The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-11-14

"Will, if he does get mad, ii don't pay
to fool with him."
There were other days when Amy
came thus to be with them. They were
remote from the Ferrin farm; but Amy
was not. From Wills place down to
Carey bridge was scant quarter mile;
so Amy had almost daily word Of what
passed on the hill, and her deep trouble
increased.
"It's like sore place, up there" she
said one day. Like sore that's
bound to spread If you don't scrub 1t
out. and burn it out" And she cried:
There's times I'd like tol Even Bart,
he amt the same, with that woman
on his mind all the time" She shook
her head. Seems like they all hate
Hubby" she confessed. Bart, and
Win, like that time when she talked
about you, and Win Haven when she
goads him; and Bart says even Zeke,
when she's meaner than usual, he gets
mad at her. But they can't seem to
stay away from her. I'm scared, Mis-
Pierce. 1t wouldn't surprise me mite
if a crowd of them went up there some
day and rode her right out of the
Valleyw
But this did not happen, and after
a time Bart was forced to cease his
visits to Wills farm. One day Amy
came running breathlessly through the
woods to fetch Marin Pierce.
"Bart's hurt awful! !" she cried. "Zeke
beat him pretty near to death. You've
got"to come and take care Of him."
Hurt how?" the old woman ques-
toned, already preparing to obey this
summons.
"They had fight" Amy painted. 81
was in the house, and l heard them,
and run out, and they was at it, down
by the bridge, fighting and rolling
around in the ditch, and getting up and
scrabbling at each other and going
down again."
And she gasped: 81 tried to do
something, but they rolled into me and
knocked me down." Her garments
were soiled with the mud of the road.
"They KEEP at it, spite of all l could
do, till Zeke, he had the best Of it.
Backed off finally and left Bart laying
there in the road. ;"
Marin Pierce had collected at ran
dom certain salves and ointments
which she thought might be of use.
Jenny said: "I'll carry them, Granny"
"You stay where you be-" the old
woman retorted decisively. Keep out
Of this. If I need you, I'll let you
know. Amy, where's Bart now?"
81 got him as far as the house." Amy
explained. "But he can't hardly move,
ma'am. He's all cut and bloody and
sick.
Jenny, compelled by the older worl-
ans insistence, stayed behind, with
her thoughts for company. Her
thoughts as always centered first on
Will. This matter, on the surface, con-
cerned Hubby and him whom she
loved. So she waited in a sort of
desperation for her grandmother's re-
turn. The day was in late September,
with lowering clouds and long threat
Of rain which became toward dusk an
actually; a thin unpleasant drizzle
returned at first dark, and she fiirted
the moisture off her shawl, the flying
drops Kissing on the hot stove. Her
feet were wet. She changed into dry
stockings and shoes, and Jenny tended
her without questions for a while. Not
till the old woman was warm and dry
again, and the kettle boiling, and sup
per under way, did Jenny ask:
Bart hurt bad, is hep
thought to MENTION" Marin Pierce
assured her. "Took a licking, that's
all. Bunged eye, and his mouth is all
cut, and couple of teeth loosened up,
and wouldn't wonder if he hadn't got
rib cracked. Zeke handled him,
certain"
She chuckled. "Good thing for him."
she reflected. "Bart's been needing to
have his comb trimmed for a long
time"
"Why?" Jenny protested, puzzled by
this.
Il hate strutting man, or a sneak
ing one," Marin Pierce said obscurely.
"Or liar!"
"Bart's kind of big and bold" Jenny
assented. "But he's always been right
friendly, and 1 never knowed him to
lieI"
HE don't go up there only to see
WILL" Jenny urged, defensively. And
she asked: How come him and Zeke
to fight?"
Marin Pierce started to speak. hest
tated for moment, then said almos:
casually: well, Bart said he was 60
ing down brook fishing, and he come
by the foot of the path that leads up
to Wills place, and decided to stop by
and see Will. So he climbed up, and
there was Hubby on a ledge at the
head of the path; and he said Zeke
come along and ordered him off the
place, and he didn't want no trouble,
so he sets out for home.
"But when he got to the bridge, Zeke
had come down the road and cut him
off and they had words, and then they
went at it."
She concluded: "And Zeke kind of
out-argued him. That's ALL"
Jenny had sudden vivid memory of
day when she too had surprised
Hubby on that high ledge, lying naked
as a pagan in the suns embrace, and
she wondered; but she only said slow
ly: wills going to feel bad. He
wouldn't want anything rhat'd make
talk about Hubby"
Marin Pierce smiled. Child, child,
wore bound to think about Will"
Bart hadn't ought to have fit with
Zeke," Jenny urged.
Guess he's realized thar his own