The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1921-07-06

"Well, what's the verdict?" he asked
sharply.
"Spoke like a man." drawled\ BY
Heck. 81 reckon you must be up here
a-lookin' TO coal"
''How did you reach such conclu-
sion as that?"
"Jest plain boss sense" The droop-
ing mustache muftied the words some
what. "'rhe amt but three things at
can bring city man here. mister" he
! drawled on ''and them's moonshine
stills bad health, and coal You shore
ai'nt got bad health and you amt got
the cut of revenuer, though a few
minutes ago thought mebbe We was"
And you shot at mev said Dale
i NO" objected Heck. II shot at yOre
/ hat ! allus hits at what | shoots at,
SOS | couldrsee 1t. and We did AS TO-
| that coal
"Ihe Morelands, they owns the coal
in David Moreland's mountain, and
they won't sell II TO no mount o.
money. They lives over in the settle
I ment. them and the Littlefords.
They're every DANCED one fine folks.
| I'm a-goin' over thar now. Want 10
go long? Say-dang my picture ef
didn't fo'git to ak what might be yOre
name, mister!"
"Bill Dale" came quickly-"Bill
Dale. Settlement? Sure Lead the
way. by Heck. Who's the young wom-
an | was talking with when you came
up?"
who? Her? That's old Ben Little
lords gyurl. Her names Babe. That's
what they call her. She's got another
name; but IL amt been used TO SO
long it's been fo'got, reckon. She's
the youngest one o. old Ben's children.
She hain't like none o. the rest.O' the
Littlefords. BY gosh, she's awful high
headed. She can read good, Babe can.
Old Major Bradley, from down at Car
tersville in the lowland, he spends his
summers up here 70 his health, and he
teached Babe how TO read. Fine fell
Ter, Major Bradley. Lawyer. Babe
she has done read everything in the
whole DANCED country. The's sev'ral
Bibles and book about a Pilgrims
Progress. and a Bakers Hoss and
Cattle Almaneck. and a dic-dictionary.
Is but we'd better light out TO the
settlement, Mr.. Bill. or Wei miss din
ner. pehbe. I'm plumb DANCED fool
about eatin'. ! ct twenty-five biscuits
o. flour-hrcad this mornin' TO break
! nus isides q whole billed hamshank,
and other things accordin'. It's the
dyin' truth Come on. MIR. Bill"
They went down To the creek,
crossed il on stones, and began TO
climb the low cliff.
After an hours travelling Heck
stopped in the trail and put the butt
of his rifle to the ground.
Prom right here, BILL" he said, I'VE
can see every house in the whole
DANCED settlement"
They were standing on the crest OF
David Moreland's mountain. Below
them lay broad valley checkered
with small farms and each farm had
Its log cabin its log barn and its apple
orchard. Beyond 1t all rose the great
and majestic Big Pine, which was
higher and more rugged with cliffs
than David Moreland's mountain.
1 1.-The Morelands lives on this side o.
the river, and the Littlefords lives on
yam side" drawled Heck. They don't
never have nothing to do with each
other, but they don't hardly ever fight;
they're all strappin' big men, and they
fights so DANCED hard IL don't pay. My
gosh, Bill, every man Of 'em can shoot
4 a gnat's eyelash Off at four hundred
yards-I wisht l may drap dead ef
they cain'ti Do We see that big cabin
right plumb In the middle o. the nigh
half o. the settlement, Bill? Well. the
boss o. the Morelands he lives thar
John Moreland. That's whar you want
to go, Bill, sence we've got a oncyor-
able case o. the disease knowed as
coal-on-the-brain. But can tell We
aforehand, you amt got enough money
to buy that coal, don't matter how
much money we've got"
Dale was not looking toward John
Morelands home now. His gaze had
wandered to the other side OF the
river. BY Heck waited a full minute
for reply to his speech, then he
spoke again:
'aThe gyurl. or the Goals that
what's a-botherin' ye, Bill7
Dale's eyes twinkled<'Must l choose
between them7 he laughed.
Shore" BY Heck wasn't even smll-
ing. shore The Morelands and
Littlefords hates each other wuss nor
a blue-tailed hawk hates a crow. The
gyurl. or the coal, Bill?"
"We'll 60 down to John Moreland's."
announced Dale.
The mountaineer took up his rife.
Let me gi' We word or two o. warn
In" he continued seriously. Don't
you offer to pay John Moreland TO
eatln' his grub, nor 70 sleepin' in his
bed, nor TO chawln' his tobacker. Ef
We do, yore goose will shore be cooked
with John Moreland. But ef ye was
to brag on the vittles a little, Johns
wife a.hoin' now,ful hanHv In th~