Graham guardian., 1922-02-10
Daddy and ! Were Eating When We
Saw the Army Coming.

Daddy and Were Eating When We
Saw the Army Coming.
jauntiness which had been his chief
characteristic as guest of the Twom.
blys had been wiped from Ills face and
manner like picture from black
board.
AS the three of them topped the rise
in the ore road reached behind me
and got one of the WinChesters.
"That's near enough! !" / called out.
"DO your talking from there. If you've
anything to say"
The delegation halted and Bullerton
took paper from his pocket.
"Pm serving legal notice upon you,
Broughton," he said, waving the paper
at me, land have two witnesses here,
! as the law requires. | represent the
Cinnabar Mining company Of Cripple
| Creek. You are trespassing ON our
property and | am making formal
demand for possession"
$50 that's the new wrinkle, is itf" !
laughed. 81 was hoping you might
| spring something Il little more original.
How are you going 10 prove owner.
ship2"
THE burden of proof isn't on us
it's OH you!" he ripped out. You
haven't shadow of claim to this
mine. I've got your so-calIed deed
right here"-and he shook that at us.
ITS forgery; clumsy, childish
forgery that wouldn't impose upon a
blind man! We can send you to the
rock pile on the strength of ii If we
want tor
Since he had stolen the deed out of
my pocket, | thought, of course. thai
he was just hlufiil. about Its being a
forgery. He must have known per-
fectly we'll that 1t Wasn't. But Daddy
was whispering in my ear as he sat
behind me. Something like this /:
"GoSh-all-Friday, Stannie he's got you
goin'! He's made Il copy o the deed
and thrOwcd the rlginal away--burnt
It up, r sOmethin'w
"You have it all your own way, Bull
lNI lbu lliilth NVU liUNt,
him; and if ] didn't get all of the self
confidence into the words that tried
TO, am persuaded that he didn't know
the difference. 81 might even cOncede
that you have everything but the mine
itself. If YOU want that, you may
come and take it; but you'll permit me
to say that when you break into this
shaft-hOusc there will be fewer people
alive Oh Cinnabar mountain than there
are at the present moment. ] shall
quite possibly be one of the dead ones,
but before go out shall do my best
to make you another"
"All right" he ! snapped back
"you're speaking for Yourself, and
that's your privilege. But how about
you, Twombly? This Is no quarrel OF
yours. Suppose you go over yonder to
your cabin and stay out Of the fight.
Nobody wants to hurt you"
That put it pretty squarely up to
me, too, so ! turned to the old man at
my side.
ITS good advice, Daddy" said;
"and this isn't your quarrel. You'd
better duck while you can"
Daddy Hiram made no reply at all
to me; didn't pay any attention to me.
Instead, he stood up on the door-sill
and shook his fist at Fullerton.
~ been lookin' for you and your
kind Of crowd for a year back,
Charley Fullerton, and DRAWN pay
for doin' itw he shrilled. "Stannie,
here, says If you want this mine you
can come and take 1t, and, by gum
mics, say them same identical
words !"
"All right" said Bullcrton again.
"But it's only fair to say that we out.
number you six to one, and we've got
the law, and few deputy sherlfIs. ON
our side. You two haven't as much
show as cat in he'll without claws,
and when the circus is over, you'll
both go to Jail, If there's enough left
of you to stand the trip" Then. as lie
was turning to go he Tipped the deed
into the air so that II fell at our feet.
you may have that" he snccred.
"We'd like nothing better than to have
you produce It in court"
It didn't seem just fitting to let him
have the last word. SO | pitched
small uItimatum of my own after him
as he herded his two sCoundrelly look.
Ing witnesses" into the downward
road.
zone thing more, fullerton" called
out. "lour flag Of truce holds only
until you get back to Your army, II
you or any of your men are IN sight Vt
Cinnahar property ten minutes after
you reach Your camp, we open fire"
Since the truce was thus definitely
anded, we retired into our fortress aud
out up the bars. As we were closing
the doors and making everything snug
asked Daddy what kind of human
tmber Fullerton was likely to have
In his army, and If there were any
chance that his boast about having
deputy ShCrin'S IN The crowd was TO he
isken at It's face ,atIC.
Continued next week.