Show Wolves End a Feud Substitute a S o Romance in ill the Mountains When They Trap Girl Girland Girland and Boy noy in the tlc Darkness s be beA beI A I J I The wolves s kept up their hellish cries and circled nearer and nearer I their yellow eyes gleaming through the darkness By WILLIAM 1 BORNE HOENE SINCE the first Hartley killed the first Vaughn in 1869 at a whisky still on the Little Tennessee river in the Smoky mountains of North Caroli Carolina a and started the bloody Vaughn-Hartley Vaughn feud that has taken a tollof toll tollof tollof of a dozen lives there has been no up let-up in the bitter hatred between the two clans until that dark night nighta a few weeks ago when Fate took a hand in the form of ofa a pack of hungry bloodthirsty bloodthirsty blood blood- thirsty timber wolves in inthe inthe inthe the fastness of the ies It was near sundown when young Tom Vaughn tucked the squirrels he had killed into his belt and started down the narrow winding trail that led Into the gap to his his' home two miles mUes south on the edge of ot Lake Suddenly from oft off in the darkness came the howl like that of a dog Tom Vaughn stopped in the path It came again and this time it was answered by another dismal wild call farther away Timber wolves I Hears Urns Woman Scream I IThe The eerie cries came again this tIme tune seemingly closer together With these came a third cry cry cry-a a cry crr so shrill and so piercing and so terror filled IDled that Tom Vaughn gasped and crouched low in the traiL tralL For this third Cl cry was the scream of a terrified woman and it came from the darkness scarcely a hundred yards off to the right The listening man opened his hil mouth and gave a long piercing yell yeU that echoed hollowly back from the invisible cliffs behind him He lie strained his ears eara listening and presently his call caU was ani answered we red lie He called again his voice lowered low ered Where are y The answer came from the dark Right by th in creek who creek who Is It Soon he stood looking down into the white while face of a girL In that thick blackness he could not tell teU her identity So 50 he leaned over and peered at the light patch in the darkness Its me he answered trying to pierce the dark with his hi eyes Tom Vaughn Who air y There was Wal no answer from the prone figure against the bole of the tree at Tom Vaughns Vaughn's feet feel merely a gasp of surprise Feud In the Blood Who air y lie He leaned down and peered at the white blob that was the girls girl's face Air y hurt My ankle came the final answer answer an an- now in a voice that was slightly husky and just a bit harsh Its broke but I 1 dont don't need no help o 0 yore Tom Vaughn Vaughn Vaughn- The boy gasped his surprise and slowly straightened up stirn stiffly MarIan MarIan Marian Mar Ian Hartley ha he whispered hoarsely anger welling up in his voice I I 1 I fell reu down from thet rock the she be said then and her voice trembled trem trem- bled Jest when did y do hit hUt Le asked Long afore sundown she answered answered an an- but dont don't ye mind Tom Vaughn 1 I dont don't need all all' airy bit o 0 help from no Vaughn H r voice was trembling with hate and at these words the boy slowly stood up his hil lips tight against the retort retort retort re re- tort he was about to make Then he turned and looked down at the dim form torm against the tree bole Hartley er err no Hartley Bartley he said laid in a tight lipped voice I got gott t t git ye out o 0 hyah Marian Bartley Hart Bart ley These varmints is gittin plumb bad ad an an onless I 1 kin strike up er el fire they'll shore Cit git to us fore Sore daylight daylight day day- light lICht Planning cape Et There came no answer from the girl and Tom Vaughn fumbled through his hil pockets pockett for matches Finally he realized with a thumping thumping thump thump- ing heart that he bad had no matches lie He turned and spoke down at the girl I aint got cot ar ary a match MarIon MarIon Marlon Mar Mar- Ion lon Hartley and his voice was grim and hard an I 1 aint got but buta a handful o 0 shells far fer my gun run neIther neither neither nei neI- nei- nei ther ther- ther I cd set thet Chet laig o o 0 he told her finally ean I 1 had er light t V see hit bit by Hits bad the girl rid answered with a groan I druther git me out o 0 hyah Tom Vaughn But Tom Vaughn couldn't do that He Ue was strong enough to carl carry the slim girl in his arms all right bu buhe but buthe buthe he knew that once he left the shelter shelter shelter shel shel- ter of the creek creck bank those bloodthirsty bloodthirsty bloodthirsty blood blood- thirsty wolves would drag him down and have both of them at their mer mer- cy So Instead of answering her he fired a quick shot at a pair ol of gleaming eyes a dozen feet away laid his rifle down and cut some low-hanging low branches from the oak limbs above his head Attacked b by Wolves As AI midnight passed other wolves joined the band and their arrival seemed to make the first first- comers more courageous in their attacks which now grew more frequent fre ire frequent quent and ferocious Finally one of the boldest made madea a sudden lunge at Tom Vaughn lie He had been standing looking lookingback lookingback lookingback back over the low creek bank when it happened and it was the girls girl's I quick scream that brought him pIvoting pivoting about to meet the charge lie He swung his hil rifle as he turned and felt the barrel of it thud against the animals animal's head Fangs at JIll Ills Throat Just as the wolf charged Tom Vaughn blindly pulled the trigger o ohis of his rifle The heavy bullet tore through the savage brain and ond the animal fell feU limp at his feet lie He swung wildly about and fired a ashot ashot ashot shot at random toward two more that had ventured to within six feet He Re heard a yelp in answer as the bullet struck but both animals animal whirled and disappeared snarling into the darkness Tom Vaughn had bad always known that a hungry pack of wolves wil will turn cannibal when one of their number has hos been killed or mortally wounded so 10 he grasped the dead deat animal by both hind legs and flung ung it into the brush The Feud Is II Over Presently he heard a low snarl in that direction Then another anc and another until finally the night was filled with growls and snarling yelps as the hungry pack fell feU to to devour devour de de- de- de your the body of their dead com corn rade Finally after hours that dragged like a hideous nightmare for the watching boy and the feverish in inJured In lured girl dawn came to the swamp He tie gathered the girl In his hil arms and went on down the trail toward toward to to- ward Lake and his home borne Ye live five mile mUe from hyah he told the girl by way o of explanation an taint but three threemile threemile threemile mile from my house t Tapoco I 1 reckon as BI how be no harm t take a Hartley woman t a aVaughn aVaughn aVaughn Vaughn house efIn she's shel broke up ye e air till th in doctor cn be beha ha had d. d Tom Vaughn married Marian Hartley at the community church near Proctor N N. N C. C C O Dell Bell Syndicate Service |