Show 11 b by J B Ben en I V Valley Hostile e a ey Ames Williams r 1 I HERE TODAY GIN a n a major have t. t pierce W was to lt nv emotions ot of human It l n lh the pot pol day boil bOll over in Hos Hos- one girl of or 20 a young I y VM lid d with t her li had been in HI Pierce farm bd d Feri since she was wasI Will jh not returned however er e had I If hO lid valley vaHey to toa o Io e and nd left Ho Hostile tile 5 los construction company in HI for fir g a S Me A After te being gone al al- tt hears that he I Jenny ears Stoning wO o yearS and Mid the thc next few ew days of i Io 10 Ji ne Sr r a a t She g. g ie cleaned cd his house pr prepared pared Sr and aw awaited his arrival tf jer er not ot alone when he r rt re- re I He lIe hl had brought a wife with t arrived home Pierce 1 Illen 11 en Jenny Jenn Ferrins Ferrin's place Bart Bart- Carey Care and although sh she se gained bert erg bC before entering she her hurt from Bart Bartlet grandmother let r he heA krater aler- aler Wills Will's homecoming A I wife called on Marm Pierce his bis Jenny had not the other othern 5 n Huldy Huld clearly but she ight bt now that trat Wills Will's wife was as beyond aw h. h li beautiful as a flame name is beau beau- m With hair black as ink and anda I veiled yet bright t and S' S half a Sf bd rif a and d he her heV cheek a fine brown with the sun g acquaintance could wonder at the others other's Vand at the same time fear it shrink from it with an instinctive IT Marm Pierce had tad n noticed this I elm i 3 l something about Huldy's g 5 t 1 and iDd atter ater they had let let she shet t r prediction that t Will had hadt 5 t J a heap o of trouble by her and I was upon them now W the months that followed Jen Jen- ci g all In sw Will Fernn Ferrin not at tb Humphreys Humphres from Augus far b beloW lo p n a steam mill not nt larm h Humphreys ha had known Huldy Augus and nd i it was that E was the only reason he had come valley valley valley-to to be near her Hostile its A i mote more men c came me to Bart Careys Carey's I 4 toh b these days and although thc they t down th the thC brook each da day they Burned ed without any fish Such was 4 June arne of Huldy Ferrin Fernn Jenny lenny after aHer walking in the woods a day accidentally came upon Hul- Hul r r sh she fully under under- d. d her As she came upon her hera a confused impression o of I h golden from the the- sun as asat Jj l lay at length upon a mossy As she heard beard Jenny approach is half balt covered herself with a gari gar gar- ar- ar i ut caught up quickly Jenny told br r that she shouldn't lay a there like fiat as somebody might come rome along a S which Huldy replied What if it 7 did She then taunted Jenny sr not get getting ng Will VilI FerrIn to which fenny emy replied that she didn't want hat she wanted from a man or Couldn't bait one the way she did Summer mer slipped past while the thee liae e of ot Huldy Ferrin Fernn grew stead steadily ltd id then one morning in late Octor Octo- Octo u u r Jenny saw aw Will He was run run- AC toward Seth Humphreys' Humphreys steam sill rill and was vas in such a haste of pas pas- I liw ilos that even from the distance she to feel leel the fur fury of the man Sow Now Go on With the be Story and meadows untended for one summer sum sum- mer season had already begun to surrender surrender sur sur- render to the seduction of oC the forest forestall forestall forestall all about boul permitting g the encroach encroachments encroachments ch ments of small maH shoots and seedlings which must now be grubbed back and nd cut away a Will Vill had worked worked steadily and arid dusk each da day found him bone bone- tired so 0 that he might nod at the supper supper sup sup- per table and md presently thereafter go bO quick and heavily to bed and sleep till da dawn wn He loved Huldy but after alter the first rapture of possession passed he loved also this farm of his fathers father's and with an almost equal ardor servIng serving servo ing it with the full measure of his strength and energy At night he was hungry only for sleep and he rose to work again at dawn But Huldy needed no no more sleep than a cat cal Sometimes Will wm drowsing drowsing ing in in his chair after supper waked to to find her watching him with a disquieting disquieting dis dis' disquieting dis- dis quieting eye and more than o once cc on summer n nights she had roused him shaking him hUn b by the shoulder a hot fury in her tones demanding that he prove himself something more than tan a dormouse of ot a man So when the time did come he was prepared for comprehension There had been many visitors at the farm larm that summer Will at first discovered in these visits visit no more than the natural natural natural nat nat- ural curiosity of his neighbors to see ace this bride of or whom he was so proud Bart Carey came and old Win Haven not infrequently and then Seth Humphreys whom Will Will and and Huldy had had known in Augusta brought his steam mill to the valley Also others who had known Huldy in Augusta came to lodge at Barts Bart's and fish the brook below although they had never come before Huldy Is Popular Will when he wooed Huldy knew her popularity yet jet et he he was cont continually continually nu ally being reminded of it now He might return from the fields at dusk to find some stranger sitting with her herin herin herin in the kitchen in an easy familiarity and on his arrival the stranger and Huldy were vere apt to fall silent and the theman theman theman man presently to take himself hImsel away On this day when Jenny saw Will run toward Seth Humphreys' Humphreys mill mm he had planned to go to L Liberty berty to get some lumber for a piece of at repair work on the barn some studding and anda a bundle of shingles He set out in iri inthe inthe the farm wagon behind his slow I team Huldy asked whether he would be bc home in m time for dinner Will Willi thought not I have mind Ill I'll Dont me on your our Illi pick up a bite when I get back he said I He took the steep road up the hill I and md a little above the house he met Seth Humphreys' Humphreys big truck Seth at atthe atthe atthe the wheel descending Will lifted a hand to the other man as they passed by Seth was hauling his sawed lum lumber ber bel to North Fraternity but the easier road back to the mill mm would have brought him to the valley at its foot loot three or four miles lower down Will was mildly surprised that Seth should have come this way Yet the matter stayed not long In his bis mind He thought casually that Seth might mean to stop at Bart Bad Careys Ca Ca- reys His horses plodded slowly up the steep grade he breathed them twice and so came to the ridge road and turned south toward Libert Liberty He was 15 or 20 minutes from rom the house when the right rear wheel of or his wagon dropped of off a and d Will alighting to investigate found that he had lost st the nut which held the wheel in place The incident might have provoked a less composed man manfo manio fo io irritation but Will accepted it calmly almly enough He walked back along the road searching in the ditch and b by the thc roadside for the lost nut but the weeds were tall in the ditch and the nut escaped his search It was always possible th that t he might have dropped it a considerable time before the wheel slowly dowly revolving work worked d off oU the axle and let go In Inthe Inthe Inthe the end as th the way way Will decided decided de de- to w cut down through the thc woods to his farm where he could find a spare nut among the miscellaneous litter Jitter o of hardware which accumulates in every farmers farmer's shed so he returned to the wagon and led the horses off the road to let casual traffic pass b by and arid tied them there Then he set sel out outto outto outto to w walk wIk lk home It was not far in a straight line through the woods Five minutes minutes' fast last walking brought him into his upper upper up up- per field with the house in plain sight below H He paid it no particular he- he heed hed d at l first firt coming on rapidly to do this this' errand but as he drew nearer he pe saw stopped in the road in front of the house Seth Humphreys' Humphreys truck Seth passin passing b by must have alighted for a word woid with Huldy There was in this nothing unusual yet Will i vaguely r resented it The inconvenience inconvenience of the lost nut had bad faintly frayed his temper the sight of Seth's truck stopped here Seth here Seth must have bave been with Huldy for a long half hal hour hour hour- made made- Wills Will's cheek hot bot his pulse fret Iret- ful He went on toward the house more swiftly and across the barnyard to the kitchen door The Thc door was closed and this was In itself in s some same me degree surprising for the day was warm Will opened tl the door and stepped in Will JU Discovers Wife's Unfaithfulness N Neither either Huldy nor Seth was in the kitchen and wh when n Will saw the kitchen empty empt he stood rooted in his trades tracks for lor an instant that may have been en longer Then he called harshly his wiles wife's name There was no rio reply Be Beyond ond the kitchen lay the dining room Will crossed to the dining room door The rhe bedroom opened off the dining room room loom in the front of the house toward the road The bedroom door was closed but buL Will heard beard movement movement movement move move- ment there and strode that wa way His check cheek was white as stone Before he could come rome to the door however it was opened and Huldy confronted him She stood smiling insolently leaning against the jamb and her lace face was suffused as though she were just awakened from rom deep sleep He said hoarsely What That you doing do ing I 1 laid down own a spell she told him Wheres Seth eth gone to he de de- de m Seth Her tone w was s Dm sed derisi derisive vc His trucks truck's in the road outside There was a window In the bedroom bedroom bed bed- room on the side toward the road she Ehe he turned to look out of this window but without moving I 1 dont don't see it n. n She he retorted maddeningly Vill Will brushed past h her r himself looked out The truck in fact was wasu wasI I gone Jone bUt the thc screen which belonged 1 ha fn the u window lay on the ground out out- S. S t side and it was was broken as though a heavy foot had bad stepped the light S mesh Will turned back into the room He passed Huldy silently but she she caught his arm Where you going After Alter him said Will in thick tones strange to his own cars Why she challenged He shook loose freed himself from her moved toward the kitchen She said behind him in a rising defensive sive sWe fury You work all day and sleep all night What do you jou OU look for me rae to todo todo todo do He lie swung to lace face her and there was death In his eyes Ill be back to tend to you jou he said and arid with no further word burst through the kitchen and away She came with one of her rare quick movements after alter him as far lar as the kitchen door she called mockingly mock mock- in ly Go on then But time yore ore done with Seth theres there's plenty a-plenty morel moiel W Will Vill ll if he heard made no sign he went plunging through the barn and down through the orchard Huldy stayed in the kitchen door and the sun struck her pleasantly and she smiled standing there alone If II she had any regret it was only that she he would not be at hand to see Will and arid Seth when they came together But Seth Humphreys when he slipped awa away from rom the house was more disturbed b by the situation He had a lively ely respect for Wills Will's physical physical cal powers and he leaped into the truck and let it coast roast silently down the hill Also he stopped at Bart Careys Carey's farm beyond the bridge and there tried to make his bis tone and his demeanor de de- de meanor usual ana and stayed a while talking of the fishing ish ng or of or the er cr But while he talked he looked back along the road expecting to see Will appi approaching caching he stayed here in jn order to have Bart Bait at his back if Will should come But Bul Will wm had spent no energy in vain direct pursuit He had cut straight for lor the steam mill down the valley vaHey to wait for Seth there and Humphreys after aUer a while guessed this lIe He said to Bart himself reluctantly preparing to depart Bart you OU got a 3 gun In the house Theres There's a wild bull in the woods down where where- Im I'm working been bothering the men Im I'm a mind to shoot him Bart Bait said aid Ive got an old revolver revolver re re- volver that throws a heavy slug if it you jou ou can hold it il straight You get near enough and you could kill an elephant with it Let me have that that Seth proposed This bull he comes right up around the thc mill I can get gel near enough to him without no trouble at all all So Bart produced the revolver an ancient model in a heavy holster stained by years of or use Got Got quite a history that gun has he said proud 1 ly Ir Fellow out in Denver found a dead man in a gulch in the mountains one da day with this gun on him and a bullet through his head He sent the gun cun to me Triggers Trigger's mighty light Single action You have to cock it it Seth hefted the weapon sighted it it made sure it was loaded Much obliged he said Ill fetch letch it back to you to you And he into the truck and laid the pistol on the seat beside him and went on his wa way The man was afraid He was as big bigas as Will Ferrin Fernn not quite so tall but heavier Nevertheless just as a dog dg dogfights fights lights be bet best t in its own yard so 50 does a I mart man in the wrong fight poorly Seth wanted no fight with Will VIll Ferrin and his very fears lears gave him a false courage courage courage cour cour- age a pseudo He gritted i his teeth and shook his head and vowed that Will had better not try to lay lilY a hand on him I He drove down aown the valley road and turned into the rough wood track that led ed to th the clearing where the steam mill was set beside a spring brook that furnished water for tor the boilers The mill was working the mill crew crew crewl gathered in the shed But Seth did not see Will anywhere about and knew a deep relief relict There was at one side a shed ot of rough boards roofed rooted with tar paper with a dirt floor in which the truck was customarily stored against the veath er Its doors door were swung wid wide and Seth turned the truck into this shed But as as' as ashe he did 5 so Will Ferrin came camel suddenly out from rom behind one wide wide- flung door and leaped on the trucks truck's running board by Seth's very elbow His countenance was affrighting Seth's foot loot missed the brake pr pressed ed edthe the throttle instead ld then he found the brake and jammed it down The truck leaped ahead tr tried cd to stop skidded the right rear wheel broke partly through h one wall the front burst into the opposite wall And Will VilI in silent deadly purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose caught Seth's throat with both hands to drag him to the ground Seth's hand found the ready pistol he thumbed the hammer back As the weapon came into his sight Will wm released Seth's throat with his lefthand left leU lefthand hand and grabbed at Seth's wrist that held the gun The two men were falling lalling together as the pistol exploded Will felt the heavy ball plow into his leg below the knee crashing through the bone with a shocking impact But he did not loose the grip he had The mill was 60 or 70 yards away and the saw at the moment of the shot was whining through a log but Luke Hills was beyond the mill b by bythe bythe the brook and his ears were clear of 01 the saws saw's close proximity He he heard rd the shot and nd came lumbering up the bank shouting the alarm to the othera others oth oth- ers era The men came to the shed door and saw Will and Seth down In fn a locked grip and Wills Will's leg was hide hide- ous But the muzzle muzzle- of oC a 1 heavy pistol |