The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-12-28

1900 eHA ~
heard Of it, and I've seen 1t all my
life. If there hadn't been any other
way. J would have seen it in the dra-
mas OF the wild creatures that 90 on
around me all the time. You'll get
down to cases here, Bruce-or else
you'll run away. These men said
they'd do worse things to me than
kill me-and / didn't dare take the
risk.
But once or twice Z, was able to
get word to old Elmira-the only ally
had left. She was of the true breed.
Bruce. YOu1l call her a hag, but
she's a woman to be reckoned with.
she could hate too-worse than a
she-rattlesnake hates the man that
killed her mate~and hating is all
that's kept her alive. You shrink
when | say the word. Maybe you
won't shrink when I'm done.
This old woman tried to get in
communication with every stranger
that visited the hills. You see. Bruce.
she couldn't write, herself. And the
n time | managed to get a written
message down TO her, telling her to
give 1t TO the first stranger TO mail
one Of my enemies got 1t away from
her. | expected to die that night, l
wasn't going to be alive when the
ella came. The only reason | didn't
was because Simon-the greatest of
them all and the II | hate the most
kept his clan from coming. He had
his w reasons.
From then on she had to depend
on word Of mouth. But at last-iust
a few weeks ago-she found a mar
that knew you. And ii is your story
from nov on"
They were still a little while. Bruce
arose and threw more wood on the
fire.
ITS only the beginning" he said.
And you want me TO tell you all?"
she asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Why did | come here2'
You won't believe me when ! say
that I'm almost sorry l sent for you"
She spoke almost breathlessIy. 81
didn't know that ii would be like this.
That you would come with q smile on
your face and a light in your eyes.
looking for happiness. And instead
Of ~happiness-to find all this!"
She stretched out her arms to the
forests. Bruce understood her per-
fectly. She did not mean the woods
in the literal sense. She meant the
primal emotions that were their spirit.
"To know the rest, you've got to go
back a whole generation. Bruce, have
YOU heard Of the terrible blood-feuds
that the mountain families sometimes
have?"
"Of course Many times"
These mountains OF Trails End
have been the scene of as deadly "A
blood-feud MS was ever known in the
West. And for once, the wrong was
all on one side.
"A few miles from here there Is a
wonderful valley, where a stream
flows. There is not much tillable land
in these mountains, Bruce, but there,
along that little stream, there are al
most five sections-three thousand
acres-of as rich land as was ever
plowed. That tract Of land was ac-
quired long ago by a family named
Ross. and they. got II through some
kind of grant. / can't be definite az
to the legal aspects of all this story.
They don't matter anyway-only the
results remain.
These Ross men were frOntiersmen
of the first order. They were virtuous
men too-trustlng every one. and oh
what strength they had! With their
hands they cleared away the for
est and put the land into rich pasture
and hay and grain. They raised great
herds Of cattle and had locks OF sheen
too.
1T was then that dark days began
10 come. Another family-headed by
the father of the man I call Simon
migrated here from the mountain dis
tricts Of Oklahoma. But they were
not so ignorant as many mountain
people, and they were Killers Per-
haps that's a word you don't know.
! Perhaps you didn't know ii existed. A
killer Is n man that has killed other
men. II isn't a hard thing TO do At
all, Bruce, after you are used TO II.
These people were used to Il. And
because they wanted these great lands
my W fathers home-they began
to kill the Roses.
"At FIRST they made no war on the
Folgers. The Folgers, you must know,
were good people. too. honest TO the
last penny. They were connected. BIZ
marriage only. to the Ross family.
They were IN our side clear through.
At the beginning Of the feud the head
Of the Folger family was just a young
man, newly married. And he had q
son after a while.
THE newcomers called Il q feud.
But Ii wasn't q feud-it was simply
murder. Oh. yes. we killed II of
them. Folger and my father and all
his kin united against them. making a
great clan--but they were nothing In
strength compared TO the usurpers.
Simon himself was lust a boy when
II began. But he grew 10 be the great
est power. the leader of the enemy
elan before he was twenty-one.
"You know, Bruce. that my
own father held the land. But he was
so generous & al his brothers who
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