The Ordway new era., 1921-10-21

shot"
''Aw, shet up, Ye can tell 1t at the
trial. growled old Ball. Then TO his
kinsmen.
Wen hold Dale right here, boys,
ontel the shuriff he's sent after comes.
And we'll not move Adam, which same
is accordin' to law. l reckon Shurif
Tom Flowers'll find a different job
from what he expected to find; won't
he, boys? Say, l wiSht one o you
fellers'd gi' me good, big chaw o
tobacker. Be burned eff don't. Adams
death, 1t has made me feel sort o
bad, by comics, and tobackerS allus
a consolation
"Bill Dale, you hain't got a chaw o
tobacker on ye, have ye-bought to-
hacker, store tobacker? It's burned
sight better'n home made, l says. fe
say ye don't chew! Chew-h-l!
Whyn't We say 'chaw,' like man!
allus knowed ye wasn't no count, no.
how. Nobody at don't chaw tobacker
amt no count. . All right, Jim
Ike" to his nephew, "I'll take chaw
o yores, then. And nj take Il tolably
big chaw, Jim Ike, cause Adams
death has made me feel sort o bad,
and tobacker's allus a consolation"
The sounds of the shooting had car
ried far, and it wasn't long until the
scene of the tragedy was crowded with
Balls and Torreys, Littlefords and
Morelands. Major Bradley and Hayes.
too, were there. Every man of them
was armed; a very little thing might
easily turn the place into a shambes.
The major saw this, and he was
afraid. He drew the leaders of the
Morelands and the LittlefOrds aside,
and finally prevailed upon them to do
their utmost toward keeping peace un-
til the coming of the sheriff.
At first John Moreland and Ben Lit
tleford We're for taking Bill Dale from
the Balls and Torreys who guarded
him, if they had to depopulate the
whole Ball settlement, Jerusalem Cove
and Hatton's He'll TO accomplish it
Happily, the majors counsel prevailed.
Sheriff Tom Flowers was a tall and
1.-the, smoOth-faced man. He arrived
with Luke Moreland at noon, after
hours of hard riding. He saw the high
tension, and Immediately Steeled him
self to handle the situation. After
riding straight to the center Of the
gathering and there halting his horse,
lie said evenly:
In order that i may know who to
arrest, l must know something of the
circumstances. Only one man must
speak at time. No playing bad with
me; and remember that, gentlemen.
I'll certainly drop the fellow who
starts playing hoss with me, if it's the
last move l make on earth. Now some
body gently use his powers of speech"
Major Bradley, more soldierlike than
ever went forward. "As the attorney
of Mr.. Dale, who stands accused of
killing Adam Ball. he said to the of
ficer, II beg leave to state that my
client will do no talking at present"
Dale understood, and he did not
open his mouth.
But old Ball had something to say,
and he proceeded to say it:
HE killed my SON. Adam" pointing
to Dale, sin cold blood Me and about
a dozen o my kin was on our way
over Long ridge to look at bee tree,
when we heered three pistol shots. We
was right up thar" pointing to the
northward, land we come a-runnn'
over here to see, by comics, what was
the matter. Well, by comics, we found
Bill Dale thar down on his knees
aside o my son, Adam, who was as
dead as HI or deader; and Bill Dale
was a-sobbin' and a-sobbin' about it,
And eff he never killed my son Adam,
what was he a-sobbin' and a-sobbin'
about, l ak you that? And my son
Adam. he had rifle, by comics, but
he never shot none at all. He was
with us up to few minutes before, and
he hadn't shot none all mornin'.
Shuriff Flowers, | wisht ye'd gi' me a
good, big chaw o tobacker, by gon-
MES, cause my son Adam his death
it has made me feel bad"
Major Bradley stopped caressing his
well-kept gray imperial, walked over to
the dead mans rifle, picked it up and
put its muZzle to his nose. He scented
fresh powder-smoke. Then he faced
old Ball with strange, hard glitter
in his blue eyes.
You are q liar, sir" he said with
peculiar politeness.
stir ran quickly over the Balls
and Torreys. Sheriff Flowers called
OUT.
Quiet, there,' and there was quiet.
He continued: 'Where is Mr.. Dale's
revolverT'
The Balls had it. They produced it.
1t had three empty chambers when
it should have had but onel
'Pass 1t to me butt first" ordered
the laws representative. He knew
that many a man had been shot while
taking revolver barrel first, and he
was taking no chances.
Old Ball obediently turned the weap-