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TWENTY-THIRD INSTALLMENT
Ann groaned and the Joints of
her entwined fingers cracked but
she shook her head. "I jest cain't
go fer doin' no thin' gains' Mr.
Snavely. You doan understan' how
'tis with me an' him."
Slowly the giantess walked to
Ruth's room. The girl followed.
"These here ready!" asked Ann
pointing to two suitcases. Ruth
nodded, and the big woman left the
room with them.
Dully, Ruth continued the pack
ing. She would try again after Ann
was off the ranch and on the main
road. But Ruth felt certain that
Ann would do exactly as Snavely
had ordered. . . . The voice, then,
was not his only hold on Ann;
there was a bigger thing.
In a short time the packing wat
finished and the buckboard loaded.
Ruth looked about for David; ho
was not in sight, nor did he answer
her call. She suddenly realized that
she had not seen him since return
ing from the mail box. Ordinarily,
she would have been .only mildlv
disturbed —the snakes were gone this
time of year. t •
Then Ruth's heart stopped: a few
feet from the board fence around
the old well lay a box. It lay as
though it had been placed on end
against the fence: in imagination,
Ruth saw her son standing on tip
toe, leaning over the fence, hitching
himself farther over to see better,
losing his balance, the box falling
away as his feet left its top. With
a cry of anguish she ran to the box,
stood it up, and mounting, leaning
over the fence—"David!" The
name rang hollowly and died away.
"Da-vid —" With a moan, Ruth
slipped from the box ... The next
instant, it seemed to her, Ann was
helping her to her feet.
"Ann! Ropes! bring ropes quick!"
Ruth struggled to free herself from
the giantess' arms. "Let me go!
Oh!, God, don't let David be in
there—"
"Now wait, Miss Ruth—wait—you
doan know he fell in, does you?"
"No—no—but where else is he—
where else—" Ruth was dizzy; she
fought to keep her senses. "Ann—"
Ann ierc ner and ran into the
house. Ruth climbed upon the box
again, but she could not look down.
The giantess lifted her from the
box. "You stand down, I'll look with
this—you couldn't see nothin* with
no lantern on a rope."
Ann held a mirror in her hands.
She caught the light of the sun and
turned it into the well. Ruth saw
her smile broadly. "There. I done
tol' you he warn't down there!"
Snatching the mirror from the
ground where the giantess had drop
ped it, she climbed upon the box
just as the lower limb of the sun
touched the western mountain
range. The light from the mirror
struck downward, wavered, and
came to rest on the cloth hanging
from a nail part way down the well.
Ruth stared at the cloth as the light
slowly faded. Before it was entirely
Bone she knew what that cloth WP.S.
Once she had sent Harry, her bro
ther, a present—a red silk handker
chief with an odd design of large
white horseshoes.
David just then came trudging up
from the gulch. He couldn't under
stand all the concern about his ab
sence.
Ruth stepped from the box, took
David by the hand and led him into
her room. After locking the door,
she took Will's revolver from the
trunk and sat down on the bed be
side her son.
The handkerchief, , . . Harry al
ways wore it, Old Charley had said.
If her brother was alive, how did it
get half-way down tjie well on the
Dead Lantern ranch? If he were
not, then, according to the Mexican
who had reported his death, the
handkerchief was buried two hun
dred miles below the Mexican line.
The Mexican had actually men
tioned the handkerchief. As Ruth
sat on the bed, holding the small
hand of her silent, wondering son,
her mind raced; that first night
when Snavely had: thrown a bundle
into the old well. .He had not been
expecting any one!to come on the
ranch and had left things about
which must be got rid of . . . ths
bundle opened as iti fell and the
light silk handkerchief floated
alone, and came to rest on a nail !n
the timber, where Jt stayed . . .
Snavely's feverish desire that she
should not ask questions about the
well, that she shojUd not go near
it . . . The well haunted him; was
not he always looking toward it?
Without any cut and dried rea
soning. without weighing, rejecting
and sorting evidence, Ruth found
herself with a clear, convincing pic
ture of the whole, plot. She knew
as plainly as though a hundred in
vestigators had compiled proofs for
a hundred days that the letter was
a lie; that it was Snavely's final ef
fort to get rid of her. And Ham
—Harry was deaa. His body lay
under a pile of rubbish at the bot-
torn of the well . . . that was why
Snavely's pale eyes strayed there so
often.
She heard Snavely's voice shout
ing angrily for Ann, then the
thump of his boots as he entered
the house. "David," whispered
Ruth, "Mama's going to trust you to
do as she says: stay on the bed
and don't be afraid —Mama'll be
back pretty soon."
With the revolver in her hand
she stepped to the door, silently un
locked it, and stood with her left
hand on the knob.
In the kitchen Snavely abruptly
ceased to upbraid Ann, and the
boots thumped across the porch.
By God, I'll show her who's —"
As quickly as she could move
Ruth flung open the door ant. step
ped out, the revolver, fully cocked,
pointing at Snavely's breast. He
stopped and his hands went up.
Ruth quietly closed the door behind
her.
"Ann!" Ruth's voice was sharp,
metallic. "Go into the living
room."
She waited until she heard Ann's
footsteps. "Now you march in!"
Snavely turned without a word
and walked before her.
"Sit down —you too, Ann." The
girl nodded toward the chairs by
the table.
The huge woman and the pale
eyed man seated themselves. Snave
ly gradually lowered his arms.
"I've got nothing against you,
Ann—far from it. But if you won't
help me you'll have to go with this
murderer."
"Whar—what's that—" Snavely
gasped and his eyes stared wildly.
Ruth spoke to Ann, without turn
ing her head: "Ann, will you help
me now. This man murdered Har
ry Grey, his partner. You must
help me tie him so that we can take
him to the authorities . . . Well?
Are you on my side or his?"
Ann's face was a study. For a
moment she regarded Snavely, then
Ruth. No one spoke.
"Well. Ann!"
'"Pore Gawd, Miss Ruth—l doan
know—l doan know —" Ann wrung
her hands and rose to her feet.
"Please, Miss Ruth—l cain't help
-you 'gains' him." Ann walked to
the door, hesitated, returned a few
steps then went back and stood
near the window in an agony of in
decision.
"All right, Ann, think it over."
Ruth stepped close to the man in
the chair. Her voice was clear and
sharp. "You murderer!"
Snavely shrunk back in his chair.
"Say it!" demanded Ruth. —tell
Ann what you are!"
Snavely's lips moved silently.
"Louder!" she cried, thrusting
the muzzle of the gun -almost
against his face.
"I—done —it— My God! let me
be —quit lookin' at me! I had to
do it, I tell you!"
"Don't move! Now tell us why
you did it." Ruth stood, right foot
forward, her smooth young face set
rigidly. "Begin!"
"I—l shot him."
"Why?"
"Because I hated him!"
"Why?"
"I don't know —he come here. He
bought his interest from the man
who owned it an' he come here. He
wanted to be pardners—l signed. I
couldn't help it—damn him!"
"What did he do to you?"
"I don't know—let me be, can't
you? He come here an' I wasn't by
myself no more—l couldn't git him
to go."
"You didn't have to murder
him!"
"I hated him, I tell you! He done
what all people do—l hated him
like I hate all the rest. I got to be
by myself. I been alone since I
was born. Evory man I ever knowed
tried to git somethin' off me. Every
storekeeper tried to cheat me. Every
rancher tried to fence off part of
my land—every time I got a good
thing somebody tried to get it away
for his own self. That's all humans
do! Their whole lives is just spent
trying to get something somebody
else has got!"
"Well?" demanded Ruth.
"When I come here there was
twenty thousand acres of this ranch
an' the house was in the middle of
it. I couldn't see no fence which
ever a-way I looked. I bought this
ranch. I could stay here. I had
my horses an' I had enough cattle
to keep me busy an' to feed me. I
bought this ranch fair an' square.
Then a man comes with a paper
an* says he owns three-quarters of
it. But he didn't want to stay here
—he didn't want nothin' but mon
ey. So he went away an' I scraped
enough together each selling, time
an' sent it to him. That was all
right. Then your brother bought
that man out an' come here. He
come to stay. He aimed to improve
the ranch. Good God a'mighty!
"I am going to take you over the
mountain*,'" said Ruth evenly.
"Stand upV
Snavely slowly rose and Ruth
\
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
backed away. At that moment his
eyes looked past her shoulder and
his head nodded ever so slightly.
Before Ruth could move great arm:;
were holding her in a vise, \ bit
hand took possession of the gun
Ann's voice muttered close to her
ear, "I'se sorry."
"Give me that gun!" Snavely
darted toward Ann as the giantess
released the girl. Ann backed away
shaking her head. Snavely stop
ped.
Ann spoke swiftly to Ruth. "Git
yo're little boy and ride away quick
—hurry. Miss Ruth, 'fore he makes
me give him the gun."
"Ann, help me—you have the
gun, help me to take him over to
Thanes' place," begged Ruth.
The giantess roared at her. "My
Gawd, git away like I tol you!"
Neither Snavely nor Ann moved
until the sounds of Ruth's horse
and David's questioning voice had
died away.
Snavely, white with rage, spoke
scathingly. "Now give me that gun,
you black —!"
The gun in Ann's hand wavered
uncertainly. "Jes' a minute," she
faltered.
"Give it here!"
Ann cringed, turned the revolver
butt forward and held it out.
Snavely snatched the weapon,
and raised the muzzle to Ann's face.
Then he paused, and lowered the
gun. "Git my horses, damn you!
They'll come back—the Thanes'll
come and git me! They'll coop me
up! Hurry along—git Buck an'
throw a pack saddle on him. Run
damn your black hide!"
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WHY
.
o
is mp electric bill more this month?
SUMMER WINTER
F- / . x -==± THIS question often comes to mind
' w ' n * er mon *hs. j fi Wm I
§© Days become shorter so gradually
one does not realize that lights are Wll 10L-^
being turned on earlier in the evening
7 P. M. 7 P. M.
Daylight lasts longer. Darkness falls earlier.
jf^fS'
and the bill is correspondingly higher.
More time is spent outdoors ■ More time is spent indoors
P 1 " ■" TH II O other commodity in the house- [ll'i" i """ J
y 1 [jj —@2 J • hold budget does as much and j ||Jr {F 1
JmJR Tu is as inexpensive as electricity. Never fM*
w W or Y af housewife been ✓/WjS sjwjy*>
fl J M lA% a^'e *° bu y w f0 l*ttle money the •
services which electricity gives. "» l
lll'''' »T? »r
Lighter meals are served. ore served,
Electricity is Inexpensive—Use it Freely if'
SOUTHERN PUBLIC UTILITIES CO.
Ann ran out of the house. Snave
ly hurried into the kitchen and be
gan feverishly filling a gunny sack
with provisions. Five minutes later
his outfit was piled by the kitchen
door; three sacks, his bed roll, a
frying pan, and, leaning against the
house, a 30-30 rifle In a saddle
sheath with four cartons of cart
ridges beside the butt.
Ann was coming from the barn,
HOW WOULD
Boy Like
\ , [ \ i/ FHEE vacat,on
BABE RUTH
At the Babe's Training Camp?
Imagine being Babe's personal guest, staying at hit
hotel, eating at his training table, meeting all the big
league players, practicing with them at the park, being
photographed with them, and wearing a special big
league sweater and cap!!!
THIS DREAM WILL COME TRUE FOR 50 BOYS
.. . BABE HIMSELF WILL TELL HOW OVER v
WBT, 5:45 F. M.
Every MOD., Wed., Frl«
3900 OTHER PRIZES AND LOADS OF
ENTERTAINMENT IN
"BABE 111 Tea B®YS CLUB'?
A NewCtSSO)
leading the buckskin horse with a
pack saddle on his back.
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
20 KDXED. 100 HURT
A radical anti-government revolt
In Rosario and Sante Pe, northern
Argentina, jresalted Friday in at
least 20 deaths, injuries to 100 and
the arrests of nearly 500 people.
Thursday, January 4,1934
BAB'S DOING WELL
Dr. Walter D. Dandy, noted sur
geon, Friday night reported the
probable success of the delicate
brain operation he performed 1 Fri
day morning on five-months-old
Sue Trammel!, flown 1,300 miles
from Houston, Texas, to Baltimore,
in what her parents believed to be
a race with death.