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Show Forcing a Decision. BY JAMK8 NOKL JOHNSON. Author "A Romulua of Kentucky." Etc tConyrlght, 1K1. by Dally Story Pub. Co.) "Com to think of It," Mid Oeorge Peterson to Will Oarrlaon, aa tha two tood chatting on th highway, "I heard that you (aid that one of ua waa a-goln' to alt a bullet-hold In him afore long?" "Well, now," returned Will thought-I thought-I fully, acrewlnc hla left eye and digging at hla acalp, "hit cornea to ma that I had Jeat about alch talk." "You think we ought to ahoot over Tlllla Atlnmi. ah?" . "I don't a that we oud shoot ovar nnythlng mora Important; do you? I ahot ole Jim Stacy over a bog laat aummer, an' by gum, In my estimation, estima-tion, Tlllla Adama la wutb a whole drove o' hoga." "That la all true," admitted Oeorge; "hoga ain't to be mentioned In the game breath with Tlllla no man glta ahead o' me In appreciating nor worth but the queatlon la one o' policy an' good Jegroent ort we to klU each other oth-er over hart" "Now, that I a matter fa aertouely chaw on, 1 admit. That we both love the gal more nor an 01 turn cud pull ef they had a down hill ahoot on It, la certain. That both wud fling our Uvea, aa worthleaa rage, at her feat, la akally ahore; but aa to whether we'd be doln' the proper thing to do It la matter to chaw on. Put the matter muat b aettled aome way. I believe the one ahe lovea beat ortar have bar, but ahe won't aay. 1 believe I'm the one." "An' I feel ahore I'm the one." "An' thla ehoreneea o' both, ye aee, it what I've thought would bring Bdsds! trouble. Bo I Anger It thla way: If both live, an' one glta her, tother wud ruther be dead. With one dead, he's at avarlMtlng peace, an' tha other la happy with Tllile. Now, what do you aay?" "I'm a ehawln' on the thing." "Have you got yor pop with you?" "No, but I oe you've got two." , "Yaa, an' here la a good place. A pice, thick aliade yander under that beech to die comfortable under, an' tirmorry la Sunday, an' the new preacher la to preach at High Point, an' the feller that glta hla light put out Will have a glorloua big funeral!" "I kin jlit aee Til lie, her boot mil tace, like ar dew-wet rota, hanging ever me right now'" "Hash! Oo ter dniwln' a pleter Ilka that, as' I'll commit suicide to git to be tba one to git hung over." Tha two men hunched merrily, while at the same time they were uujolntlng the "pupa." ctwllng out old nulla and putting new cartridges Into the cylinders. cyl-inders. "How far off had we better get?" eaked Oeorge. "Oh. we-e-ll. aay well one hundred yard ai.d atep forward ten atepa at each Are." "That's good aay, who a them com-In' com-In' In that buggy?" "Durned at I don't believe It'a Dill Tom Branner an' Tlllle." "That'e Jeat who they la, by gum!" An old topless buggy, drawn by a thin, bay home rattled up. The occu-panta, occu-panta, coming oppoalta, Inclined their heada gently, aralled pleaaantly and paaaed on, a foam of dual rlalng In tbelr wake. "8he amllrd at me, Oeorge." "She amtled at ma. Bill." "Bay, Bill." laughed Oeorge. "Wouldn't "Would-n't It be a good 'uu on ua If Tlllle loved that dog dratted raacal with her better bet-ter than ahe do either of ua?" "Huh! An' him with nuthln' but an' "Boya, don't ahoot, for God' aaket" edlcatlon, an' not a hoaa to hla name! That'e 'bout aa redlckllua aa on of ua beln' loved by a prcaldent'a darter." "Oh, I wua Jeat funning, of eo'ae, but, come to think, I've hearn ' thing Jeat aa onroaaonabla. Y aee, Tlllle baa been down to the Bluegraaa goln' to achool for a year or ao, an' thar'a no tellln' what alch fool doln'a aa that will lead a gal to. They are curloua critter at tha beat gala la, Why, I beam of a gal once that refuaed to marry Jeaae Underwood, the beat platol ahot our Kalmuck hllla ever had. Well, auh, ahe kep on an' on actln' the fool till aha finally married aom poor lawyer that never amounted to nuthln' ceptln' aumthln' like circuit Judge, or aom foollahnee like that. Tell ye, gala la curloa." "Yaa, that'a ao; but we ain't no more time for foolln', Let'a atap off.' The man atepped out, took place and confronted each other. They ware to count three In concert, then fire. "One, two, three!" "Spang!" A ball paaaed through a lock of hair above Bill' left ear. He hadn't fired, and for good reaaon. When he went to cock bla revolver the main eprlng bad broken. He had pointed the weapon nevertheleaa. taking th rlak of being Wiled rather than to explain an accident that Oeorge might regard purpoaed act to avoid the duel. "We'll have to adjourn thla nae." alghed Oeorge, "until you kin ;t yer own pop." "Bay, Oeorge," returned BUI, handing hand-ing Oeorge the crippled weapon. "I've Jeat thought w kln'aettl thla matter mora aaUafactory. Tlllle, aa well aa ahe appear to lov both, mout refuM tar marry the one that kill tother about her. Then we'd be In a nice ahape one dead and tother wuaaer. Leaa fine out which one ah really love beat; then let that lucky on gtv tother all hi property to conaol him a little, and take her." "That'll be aatlafactory to me It we kin (It a bill o' dlacovery, aa the lawyer law-yer aay, that will wuk." "Wall, I think I've got It. Termorry at church me aa' you will let on like we git In a fuaa, an' pull our pop. Everybody will be excited; the wlm-men wlm-men will yell, an' plrty, Tlllle will come acreamln' out to th na ahe love beat, an' beg him for her aak to put up hla pop." "The very thing!" exclaimed Oeorge lapping a cloud of dual from bla right ' e A great congregation had gathered for Rev. Ball, the celebrated revlval-lat revlval-lat of Knott county, waa to preach, and the report had drawn pecple aa a auck-hula auck-hula drawi culpa from a broad territory. terri-tory. The houae being filled, the grounda overflowed. Men and boya covered tha turf In front and at the aldea, aa thickly aa beea cling at tha aide of a gum on a hot morn of July all ear eagerly polaed. Nothing aav th electric elec-tric voice of the apeaker, fell upon the vaat quiet V.'han th preacher began to pitch hla tone to tha ecale of concluding exhortation, ex-hortation, BUI and Ooorge, aa per pre-vloua pre-vloua arrangement, came Into the crowd from opposite direction. They were radiant In their new clothes, and their new boot announced their entrance through proud mooa-ured mooa-ured aqueaka. Being the richest young men of the aectlon, their appearance made heada of reverence allently Incline and a whla-per whla-per of admiration ripple through the wide throng. Quietly the young gallant worked toward each other, and, before the al-lent al-lent company knew they had met, or knew they had occasion for quarrel, a rapid lira of denunciation began between be-tween them. "Ton did atep on tny frtott" vociferated vo-ciferated Ooorge. "You are a liar" ahouted BUI. "Bora, don't ahoot, for Ixrd's lake!" ahouted a acore In concert. The hitherto paaalve throng, waa now In rolling, aurglng motion. The timid fell to the rear, and the bold tolled madly toward the dangar-vwlrl. The wlndowa of the houae became mouths for rapidly expelling wade of color. Th doorway waa a choked channel for the emlaslon of a feminine flood. Wild ehrleke went up, and benchea tumbled down. Dog yelped, and white-faced, wild-eyed womeq cried: "Oh. Where's my baby?" or "Sal-He" "Sal-He" or "Tommle," where are you?" A rolling commotion of voice on thi outalde finally killed all dletlnct expression. ex-pression. Bill white-faced slater got to him and telted him by th arm. but a big Arm hand pushed her back. Th con stable wedged hla way to Oeorge, but he fell back limply agalnat prnpplni men, hla fare gushing blood. Th Justice of the peace, who commanded peace, found the peace of Blll'a paralysing paral-ysing flat. All waa In swirling, roaring roar-ing confusion when the thunderous, voice of the preacher broke above tht crowd with the awelng power: "Ef ye ain't got no respect for me, an' the day, an' the 1-ord. respect yei neighbors who now leave single life for the holy waya of matormony. I now peform a aarlmony. Be ya silent In the tace of thla awful, aacred In-ordinance In-ordinance uv hoaven'a disposition. Jlne ban'a Thomaa Benton Brammer and Matilda Jane Susan Ann Adams!" Silence fell, and so did the spirits of BUI Onrrlson and Oeorge Petnraon. They looked up at each other and though agony loaded their alow-chugging henrta, they amllad through alck, feeble Up aa thought answered thought: "What fools ua feller be!" |