The Belding banner-news., 1921-10-12

away, Bill Dale nau uFeSseu hllilseil
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 il isT' inquired
the nfOuntHneer.
'"rhey'ye stolen our dynamite from
the tobacco-barn. and blown up the OF
flee and supplies building and the com
inissury building; also they've blown
up the big trestle near the siding,
Dale answered.
ATS my guess, too said More
land. NiS
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
ings. Dale blamed himself much for
having left dynamite ungunrded in the
tobacco-barli--but nobody else blamed.
him for it.
"It'x time To Ter the law in" he said
when he had viewed The jumbled mass
Of broken planks and timbers by the
light of lanterns. lie turned TO stall
wart Luke Moreland.
You get on my horse and ride 10
Cartersvlle for .he sheriff. Tell him
he can get the best posse In the world
right here, if he needs one. It's the
proper thing isn't II. maior?
''Yes." said Major Bradley, its the
proper thing. You've got real grieN-
ance now. But fancy Con- had moth
ing 10 do with this; he is shrewd
enough to know tlat a thing like this
would cook his goose. Con has been
playing a bluff game all along, you
know Some Balls or some Torreys,
perhaps Il mixture OF both. have done
hs without COTS knowing anything
about il. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
rest several of tle Balls and several
of the Torreys, and try TO scare them
into turning states evidence 70 save
themselves"
The major finished in a low tone,
because of the probability for caves
droppers and In this he WAS wise.
We'll do that" Dale decided.
He faced Hayes, his right-hand man,
and began 10 give orders like vet
eran general manager. The men were
] 10 take their rifles with them 10 work
/ In the morning, but they were 10 hre
| no shot unless II was In defense OF
! life or property. In the mornlng every
I available wagon In the valley was 10
/ be sent to the little sawinill that was
! in operation ten miles toward the low
land for more building material.
BY Heck Joined them then. HE
guessed Just what had happened.
plucked at Dale's sleeve and whis-
pered:
"Sposen ! takes sneak or two TO-
ward them lowdown, walnut-eyed.
knockkneed, dalblamed Balls and
Torreys and finds out what can ma
out hey. BillT
The answer came readily: sure,
Won he detective. But he careful that
YOU don't lose anything for us, y
know. II you don't gain anything.
By Heck and his rifle disappeared
in the darkness Of the mountain night.
A little after work-time that day.
Rrl Dale started alone on the way OF
the narrow gauge railroad for the sid
ing. He wished 10 see for himself just
what the damage had been 10 the
trestle and ne hoped 10 meet Con, or
Ball. or Torrey. and learn some
thing that would he TO his advantage.
Before he had covered two miles, he
had seen two Of the enemy skulkins
through the woods, and he recognized
them for Torreys from Jerusalem
s'oye and Hatton's Hell; he knew II
by their very swarthy skin, their high
cheekhones and their coarse black
hair. the outcroppings of the Cherokee
Indian blood I'm them. They looked
cunning and wicked. Dale lo0sened
. I'm its holster the big revolver that
. Major Bradley had persuaded him Il
J carry for his own protection. JONI
Moreland had taught him how to use
: firearms.
At N point near where the little
| stream that flowed past the Halfwa!
, switch emptied into Doe river, wher'
Doe river turned almost squarefy u
the left. Dale halted abruptly. He ha'
seen man dart behind scrubby Gal
|. some thirty yards ahead OF MIN quit'
? naturally. he concluded that the fel
, low meant 10 waylay him. and he, too
5 stepped behind tree. big hemiock
: A silent minute went by. Then Dali
: nut his hat out on one side OF the tre
I and peeped from the other side;
was an old trick that Grandpap More
land had told him about. A rim
> cracked promptly and sharply, and
> bullethole appeared in the rim OF HI
/ hat
Following II. there came the coarse
: bass voice of Black Adam Ball, IN
{, mountaineer Goliath:
= "You CANT fool me. Jest shot I
: 4 nut a hole In yore new hat ana !
l. show We at I amt no bad shot. 70
a