The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-11-02

have him long. I'm going W h1lA
him."
Murderer! Coward and muir
derer!" >,
mo, it wouldn't be murder
said Barry calmly. "Not even IL l :,
came up on him from behind anu M
killed him before he knew IT, IL
would be what they call execu-
ton, Lucy girl:
She rode along with him again.
making no attempt to escape
! "Remember that night m TO-.
than three years ago, down IN ly-
lersville?" said Barry.
"Well?" said Lucy.
"You saw what happened" con-
tinued Barry. "You saw tne
Judge hammer me over the neau'
You didn't see the man in the
harm, but you heard the Judge
call him Laredo. That man was
Jesse Conroy, my Cousin Jesse
! and he is Laredo and he IS lonl
Haveril."
81 don't believe it."
"You understood that the Judge
took a hand when he did, putting
me out, to keep me from 1ne
chance, of being killed if LAREDO
and I fought it out as we were
hound to. And you knew why ne
cut in, to save my life long
enough to find out where Ia gov
a fistful of gold
He gave her her chance 10
speak but she had nothing to say
"You knew him that day Tor
a liar, for a robber, for a man to
run in double harness with tne
| killer, Laredo. You came pretty
close that night to running away
with me, Lucy; with me, stran-
ger. You were scared"
She spoke up then, and Sharply
enough. what about tonlgn.'
"You saw him kill a man. AND
YOU knew it was murder. And
Tom Haveril came along, the
! good-looking, numbering hound
dog, and you married him; And
| 1 tell you," and his voice rang out
fierce and strong, lit wasn't be-
cause you were in love with Tom
Haveril; it was because you just
had to run away from that big
white house with its Judge Blue
trimmings"
'No!" said Lucy. 1T wasn't
that"
Don't lie to me, girl"
"You've got to let me go, Bar
ry Haveril."
''I'm going to let you go-set
you free-turn you loose" said
Barry, and she detected the deep
tenderness in his voice. "Not
from me, Lucy girl. Free from the
horror of the whole thing. I'm 60
ing to make you happy with just
three or four little words. Ready,
Lucy?"
''Have you gone crazy?" de-
manded Lucy.
Barry said simply: Judge
Blue isn't your father. That's
true, dear. You're not Lucy Blue
at all"
Barry"
"That's a part of what I've got
to tell you," he went on. II didn't
know until that night Tom Have
ril and I shot each other. He
knew. He had proof of all this
hid out at that cabin where we
were. I got away with what he'd
hid. AS soon as he could, he tried
to make sure of you, marrying
you"
"He loves mel" said Lucy, try
ing to sound defensive, but her
voice faint.
'That's natural" conceded Bar
ry. ANY man would"
"But tell me"
"You're going to ride with me.
I'm going to show you"
They rode, Lucy for a while in
the most profound meditation of
her life. Not Lucy Blue ct all
not the Judges daughter.
Barry! Tell me everything!"
''Tll not tell you everything be-
cause I'm going to show you what
Tom Haveril had hid at the ca
bin in the mountains; and you'll
know as much as I do.
'I've another place, where I've
been hid out, getting over the at
tack of hot lead I caught from
Tom Haveril. I left the things
there that I want to show you.
Sarboe's there, too"
After a long while of thread
ing devious ways through wilder
ness intricacies, Barry lifted his
arm to point; she saw flicker of
light across an inky hollow, on
the far side under cliffs.
There's Sarboe," he called