Williams news., 1922-11-24
The Girl Was Speaking Slowly New. Evidently Watehlna the Effect ef
 Her Words on Her Listener. f->'

Her Words on Her Listener. '' f'' frfend--and friendship goes far in the mountains. And my father was shot down before q week was past.
 ''The clan had acted quick, you see. dawn, he came to my fathers house and carried me away. Before another night was done he was killed too" f,,3
 The perspiration leaped out on Bruce's forehead. The red glow of the fire was in his eyes.
 ''He fell almost where this fire Is built, with thirty thirty bullet in his brain. Which one of the clan Killed him I do not know-but in all prob ability it was Simon himself-at that time only eighteen years of age. And Foiger's little boy-something past four years old-wandered out in the moonlight, to find his fathers body
 | The girl was speaking slowly now. evidently watching the effect of her words on her listener. He was bent forward. and his breath came in queer, whispering gusts. "Go on " he or dered savagely. '@Tell me the rest. Why do you keep me waitingT" a S5a
 The girl smiled again-like a sor- ceress. "Folger's wife was from the plains country" she told him slowly. eff she had been of the mountains she might have remained to do some kill ing on her own account. Like old FL mira herself remained to do-killfng on her own accountI But she was from cities just as you are, but she unlike you--had no mountain blood in her. She wasn't used to death, and perhaps she didn't know how to hate. h0 h<xx fo off
 ssThey say that she went almost in- sane at the sight of that strong, brave man of hers lying still in the pine needles. She hadn't even known he was out of the house. He had gone out on some secret businesS-late at night. She had only one thing left her baby boy and her little foster daughter-little Linda Ross, who Is before you now. Her only thought was to get those children out of that dreadful land of bloodshed and to hide them so that they could never come back. And she didn't even want them to know their true parentage- She seemed to realize that if they had known. both of them would return some time-to collect their debts. Sooner or later. that boy with the Fol ger blood in him and that girl with the Ross blood would return, to at- tempt to regain their ancient holdings, and to make the clan pay!
 : "AH that was left were few old women with hate in their hearts and a strange tradition to take the place of hope. They said that some time. If death spared them, they would see Folger's son come back again, and assert his rights. They said that a new champion would arise and right their wrongs. But mostly death didn't spare them. Only old Elmira is left.
 '@what became of the secret agree ment I do not know. I haven't. any hope that you do, either. The deed was carried down to the courts by Sharp, one of the witnesses who man. aged to get past the guard, and put on file soon after it was written. The rest is short. Simon and his clan took up the land, swearing that Matthew Folger had deeded 1t to them the day he had procured it. They had a deed to show for it-a forgery. And the one thing that they feared, the one weak chain, was that this secret agreement between Folger and my father would be found.
 ''You see what that would mean. It would show that he had no right to deed away the e,land, as he was simply holding 1t in trust for me. Old Elmira explained the matter te me-if get ,-~rs- s..e - = J