Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02


come a defiance.
Suddenly from across the street, from under
the Swallowed bank portico, singing comes.
Valentine boy, fourth in line from Mark Valen-
tine, the moonshner, and his killer brother
Brant, let's out his voice:
what air yuh a-waitin' fer, Brant VAL
entine?
Il air a-waitin' fer steam train a-tearin'
tina night
o what yuh a-goin ter do, Brant Valen-
tine?'
Air a-goin' through train like hell in
sight.
"Haint tina law a-goin' git yuh, Brant
Valentine?'
Hain't afeared O. varmints er men, lit
tie er big
What steam train a-goin' tub give yuh
Brant Valentine?'
Give me bags o. gold fer my Arizony
:. gals rig"
Sheriff Jet bites off the end of his stogie.
"Ridng high" he says to himself. "Heroics
Hero worship. Wanted for murder Yellow
hide at liberty. Yellow hell. Know he's
yellow. All bad men, all killers are yellow.
Got to arrest him, of course. Right away.
He's got to be jagged and tried, but he ought
to be wiped out. More of this business than
putting him behind bars. Problems to get him
there and keep him there without adding any
glory to his mean hide. Huh. ballad sung
to a skunk!"
Jets mind dwells for minute on the old
habit of song making in his hills, in his, the
"singingdest" county, where the flight of Lind
bergh is kept alive with song. Where the hor-
rors of the Titanic are preserved in ballads
made when the first news trickled into the hills.
Where dark as well as uplifting deeds find
records in song. Genius for ballads unweak-
ened by time. King Alfred to the present.
minstrelsy kept alive. History recorded in
songl man doesn't have to read to know the
drama local and worldwide, from Chaucer's
time on down. page from Chaucer in every
stark hill Full understanding is In Jets mind.
Full appreciation of his ticklish job. When
he goes after Brant his kin will rise to a man.
And Jett'S kin will rise to a man. Then only
the militia can settle things. Settle Jett too.
State troops always give black eye to peace
officer in the hills. Show weakness
I F he, Jet, calls for the militia to ride into
town and take charge. station itself on the
street, IN the grove, in the courthouse; If he,
Jett, surrenders to the militia and lets the
troopers, "fotched-in-men," preserve order at
the voting place and tell hillmen what to do
and what not to do, the neutrals are going to
resent it.
Somebody's going to be killed." says Jett
to himself. "Sure as the Romans were way
back that victim would spill his blood in the
arena. somebody's going to be killed in this
town"
horse tied to the rack in front Of the har-
ness shop squeals and plunges. Breaks his
hitch strap. Gallops down the mud road
squealing. Men laugh and watch him. Some
leave the porticos and stand by the heads Of
their mules or horses. Two hillwomen mount
their mules and sit. Down by the restaurant
two young hillmen approach a bony horse a
sway-back old plug. They pour something ON
MS rump that seems to lift him up in the air.
Old plug horse rears, jerks backward, kicks and
breaks the paling off the hitch rack His stiff
legs stumble when he tries to gallop. The pal
ing lashes the ground, whips the mud as his
head swings it on the end of the hitch rein
High life" that liquid fire that sears and mad
dens, that hell-burning that gives few min
utes of renewed youth to the oldest of beasts
Is starting horses and mules up and down the
line. Men dash from under porticos after their
beasts. hillman grabs one of the high life"
Chrowers and losses him into the mud then
starts after his disappearing mule.
The county officer walks down the board
walk to the restaurant. He grabs two young
nllmen by the shoulders who are leaning
against the hitching rack. Searches them
Finds two bottles and dumps the contents on
ne road Then he marches them to the court
mousse They are sullen and purse their lips
IS he puts them into cage at the end Of the
courthouse hall. Voters and loungers in the
hallway lean against the walls in the hallway
ma whisper Voting stops in the county clerks
'mce. Election officials and voters appear in
he doorway of the Office and peer down the
lark hallway
The squeal Of horse and the pounding of
loofs come from outside. Jet on the run
caches the front door in time to see his white
orse tear across the courthouse yard and down
he road toward Five Corners, swinging a
roken halter strap Somebody's been in the
table and touched his horse with fire" Some
odys turned pure-bred blue grass horse into
maddened beast that will run until it drops
etts lips close tight and his face grows livid
s his eyes survey the folks in the courthouse
ard. EVerYbodys sitting still Evervho5y,S