The Ordway new era., 1921-10-07

You've done told that so much at
/ its dSug nigh wore OUT. S'posen ye
- back thar to the orchard ahind o
The house and see what Gale and
I-uSe'> s-ioin'; hey. BY
Heck nodded Snd went toward the
/ orchsnt. He knew they didn't want
him 10 overhear what they We're going
10 Say, but il didn't offend him. 1t
wSsa, easy TO offend the sccd-uatured
Heck.
Morelsnd turned 70 Dale. "Well?'
T,ale turned 10 Hayes
We're soine 10 begin the building
O. the nirle rsilTped al the earliest
+ possible moment And because / don't
/ Know aaytalas shou; the work, I'm
T gong 70 Ak yaa 70 tske the lead. Now,
] there Hiay BE some nshtIng. don't
9-a,l g0u 70 80 into this thing blind
( q. you see y you're going TO with
d-aw a. al 40 q; DOW,
Tn Iiat 8 stranger TO fighting.
Hayes replied sInliusly- I've been
rsrourh AaE & dozen coal strikes l
lh.nk von may ceaM Oh me, Mr.. Dale.
Then lay out z plan for lnmedi-
s-e action
I'd sussasi. scduiesced Hayes
--tfat We send "a fhe little town IN
the Idslaud Tor a supply uf packs and
s.lfpre.s. axes and Saws hammers.
d-s- and 4L-6as res ll fhs Ie2l-
lime Elu 1ul ] eaa stake guJ -lr
way Cor -hs track"
=, srl1le1 business Dale
thought
Wl-El- -ls hang s-sr A-e-r.--l sn-
S sol Ca-eH srLr5I Tor l-r-e-s'.-..
"a sao-. and sl -hz older mans pucse.
was money Sufficient 10 luy Die things
inst vere Hee5-l
Dale and Hayes SET ouf ;cT Tie north
end OF David Morelant'S mountain.
and each Of Them carried hsnd-aI
for making stakes.
It was not often that the quiet Hayes
permitted himself to 20 into rsptures
over anything; however. he went in
10 raptures over the Moreland coal.
1t was. he declared. one OF the best
propositions lie had ever seen. II
was no wonder that Henderson Gon
it. he said
Then they Went 10 work.
by sundown TWO days later they had
chosen the route for the narrowgauge
railroad and set stakes accordingly.
Hayes told his general manager that
with a good force OF men tile last rail
could be put down within two months.
During those two days they had
several TIMES seen Henderson Con- in
company with Black Adam Ball and
some of his relatives. once they had
come upon GOff talking earnestly with
Saul Littleford, the big bearded, gaunt
brother of the Llttleford chief. Hayes
reminded Dale of this, and said TO
him further:
"GOff will have the Littlefords on
his side the first thing you know.
Maybe some Of the Littlefords, as well
as some of the Balls, knew about this
coal before David Moreland got his
mountain by states grant at Il few cents
per acre. If you'll take my advice, Mr..
Dale, you'll make friends of these two
sets just as quick as you can
Dale thrust his hand-ax inside his
belt and turned to the mining expert.
"Dyou know, was thinking of that
same thing when you spoke" he re-
piled. And believe l can manage ii,
now that Miss Littlefords accidental
wounding has given the old feud such
a big blow. I'm fairly sure can man
age it so far as Ben Littleford Is con
cerned; it's John that's going to be
hard to bring to taw. He should be
home this evening, If he's had good
luck, and Ill tackle him as soon as he
comes"
Together they started across David
MOreland's mountain, walking rapidly,
with Dale leading.
Darkness came down ON them when
they had covered half the distance.
The great hemlocks and poplars
loomed spectral and gaunt in the early
starlight. The almost impenetrable
thickets of laurel and Ivy whispered
uncanny things. and their seas of pink
and snowy bloom looked somehow
ghostly. Now and then there was the
pattering of some little animals feet
on the dry, hard leaves of bygone
years. A solitary brown owl poured
out its heart in weird and melancholy
cries to the night it loved. There was
the faint, far-off baying of hound
and the soft swish of nighthawk's
wings.
Men from the core of civilization
must feel these things of the wilder
ness.
Suddenly Dale drew back and stood
still. In the trail ahead, standing as
mOtionless as.the trees about him, was
the tall figure of man. 1t was almost
as though he were there to bar the
way. n
The tsyo went on slowly. The figure
didn't move. Dale spoke, and the form
came to life. 1t was By Heck he was
leaning OH the muzzle of his rifle.