled sound of twig break
Ing short distance of to his left next
claimed his attention. He was being
closely watched. by a pair of the fin
est, clearest brown eyes he had ever
seen. He saw her eyes first; he never
forgot that
She was standing on : low cliff be
yond the sparkling creek that flowed
beside the railroad, and she was par
TALLY hldden by clump Of blooming
'S.,..--!.. ibht Dale could see that she
was about twenty; that every line Of
her rounded. graceful figure wills
pered of dOellke strength; that sh'
was as straight as young pine; tina
her chestnut-brown hair caught thu
sunlight. and that her face was oval
shaped and handsome-rather THAI
pretty-ln spite Of Its tan,
Dale took off his hat There was
bullet hole In the very top of its high
peaked crown.
"Whos the robber?' he frowned.
The girl blushed.
"Mebbe he amt robher," she said
"Mebbe he thought you was somebod
else. Anyhow, you amt bad hurt, ar
; yer"
Dale smiled. "Oh, not serlouslyW
"You amt likely to be, ef ye behnv
yeself"
"If behave myself Dal
J laughed. ."Why, couldn't be naught
II / tried; I'm the one and only man
mas little Wlllle.boy ] wonder II
could put up ut some house heo
} here; chg"
"The' might be-" she said, though
fully.
"Whcre"
AT paps, or grandpap's, or wit
: most any o. my people; or" she addc
! with contemptuous twist to her lip
"you might stay with some o the
I low.down Morelands."
U "Where do your people llve?"
"Ahout six mile bnck that way
She pointed over her shoulder vii
= Il forennger,
( "Would you mind showing me Il
way to your parental dOmlclle|
"Whats that, fo' goodness sake
y "Your home, you know" Dale e
e planned with II smile.
!, "oL, ms home. Why didn't yc 81
= so, then? No, | won't" she declare
!. Dale put his b0g down and reBtt
: his hands on his hips.
"Why, may inquirer
"'Cnuse won't don't ncv,
: keep comp'ny with no strange me
folks. But yander comes BY and he