Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-09-01

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Dale passed him without a word.
Then the shyster coal man called
out, Ready TO sell yet?H
The Moreland Coal cOmpany's man
ager halted and faced about with q
pickering Of his ,brows.
"For a fair price, yes"
"Just what would you call a fair
priceT
"Oh, somewhere between two and
three hundred thousand" promptly.
Cor shifted, and the corners OF his
mouth came down.
"You don't want much. You won't
get il from me ."
II don't want 1t from you"
Dale turned and went on. He was
sorry that he had stopped to talk with
the fellow.
That afternoon he again met Com
in the trail The bare sight Of the
shyster made him very angry now, and
his right hand fell upon the butt OF
the big revolver on his hip. Goff was
about to sidestep in the laurels, when
Dale caught him roughly by the arm.
"See here" he said sharply, you've
about cpt your little swath. We've
had enot n of you. lou can't get this
coal at any price, and the sooner you
get yourself out of this country the
better and safer it will be for you.
To be plain, I'm pretty apt to thrash
you the very next time see you. Now
move on!"
Golf went off laughing wickedly.
"Oh, all right, Dale; go ahead and
build the little road for me !" he said.
Late that night every sleeper In the
valley of the Doe was awakened by a
great, rumbling explosion, which was
followed almost Immediately by an
other great, rumbling explosion. Be
fore the reverberatiOns had died
away, Bill Dale had DIRE, sed himself
and was standing on the vine-hung
front porch, and he was only few
seconds ahead of John Moreland.
Then there came the tearing sound
of a heavy explosion miles to the east
ward
do We know what it is?" inquired
the mountaineer.
They've stolen our dynamite from
the tobacco-barn, and blown up the Of
flee and supplies building and the COM
missary building; also they've blown
up the big trestle near the siding"
Dale answered.
Eats my guess, too" said More
land.
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 unguarded In the
tobacco-barn-but nobody else blamed
him for it.
Its time to let the law In" he said
when he had viewed the jumbled mass
of broken planks and timbers by the
light of lanterns. He turned to stall
wart Luke Moreland
"You get on my horse and ride to
Gainesville for the sheriff. Tell him
he can get the best posse in the world
right here, if he needs one. It's the
thing, isn't it, majorT'
"Yes," said Major Bradley. ITS the
proper thing. You've got real griev-
ance now. But fancy Golf had moth
ing to do with this; he is shrewG.
enough to know that thing like this
would cook his goose. Golf has been
playing a bluff game all along, you
know. Some Balls or some Torreys,
perhaps a mixture of both, have done
his without Goff's knowing anything
about it. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
rest several of the Balls and several
Of the TOrreys, and try to scare them
INTO turning states evidence to save
The major finished in low tone,
because Of the probability for caves
troopers, and in this he was wise.
"WeIl do that" Dale decided.
He faced Hayes, his right-hand man,
and began to give orders like a vet
iran general manager. The men were
q take their rifles with them to work
n the morning, but they were to fire
10 shot unless 1t was In defense OF
ife or property. In the morning every
AVAILABLE wagon in the valley was to
,e sent to the little sawmill that was
n operation ten miles toward the low
and for more building material.
BY Heck Joined them then. He
,uessed just what had happened,
,lucked at Dales sleeve and whiss
,ered:
"Sposen I takes sneak or two to-
yard them lowdown, walnut-eyed,
mock kneed, dadblnmed Balls and
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