The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-11-30


Now l reckon he kin tell us all
he knoWs!" a
Barry, still laughing, said
"Wait here minute" and hur-
ried back to Lucy. A few minutes
later all Of them were in the
house, where no one had thought
of going to bed, gathered in a
general conference.
"You-you knew a lot about
Tom Haveril?" put in Tom Have
ribs young widow.
."A-plenty," said Sarboe. "Them
two is match-team for central
cussedness. I've knoWed bad men,
but none worse'n them two-on-
less yuh count the Judge. An
both Jesse an Tom somehow had
the OF Judge over a barrel; he
was scared O what they might do,
or what they might tell on him,
| reckon; an for years they bled
him O. money, an he was hard
bleeder, too! Yuh've all heard O.
the Laredo Kid? Well, l used to
think it YVES Jesse Conroy; 1 got
to thinkin' later it was Tom; an
later on, I got to wonderin' if
both of 'em wasn't him!
II was sorry | couldn't talk
sooner" said Sarboe. I'D mebbe
have saved Miss Lucy marryin'
Tom Haveril."
They discussed briefly what eff
feet the taking off of Tom Have
ril might have upon the strategy
of their prosecutors. There re-
NAMED the Judge, Laredo and
Sheriff Ed Brawley, all planning
murder in the name of summary
justice.
Ken March offered thoughtful
ly; ''There's lot of square, fair
minded men in and about Red
Rock. They've heard only one
side of the story. The thing to do
is get the truth over to them"
Ben Haveril nodded and said
emphatically, "An' Sheriff Braw-
ley en- be talked to. Happens I
know! For six-seven years the
Judge has had him like that" He
indicated what he meant by flat
tening his thumb on the table.
A blue-eyed Lucy chung to-
Ken March, murmuring, "Oh,
Ken! Ken! If"
A gray-eyed Lucy at last al
lowed herself to speak words 81
felt she should not voice-not un-
til some later day. But would that
day ever come?
Il do love you so, Barry! l have
loved you since that day in Ty-
lersville. And Barry, if you didn't
come riding back to me-Kiss me,
Barry"
Never before had they kissed.
He drew her into his arms, he
lifted her off her little feet, he
almost crushed her.
"Hi!" yipped Timberline. care
we ridin' or amt WEI"
So they rode, the seven of them.
Timber and Cliff Bendiger
headed straight for Red Rock on
their errand, while the others
turned off toward Barry's old ca
bin and the mine higher up and
beyond.
Its going to be as simple as
walking doWnhill,'' he said.
Looks almost too good to be
true, don't it, Sundown?"
Barry saw what he meant:
Down in the bed of the ravine
were a score of men who had
been stationed here by the Judge
and Tom Haveril~ Ito guard the
property until the rights of the
matter were. settled" At the mo-
ment their guarding" he proper
ty consisted in looting it.
They went swiftly but without
revealing themselves. Five min
utes later a score of astonished
gold thieves found themselves
staring into the muzzles of five
rifles.
They gasped and rubbed wet
hands on their overalls and cha
parejos, and never a man of them
said a word meant for Barry's
ears.
Some of you know me and
some of you DON'T" said Barry.
''I'm Barry Haveril, and these are
my diggings. You've been put
here by Judge Blue and Tom
Haveril. Well, Tom HaveriPs
dead, with a bullet through his
gullet, and the Judge is as good
as hanging from tree for muir
der done a dozen years ago. If
you boys want to stick with those
two, go for your guns!"
"Wh-what's that?" a man
called back.
"Ill prove what I'm saying"
returned Barry swiftly. Zone of
you can come up here and look