The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-09-10
N 8 81 ECyS < DAWN i
~. =! at2f [> ReosSs e? !:
-: :. .>ssssSS::S&s. w, NJ. sc ATORES
49,

opened the door cautiously, sci
the pitcher down inside, then the
plate, and slammed the door a.
gain.
"You seem to think I'm a sort
of desp'rate man-killer, sheriff, .
Dave suggested.
well, I'll say yuh done yore
bit to keep up that impression
since yuh struck Mescal," answer
ed Coggswell. "And yore talkin'
that way to Mr.. Lonergan was
just plain crazy. He's the coron-
er."
Seems to me he holds good
many offices in this town." said
Dave.
"You said something there, fell
Ter. What you said to him in
the courtroom, coupled with yore
buttin' in and payin' that money
for Hooker, means a sure verdict
against you"
Listen, sheriff." said Dave
suppose I was to convince yuh
l didn't kill Hooker?"
''Yuh couldn't do it, but il
wouldn't make a mite of differ.
ence anyway. 1 got my duty to
perform without fear or favor
Sheriff Coggswell had impress
ed Dave that way from the start
The sheriff wasn't gifted with q
brilliant brain, but he seemed an
honest man.
1T amt occurred to you, ]
s'pose, that other folks might have
something to gain by Hooker's
death?" asked Dave. 1T don't
seem queer to you, Lonergan
bringin' him in here and order
in him out after twelve years be-
cause he was threatenin' to talk?'
What yuh mean by that?" de-
manded Coggswell.
well, Hooker talked to me
before he died." said Dave. "And
maybe that Shiny murderer out
side the window heard what he
said and figured to kill him and
put the blame on me. I guess
you amt lived here too short a
time to know some of the things
I know-about Miss Lois, for in
stance"
"Now listen here, Bruce" an
swered the sheriff. Il got my
job to do, and I'm dom it to the
best of my powers. There amt
nobody kin buy me, and I act on
evidence"
Lois had always known by in
stinct that James Hooker wasn't
her father, nor the old woman
who had tended her since baby
hood her mother. Her ealiest re-
membranes were of the west
ward trek in the big wagon in
which they had moved from
somewhere-to the heights above
the valley.
Growing up alone, save for the
two old people, she had somehow
acquired the art of tanning the
wild horses that frequented the
waste lands above the valley, anc
sometimes, came down to the
mesa. Most of them were scrubs
but few of them were worth
breaking in for cow-ponies, anc
gradually Lois had begun to ek'
out few dollars by selling then
to Ferris.
It was after she had tanned
Black Dawn that she had galnet
complete control over the herd
which followed her like sheer
at her signal.
To sell Black Dawn to Ferri
had almost broken her heart, blu
she knew that Lonergan had beer
pressing Hooker for his money
FOnce the judge had made ad
vances to her, and she had strucl
him in the face. That was jus
before he began pressing Hooke
for the mortgage money.
Then Dave Bruce had come a
long and broken Black Dawn, ;
noted killer, who had taken tn
lives of four men. Worse thar
that, he had come to the cabin t.
be the partner of her foster-ta
Their.
When Sheriff Coggswell an
nounced that Dave had murdered
Hooker in his sleep, probably il
the hope of finding hoard O
money Lois had never doubted
him. She knew that nearly al
men were like that. Sheriff
Coggswell was the one man whom
she trusted.
He had performed many littl'
kindnesses for her in the past
When her foster-mother Lay dy
ing, he had ridden all the way in
to Hampton to bring back a doc
tor.
The sheriff had roped Hooker