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Show By HAPSBURG LIEBE ft , ; - "LONtPDME." SynopHls.Tounff Carlyle Wiltnir-ton Wiltnir-ton Dale, or "Jiill lule," Hon of a wealthy co&l operator, John K, rale, arrives at the Halfway fcwltch, In ca.stern Tennessee, abandonliiR a life of idle ea.se and Incidentally a bride, Patricia Clav-erliiK". Clav-erliiK". at the altar determined to make hiH own way tn life. lie meet a "Ha he" I A t tie ford, typical mountaineer Klrl. "Hy" Heck, a character of the hills, takes him to John MorelRiid's home. Moreland la chief of his "clan," which 'r.aa an old feud with the I -It lie fords. Tie tella Dale of th kllt-V of his brother, David M.jfjiljd, years affo, owner of ricfr tfrul deposits, by a man nami Carlyle. Dale believes the rrptn was his father. Iji1 makes Us home with the Morelands. Talking with Babe, Dale Is ordered by "Black Adam" Ball to thve "his Klrl" alone. Dale whip the bully. He arranges with John Moreland to develop the coal deposits. Ben Llttleford sends a challenge to John Moreland to meet him with hia followers In bat-tl. bat-tl. Moreland agTees. The two clans line ip fr battle. A IJt-tleford IJt-tleford flrea the first shot. Babe, In an effort to stop the fighting, crosses Id the Moreland side of the river, and Is accidentally shot by her father and seriously wounded. The fight stops and Babe Is taken to the city. Doctors announce she Is not Horloualy hurt. Dale meets an old friend, Bobby McTiurln, who has married Patricia Claver-Ing. Claver-Ing. Di-.le's father admits he killed David Moreland and offers htm funds to develop the coal. : ft CHAPTER VI Continued. 6 "You needn't," broke In the embittered embit-tered KIM Dale. "1 can get the necessary neces-sary frfnds without difficulty. I'll pay the debt myself. You've had a reat many years in which to try to make amends, and you haven't done anything. any-thing. You might have helped the Morelands without their even knowing that It was you especially as they seem to have known you by another name and that's the only way you could have helped them. Here you huve one reason why 1 cannot accept assistance from you ; don't you see, father? fa-ther? The Morelands wouldn't have It, and I couldn't lie to them." lie motioned to McLaurin, who had halted on the lower veranda step in order that he might not overhear, and turned and walked away. McLaurin followed, and soon overtook him. Kill Dale stopped suddenly and faced back to his father. "Kemember that Bobby gets his hjnse and lot !" "Yes," replied John K. Dale, "Bobby g'.fts his house and lot." He went sadly toward the mansion t'Mt seemed to him now a good deal like a tomb. Young Dale touched his friend on the arm. "Tell me, what did mother say? I , know It's going to hurt, but tell It." j "She uras sitting beside an open win- ! dow In the library," said McLaurin. "I told her that you were at the gate, and askd If she would like to see you. At Ilrst I was afraid she hadn't heard me. Tl.en she opened a book that she was wading, "found her place and I '! I Pay the Dclit Myself." niarlretl it with 11 litiirer. anil looked at me. M 'Wild did you s:iy v;is at t lit- jratp. .Mi-. .M. I.: uiin?' she iisliec!. '"Your sen Curlvle.' I nnswereil. "'.Mr. Mil .i.tirin.' she said to me eo'dly. M want you never to forgot this: Yo n;i' there Is no such person on "a. If: ds l';:rlyie I ali'.' " ThiV weit i':t'. nlow n in silence. CHAPTER VII. l.cntcoine. Vb.'ii .'l.i .Mnr.-iu iil ; n '1 H.-n l.i;-1 l.i;-1 linii linisl: -o their i-real.iiiM . then.' in the dining room ol the lilais-dell, lilais-dell, tliey drank the water from their liiiKerljowls, threatened with sudden death Hie waiter who snickered, and found the way to the lohhj. To l.iltlefciril the minutes draped .suddenly. Finally he told Moreland. in a sentence tilled with douhle negatives, nega-tives, that he could bear the suspense no longer, and proposed that they set out at once for Doctor Mraeiuer's hospital. hos-pital. The hotel manager overheard some of the one-sided conversation ; he 'phoned the surgeon and learned that the young woman was resting easily, which information he passed on to the mountain men. lien Llttleford was Quiet for live minutes, more or less. Then he again proposed to John Moreland that they go to the hospital to see liahe. More-land More-land refused llatly, and accompanied his refusal with an unnilstakahle look of contempt. "You're as restless as a dawg In a flea town," he told his old enemy, and with that he walked away. A few minutes later lien Llttleford stole out unnoticed hy his neighbor fro-j the Hle 1'fne, and went at a brisk gaA it Wa utreet. Moreland found It siiirlly afterward ; he followed the Littleford chief hotfoot, and overtook him. Trust your hill dweller fo note landmarks when he goes into unknown territory Littleford was headed straight for the hospital. They walked for two blocks in silence. si-lence. Moreland had assumed the attitude at-titude of one. who lias had the guardianship guard-ianship of. an irresponsible person thrust-, upon him. But soon he softened soft-ened somewhat. "1 shore calu't onderstand, lien," he drawled, "how Kill Dale ever could bear it to live here." "1 wonder," Littleford said absent-mindedly, absent-mindedly, as though he had not heard, "whur bill Dale is atV It's mighty durned lonesome without him, ain't It V That was good ham we had for brenk-fus', brenk-fus', John." "It wasn't ham. It was beef." "it was ham." "It was beef." "It was ha " "Don't ye reckon," flared John More-land, More-land, "that 1 know a dang cow's meat when 1 see it? It was beef!" They had halted in the middle of a stream of pedestrians. A policemun crowded his way to them. "Move on !" he growled. . ... 15111 Dale was at that moment entering enter-ing the lobby of the Blaisdell with Kobert McLaurin at his side. Dale had just told McLaurin that he meant to go to Cincinnati to borrow money from his wealthy friend Harris. Then McLaurin told Dale something that saved him the journey to Cincinnati. "You haven't heard about Harris, Bill? I'm sorry, because he would have accommodated you. He went broke a few days ago In the cotton smash. He was here yesterday, and left last night for Cincy." Dale did not try to conceal his surprise sur-prise and disappointment. Harris, for all his youth, had been a business marvel. mar-vel. "Til have to try somebody here, 1 guess. But 1 won't take it from father fa-ther mother wouldn't permit It, anyway, any-way, if she knew and there are several sev-eral other reasons. Queer how a fellow's fel-low's mother would turn him down like this! Usually, y'know, It's a fellow's fel-low's mother that sticks by him the longest. . . . "1 wonder where 1 could find old Newton Wheatley, of the Ltither-Wheatley Ltither-Wheatley Iron company? 1 know hiin, all right. He always liked me, Bobby. ' "You'll tind him at home," McLaurin answered. "He's out of business, and here all the time now. He might take a shot at coal. Why not 'phoi;e him from here?" "I'll do that." Dale decided. "Look up my two frier.vls lor me. Lobby, w.li you?" lie was soon speaking to Newton Wheatley. He was brief in stating ids wishes. To the question as to why he did not go to his father for funds well, he had his reasons, and it was rather a private matter. Wheat!: y, of course, remembered the near-wedding. The old iron man was silent for what seemed to Pale a very long time. Then his voice came over the wire with an almost ominous culm: " ho besides you has seen this vein. Carlylo? Anybody that knows coal?' "Yes. my father," Pule njiswercd quickly. "He went over it years ngt. Ask him about tile coal in David More-land's More-land's mountain. 'I'hone him. anil then 'phone me. I'm waiting at the Blaisdell." Blais-dell." Wheatley agreed a lillle reluctantly. Dale waited patiently for til'teen minutes. Thin the clerk called him to the phone He took up the receiver with boyish eagerness. Wheatley began cordially: "Your father fa-ther tells me it is a g'-jd proposition, ; Carlyle. so I'll let j r a have all the money you'll need. And if you want a good i.'iiaing man. I know where you can la) your hands on one; also 1 can furni.';., you. at half the original cost. ::!! tut n.'cessary machinery ai.t! acees-s acees-s u-:e'. You "idu't know the old Lii the. heatley company dickered in coal as well as 'rot:: eh? Well, it did Lot me st.t you at three o'clock rh'-ul rh'-ul teruiMii '' Dale was jubilant. Here was a rare stroke of good fortune. He went to .McLaurin who had not yet found John .Moreland and Ben Littleford and told lii ui about it. McLaurin was almost as happy as Dale over it. A bellboy appeared like a jack-in-the-boA in the center of the Iloor. "Mistoli Cahlyle Pale! Mistoli Cahlyle Dale!" Pale wheeled. "Well?" "Wanted iinmejitly at Doctoh Brae-meh's Brae-meh's hospittle. sub !" " Pale shook hands with McLaurin and hurried toward the street. A few minutes later Doctor Braemer met him in the reception room. "What's wrong, doctor?" The surgeon beckoned. "Come with me." He turned and led the way through a long corridor and to a sunny white room where Babe Littleford lay with a bandage about her temples. Ben Littleford Lit-tleford was on his knees at his daughter's bedside; he was slowly wringing his big, rough hands anfl begging beg-ging piteously to be forgiven. Babe- stared at him a trifle coldly. She had not yet seen the two men who "I Was a-Tryin' to Skeer Him Out o' Fightin' Any More," She Interrupted. Inter-rupted. stood in the doorway. Then she interrupted in-terrupted her father: "You hush, pap, and go away. I'd told ye a hunderd times about flghtln' a-bein' murder, and 'specially to us wimmenfolks, and you never would pay any 'tentlon to me. You hush, pap, and go away. Ef 1 die, I'll Jest haf to die. And ef 1 die, 1 shore do want to die in peace. Go way, pap." "But ye must live, Babe, honey 1" Ben Littleford moaned. "Ef you was to die, what'd 1 do?" "1 don't know what ye'd do, pap," Babe said weakly. "You ought, to thought o' that afore, pap. It may be too late now. 1 want ye to go on off and le' me alone. Ef 1 die, 1 want to die in peace. The Lord knows 1 never got to live in peace !" There was a worried look in her wonderful brown eyes, and the doctor saw It. He strode forward decisively and helped Littleford to his feet. The hillnnin wiped away a tear with his faded blue bandana, and hung his iiead. He had been made a broken man in one day. "Co out to your friend .Moreland,'' smiled Ihe doctor, "and wait there for a lit-tle w bile." Babe's lather walked unsteadily out of the ri.om. Dale went to Loctor Braemer anil whispered, "Isn't she going go-ing to make it?" anxiously. "Certainly she's going to make it," liraemer assured him. "Go on ; she wants to see you." lale drew a chair up close '.o the white bed and sal down. Babe's eyes lighted at once, and she put a hand uncertainly out toward him. Pale took the hand in his. lie saw thai il was a little iii It- under ils delicate sunburn. "Glad to see you. Babe," he toid her softly. "Why do ou Ti ink you're going go-ing to die, Babe?" She smiled at him. "Why. 1 don't think I'm a-gnhf to die." she said. "I know I'm ::-.,u:n to live. ll'M Pale. I reel like I could walk Hi'iy n.iles right now !" "Lilt I beard you tell your iailier--" "1 was a-tryiu' to sheer him out o' tigl.tiif any more." she interrupted. "And 1 believe 1 'bout done it. don't you?" Pale was relieved. "1 do. Is there anything you want. Babe? If there is. I'll get it for you if it's in the universe." uni-verse." "The universe?" she repeated inquiringly. inquir-ingly. "What's the unii erse, Bill Male? Sonietbin' to eat ?" "The world, the sin. the moon, and be stars." She smiled at him i ya'n. "No." she aid. "the' ain't roll in I want, and in't uotliia' cat. do fo' me. 1 . eckou. ' 'L-.i. I thought, us they sent lor uie Ba'ie Littleford s lingers held tightly to his. "It was me that sent fo' you." She turned h i r face the oilier way. "1 was so lonesome. Bill Liale!" Kobert Mcl.aurun's wife, l'atricia, visited Babe twice daily, and a friendship friend-ship that was none the less warm for being unique sprang up quickly between be-tween them, l'atricia declared to her husband that she was going to keep Babe whom she was already calling by her proper name, the same being Elizabeth and educate her. There was room In the bungalow, l'atricia said; and she really needed company, because Bobby was away so much. Babe accepted little Mrs. McLaurin's offer as soon as Bill Dale convinced her that she wouldn't be merely an object ob-ject of charity. The hill pride's Brst law is that one must pay for what he gets and it's probably the hist law God laid down for old Adam in Eden. Ben Littleford seemed bewildered bewil-dered and blue when they told him of the arrangement, but he voiced no objection. ob-jection. Dale pressed upon him a loan of a hundred dollars, and ordered or-dered him to give it to his daughter, which he did. Elizabeth Littleford, of course, would need new clothing. "1 ain't even got any dresses at home," she whispered to l'atricia, "but two." riill Dale was sure now that lie loved Babe, and he was almost sure that she eared for him. But lie was quite properly in no haste to come to an understanding. He had known all along that Babe would have to be educated ! and a woman's tastes, he reasoned, might change with education. educa-tion. And he wanted her to have the opportunity of knowing other men of his class. If she couldn't love him with a lasting love, he didn't want her to love him at all. Oddly or not, he never thought of Jimmy Fayne. I CHAPTER VIII. Major Bradley and Henderson Goff. When Bill Dale, the expert mining man Hayes and the two mountaineers stepped from a short passenger train at the Halfway switch, they were approached ap-proached by the moonshiner. Heck, and a man whom Lale had never seen before. He was tail, and his bearing was erect and soldierlike, though he was every day of sixty years old. His eyes were blue and twinkling with everlasting good humor; his gray mustaches and imperial were exceedingly exceed-ingly well cared for; his teeth were his own, and as white as a schoolgirl's, school-girl's, and they bore out his general air of neatness. He was, plainly, a Southerner of the old type. "Who's that?" whispered Dale to John Moreland. But Moreland didn't hear. He ran forward with his right hand outstretched, out-stretched, and so did Ben Littleford. Men could not have greeted a brother will) more gladness, Dale thought. "Hi, thar. Major Bradley !" the hill-man hill-man cried. "And how d'ye come on today?" "I am very well, gentlemen, thank you," said the major, smiling. He shook their hands heartily. "The trainmen gave us your message yesterday," yester-day," lie Weill on, still smiling, "and we were delighted to learn that the young woman was out of danger. I trust you are all in good health, gentlemen." gen-tlemen." They assured him that they were. Moreland turned to introduce Bill Pale and the mining man. From 1 lie moment mo-ment that Major Bradley ' gripped Dale's hand they were friends. ".Mighty glad to know you. sir!" exclaimed the old lawyer. "I've been hearing a great dial about you. sir. over in the valley ol the Doe. Tbe.v seem to "think there's nobody jusl like Bill Dale! It w,us Bill Dale this, and Bill Dale that ; it was 'Here's where Bill Paie whipped Black Adam.' or, 'Here's where Bill Paie was s.and-ing s.and-ing when such-and-such happened.' or. 'Here's where' Bill Paie cms ed ihe -fence !' " "liah-liah-hah !" sluj.g. silly lulifil By Heck, w ho sin,,. I leaning on tin- ', muzzle of his r:l,e. "Bill liale is a. I i riiit, major ; ee sl.o;e goi uiv won! I'o' that." The other la:',lieil. Then .1. .In. Moreland said ih; d re:ttr i e uiov- ; ing. or they d be late fur I'.nner. j vv'Ih u t n y I. ad pin a liiiiKiri- .l an! : of Pavit! .Moreiaiii: s umuutaiit li.-iiind j Iticiii. tin- o.tl Sou: li-.'i tier luuvd si; iy at I'aVs sieeve and w he'oered : "Let us fail behind a liitie. if you please. 1 want to speak Willi you privately." They began to lag. and soon there v. as a dis.auce ol" several rods be-iween be-iween them anil ihe others. "1 heard through Addie .Moreland.' began Bradley, his friendly hand on Ihe younger man's arm. "aboul ou and what you're planning ro do fo'r the Morelands. I tell you. sir. I thanked heaven for your coming, and you may count on me to help in an way 1 can. The Morelands are quite ftien !!y to me now. though up to ill miiiJie of last summer ihey didn't lik me any loo well bet-uuse 1 made Leo l.utleturd'r cat iu my boae when uut here. "It was r. simple thing that brought us together. Joliu Moreland's liltU nephew was lost in the woods and Ida mother was frantic. There are pau-t pau-t hers, you know, uud wildcats, rattlers and copperheads. 1 was fortunate enough to find the boy, anil carried hi in home. That w as all. They 're line people, my boy, and so are the Link-fords. Good old English blood I hat somehow w andered off. There' no purer, cleaner blood iu Ainenen, sir. "And niKV how are you ge'ting along with your plans for the operation opera-tion of tile coal mine?" "Excellently," answered Pnlv "We have the necessary tinanee; a geared locomotive and eais and light steel rails have been bargained for." "Good!" Bradley gave Dale a hearty ship on the shoulder. "There's something else . I wanted to say, Mr. Dale," be continued, lii voice grave. "You're nearly certaiu to have a barret of trouble with a shyster coal man named Henderson Golf. He's a villain, sir, if ever thei was one! And he's quite the smoothest smooth-est article I've ever seen. He cai: make you believe black is white, if only you'll listen to him long enough.'1' "Is he has he been here recently?" Dale wanted to know. "He's here now," answered the major. ma-jor. "He's been here for three days, and he's been working devilment fast. He was up here last summer, try'iii to buy the Moreland coal for a song, he knows all the people, you sue. As spon as he landed here on this present pres-ent trip, he found out about your intentions. in-tentions. Then, at night, he freed Adam Ball from his tobacco bam prison, pris-on, and went home with him. "Well, By Heck followed them and did some eavesdropping poor By has his strong points!" the major went on. "Goff learned that Adam Ball's father knew about the coal vein long before David Morland discovered' it and got lawful possession of the mountain. moun-tain. Then Goff made the Balls believe be-lieve that they were due a big share of the proceeds of the Moreland coal ! It wasn't very bard to do, I guess. The Balls, this set, at least, were'originally lo.wlanders; they took to the mountains. moun-tains. 1 understand, to keep from being be-ing forced to fight during the Civil wa r." "Goff's idea," muttered Dale, "is to get the Balls to scare me into selling instead of developing, eh?" "Exactly," nodded old Bradley. "Then he would settle with the Balls by giving them a dollar or two a day for digging coal; perhaps be would put them off until the mine was worked out for half of that, and then skip. Anyway. Goff would come out at the big end." "1 see," said Dale. "If there's anything that I can do, at any time, you won't hesitate to let me know?" said the major. "You may consider yourself attorney and legal adviser for the Moreland Coal company, of which I have Ihe honor to be general manager," smiled Dale, "if you will." Major Bradley's voice came happily, "My dear boy. I am glad -to accept I And there shah be no charge for any service thai I may render." They were not long in reaching tho green valley, which lay very beautiful beauti-ful and very peaceful In the warm light of the early July sun. The soft murmuring of the crystal river and the low, slow tinkling of the cowbells made music that was sweet and pleasing. pleas-ing. Suddenly John .Moreland stopped, uttered a swearword under his breath, turned and went back to Dale. "The's a man a-w-aitin' on us ahead thar, Bill," he drawled, '"at ye shore want to watch like a hawk to keep him from a-stealin' the eyeleeth out o' -yore head. His name is Henderson Hender-son Goff, and he wants coal." They went on. Soon they met a man who, in clothing anil manner, made Dale think of stories he had heard and read of Mississippi river steamboat gamblers of the long ago. His eyes were blacl:. and as keen a:? a pair of spear-points; his mustaches, too. wore black, and Ihey had sharp, upturned ends like those of a Mepli's-to. Mepli's-to. The major had said that he was a smooth article; he certainly looked It. He. met John Moreiand with an o;'y smile and thrusl out his hand But Moreland wouldn't see the hand. "Anything ye'vo got to say alien coal." he growled, "ye can say to Bill Pale thar." pointing with a callo.ised I h urn h. "Bill he's the high ligh! e' I he whole business; anil when h 1 opens his mouth, ye can cock yore head to one side and listen Co' gaw-l-ei." Goff was delighted to meet Mr. Pale, of whom he had already heard. Pale l:a l nothing whatever to say. Tliey v a!l:ed on loward the cabin of the Mo;o'and chief, with Goti' keeping up a rmtiiing lire of laik ot::i:-e nreg lie' s-iiiei-y. ihe cliuiau- uayih'ng lull coal. Al John .Moreland s ga'e G e? ruidgeil Pale with an eiliow and whis pered : "Meet me al one o'clock down there where the big sycamore kes ac;-o.-:s ihe river. I've got s-nnethitig to tel.' on that will interest ynu. ' "I want you Li'l'ef-rds o be on gocd t-rni w'fh -our ne:gb-Dcrs, ne:gb-Dcrs, the Morelands" i (TO HE CO.VTlNfKD.I |
