The Adair County news., 1921-08-30

They Dropped to Their Hands and
Knees and Began to Crawl Through
the Tall Grasses, the. Ironweed and
the Meadow Glover.
trees stood back a rod or so from the
water, making the final shooting dis
tance some seventy yards.
Drawled Heck: Les set down here
and watch it; heyY"
Dale was silent. The very air was
filled with the spirit of tragedy. The
faroff tinkle of cowbell seemed
tragic; tragic, too, sounded the song
of a bird somewhere in the tree
branches overhead.
did ye hear me, BillP'
IL think" Dale muttered, that I'd
better not go away until tomorrow.
l can't leave matters like this. Do
you know of any way to stop that
down thereF"
By Heck shrugged his shoulders.
do you know O. any way to stop
the risin' and settin' O. the sunF' he
grinned.
They went back to John Moreland's
cabin.
1t was altogether by accident that
the Littleford chief found his weapons.
He had dropped a small coin through
a crack In the floor. Babe was quick
to say that she would crawl under the
house and look for the coin, although
she had just put on a freshly laun-
dered blue-and-white calico dress. Her
anxiety showed plainly in her face.
Her father questioned her sharply, and
she stammered in spite of herself. Ben
LittlefOrd's suspicious were aroused.
SO he came out from under the cabin
floor with his hands full of the steel
of rifle barrels, and with the money
forgotten. He placed the rifles care
fully on the floor of the porch, turned
and caught his daughter by the arm.
"Who hid em?" he demanded grutf1y.
Il hid EN-" was the ready answer,
detians and bitter-'I, mel What're
you a-gOin' to do about it?'
Littleford flung his daughters arm
from him. He was king, even as John
Moreland was king. His keen eyes
stared at the young woman's face as
though they would wither it.
What made you hide 'em?" he
growled. Say, what made We do it?''
ITO try and save human lives, ats
why!" Babe answered. THAT man
from the city-what'll he think O. us
a-dOin' this-away, a-fghtin' like crazy
wildcats?"
'Ef he don't like the way we do
here, he can go back hOme," retOrted
the angry mOuntaineer. HE amt tied,
is he?"
Babe smiled a smile that was some
how pitifuI, and turned off.
The amt no use in a-argyin' with
you, pap" she said hopelessly. II
might nigh wisht l was dead"
At that instant the gate creaked
open. Babe glanced toward it and saw
coming that black beast of a man.
Adam Ball the Goliath, and he was
new high-pOwer repeating rifle, and
around his great waist there was a
new belt bristling with long, bright
smokeless cartridges fitted with steel
jacketed bullets.
When Dale and his companion
reached the cabin, Addie Moreland met
them. Anxiety was breaking her
heart.
Mr.. Dale" she pleaded, II want you
to go down thar to the river and see
eff thes anything ye can do to stop
it afOre it begins. You jest walk out
bold in the open and We won't be shot
at, and I'll be obleeged to ye. Oh, /
know the amt but one chanst In ten
thousand, but I'm a-prayin' yell strike
that one chanst."
Dale knew that he could do nothing
toward bringing peace, and he knew
that John Moreland would be angry
! at his interfering. But he nodded and
went toward the river. He didn't have
the heart in him to refuse.
Theu there came the keen thunder of
rifle shot.
Dale halted for a moment. Between
two sycamores on the nearer side OF
the river he saw a puff of smoke ris-
ing lazily from behind a water oak on
the farther side; Littleford had fired
! first. Dale went on, moving rapidly
and trying to keep himself always in
| plain view
Then came puff Of white smoke
and a report from one of the More
! land rifles, then shots from both sides