The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-12-15
TIE DAILY
SHORT STORY
J,fgg ernaut Of the Hills
81 MARTHA MecuLLoueA.Ngll
LtAMS.

Had Moran stopped for second
thought he&o1ld never have take1
8 chance. Then there might have
besn story, but certainly not this
ore, It began then and there in a
whih pertng, breathless crying
Hardly more than a whisper: "Help!
Hse;lipi H.e.l,p!"
He was following a footpatu
along the side Of q steep ledgy hill
rising q hundred fee. above hls
head and dropping twice thai
depth5to the shell blasted out In thu
face OF II above high water m the
stream at It's base, The stream,
damned lower down, spread in .
cullen glimmering lake, ,dappled
Nh ud.shadows, yet rejecting
gamly the somber pines and CO
dafs.
The crying came from the black
eBt patch ottpines. Peering through
their dimhess Moran saw strain
Ing fgpre7 In homespun, bare oil
fhead and foot, braccd against an
lcutctopping bowlder, curiously en-
Resheti In the tops OF slim i1int
aplings, AS he rushed toward II
be cry came again, fainter, more
1reathless, the voice Of extremity
Struggling up to its level he under
stood something human stood be
tween deadly poril and the living
freight Of the railway train. all hui
due The road ran on the scooped
shelt-anything flung from It would
land In the deep Bullen water. And
only the timber pines, the strainlne
painting figure, tindered this Jus
gernak { OF the hills.
Strike swork!" said Moran't
mind, his teeth clinchIrg, his frame
&susting withiali its might up the
'ltillfAee: He know desperate mine
*at as on-there had been blood
Shed arson, many manners OF Il
doing, but nothing to match this
The train in peril was taking the
sesppnflhle heads OF the mine
along with high authorities, into the
heart OF the tr6ublous region. Who
ever had planned this wholesale
destruction Of Il had craft and Gun
ming OF the wlckedest sort.
kRocksl Big one! Scotch II
quicki" the figure painted ii
sound of Moran's approach, but
without turning It's head. He
wrenclled up stones he would in
cold blood have thought twice be.
yondS his strength, flung them be.
fore the topping mass, then
thrust among them a stout fresh.
cut stake, lying ready to his hand.
still the figure did not relax, nor
turn Its iisad-in a spent sibil.
ant whisper It ordered: "Ketch
hold+on the tail o. that llttlest
ridygo-it's the key-pull for
an yerwuth, No stoppin' the big
rock-btlt we can stay It by hard
trytn tillfthe train gnts by"
ITS coming" Moran said in a
low voice curiuusly hard. He felt
Aprneds to molten steel that Ind
Suddenly come in contact with
Ice How half-humau minds could
deliberately plan this wholesale
murder, wholly, unproyoked, was
beyond tcompfe tlension!s s But, sal.
emily he obeyed orders, swung ali
his weight upon the tasscled ton
that interlaced with stouter tops
nude the restraining net for Jug
gernatit.
The sl6w-moving train seemed
TO him TO be running over his
heart. II was past-+he drew a
catching breath-with a lurchins
touih the bowlder swept forward,
tWitMing the pine top from his
hands 50 violently the skin burn.
ed then went crashing, bounding
rf6ounding downward, breaking
Though rails and roadbed as
though they were toys, and land
ing with q reyerberant splash In
the pool below.
Moran looked for the trains
rsayiot-he saw nothing alive. In.
stead insensible, face downward,
one arm npflung above a crop
ped head showing muscles still
knotted from the strain, some.
sess-s@erSsse1-s>soI~-~~~~~@~No-o