The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-07-03


sky. But before that dot Of blue APP
peared Yancey Cravat had raised him
self halfway from the hips, had fired
| from the waist without, seemingly,
pausing to take aim. His thumb
flicked the hammer. That was all.
fact, so close on the heels Of that
first report that the two seemed al
most simultaneous. The congregation
was now on its feet, en- masse, its back
to the roulette table pulpit. Its eyes
were on one figure; its breath was
suspended. That figure-a man-was
seen to perform some curious antics.
He looked, first of all, surprised.
With his left hand he had gripped one
Of the taut tent ropes, and now,
with his hand still grasping the hem
pen line, his fingers slipping gently
along it, as though loath to let go, he
sank to the floor, sat there moment,
as If in meditation, looSed his hands
hold Of the rope, turned slightly, rolled
over on one side and lay there, quite
still.
"Lon Yountis," finished Yancey,
neatly concluding his sentence and
now holding an ivory-mounted six
shooter in right and left hand.
Screams. Shouts. A stampede for
the door. Then the voice Of Yancey
Cravat, powerful, compelling, above
the roar. He sent one shot through
the dome of the tent to command at
tention. "Stop! Stand where you
are! The first person who stampedes
this crowd gets bullet. Shut that
tent flap, Jesse, like told you to this
morning. Louie Hefner, remove the
body and do your duty"
"Okeh, Yancey. It's self-defense
and justifiable homicide"
II know it. Louie, Fellow
citizens! We will forego the sermon
this morning, but next Sabbath, If re-
quested, 1 shall be glad to take the
pulpit again, unless suitable and or
dained minister of God can be pro-
cured. The subject Of my sermon for
next Sabbath will be from Proverbs
XVI, 27: Whose diggeth pit shall
fall therein This church meet
ing, brethren and sisters, will now be
concluded with prayer" There was
little thudding, scuffling sound as a
heavy, inert burden was carried out
through the tent flap into the noon
day sunshine. His six-shooters still
In his hands, Yancey Cravat bowed his
magnificent buffalo head-but not too
far-and sent the thrilling tones Of his
beautiful voice out into the agitated
crowd before him.
bless this community. o
Lord.
Mournfully, and in accordance with
the custom of the community, Yancey
carved a notch in the handsome ivory
and silver-mounted butt of his six
shooter. 1t was then for the first time
that Sabra, her eyes widening with
horror, noticed that there were five
earlier notches cut in the butts of
Yancey's two guns-two on one, three
on the other. This latest addition
brought the number up to six.
"Oh, Yanccy, you haven't killed six
menu
'I've never killed man unless
knew he'd kill me if didn't"
There seemed nothing more that
she could say on this subject. But
still another question was consuming
her.
'"That woman. That woman. / saw
you talking to her, right on the street,
in broad daylight today, after the
meeting. All that horrible shooting
all those people around you-Cim
screaming-and then to find that wom-
an smirking and talking. Bad enough
if you'd never seen her before. But
she stole your land from you in the
Run. You stood there, actually talk
ing to her. Chatting"
II know. She said she had made
I'D her mind that day of the Run to
get a piece of land, and farm it, and
raise cattle. She wanted to give up
her way of living. She was des-
perate."
"What is she doing here, then!"
.Before the month was up she saw
she couldn't make it go. One hun
dred and sixty acres. Then the other
women homesteaders found out about
her. 1t was no use. She sold out for
FIVE hundred dollars, added to it what
ever money she had saved, and went
to Denver. Her business was over
crowded there. She got tip that the
railroad was coming through here.
She's a smart girl. She got together
her outfit, and down she came"
"You talk as though you admired
her! That-that-" Felice Venable's
word came to her lips-"that hussy!"