American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-02-10

~S1lJ
"I've Come Here to Own Up to the
KILN o. Black Adam Ball." Began
the Young HiIIman.
"Bill Dale thar, he never done 1t. /
am the n at done it. Bill he shot at
Adam, but he missed-Adam had done
shot at Bill fust,' y'onderstand, Tom.
But | didn't miss. l don't never miss.
I'm a plumb tombstone shot. They
allus rules me out at any shootin'
match. I'd ha' owned up to it yeste'-
day, but the thought o. jail had me
skeered bad. | jest CANT let as good
a man as Bill Dale thar suffer To- a
thing | done myself. So you let him
out, Tom, and put the right man in
thar"
Flowers had q good heart. and this
touched 1t. But he was not very much
surprised.
"Tell us about it, Caleb" he re-
quested.
Caleb looked toward Dale, then he
faced the lord of C~artersville's little
prison again.
"Well, shuriff, when | seed Bill Dale
go off toward the trustle by hisself
and alone, | knowed right then he was
In danger o. bein' laywayed by some
O. them thar lowdown Balls and
Cherokee Torreys. SO l decides to
foller after him and gyard him, with
out him a-knowin' anything about it,
which same | done. When he met
Adam Ball"
He broke Off abruptly.
"Go on" urged Flowers.
II reckon l won't" smiled Caleb,
and his eyes were still %twinkling. ~
reckon l won't do no more talkin' jest
now. Yes, / reckon the proper place
TO me to do my big talkin' is in the
~co'tehouse at my trial. Lock me up
will We Tom?"
"We'l see," said Flowers.
Forthwith he dispatched a deputy
for Judge Carter and Major Bradley,
who FASTENED to the Jail.
An hour later Caleb Moreland was
the occupant of the cell at the end of
the whitewashed corridor, and Dale
was mounting his bay horse Fox TO
ride back into the heart of the ever
lasting hills. He arrived two hours
after nightfall. The Morelands were
glad to see him, and the Littlefords
were glad to see him. There was re-
joicing there in the broad valley that
lies between David Moreland's noun
tain and the Big Pine. Everybody had
been expecting him, and many were
the pairs of eyes that had been watch
ing for him. He found himself sud.
denly Wishing, with a tightening at his
throat, that his father could know
how much bigger and how much bet
ter 1t was to be thus esteemed than
to be wealthy,
Luke took charge of his tired horse
and led it away to the old log barn
and to some fifteen ears Of yellow
corn. Luke's father escorted him
proudly, the guest of honor, in to one
of Addie Moreland's incompatible old
fashioned supperE, which was none
the worse for being late. Several
Littlefords sat at the long, home
made table.
John Moreland turned up the light
a little, and cracked a worn but time,
ly Joke; then he looked toward one
Of the men whom he had fought
throughout many years, and muttered
into his thick brown beard:
saul, friend, will We do us the ia.
o O. akin the blessin', eff ye ~pleasef'
"Shore, John, o. course"
Saul Littleford, the very illEerate
laced his big fingers together across
his plate, bent his head, and told the
good Almighty that they were all
very much obliged to Him for the fine
supper they had before them, for AID.
die Moreland who had cooked ii, fol-
peace, and for Bill Dale.
1t was almost midnight when the
visitors left. They had been sitting
outside, on the honeysuckle-scented
front porch and In the cabin yard, AT
last BIZ Dale and John Moreland
were left together on the porch,
There's a thing that has puzzled
me since the moment / got here this
evening" said Dale, "Why is 1t that
nobody seems to be grieying over
Caleb's being in jail7"
The big hillman's answer came al
most sharply: mo Moreland ever
grieved over a sacrifyce, BILL"
Dale sat up straight. "A sacrifice
What do you meanf'
This time the big hillman's answer
came slowly. II mean at Gale he's
a-takin' all O the load on o yOrC
shoulders at he can. Gale he's a-takin
yore place in jail ontel the trial come:
OF, which'n be at the October tern
o. cote. He trusts o to come bach