The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-09

llc Ou1 1444A WHS
he was off, he was wild as a fool.
.aThat day he was wild. B u t
when he wanted to kill your daddy,
he knew where to put that ball!''
He stopped, painting with a wrath
and hatred that startled Rosy,
who was used to passion among
his people.
Rosy banged his fist on the
table. Don't believe a word of it."
Hogg partly raised himself from
the chair. "You calling me a
liar?"
'I'm calling the teller that told
you that a liar!"
Hogg sank back, and his gri.
mace of fury changed to a nasty
grin. "All right, you don't believe
It! It's a lie. Well, it happens not
to be. I know for a fact that what
1 tell you is so. I can't prove il
now, but just the same it's so.'
IT wouldn't believe it even il
you said you was there"
Hogg shook his head sadly
'"They sure got you roped in. Dr.
Tollivar and that silken wench Of
his sure have you tied to a tree,
They give you a soft bed and soft
soar to lather your gills with, ano
now you gone back on your kin
folks. Gone back on all you ever
had, all the name of McAfee ever
stood for. You air ruint, that's
ALL"
I'm civilized. Or trying to gel
that way"
"Yah-civilized. From the way
you talked to Hammer Shrider you
shore are civilized!" He got uI
sadly and made ready to 60
"Goodby. Reckon you'll stay owe,
the weekend, and then you'll have
to rush back to lay up in YOU
soft bed and wash down y O
cruel of soft soap"
At the door he turned. Rosy
just sat there looking at him ii
the freight. "You don't have Sc
much choice after all, I reckon
because if you believed Dock Toll
var was the one who killed YOU
own pappy, you would have to ge1
your eye for eye and tooth fol
tooth, like you vowed; and you'c
rather have your soft soap ane
soft bed"
"Get out!" Rosy said. and if hi:
cousin had not slammed the door
Rosy would have slammed him
with a stick of frewood.
His mother came in as Rosy
was putting on his hat. Where
r you going, SOM"
"a walk"
"Was you and Steve fussing
again."
Some time I aim to take thai
Teller apart and see what makes
him so mean" He fingered a mo
ment while his mother smootheo
her skirt and gray hair and tool
down her cob pipe. Then he came
and leaned against the mantel.
"Maw, just how come doe:
Cousin Steve have all that lane
that used to belong to our family!
Wasn't that piece of a mountain
paws at one time? Don't I seem tt
recollect that he timbered some
off it away back at the edge o.
my time as a baby?"
His mother took a couple o:
puffs, supporting the fire coal or
top of the tobacco until the bow
glowed,
'"They was a time, son, when
thought it belonged to your paw
But after he was killed in the bal
game, we found papers tina
showed Steve's nav really hac
claim to it. and when Steve's
pappy died not so long after youl
own pappy went, Steve took the
thing to court in Judge Jesse LIE
verage's court and got the LAND
and timber"
Rosy stood there looking down
at his mother, and then into the
fire. IT see," he said slowly.
Papers. Do you recollect what
kind of papers?"
"Just papers. Jesse Leverage
seen 'em and said they was in
good law, and he would know. ]
reckon Steve still has EN-"
II see," Rosy said, and put his
hat back on and went into the
night.
It was clear, star-glinted dark
ness. Rosy walked through the
light, loving the crisp chill of ear
ly spring. He kept walking until
he came to the timbered region
which was not only the place of
dispute about the feud hog but
was not owned by Steve Hogg,
instead of Rosy McAfee.
He walked the line fence be-
tween Steve's land and the Tolli-
YER family. Beyong the cornfield
was cow-tramped and hog-town.
The path was dim, and little used,
now that Hannah was down in the
country trying to make a
college career. But there was a
time when Rosy and Hannah had
tramped this dim way, seeing each
other almost daily.
Rosy remembered the feeling
he used to have when a day had
passed without his seeing Hannah.
Now, for no reason at all, he was
glad the high-tempered girl was