| Show N V Z 0 la V andy ives and his family wife kate daughter lope hope son dave and mother inlaw in law granny give up their comfortable home to go modern pioneering in southern arkansas where andy receives tree free land in return tor for working there as leat least two years clearing the swampland tor for productive planting the family amily Is greeted by neighbors including emerson eliot and his sidekick side kick absalom flipp who immediately makes andy a present of a puppy harley and birdie webster also call and speak of 0 their daughter oreen who is about daves age the ives are disturbed in their sleep one night by hunters bunters who previously used the ives home as their quarters CHAPTER VII not drunk the bully growled he turned and moved unsteadily back to the car come on boys lets go to newcastle I 1 want to see sig flanagan I 1 wonder how he feels about losing the camp house out here the third member of the group was a slender man of about fifty he wore horn rimmed glasses which gave his already serious face an even more serious look he was thin lipped narrow of face and he carried himself with more dignity than the other two had shown im david wellons he said to andy county attorney over at hamilton he bowed in a way that could have been interpreted as either courteous or sardonic we regret having disturbed your rest mr er ives andy told him andy ives glad to meet you mr wellons ah mr ives A pleasure im sure where are you from Harbi sonville have you ever lived in this country not till now andy answered he wondered if the mans interest and politeness were feigned or earnest why do you ask partly from curiosity it will be quite an experience for you living here im sure quite an experience then he turned back to the car come gentlemen were wasting time they drove away toward the gravel road that led out to the highway andy stood tor for a moment under the clear late stars watching the red taillight blink through the trees and thickets the car passed it was like the baleful red eye of a temporarily vanquished enemy in retreat looking back at him when he went into the kitchen dave was sound asleep but beyond the wall the women were awake kate called who was it andy one of them mad about something weve got their camping place andy told her deer hunters oh andy returned to the bed rolled dave out of the way and crawled in but he go to sleep there was too much to think about for the first simein time jn his life andy ives had found himself interfering with the pleasures or pursuits of others his years of working for mr jaynes had conditioned him into a sort of always please the public groove but things were different now andy ives was no longer a part of someone alses business he had struck out for himself at last he regretted that his cabin had formerly been the rendezvous of deer hunters he regretted even more that the high sheriff had been accustomed to use this cabin during deer season tor for he had no wish to incur the ul ill will of the county ring by being in their way but that be helped now bugler howled again and took his mind off the matter while they were at breakfast they heard hounds trailing in the distance then the dull roar of a gun some hunter had killed a deer andy and dave went to newcastle that morning andy sold the car and bought a pair of medium m sized mules which appeared to be well broken and in good condition he bought a secondhand wagon and harness for the mules he bought two turning plows another ax a crosscut saw a mattock some barbed wire and a few other items the hardware merchant serving him was very pleasant as well he should have been tor for andy was a good customer even if he did seem to know a lot about prices youre new in our section arent you he asked seen you before just moved down here andy told him im homesteading home out west of town oh I 1 see the merchant said slowly studying andy with interest you seem to know a lot about hardware andy laughed softly ive spent a good many years selling it for jaynes hardware up at harbison ville I 1 ought to know hardware 1 I know mr jaynes the te merchant said im watson bird im andy ives and this is my boy dave glad to meet you mr ives he looked around to see that no other customers were within hearing well let me give you a little hint even though you asked for it be careful out there where youve homesteaded homestead ed be very careful about everything mules replace andy s automobile 1 I always try to be careful andy told him on your mind in the first place youre not like the general run of the homesteaders and that may put you in bad with them in the second place all the homesteaders are rather disliked by the people in newcastle especially a certain element here 1 I think I 1 know the ones you mean andy said ive heard some things good then watch out ives he looked at dave fine youngster you have there you be careful careful too about picking your friends dave there are some pretty tough customers out in your neighborhood yes sir dave promised and as they were leaving the merchant said to andy if you happen to need any credit come to me ives I 1 like your cut thank you mr bird andy said gratefully but I 1 hope to keep things on a cash basis credit scares me it gets out of hand sometimes you talk like a man who pays his debts mr bird said pleased and remember my offer stands As they drove homeward in the rattling wagon loaded with their purchases which included also feed for the mules and provisions tor for the kitchen andy and dave felt that this was really the beginning in a sense the car had been their last remaining link with town life and now it was gone and they were being pulled homeward by mules they rode in silence for about two miles each sensing the thoughts of the other andy spoke first well son this is it were now a pair of farmers but someday well have a nice new car and well go places and see things someday sure we will dave agreed well have a better car than the one you sold right now weve so much to do that we dont need a car andy nodded A lump came into his throat for he was moved by the boys acceptance of the situation after all this was none of daves doing lots of kids would hold it against a father if he tore them loose from comfort and friends and saddled them with a lot of hard work it warmed his heart when dave showed that he was different that he felt this was his own ven ture lure too 1 I like to hear you talk like that he said simply whatever comes always know I 1 did what I 1 thought was best son dessir Yes sir I 1 know you did dave said they rode on in silence they understood each other when they turned off the highway onto the gravel road and drew near the fork of woods road that led out r you talk like a man who pays his debts and remember my offer stands to the cabin they heard hounds out ahead of them it sounded like a larger pack on a hot chase not far from our place dave guessed the deer are having a hard day said andy poor critter sl trouble rears its ugly head gosh dave e exclaimed cl almed id like to see a deer in the woods only deer ive seen were in the zoo they look happy A heavy gauge gun bul loomed then but the hounds continued their chase going southeast he missed said andy that shot sounded pretty close to our house then the faint crack of a rine rifle it sounded like mr flipps squirrel weapon when they came around the growth and in sight of the cabin they saw mr eliote decrepit roadster parked against the sapling he used for supplementary brakes there was no one in sight bugler lay by the corner comer of the cabin teeth bared growling his trouble dave wondered aloud he looks ready to fight youve got me there andy said puzzled 1 I think there was an ounce of fight in those skin and bones As they drew up in in front of 0 the house though the pup changed abruptly and opened up with a long drawn dismal howling pointing his keen muzzle heavenward and pouring the entire vicinity full of heartrending wails the door opened and kate appeared very straight very white very angry through the open door they could hear someone playing chords on the piano accompanied by the unsure notes of a violin determinedly edly attempting the flight of the bumblebee from the gen general effect the bumblebee would do well to make a forced landing piano and violin seemed to be playing hide and go seek with slight chance of finding each other it was this undoubtedly that had moved bugler to the deep melancholy he was voicing andys eyes were on kates white face something was wrong he had never seen her look quite so grim the matter honey he called come on out and look at the team and the things weve bought kate came out walked fast toward the wagon granny looking equally angry replaced her in the doorway the bumblebee lew flew on and on wavering often but remaining bravely on the wing and bugler sobbed out his grief from a sound torn heart you heard the shot kate said you heard the hounds and the shot you sure what about it her manner sent andys heart pounding yet he knew that no one had been injured by the shot or else the music be going on in the house the matter kate the hounds chased the deer right by the house A man rode out ot of the woods trying to head off the deer he shot from the horse most of the load struck the west end of the cabin buckshot of course andy paled now who was it did he stop and apologize did mr eliot know him 1 mr eliot was busy with his violin trying to show hope how to accompany bany him he even see the hunter a big broad man on a rangy black horse no he stop he went on by at a gallop loading his gun as he went even look this way he shot mighty high andy said slowly thinking hard funny hed miss the deer and shoot the cabin wall from horseback high as he was above the deer the charge dve gone into the ground 1 I dont think he shot at the deer granny said coming down the low step from the cabin door does are protected arent they andy nodded was it a doe it was small and it had no ant lers I 1 think that when the man saw it was a doe he was mad about that and it was right here at the house too and that was a sore subject with him so he just shot at the house for pure meanness sounds logical andy agreed but it would take a mighty mean fellow to pull such a trick it was sig flanagan a voice said qui tely 1 I seen him they turned quickly and saw mr flipp who had come silently out of the woods two fox squirrels swinging from his rawhide belt his rifle on his narrow shoulder did you see him shoot andy asked seen him ridin to head off the doe which he may norve knowel was as a doe he set the rifle down against a tree and came on toward the wagon shet up bugler he roared Fla that mean all right md it d be just like him to pour a load of shot into yore house an then say he was sho otin at the deer where is he camped andy asked climbing down from the wagon he always camps with the sheriff an that bunch mr flipp told him shet up bugler say if that yore dog id grab me up a an bust him he looked dolefully at kate and granny me ladies but berned if I 1 dont hate to hear a critter howl its the music said granny bugler has done pretty well today but the music desm I 1 know absalom flipp looked from one to the other apologetically getic ally 0 O or man eliote been jest atchin to git over here an play his fiddle with the piano he cant play a dang though an that alyin dirt dobber piece or whatever he calls it is one of his wust ones he took fiddling fid dlin doncet he be says in one of them observatories but A conservatory granny corrected him desm I 1 said im going to sheriff martins camp andy declared im going to tell sig flanagan jest a minute mr flipp interrupted you aint asked my advice but lemme give you a slug of it forget happened the best and easiest way to handle it yes said kate id rather you would andy all be even angrier it if you went to the camp and tried to lay down the law to them flanagan will say that it was an accident anyway andy Is determined to see flana flanagan td an they cant ride through my place shooting at my house andy cut in hotly if they get by with this they might try worse next time im going the music stopped hope came out mr eliot following A look of deep peace lay upon his face and his eyes twinkled with joy behind his spectacles where is the sheriff camped andy asked mr flipp bout a mile southwest of here on the other side of the bayou but look mr ives you wont do bothin but harm to go there As fer the postin of yore land say you had to have a notice in the county paper fore you could make it stick anyhow why theys lawyers an county officers an the game warden an the sheriff all together there chance would you have givin orders to that bunch have to know how I 1 feel about it andy said stubbornly flanagan in particular im going dave you can unhitch the mules and put them in the lot ill unload the things for the house before I 1 TO BE CONTINUED I 1 |
