The New York herald., 1922-04-09


battered felt hat.
He tossed his army overcoat over the
back OF the chair in which he was about
to Sit He was typical Of the mountain
raw-boned, tall and sinewy. He was a
man in all the term means in the hills: old
enough to make liquor, fight or marry.
"Berthy, fetch me tin cup from the
kitchen" Minton commanded, and the girl
moved deliberately to do as she was hidden.
When she returned with the cup she wore
a black velvet bow pinned to the breast
of her dress. That was the only change.
She was dressed up for her lover.
Bud Mercer sat for an hour without say
ing word; then he took final drink and
left for home.
"Bud's sartainly gittin' sweet on Berthy,
thar" said Minton, after the boy had gone.
How bout it, Berthy?"
ooh. Fin; you shet up" was the petulant
retort. you amt got bit Of sense any
more" Then she went toward her bed
room. AS she left Minton called: "Keer-
full now you amt dreamin none bout Bud
tonight"
keep yer mouth shet, Fin Minton," she
flung back Her tone had changed to
banter.
Il reckon it won't be long now afore Bud
and the gal will quit courtin' and go to
fightin'," Minton mused. He's been comm
up here for nigh on to six months. Bud
ain't told me him and Berthy aims to tie
up pretty soon; but ! know the signs.
T'other day he bought himself q car. He's
a-keepin' it down the river. And then he's
a-dickerin' with old man Duncan for
little piece of land t'other side Of the hill.
Coin to put up little shack.
bud amt like me. He beats all holler
keepin' his mouth shet; and that's why
he's been a knockin' round a hundred
dollars week with that little old forty
gallon outfit he's got over on-well. 1 amt
sayin' 'zackly where. But soon as he got
the still payin' pretty good he got stuck
on Berthy. And the beatin'est thing Is
Berthy knows which side her breads but
tered on she got stuck on Bud. Amt
many boys like Bud Mercer up in this part
of the country He's a hustler, and he
keeps what he knows to himself. He'll be
rich some day and will be movin' down In
the valley to one of them big farms you
can see from up here.
"Berthy's got right smart good sense
herself and I'm lookin' for them to do
pretty good together. Buds done promised
her he'll chuck the stillin' as soon as he
gifts little stake ahead"
Expects Revenuer to
Get Him Some Day
when do you expect to quit stillin'?"
the visitor from town asked Fin.
well, now; that's somethin' else
axed myself that same question tother day.
/ guess it's my luck to keep on foolin' with
il till some revenuer comes messin' round
and me and him has a shootin' match.
Some of them revenuers and sheriffs
knows pretty we'll how to handle their
guns and l reckon one of them will git
me some day. l figger l amt got much to
lose. Amt got no young uns and Lucy
there would be better often without me,
expect It's just like ridin' in one of them
airships l saw sky-ootin over here last
month; keep at it long enough and you'll
hit the bottom pretty dern hard-hard
enough to jolt the daylights outen a man.
Most OF them figgers on runnin' just long
enough to git ahead of the game and then
quit; but I'm a doin' 1t more for the fun
of it than the money"
Minton explained the whole philosophy
of moonshning in that last phrase. Moon
shining is like gambling The man who
practices II never quits. III prosperity
comes he wants wealth; IL failure comes
he wants to recoup.
The most astonishing thing OF all is that
Bertha really wanted to get out of 1t all
She knew 1t was dangerous, OF course: but
she knew also that 1t was wrong. Bud Is
not out of II yet; his output has increased
1t is likely that he will quit 1t.
The foremost Federal organization at
work In the Southern mountains is the Fly
ing Squadron" Until a short time ago the
chief OF this arm OF the Government SER
vice was Charles G. Palmer of Gate City,
Va The battlefelds OF his forces had no
bounds except the bounds of moonshining.
One week they would be active in the West
Virginia hills and the next would find them
in the Great Smokes of the Tennessee.
North Carolina border
Palmer is accounted one OF the greatest
raiders OF all time. He is remarkable
man. His speech is that of a college pro-
fessor: his appearance is that OF the old
Southern planter OF Ave decades ago. To
his followers and to the moonshiners he ia
known to be utterly fearless reliable and
intplliuput TIa Ia "a roIanf1ooo opavav - tha