Show u 1111 II II II I I i THE RED LOCK C III II 1111 1111 II II II II A C at a 1 A Tale 0 of f the Flat Fla 4 CHAPTER IX IX Continued Continued 11 li line ne n. lifted his face tace after atter a moment and chuckled complaisantly complaisant Jack lack he h. DIe Big went on kill him with a r maul Didn't e fetch that chuckle head a lick Lord I too high though he commented In the nice criticism of ofa ofa a a man who In Ids his day was known to Lave been Leen the most dangerous rough tumble and fighter on the border He lie paused and his face tace assumed the i same puzzled expression It had hod worn at the festival the time evening before I 1 reckon hit lilt couldn't a ben an an Its It's as well not t f say about It he went on but I 1 thought that tha-t feller teller favored that galus galus of ol of len Ken Ken Colin what Colin what e would aben aben a V ben by now I 1 noticed It when e flared up the tho floor flour with the knife Counterman leaned neuter nearer wh what t I up t talk about He lowered his he voice olce That was Black Bogus Uncle Nick straightened No Nol I Hit hilt were ere The old man swore swart took out his pipe again ogain stared at It and ond put It back bock In his pocket Black Bogus hit Bogus hit couldn't couldn't wy wy timers timer's fifty sheriffs a a tr fr him Yes an an them same name fifty sheriffs aInt none too anxious t find lind tin lies lie's a bad bod badman man with a n six r i Mimi s. That That's Jilt What I Up t V Talk About He Ho Lowered His HII Voice That Was Black Bogus He lIe may be I Ken In n Colin that Colin that I I- I dont don't know know but but I I do know hes he's Black mack Bogus I run afoul of Ira Im three year back down Vincennes way It when when- The fisherman stopped breathed hard passed his hand up over his sunken eye socket and sat staring out Into the gathering night The a aged ed hunter hunter- studied him covertly More than once he be had thought of asking for the story of that lost eye but the Innate delicacy of the born woodsman had restrained hIm Calculate you ou w us some when e I s swarmed In Y Counterman turned felt along the edge edgo of the porch floor with his hands I low I 1 no WOr worse e than hed he'd a ben bea It If he a V saw v me But Dut I 1 happened t be back In the time corner COlner corner cor cor- ner the crowd crowd nn an Its It's a good thing thins I 1 were J come face fute t face toC with Black macl Bogus lie Ile tricked meonce meonce me roe once he be wont won't trick me no Bo more the old hunter bunter saw sow the weather weather- stained flat of 01 the fi fisherman berman grip tight heard his lanky Jaws clamp together together together to to- gether watched him Instinctively bitch the holster bolster of his long six gun to en an easier position at his hislip lip hip lIn an I Pee ite e already got enough blood on en my hands bons over overlie over over- lie He stopped abruptly and again sat sot staring tutu the night The man was u a mystery m He lie hut had come como to Buckeye Buckee as the driftwood comes nobody comes nobody knew from where lie He paid his way asked no questions answered mi an- S none In the silence that tell fell Uncle Nick sat pondering him what hirn what his bis life 1111 story might have been bellI The fisherman roused himself after a moment and went on What crosses my path poth Is how e come t b b. b there how e 0 happened happened hap hap- t t come out s' s bold bold specially It I ItI I e e Is the man JUan you rou think e e Is It his way He lie De never Der r would a done 1 It If It It hadn't a ben hen fr tr eke Zeke whisky lie He straightened glanced around at his aged friend and end had bad the light been theold the theold theold old man might night have e seen slen that the twinkle never long absent from the doubly calla capable le eye pe had bad returned Big lg Jack Jark an an time the parson shore did show Im hu a Rood good time time willie while e lasted Uncle Nick grinned That parson parson lord lord I I 1 aint ben t t church In fifty lifty year but Im I'm on on coin goin next Sund Sundy If that parson can raa outface the devil de the wa way he be outfaced out outfaced faced that hulk In head chuckle-head h he aint no bad man t hitch up with Im only Counterman wen went wenton on OD Big Dig Jack Jack an an the parson too f rr fr that matter has matter has seen leen the last o 0 Black lack Bogus Im I'm hopin but Im I'm doubt In I aint amt nar nary a doubt Uncle Kick lck chuckled Your Black the Bogus Bogus th Br By DAVID ANDERSON Author of 01 The DIg Bias Moon MOOD Copyright t by Th The i Merrill ebbs Dobb Co Ce I puzzled expression touched his face tace I again got again got a bellyful las las' night He Ile aint Int fr no more Im I'm bettin m m In bottom dollar dollare e aint i I dun dunno no Counterman pursued lies He's a bad lot Ther Them aint a n worse man the length o 0 the time Wabash An Anthen then hen theres there's Loge Logo Belden Delden the they sa say moved noved In th the ol of cabin up Eagle Cagle holler last ast week with Is sister Cord lie hull wood huh lie aint no more a awood awood awood wood chopper than I J be lies He's a river man Come Tom the mountains moun moun- tame In the first place an usen t be bea a pearl fisher till they run ran Mm Im of n he tho river I 1 never Loge that thatIs Is s what yu might say I 1 Ineer never neer seed Mm till e 0 tangled with Big I I Jack nek In m the post office offic t other evenin but I Is sister not the one hats hat's with Mm lm now but the the other other the one ne the one that's dead dead The Tile fisherman bent his head and his voice olce fell low finally stopped Black Bogus Dogus Is an on old pal palo o Loges oges he went on after a time Wouldn't wonder hes he's up that hor an nn If e Is why Is e An what are re they both both r r either etcher one of pm em em oln doln up rip hur In the time Flatwoods lilt Hit looks t ma he me he bent toward his com com- got ther eye on ol of Sime Colin Cohn Uncle Nick sat thoughtfully fumbling fumbling fum- fum bling his Lis chin leave Ken ICen out he mused lie He wouldn't a V fell tell that low Any Any- how bow tow ther's timers lots o 0 folks that looks like other ther folks Counterman thought a n moment before he spoke again Black Bogus Bogus' game Is counter counter- ruin but hes he's got the guts fr rr anything any any- thing an an Loges Loge's enough fr rr frany any dirt Ther aint Id I'd put past a-past lm lies He's done time arcady aready an an would be doln It right now If It It fr frIs Ms Is sister one good gal gal gal-as as different rom fora Loge as the devil tom Sundy Hits Hit's Loges Loge's one good he pInt he thinks a 11 heap of 01 Is I sister Ister I Well commented Uncle Nick with I hIs its sl slow w drawl as the other paused hit Mt might be the makin of ot ol of Sime It if f somebody could manage t pry a dollar r two an an fIB as 11 ft Big DIg Jack I 1 Mow low ther aint alot none of ot em f ft fr r more truck with him lie He chuckled complaisantly possIbly possibly posy pos pos- sibly fancying that he h had d put a particularly neat and unanswerable finish to the argument That aint It It Counterman pursued pursued pursued pur pur- sued Black mack Bogus an on an Loge are both the he kind that strikes In the dark Thunder I 1 I Uncle Nicks Nick's shoulder Jerked away from fromn the porch post and the fisherman fisherman fisher fisher- man caught the glitter of his set deep-set eyes ees In the twilight They come like that on the boy r Ill I'll strike the warpath Dunno but what Ill I'll peel an anee eye ee on that cabin up the crick The old ranger ronger sat erect anI and rest rest- less Ils ess drumming with his fingers on the he porch floor and looking away away across the narrow v mouth of ot Eagle Engle hollow to where Black rock poked his tumbled ramparts up against the eastern sky The Time clutter clatter In the kitchen ceased Aunt Liza's Lizas still sprightly vastly positive the lve step stell came across the cabin floor and antl n a moment later the creak of ot her Iler rocking chair Joined the time droning chomus chorus chorus cho cho- rus mus of ot the time beetles Wonder what Big Jack thinks thInk a o o othe othe the way the parsons parson's a a around Is Ms go gal gall Counterman mused An her herthe herthe herthe the best prize In the Flatwoods even een If It she dl didn't have a n cent Uncle Nick fumbled out hi his pipe knocked It on the edge Ige of the porch fiO floor lr and filled and lit It ItI I 1 Is Ms father Col David when e first come t the Flatwoods till of eighteen years ears back n un an n I 1 knowd Is grandfather Old Col l David a 1 fit Tecumseh Te Te- Tecumseh nn the under the the The homestead n a present t him font Gen Cen Andrew Jack Jack- son 01 Ol Colonel David lIl RU au young oung Colo Colonel 1 David they both fine up- up men soldiers every try Inch an an Big Jacks Jack's like emit Vm Hits too bad had the homestead had t f be lost t ol of Slate an nn the time Lo boy bound out to Mm ml But Dut even en evenso evenso so he hed he'd 1 wilke make a heap sight more fittin man fr rr a Flatwoods gal gul than that hump backed squinty eyed parson Rents Beats the devil the headway hes he's u-m u u with Ith er 1 I wouldn't a a thought thought- No come of It broke In Inthe Inthe Inthe the lIeI acid tones of 01 Aunt Liza yu u see Is Ms on with er or at the tile sociable lute IllS night Big Jack a aint In Ingon gon t be a bound boy f lf frever rever Shell She'll rue the day she droll a fine lad like him film an ao takes up with a II Aw Mw Liza LIa drawled Uncle Nick i the parson aint no lies he's a college I talk tolk to me snapped the tart yoke voice I 1 reckon I know what 1 I see with m in own eyes eres Mints Mind what I 1 tell tel shell she'll rue It an soll soli Sime Colin a Mm Im harbor around like that dont don't keer if e did go t school with KenI KenI Ken I bet yu If it er mother ther them wouldn't be no sick Ilch goins I 1 dunno what ol of Sime can be about about but money an anIan an anIan Ian lan 1 reckon If It I bad had a agal agal agal gal Id I'd no co more think k o rJ er et be harbord up with a teetotal that that a huh w huh Id huh Id I'd no DO more think o ocr o 0 cr than Id I'd think o 0 wings and t t Ingland There aint no sense sense- ense Aw dont don't be too hard on the paron parson par- par son on Interrupted Uncle Nick with a chuckle buckle I reckon e wont won't eat er en er Huh nub I snorted the voice In ultimate ulti mate contempt What d' d you 1011 know about raisin gals 7 see an Inch ahead o 0 yur our nose we set let In our old age bar barly able t keep loulan soul loul soulan soulin an in body when we might might a atuck a tuck uck our our pick an on cb choice choice an 01 sn ce an me a It Into yu u Tom daylight t V t dark 1st how It'd be be too Oh well Liza the old man reJoined reJoined re- re Joined In to tones more serious dont throw It up to a 11 man Is Ms foresight fore- fore sight aint as good as 81 is hindsight You might a done worse I 1 never ben In Jail It an you never ne ben In the port The dim figure rocked a while In silence Hence Gals Is een a most too high these days she resumed resumed re- re umed though In a milder voice Bound r free tree Big Jacks Jack's plenty a-plenty good food enough fr rr Colin the best breath she ever with all er cr money an an good looks Usen t be a gal court could git along with one beau but huh huh they hey aint they've they're got two wo r three n a after em Timings Things Is comin to a putty pass- pass that's hats what I 1 say say to to a 11 pass puss It If Ita Ifa a gal aln with one beau at ata ata ata a time how In the name o 0 sense can caD yu ru expect er t V be with one husban at a time now time now theres there's the business of It t I I IThe IThe The air of 01 hard bard finality with which the he grIm lips were yere pursed up and twisted around toward the right ear with which the words were uttered almost made the twilight seem to crackle like sUIT stiff parchment being folded after the reading reading- of some weighty mandate Counterman dropped an nn arm across his ils knee and sat very ery still as If It afraid he the sll slightest sound might touch off otT again that trigger hair tongue Uncle NIck looked away toward Black Dlack Rock nock the he bats darted about In the dim half halt light Ight Intrepidly threading the bewilderIng bewildering dering labyrinth of ot fruit trees a cricket at the corner comer of ot the porch tried to toy match atch the creak of Aunt rocking chair CHAPTER X Warning of the Frogs Frog While the cricket carried on on his squeaking contest with Aunt Liza's Lizas rocking chair Jack In inthe the tiny Iny cabin at the time homestead sat readIng read read- Ing ng by the candle on the small center table studying studying would be a truer word for or the book was Professor Asa Grabs Crass celebrated Manual of 01 Botany The breath of the trees came down over O the cliff caught and rustled the pliant sprays spray's of ot the crimson rambler then hen the countryside settled still the words of 01 the book blurred dimmed faded a led away and from the transfigured page there looked out at him a face with laughing eyes eres A trim slim figure flitting with unconscIous unconscious unconscious un un- un- un conscious grace across the tile lawn to where a tall suave sua profoundly bowing man awaited by the rustic seat under he time great maple at Whispering spring crossed his mind mind and and the face tace was gone Ho lie laid tho the book aside blew out I Ithe the candle turned his his bis chair and sat sut staring Into the fire still sUIl faintly alive and fast tast waning behind the open hearth of fit the cook stove A stick stick- l 1 I r i lS t t av E a s Studying Would Be Bo the tho Truer Word for the Book Was Wu Professor Asa Au AsaGra's Grays s Celebrated Manual of Botany burned in two fell Into the coals and stirred out a tiny shower of sparks A bright little blaze flared up danced over o the walls and nd tim tim- timbers timbers bers bets of ot time the cabin glinted upon the sword and spurs hanging under the companion pictures beneath the draped hag flag TO BE CONTINUED |