Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-08-11

1t, We'll call In as much of the Law
as we can get and meet 1t halfway
Eth, Hayes?"
Sure" nodded the mining expert.
Dale was on his way to the new
siding the following morning, when he
met Henderson Con-. Again Dale was
forcibly reminded of stories he had
heard and read of Mississippi river
steamboat gamblers of the long ago
Goff stepped out Of the trail, smiled
and spoke with apparent good humor
Dale passed him without a word.
Then the shyster coal man called
out, Ready to sell yetT
The MOreland Coal company's man.
ager halted and faced about with q
puckering Of his brows.
"FOr fair price, yes"
"Just what would you call q fair
price?"
"Oh, somewhere between two and
three hundred thousand" promptly.
Golf shifted, and the corners Of his
mouth came down.
"You don't want much. You won't
get it from me"
II don't want it from you"
Dale turned and went on. He was
sorry that he had stopped to talk with
the fellow.
That afternoon he again met Goff
in the trail. The bare sight of the
shyster made him very angry now, and
his right hand fell upon the butt of
the big. revolver on his hip. Goff was
about to sidestep in the laurels, when
Dale caught him roughly by the arm.
"See here" he said sharply, you've
about cut your little swath. We've
had enough of you. You can't get this
coal at any price, and the sooner you
get yourself out of this country the
better and safer it will be for you.
To be plain, I'm pretty apt to thrash
you the very next time see you. Now
move on I"
Golf went off laughing wickedly.
"Oh, all right, Dale; go ahead and
build the little road for u" he said.
Late that night every sleeper in the
valley of the Doe was awakened by a
great, rumbling explosion, which was
followed almost Immediately by an
other great, rumbling explosion. Be-
fore the reverberations had died
away, Bill Dale had dressed himself
and was standing on the vine-hung
front porch, and he was only a few
seconds ahead of John Moreland.
Then there came the tearing sound
Of heavy explosion miles to the east
ward.
do We know what it is?" inquired
the mountaineer.
They've stolen our dynamite from
the tobacco-barn, and blown up the Of
fee and supplies building and the COM
missary building; also they've blown
up the big trestle near the siding"
Dale answered.
ATS my guess, too" said More
land.
Within the next half hour Dale and
Hayes, Major Bradley, and the men,
folk Of the Morelands and the Little
fords had gathered around the wreck
Of the two big, unfinished frame build
ngs. Dale blamed himself much for
having left dynamite unguarded in the
.obacco-barn-but nobody else blamed
lim for it.
Its time to let the law in" he said
when he had viewed the jumbled mass
If broken planks and. timbers by the
light Of lanterns. He turned to stall
vart Luke Moreland.
You get on my horse and ride to
Gainesville for the sheriff. Tell him
lie can get the best posse In the world +
light here, if he needs one. It's the
proper thing, isn't it, majorT
YES" said Major Bradley, ''it's the
roper thing. You've got real grievs
nee now. But / fancy Golf had moth
ng to do with this; he is shrewd
nOugh to know that a thing like this
would cook his goose. Goff has been
laying a bluff game all along, you
now. Some Balls or some Torreys,
erhaps a mixture of both, have done
his without Goff's knowing anything !
bout it. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
est several of the Balls and several
the Torreys, and try to scare them
ito turning states evidence to save a
nemselves.'' r.
The>ma1or finished in a low tone,
ecause of the probability for caves c
roppers, and in this he was wise. fl
Wen do that" Dale decided. 81
He faced Hayes, his right-hand man, n
nd began to give orders like vet 4
IAN general manager. The men were
} take their rifles with them to work
the morning, but they were to fire
shot unless it was in defense Of n
6e Or property. In the morning every d
'ailable wagon in the valley was to
} sent to the little sawmill that was Ell
operation ten miles toward the low
nd for more building material.
By Heck joined them then. He
Iessed just what had happened, 81
tucked at Dale's sleeve and whis- r.
red:
"Sposen' / takes a sneak or two to-
lrd them lowdown, walnut-eyed,
ock-kneed, dadblamed Balls and
rreys and finds out what l can find
I +. hey. Rillw