Wade was very excited in thought and action as he rode out through the
darkness of the night to go to the home of Fred Conover's father. He had
covered the body with his own toga, and he felt the necessity for it as
he split the cool night air in his great haste to get the news to the
old father, whom he would surely find waiting anxiously to learn what
success the boy had met with. Unmindful of any danger to himself, though
the country was well stirred up, he raced on, looking neither to his
right nor to his left, but kept his sight straight ahead and his
thoughts far beyond. He shook his head gravely as he pondered over the
events that had transpired, were transpiring, and would transpire in the
future. He knew now much more of the conditions confronting the poor
farmers of this part of the world, knew of the terrible struggle into
which they had entered for the mere maintenance of their own immediate
families, knew more of the feelings existing among them, and wondered no
longer that they had taken such desperate means to relieve themselves of
the yoke of bondage which had been placed upon their freedom, to tie
them to the heart-eating trusts, which were dogging out their lives,
eating to the marrow of their bones.
Wade had now reached the rise of the hill. In front of him, a little way
beyond, was a dense thicket through which he must go. He went on,
regarding not the deeper gathering gloom nor the many dangers
accompanying. As he neared the thicket he was suddenly confronted by a
night prowler, who commanded him to halt. This he did immediately,
without hesitation, while he was in his present state of mind, not
desiring an encounter with anyone.
"Git down, quick," said the voice of one who held the bridle at the
horse's head with one hand, while a pistol held by the other hand was
pointed directly at Wade's breast.
For a moment Wade was on the point of reaching for his own pistol and
fighting it out, but as his hand started back he heard the command: "Ye
needn't do that. Ef ye make a move I'll blow yer brains out."
Wade now reached the conclusion that he was being held up by a
highwayman, and the best thing for him to do would be to comply with his
request, for he knew that these fellows in this country, highwayman or
Nightrider, were as desperate in character as the most blackened
criminal the world holds. He got quietly down.
"Now," said the captor, "turn yer back to me."
Reluctantly Wade did this very thing. He had some little misgivings in
doing so, for he might be shot in the back.
Not so. The midnight marauder merely took his pistols from his pockets,
placed them in the saddle-bags and got quietly upon the horse. Turning
to Wade, who stood disconsolate, he said: "I'll return yer hoss,
stranger, an' thank ye fer the use o' him, till I can git one o' my
own." Then he galloped off as though nothing had taken place, never
looking back again.
Awe-struck and indignant, Wade stood beneath the shining stars for one
moment just as he had been left, gazing intently after the fast fleeing
horse and his mysterious rider, then resumed his journey on foot. He
reproached himself that he was a great "mummy," that he had come into
this country on an errand of revenge and had placed himself more than a
half dozen times right between the jaws of his enemies, between the
snapping jaws of death. He figured that fate must have thrown a strong
guard around his life to save him for a special purpose. All these
thoughts came into his mind as he trudged weary and footsore across the
rugged country, picking his way as best he could under the
circumstances.
Instead of trying to make his way direct to Conover's farm, he turned in
the direction of his own home, and at some time just before daybreak
pulled up at Peter Judson's gate, where he "helloed" until old Peter,
with rifle in hand, showed himself at the door and cried:
"Who air ye, that wants ter bother a feller at sich a time o' ther
mornin'?"
"Wade," came the reply.
"Oh!" exclaimed Peter. "Come on in, boy. What'n thunder brings ye at
sich a hour as this?"
"Didn't you see the fire?" returned Wade.
"Sure. Did ye think I didn't know it would be?"
"I didn't know," replied Wade, "but I thought I'd tell you that Fred
Conover has been killed, and----"
"Thunder, ye say!" interrupted Peter. "Thunder, ye say!" he repeated.
"What do yer mean by tellin' me that, Wade; is it really true?"
"It is really true, Judson, and I thought I'd come by and get Tom to go
over to Conover's with me to give the news."
"Ye needn't, Wade; they'll have it long afore ye kin git thar with it,
an' besides ye cain't git Tom fer anything fer awhile. He's been shot
through ther leg."
"What!"
"It's true, too, Wade. I told ye what'd happen when we went after them
Thompsons. It's war ter ther death 'twixt us, shore. Tom met old Jim
an' 'nuther feller over ther hill ter-day, an' ther fun commenced right.
They both opened fire on Tom, but he didn't budge a step till he'd
throwed old Jim flat o' his back, an' he'd a-throwed t'other feller,
too, ef it hadn't been fer that sneakin' Al, who slipped through ther
woods like a snake a-crawlin' on his belly, an' let in on him, an' shot
him through ther leg. Seein' he was shot an' bleedin' putty bad, Tom lit
out fer home, 'thout seein' what'd happened after the smoke o' battle
cleared away. Me an' the good gal, hyar, a-hearin' of ther shootin',
pitched out over ther hill with our Winchesters, jest ter git a little
o' ther fun while hit was a-goin' on, an' we seed Tom a-comin' an'
a-fightin' back, with his shot leg a-hangin' loose over the hoss. Me an'
Nory give a Comanche yell what they knowed, an' when them durn fellers
heered us they turned heels an' took out t'other way 'bout as fast as ye
ever seed anybody git over ther mountain in yer life."
Peter Judson told of these circumstances as unconcernedly as if it had
been play. It was real fun to him. The noise of battle suited him much
better than the quiet of peace. Turning to Wade, he asked, "What did ye
do with yer hoss?"
"Someone held me up and took him from me," Wade replied.
"Ye don't know these people yet, Wade," said Peter, after a moment of
silence. "Don't ye know that hit was Fred's pard what tuck yer hoss? An'
he's done spread ther news over ther whole kintry by now, an' long afore
ye got out o' ther woods. Ye needn't bother 'bout goin' over. Ther old
man'll be so wild when he hears o' this that he'll want ter kill every
feller he meets. Ther committees what sent them two boys out on that job
oughter have their own necks strung up ter a tree, that's shore. That's
what oughter happen ter them. Now, yer needn't worry, Wade. Ye'll git
yer hoss back all right. I'm shore o' that, an' ther shootin' irons,
too. Seems like hit ain't no use fer ye ter have any shootin' irons,
'cause ye never have used 'em, yet, have ye?"
"Doesn't look as though I have any great use for them."
"No, hit don't, Jack. But ye mout use 'em sometime. Better have 'em
along anyhow, when ye meet a Thompson, 'cause ye air shore ter need 'em
then. Now, Wade, I reckon ye hadn't better git angry 'cause that boy
borried yer hoss. Hit won't do ye any good, an' hit mout do ye harm.
Ye'll git him back agin. Tom won't be sore long, an' when he gits well
'nough so's he kin git 'bout a little, ye kin listen out fer ther crack
o' rifles in good shape. Come on in an' we'll git somethin' ter eat,
after hit gits good'n daylight. I want ter have 'nuther talk with ye,
sorter face ter face like, afore ye leave me agin. This durn kintry is
stirred up from ther top o' ther hill ter ther bottom o' ther creek,
an' then some on t'other side, an' ye'll see some hot flames, one after
t'other, an' hear o' how hell is raised, an' see many fellers turn up
their heels afore long, ef I don't miss my guess putty bad. Them trust
fellers is determined ter drive us all out o' ther kintry, or see us go
ter ther graves as poor as Job's turkey--however poor that was--an' they
do say that they was mouty poor; but, by gad, they'll have a tough time
a-doin' of it! Ther bother of a feud with old Jim Thompson an' his mean
gang hain't nuthin' long side o' what's a-goin' ter happen 'bout hyar
soon. Ther worst o' ther whole thing, Wade, is that ther air so many in
ther association what'll raise terbacker fer ther trusts. Them's ther
fellers as is ther hardest ter go up agin, an' ther ones as oughter have
ther neck broken. They'll sell ther stuff fer three an' six cents a
pound when they mout as well git eighteen an' twenty fer ther same
terbacker; but no, they'd ruther go ahead agin everybody an' agin
therselves, an' sell cheap. They'll have a time a-sellin' that terbacker
this year fer that price. We cain't raise terbacker fer five cents a
pound an' come out even, let alone makin' a livin' out'n it. Ther durn
fools!"
Old Peter Judson generally warmed up when talking over the tobacco
situation, and he cared but little to whom he was talking, nor who heard
him, when he used rough language. His greatest expression was "Ther durn
fool!" and when he exclaimed in that fashion he was generally done with
that subject or person.
"They'll git ther fill of it all right this season," Peter continued,
after a pause, wherein he caught a second breath, "they'll git plenty of
it. Why, let me tell ye, Wade, what happened one time, an' I'm a-tellin'
ye fer yer own good. I don't want ye ter git yourself inter that deep
hole what I told ye 'bout one day, ther time I told ye a feller mout git
inter his own hole, remember?" Jack did remember. "Well," continued
Peter, "there was a feller onct,--an' he's over t'other side yet,--by
ther name o' Mike Donovan. Mike is a old Irish settler, 'bout ther fust
ter come hyar. Ye've heerd o' him, no doubt. Well, he tuck a hot Irish
notion in his thick head ter run things his own way 'bout hyar, but ther
balance o' ther farmers wouldn't have it that way 'tall. They tried
their level best ter git old Mike to join the association, but he got
hard-headed an' said he'd be durned ef he joined any sich association o'
fools as was scattered 'bout this valley; that he'd raise as much
terbacker as he wanted ter hisself accordin' to his own feelin's in
that, an' he'd sell hit ter who he wanted, an' fer what he wanted ter.
Now, Wade, ye know well 'nough that ther farmers cain't go agin sich
hard-headedness as that an' win out, 'course ye do. Any fool'd know
that, so they begged him ter quit his foolishness an' join ther
association like a good feller, an' git more fer his trouble o' raisin'
terbacker; but ye know how a Irisher is on that point. They won't give
in ter nobody fer nuthin'; so he wouldn't come in. Well, in the course
o' time he done like he said he would do, an' raised a big crop o'
terbacker. He had a notion that he'd fool everybody 'round hyar, an' he
did try it. A committee was 'pinted ter call on him once more an' ax him
fer to quit, but he wouldn't. He went on an' raised ther terbacker an'
made open threats that he'd take it ter town on a certain day, in
wagons. He tried it all right. Ther committee, ter give him 'nuther
chance, called on him agin, an' tried ter git him ter keep his terbacker
in his barns fer a little while longer, but he just perlitely told ther
committee that they could go ter 'h,' followed by an 'e' two 'els.' Now,
Wade, that feller loaded nine wagons with good terbacker an' started off
to Hopkinsville with it."
Peter Judson paused again for new breath.
"Did he get there with it?" asked Wade interestedly.
"Git thar, did ye say, Wade, git thar! Ye durn fool, d'ye think them
farmers'd have their plans spoiled by that old hot-headed Irisher? No,
he didn't git thar with it. Do ye mind ther old-fashioned zigzag rail
fences in some parts o' this kintry?"
Wade remembered having seen them.
"Well, at a certain turn in ther road whar ther fence is built out o'
'em, a powerful gang o' good farmers met Mike Donovan an' his fine train
o' terbacker, an' axed him ef he wouldn't please be so kind an' turn
back with it an' store it in his barns a little while longer. 'No,' said
Mike, 'I won't,' an' he whipped his horses an' said, 'Git up!' But them
horses couldn't budge a inch. 'Turn back,' said ther leader. Mike jest
sot thar an' never moved. All ther time men was a-gittin' them rails off
that old rail fence an' a-pilin' 'em up in ther road. Still ther
stubborn Mike Donovan wouldn't turn back. They kivered him with a
forty-four Winchester, while one wagonload o' terbacker was piled on
ther rails. 'Will ye turn back, Mike?' they asked. Mike said never a
word. 'Nuther load was piled on ther rails, an' a row o' rails on top o'
that, an' they axed Mike agin ter turn back. He jest stood thar
a-sullen. Every load o' terbacker was piled on ther rails, one row o'
rails an' one load o' terbacker, an' still old Mike wouldn't give in.
Well, ye kin guess ther rest, Wade, cain't ye? No? Well, that was one o'
ther puttiest fires I ever seed, an' ther air was so full o' pure
terbacker smoke that some o' them told me they didn't have ter smoke
their pipes fer three or four days after that fire. All they had to do
was to git out on their porch, raise their head a little an' draw in a
good long breath, then spit her out, an' they was done smoking fer a
while. Mike Donovan--did ye ax what 'bout him, ther durn fool? Course he
turned back, but he didn't have no money, nur any terbacker ter store in
his barns."
Daylight was approaching and Peter, looking in the direction of Jack
Wade's cabin, exclaimed, "Thar's yer hoss now, Wade."