TO
MYBROTHER
JAMES
CONTENTS
ONHELL—FER—SARTAINCREEK
THROUGHTHEGAP
ATRICKO’TRADE
GRAYSON’SBABY
COURTIN’ONCUTSHIN
THEMESSAGEINTHESAND
THESENATOR’SLASTTRADE
PREACHIN’ONKINGDOM—COME
THEPASSINGOFABRAHAMSHIVERS
APURPLERHODODENDRON
ONHELL—FER—SARTAINCREEK
Tharwasadancin’—partyChristmasnighton``HellferSartain。’’Jestu’nupthefustcrickbeyondthebendthar，an’climbontoastump，an’holleraboutONCE，an’you’llseehowthenamecome。
Stranger，hit’sHELLfersartain！Well，RichHarpwastharfromthehead—
waters，an’HarveHalltotedNanceOsborncleanacrosstheCumberlan’。
FustoneudswingNance，an’thent’other。Thenthey’dtakeapullout’nthesamebottleo’moonshine，an’——fustonean’thent’other——they’dswingheragin。An’AbeShiversa—settin’tharbythefirea—bitin’histhumbs！
Well，thingswassorterwhoopin’，whensomebodyupsan’tellsHarvethatRichhadsaidsomep’n’aginNancean’him，an’somebodyupsan’
tellsRichthatHarvehadsaidsomep’n’
aginNancean’HIM。Inaminute，stranger，hitwasliketwowild—catsinthar。
Folksgot’emparted，though，buttharwasnomorea—swingin’ofNancethatnight。HarvetotedherbackovertheCumberlan’，an’Rich’skinsfolkstukhimup``HellferSartain’’；butRichgotloose，an’litoutlickety—splitferNanceOsborn’s。HeknowedHarvelivedtooferoverBlackMountaintogohomethatnight，an’heridrightacrosstheriveran’uptoNance’shouse，an’
holleredferHarve。Harvepokedhisheadout’ntheloft——heknowedwhutwaswanted——an’Harvesays，``Uh，comeinhyehan’gotobed。Hit’stoolate！’’
An’Richseedhima—gapin’likeachicken，an’inhewalked，stumblin’might’
nighaginthebedwharNancewasa—layin’，listenin’an’notsayin’aword。
Stranger，themtwofellersslepttogetherplumfrien’ly，an’theyettogetherplumfrien’lynextmornin’，an’theysa’ntereddowntothegroceryplumfrien’ly。
An’Richsays，``Harve，’’sayshe，``let’shaveadrink。’’``Allright，Rich，’’
saysHarve。An’Richsays，``Harve，’’
sayshe，``yougoout’nthatdooran’
I’llgoout’nthisdoor。’’``Allright，Rich，’’saysHarve，an’outtheywalked，steady，an’tharwastwoshootsshot，an’Richan’Harvebothdrapped，an’intenminutestheywasstretchedoutonNance’sbedan’Nancewasa—lopin’awayfertheyarbdoctor。
Thegalnussed’embothplumfaithful。
Richdidn’thevmuchtosay，an’
Harvedidn’thevmuchtosay。Nancewassorterquiet，an’Nance’smammy，oleNance，jesgrinned。Folkscomeintoaxatter’emrightpeart。AbeShiverscomecl’ar’crosstheriver——powerfulfrien’ly——an’ever’timeNanceudwalkouttothefencewithhim。Onetimeshedidn’tcomeback，an’oleNancefotchedtheboysthardinner，an’oleNancefotchedtharsupper，an’thenRichheaxedwhutwasthematterwithyoungNance。An’oleNancejessnorted。AtterawhileRichsays：
``Harve，’’sayshe，``whotol’youthatIsaidthatwordaginyouan’Nance？’’
``AbeShivers，’’saysHarve。``An’whotol’you，’’saysHarve，``thatIsaidthatwordaginNancean’YOU？’’``AbeShivers，’’
saysRich。An’bothsays，``Well，damnme！’’An’Richtu’nedrightoveran’begunpullin’strawsout’nthebed。Hegottwoout，an’hebitoneoff，an’hesays：``Harve，’’sayshe，``I
reckonwebetterdrawferhim。Theshortes’gitshim。’’An’theydrawed。
Well，nobodyeverknowedwhichgottheshortes’straw，stranger，but——
Thar’llbeadancin’—partycomin’
Christmasnighton``HellferSartain。’’
RichHarp’llbetharfromthehead—
waters。HarveHall’sa—goin’tototetheWidderShiverscleanacrosstheCumberlan’。Fustone’llswingNance，an’thent’other。Thenthey’lltakeapullout’nthesamebottleo’moonshine，an’——fustonean’thent’other——
they’llswingheragin，jesthesame。
ABEwon’tbethar。He’sa—settin’byabiggerfire，Ireckon（efheain’tinit），a—bitin’histhumbs！
THROUGHTHEGAP
Whenthistlesgoadrift，thesunsetsdownthevalleybetweenthehills；
whensnowcomes，itgoesdownbehindtheCumberlandandstreamsthroughagreatfissurethatpeoplecalltheGap。
Thenthelastlightdrenchestheparson’scottageunderImbodenHill，andleavesanafter—glowofgloryonamajesticheapthatliesagainsttheeast。
SometimesitspanstheGapwitharainbow。
StrangepeopleandstrangetalescomethroughthisGapfromtheKentuckyhills。Throughitcamethesetwo，lateoneday——amanandawoman——
afoot。Imetthematthefoot—
bridgeoverRoaringFork。
``Istharapreacheranywhararoun’
hyeh？’’heasked。IpointedtothecottageunderImbodenHill。Thegirlflushedslightlyandturnedherheadawaywitharatherunhappysmile。
Withoutaword，themountaineerledthewaytowardstown。Amomentmoreandahalf—breedMalungianpassedmeonthebridgeandfollowedthem。
AtduskthenextdayIsawthemountaineerchoppingwoodatashantyunderaclumpofrhododendronontheriver—bank。Thegirlwascookingsupperinside。Thedayfollowinghewasatworkontherailroad，andonSunday，afterchurch，Isawtheparson。
Thetwohadnotbeentohim。Onlythatafternoonthemountaineerwasonthebridgewithanotherwoman，hideouslyrougedandwithscarletribbonsflutteringfromherbonnet。Passingonbytheshanty，IsawtheMalungiantalkingtothegirl。Sheapparentlypaidnoheedtohimuntil，justashewasmovingaway，hesaidsomethingmockingly，andwithanodofhisheadbacktowardsthebridge。Shedidnotlookupeventhen，butherfacegothardandwhite，and，lookingbackfromtheroad，Isawherslippingthroughthebushesintothedrybedofthecreek，tomakesurethatwhatthehalf—breedtoldherwastrue。
ThetwomenwereworkingsidebysideontherailroadwhenIsawthemagain，butonthefirstpay—daythedoctorwascalledtoattendtheMalungian，whoseheadwassplitopenwithashovel。Iwasoneoftwowhowentouttoarresthisassailant，andIhadnoneedtoaskwhohewas。Themountaineerwasadevil，theforemansaid，andIhadtoclubhimwithapistol—buttbeforehewouldgivein。
Hesaidhewouldgetevenwithme；
buttheyallsaythat，andIpaidnoattentiontothethreat。Foraweekhewaskeptinthecalaboose，andwhenI
passedtheshantyjustafterhewassenttothecounty—seatfortrial，I
founditempty。TheMalungian，too，wasgone。Withinafortnightthemountaineerwasinthedooroftheshantyagain。Havingnoaccuser，hehadbeendischarged。Hewentbacktohiswork，andifheopenedhislipsIneverknew。EverydayIsawhimatwork，andheneverfailedtogivemeasurlylook。EveryduskIsawhiminhisdoor—way，waiting，andI
couldguessforwhat。Itwaseasytobelievethatthesternpurposeinhisfacewouldmakeitswaythroughspaceanddrawhertohimagain。
Andshedidcomebackoneday。I
hadjustlimpeddownthemountainwithasprainedankle。Acrowdofwomenwasgatheredattheedgeofthewoods，lookingwithalltheireyestotheshantyontheriver—bank。Thegirlstoodinthedoor—way。Themountaineerwascomingbackfromworkwithhisfacedown。
``Hehain’tseedheryit，’’saidone。
``He’sgoin’tokillhershore。Itol’
herhewould。Shesaidshereckonedhewould，butshedidn’tkeer。’’
ForamomentIwasparalyzedbythetragedyathand。Shewasinthedoorlookingathimwhenheraisedhishead。Foronemomenthestoodstill，staring，andthenhestartedtowardsherwithaquickenedstep。I
startedtoo，then，everystepatorture，andasIlimpedaheadshemadeagestureofterrorandbackedintotheroombeforehim。Thedoorclosed，andIlistenedforapistol—shotandascream。Itmusthavebeendonewithaknife，Ithought，andquietly，forwhenIwaswithintenpacesofthecabinheopenedthedooragain。Hisfacewasverywhite；heheldonehandbehindhim，andhewasnervouslyfumblingathischillwiththeother。
AshesteppedtowardsmeIcaughtthehandleofapistolinmysidepocketandwaited。Helookedatmesharply。
``Didyousaythepreacherlivedupthar？’’heasked。
``Yes，’’Isaid，breathlessly。
Inthedoor—wayjustthenstoodthegirlwithabonnetinherhand，andatanodfromhimtheystartedupthehilltowardsthecottage。Theycamedownagainafterawhile，hestalkingahead，andshe，afterthemountainfashion，behind。AndafterthisfashionIsawthematsunsetnextdaypassoverthebridgeandintothemouthoftheGapwhencetheycame。ThroughthisGapcomestrangepeopleandstrangetalesfromtheKentuckyhills。
Overit，sometimes，isthespanofarainbow。
ATRICKO’TRADE
Stranger，I’maseparATEman，an’I
don’tinQUIZiteintonoman’sbusiness；
butyouaxmestraight，an’Itellyestraight：YouwatcholeTom！
Now，I’lltakeoleTomPerkins’wordaginanybody’s’ceptin’whenhitcomestoahosstradeurapieceo’land。Ferinthetrickso’sech，oleTom’lows——
well，hit’sdiff’ent；an’Ireckon，stranger，ashowhitsorteris。Hewasa—stayin’
atTom’shouse，thefurrinerwas，a—dickerin’
ferapieceo’lan’——thesamepiece，mebbe，thatyou’reatternow——
an’Tomkeepshimtharferaweektobeathimout’nadollar，an’thenwon’tlethimpaynaryacentferhisboa’d。
Now，stranger，that’sTom。
Well，AbeShiverswasa—workin’ferTom——you’veheerdtello’Abe——an’
thefurrinerwasn’tmore’nhalfgoneaforeTomseedthatAbewasuptosomeofhisdevilMINT。AbekinhatchupmoredevilMINTinaminitthanSatanhisselfkininaweek；soTomjesgotAbeout’nthestableunderahoe—handle，an’tol’himtotellthewholethingstraighturhe’dhavetogotogloryrightthar。An’Abetol’！
’PearslikeAbehadfoun’astreako’
ironoreonthelan’，an’hadrackedhisjinnyrightdowntoHazlanan’tol’thefurriner，whowasthara—buyin’wildlandsrightan’left。Co’se，Abewasgoin’tomakethefurrinerwhackupfergittin’thelan’socheap。Well，brother，thefurrinercomeuptoTom’san’gotTomintooneo’themnew—
fangledtradeswhutthefurrinerscallsaoption——t’otherfellerkingitout’nhit，butyoucan’t。Thefurriner’lowedhe’dsendhispodneruptharnextdaytoputthethinginwritin’an’closeupthetrade。HitlookedlikeoleTomwasketchedfershore，an’efTomdidn’tra’r，I’dtellaman。Hejesletthathoe—
handledraponAbefer’bouthaffenhour，jestogivehimtimetostudy，an’
nextdaytharwasoleToma—settin’
onhisorchardfencea—lookin’mightyunknowin’，whenthefurriner’spodnercomea—prancin’upan’axedefoldTomPerkinslivedthar。
OleTomjeswhispers。
Now，Icleanfergottotellye，stranger，thatAbeShiversnuvercouldtalkoutloud。Hetol’somanyliesthattheLawd——jestomakethingseven——sorterfixedAbe，Ireckon，sohecouldn’tlieonmore’nonesideo’theriveratatime。OleTomjesknowedt’otherfurrinerhadtol’thisun’boutAbe，an，’
shore’nough，thefellersays，sortersoft，sayshe：
``Aw，youairthefellerwhutfoun’
theore？’’
OleTom——makin’likehewasAbe，mindye——jeswhispers：``Tharhain’tnonethar。’’
Stranger，thefellermos’felloff’nhishoss。``Whut？’’sayshe。OleTomkep’
a—whisperin’：``Tharhain’tnocoal——
nonothing；oleTomPerkinsmademetellt’otherfurrinerthemlies。’’
Well，sir，thefellerWASmad。``JeswhutItol’thatfoolpodnerofmine，’’
hesays，an’hepulloutadollaran’giveshittoTom。Tomjessticksouthishan’withhisthum’turnedinjesso，an’thefurrinersays，``Well，efyoucan’ttalk，youkinmakepurtydamngoodsigns’’；butheforksoverfourmo’dollars（he’lowedoleTomhadsavedhimapileo’money），an’turnshishossan’
pullsupagin。Hewasa—gittin’thelandsodurnedcheapthatIreckonhejeshatedtolethitgo，an’hesays，sayshe：
``Well，hain’tthegroun’rich？Won’thitraisenotabaccynurcornnurnothin’？’’
OleTomjeswhispers：
``Totellyouthep’int—blanktruth，stranger，thatland’ssodurnedporethatIhain’tnuverbeenabletoraisemyvoice。’’
Now，brother，I’maseparATEman，an’Idon’tinQUIZiteintonoman’sbusiness——
butyouaxmestraightan’Itellyestraight。OleTomPerkinskintradewithfurriners，ferhehavel’arnedtheirways。YouwatcholeTom！
GRAYSON’SBABY
ThefirstsnowsiftedinthroughtheGapthatnight，andina``shack’’ofoneroomandalowloftamanwasdead，awomanwassicktodeath，andfourchildrenwerebarelyalive；andnobodyevenknew。Fortheywerehillpeople，whosicken，suffer，andsometimesdie，likeanimals，andmakenonoise。
Grayson，theVirginian，comingdownfromthewoodsthatmorning，sawthebig—heartedlittledoctoroutsidethedooroftheshack，walkingupanddown，withhishandsinhispockets。HewaswhistlingsoftlywhenGraysongotnear，and，withoutstopping，pointedwithhisthumbwithin。Theoldestboysatstolidlyontheonechairintheroom，hislittlebrotherwasonthefloorhardby，andbothwerehuggingagreasystove。Thelittlegirlwaswithhermotherinthebed，bothalmostoutofsightunderaheapofquilts。Thebabywasinacradle，withitsfaceuncovered，whetherdeadorasleepGraysoncouldnottell。Apinecoffinwasbehindthedoor。Itwouldnothavebeenpossibletoaddtothedisorderoftheroom，andtheatmospheremadeGraysongasp。Hecameoutlookingwhite。Thefirstmantoarrivethereaftertookawaytheeldestboy，awomanpickedthebabygirlfromthebed，andachildlessyoungcoupletookupthepallidlittlefellowonthefloor。Thesewerestep—children。Thebabyboythatwasleftwasthewoman’sown。Nobodycameforthat，andGraysonwentinagainandlookedatitalongwhile。Solittle，sooldahumanfacehehadneverseen。Thebrowwaswrinkledaswithcenturiesofpain，andthelittledrawnmouthlookedasthoughthespiritwithinhadfoughtitsinheritancewithoutamurmur，andwouldfightonthatwaytotheend。ItwasthepluckofthefacethatdrewGrayson。``I’lltakeit，’’hesaid。Thedoctorwasnotwithouthissenseofhumoreventhen，buthenodded。``Cradleandall，’’hesaid，gravely。AndGraysonputbothononeshoulderandwalkedaway。
Hehadlostthepowerofgivingfurthersurpriseinthattown，andhadhemeteverymanheknew，notoneofthemwouldhavefeltatlibertytoaskhimwhathewasdoing。AnhourlaterthedoctorfoundthechildinGrayson’sroom，andGraysonstilllookingatit。
``Isitgoingtolive，doctor？’’
Thedoctorshookhishead。``Doubtful。
Lookatthecolor。It’sstarved。
There’snothingtodobuttowatchitandfeedit。Youcandothat。’’
SoGraysonwatchedit，withafascinationofwhichhewashardlyconscious。Neverforoneinstantdiditslookchange——thequiet，unyieldingendurancethatnofaithandnophilosophycouldeverbringtohim。Itwasidealcourage，thatlook，toaccepttheinevitablebuttofightitjustthatway。Halfthelittlemountaintownwastalkingnextday——thatsuchatragedywaspossiblebythepublicroad—side，withreliefwithinsoundofthebaby’scry。Theoldestboywasleaststarved。Mightmaderightinanextremitylikehis，andtheboyhadtakencareofhimself。Theyoungcouplewhohadthesecondladinchargesaidtheyhadbeenwakenedatdaylightthenextmorningbysomenoiseintheroom。Lookingup，theysawthelittlefellowatthefireplacebreakinganegg。Hehadbuiltafire，hadgoteggsfromthekitchen，andwascookinghisbreakfast。Thelittlegirlwasmischievousandcheeryinspiteofherbadplight，andnobodyknewofthebabyexceptGraysonandthedoctor。
Graysonwouldletnobodyelsein。Assoonasitwaswellenoughtobepeevishandtocry，hetookitbacktoitsmother，whowasstillabed。Along，darkmountaineerwasthere，ofwhomthewomanseemedhalfafraid。HefollowedGraysonoutside。
``Say，podner，’’hesaid，withanunpleasantsmile，``yedon’tgouptoCracker’sNeckfernothin’，doye？’’
ThewomanhadlivedatCracker’sNeckbeforesheappearedattheGap，anditdidnotcometoGraysonwhatthemanmeantuntilhewashalf—waytohisroom。Thenheflushedhotandwheeledbacktothecabin，butthemountaineerwasgone。
``Tellthatfellowhehadbetterkeepoutofmyway，’’hesaidtothewoman，whounderstood，andwantedtosaysomething，butnotknowinghow，noddedsimply。Inafewdaystheotherchildrenwentbacktothecabin，anddayandnightGraysonwenttoseethechild，untilitwasoutofdanger，andafterwards。
Itwasnotlongbeforethewomenintowncomplainedthatthemotherwasungrateful。Whentheysentthingstoeattohertheservantbroughtbackwordthatshehadcalledout，```Setthemoverthar，’withoutsomuchasathanky。’’Onemessagewasthat``shedidn’wantnosecond—handvictualsfromnobody’stable。’’Somebodysuggestedsendingthefamilytothepoor—house。
Themothersaid``she’dgooutonhercrutchesandhoecornfust，andthatthepeoplewhotalked’boutsendin’hertothepo’—househadbettersavetheirbreathtomakeprayerswith。’’Onedayshewashiredtodosomewashing。Themistressofthehousehappenednottoriseuntilteno’clock。Nextmorningthemountainwomandidnotappearuntilthathour。``Shewasn’tgoin’toworkalickwhilethatwomanwasa—layin’inbed，’’shesaid，frankly。Andwhentheladywentdowntown，shetoodisappeared。Norwouldshe，sheexplainedtoGrayson，``whilethatwomanwasa—struttin’thestreets。’’
Afterthat，onebyone，theyletheralone，andthewomanmadenotawordofcomplaint。Withinaweekshewasworkinginthefields，whensheshouldhavebeenbackinbed。Theresultwasthatthechildsickenedagain。
Theoldlookcamebacktoitsface，andGraysonwastherenightandday。
HewashavingtroubleoutinKentuckyaboutthistime，andhewenttotheBlueGrassprettyoften。Always，however，heleftmoneywithmetoseethatthechildwasproperlyburiedifitshoulddiewhilehewasgone；andoncehetelegraphedtoaskhowitwas。Hesaidhewassometimesafraidtoopenmylettersforfearthatheshouldreadthatthebabywasdead。ThechildknewGrayson’svoice，hisstep。Itwouldgotohimfromitsownmother。Whenitwassickestandlyingtorpiditwouldmovetheinstanthesteppedintotheroom，and，whenhespoke，wouldholdoutitsthinarms，withoutopeningitseyes，andforhoursGraysonwouldwalkthefloorwiththetroubledlittlebabyoverhisshoulder。Ithoughtseveraltimesitwoulddiewhen，ononetrip，Graysonwasawayfortwoweeks。Onemidnight，indeed，Ifoundthemothermoaning，andthreefemaleharpiesaboutthecradle。Thebabywasdyingthistime，andIranbackforaflaskofwhiskey。Tenminuteslatewiththewhiskeythatnightwouldhavebeentoolate。Thebabygottoknowmeandmyvoiceduringthatfortnight，butitwasstillindangerwhenGraysongotback，andwewenttoseeittogether。Itwasveryweak，andwebothleanedoverthecradle，fromeitherside，andIsawthepityandaffection——yes，hungry，half—shamedaffection——inGrayson’sface。Thechildopeneditseyes，lookedfromonetotheother，andheldoutitsarmstoME。Graysonshouldhaveknownthatthechildforgot——thatitwouldforgetitsownmother。Heturnedsharply，andhisfacewasalittlepale。Hegavesomethingtothewoman，andnottillthendidInoticethathersoftblackeyesneverlefthimwhilehewasinthecabin。Thechildgotwell；butGraysonneverwenttotheshackagain，andhesaidnothingwhenIcameinonenightandtoldhimthatsomemountaineer——along，darkfellow—hadtakenthewoman，thechildren，andthehouseholdgodsoftheshackbackintothemountains。
``Theydon’tgrievelong，’’Isaid，``thesepeople。’’
ButlongafterwardsIsawthewomanagainalongthedustyroadthatleadsintotheGap。ShehadheardoverinthemountainsthatGraysonwasdead，andhadwalkedfortwodaystolearnifitwastrue。IpointedbacktowardsBeeRock，andtoldherthathehadfallenfromacliffbackthere。Shedidnotmove，nordidherlookchange。Moreover，shesaidnothing，and，beinginahurry，Ihadtorideon。
Atthefoot—bridgeoverRoaringForkIlookedback。Thewomanwasstillthere，underthehotmid—daysunandinthedustoftheroad，motionless。
COURTIN’ONCUTSHIN
Hitwasthisway，stranger。Whenhitcomestohandlin’arightpeertgal，JebSomersairabouttheporestmanonFryin’Pan，Ireckon；an’PollyAnnSturgillhavegotthevineg’resttongueonCutshinoranyothercrick。
SotheboysoveronFryin’Panmadeituptogit’emtogether。AbeShivers——you’veheerdtello’Abe——
tol’JebthatPollyAnnhadseedhiminHazlan（whichshehadn’t，ofco’se），an’hadsaidp’int—blankthathewasthelikeliestfellershe’dseedinthemmountains。An’hetol’PollyAnnthatJebwasravin’crazy’bouther。
Thepuremiseryofitjesmadehimplumbdelirious，Abesaid；an’’fPollyAnnwantedtofindhermatchferlanguigean’talkin’outpeert——well，shejesoughttostrikeJebSomers。Factis，stranger，JebSomersairmight’nighaidgit；butJeb’lowedhe’drackrightoveronCutshinan’setupwithPollyAnnSturgill；an’AbetellsPollyAnnthekingbeeaircomin’。An’PollyAnn’scousin，NanceOsborn，comesoverfromHellferSartain（whutrunsintoKingdom—Come）tostayallnightan’seethefun。
Now，Ihain’tbeena—raftin’logsdowntothesettlemintso’Kaintuckfernighontotwentyyearfernothin’，An’Iknowgallivantin’isdiff’entwithusmountainfellersan’youfurriners，inthepremises，anyways，asthemlawyersuptocourtsays；thoughIreckonhit’spurtymuchthesameatterthepremisesisover。Wharyousays``courtin’，’’now，wesays``talkin’
to。’’SallieSpurlockoveronFryin’
Panisa—talkin’toJimHowardnow。
Sallie’ssisterhain’tnuvertalkedtonoman。An’wharyousays``makin’acallonayounglady，’’wesays``settin’
upwithagal’’！An’，stranger，wedoesit。Wehain’tgotmore’noneroomhardlyeverinthesemountains，an’
we’rejesobleegedtosetuptodoanycourtin’atall。
Well，yougoovertoSallie’stostayallnightsometime，an’purtysoonattersupperJimHowardcomesin。
Theolemanan’theolewomangoestobed，an’thechil’unan’yougotobed，an’efyoukeepsoneeyeopenyou’llseeJim’scheeran’Sallie’scheera—movin’purtysoon，tilltheygetsplumbtogether。Then，stranger，hitbegins。NowIwantyetounderstandthatsettin’upmeansbusiness。Wedon’t’lownofoolishnessinthesemountains；an’’ftwofellershappenstomeetatthesamehouse，theyjesmakesthegalsaywhichoneshelikesbest，an’t’otheronegits！Well，you’llseeJimputhisarm’roundSallie’sneckan’whisperalongwhile——jesso。Mebbeyou’venoticedwhutfellersusmountainfolksairferwhisperin’。You’veseedfellersa—whisperin’alloverHazlanoncourtday，hain’tye？OleTomPerkins’llputhisarmaroun’yo’
neckan’whisperinyo’yearefhe’stenmileout’nthewoods。Ireckonthar’sjessomuchdevilminta—goin’oninthesemountains，folksisnaturelyafeerdtotalkoutloud。
Well，Jimlet’sgoan’Sallieputsherarmaroun’Jim’sneckan’whispersalongwhile——jesso；an’’fyouhappentowakeupanywhartotwoo’clockinthemornin’you’llseejesthata—goin’
on。Brother，that’ssettin’up。
Well，JebSomers，asIwasa—sayin’
inthepremises，’lowedhe’drackrightoveronCutshinan’setupwithPollyAnncomin’Christmasnight。An’AbetellsPollyAnnJebsaysheaimstohaveherferaChristmasgiftaforemornin’。PollyAnnjessniffedsorter，butyouknowwomenfolksairalwaysmightyambitiousjestoSEEafelleranyways，’fhe’sa—pinin’fer’em。SoJebcome，an’Jebwasfixedupnowfittin’tokill。Jebhadhishairoileddownnicean’slick，andhismustachewasjesblackaspowdercouldmakehit。Naturelyhitwasred；butafellercan’tdonothin’inthesemountainswitharedmustache；an’Jebhadabigblackribbontiedinthebutto’
thebigges’pistolAbeShiverscouldborrerferhim——hitwasabadgeo’
deathan’deestructiontohisenemies，Abesaid，an’ItellyeJebdidlooklikeaman。Heneveropenedhismouthatterhesays``howdy’’——Jebneverdoessaynothin’；Jeb’soneo’
themfellerswhuthidestharlacko’
brainsbya—lookin’solemnan’a—keepin’
still，butthardon’tnobodysaymuchtelltheolefolksairgonetobed，an’
PollyAnnjes’lowedJebwasa—waitin’。
Factis，stranger，AbeShivershadgotJebaleetledisguisedbyliquer，an’hedidlookfatan’sassy，efhecouldn’ttalk，a—settin’overinthecornera—
plunkin’thebanjeran’a—knockin’off``Sour—woodMountain’’an’``Jinnygitaroun’’’an’``SoapsudsovertheFence。’’
``Chickensa—crowin’onSour—woodMountain，Heh—o—dee—um—dee—eedy—dahdy—dee！
Gityo’dawgsan’we’llgohuntin’，Heh—o—dee—um—dee—eedy—dahdy—dee！’’
An’whenJebcomesto``I’vegotagalattheheado’theholler，Heh—o—dee—um—dee—eedy—dahdy—dee！’’
hejesturnsoneeye’roundonPollyAnn，an’thenswingshischinaroun’asthoughhedidn’tgiveacussfernothin’。
``Shewon’tcome，an’Iwon’tfoller，Heh—o—dee—um—dee—eedy—dahdy—dee！’’
Well，sir，NanceseedthatPollyAnnwasa—eyin’Jebsorto’flusteredlike，an’shecomemight’nighsplittin’righttharan’a—sp’ilin’thefun，fersheknowedwhataskeeryfoolJebwas。
An’whentheolefolksgoestobed，Nancelaystharunderaquilta—watchin’
an’a—listenin’。Well，Jebknowedthepremises，efhecouldn’ttalk，an’
purtysoonNanceheerdJeb’scheercreakaleetle，an’shesays，Jeb’sa—
comin’，andJebwas；an’PollyAnn’lowedJebwasjesaleetleTOOresolutean’quick—like，an’shegotherhandreadytogivehimonelickanywaysferbein’sobrigaty。Idon’tknowasshe’d’a’hithimmore’nONCE。Jebhadafarm，an’PollyAnn——well，PollyAnnwasa—gittin’along。ButPollyAnnsottharjesasthoughshedidn’tknowJebwasa—comin’，an’Jebstoppedoncean’says，``Youhain’tgotnothin’aginme，hasye？’’
An’PollyAnnsays，sorterquick，``Naw；efIhad，I’dpushit。’’
Well，Jebmos’felloffhischeer，when，efhehadn’tbeensechaskeeryidgit，he’d’a’knowedthatPollyAnnwasplainopenan’sheta—biddin’ferhim。
Buthesottharlikeaknotonalogferhaffenhour，an’thenherickollected，I
reckon，thatAbehadtol’himPollyAnnwaspepperyan’hemustn’tmind，ferJebbeguna—movin’ag’intillhewasslam—bangaginPollyAnn’scheer。An’
tharhesotlikeapunkin，notsayin’awordnurdoin’nothin’。An’whilePollyAnnwasa—wonderin’efhewasgoneplumbcrazy，blamemeefthatdurnedfooldidn’tturnroun’tothatpepperygalan’say，``Booh，PollyAnn！’’
Well，Nancehadtostuffthebedquiltinhermouthrightthartokeepfromhollerin’outloud，ferPollyAnn’shandwasa—hangin’downbythecheer，jesa—waitin’ferajob，andNanceseedthefingersa—twitchin’。An’Jebwaitsanotherhaffenhouran’Jebsays，``Ortern’tIbekilled？’’
``Whutfer？’’saysPollyAnn，sortersharp。
An’Jebsays，``Ferbein’sodevilish。’’
Well，brother，Nancesnortedrightoutthar，an’PollyAnnSturgill’shandrizupjesonce；an’I’veheerdJebSomerssaythenexttimehejumpsouto’theFryin’Panhe’sa—goin’totakehell—
fire’stido’Cutshinferaplacetolight。
THEMESSAGEINTHESAND
Stranger，youfurrinersdon’tnuverseemtoconsiderthatawomanhasalwaysgotthedeviltofightintwopeopleatonce！Hit’stwoaginone，I
tellye，an’hithain’tfa’r。
That’swhatIsaidmore’ntwoyearago，whenRosieBranhamwasa—layin’
uptharatDaveHall’s，whitean’mos’
dead。An’，GOD，boys，Isays，thatleetlethingintharbyhershorelycan’tbetoblame。
Tharhain’tbeenawordaginRosiesence；an’，stranger，Ireckontharnuverwillbe。Fer，whilethegalhain’tgothideo’kithorkin，tharairtwofellersuphyehsorterlookin’atterRosie；an’
oneof’emistheshootin’es’manonthiscrick，Ireckon，’ceptone；an’，stranger，that’st’other。
Rosiekep’hermouthshetferalongwhile；an’Ireckonashowthefeller’lowedshewasn’tgoin’totell。Co’sethewomanfolksgothitout’nher——theyal’aysgitswhuttheywant，asyouknow——an’tharthesorrycusswas——a—livin’
uptharintheBend，jesaroun’thatbluffo’lorrelyander，a—lookin’pious，an’
a—singin’，an’a—sayin’Amenlouder’nanybodywhentharwasmeetin’。
Well，myboyJiman’aloto’fellersjeswentupferhimrightaway。Idon’tknowastheboyswould’a’killedhimEXACTLYeftheyhadkotchedhim，thoughtheymought；buttheygotAbeShivers，astol’thefellertheywasa—comin’——
you’veheardtello’Abe—an’theymos’
beatAbrahamShiverstodeath。Stranger，thesorrycusswasDave。Rosiehadn’tnodaddyan’nomammy；an’
shewasjesa—workin’atDave’sferhervictualsan’clo’es。’Pearsliketheporegalwasjestrickedintoevil。Lookedlikeshewassorter’witched——an’anyways，stranger，shewasafightin’SataninHERSELF，aswellasinDave。Hitwastwoaginone，Itellye，an’hitwasn’tfa’r。
Co’setheyturnedRosierightoutintheroadIhain’tgotawordtosayaginDave’swifeferthat；an’atterawhiletheboysletsDavecomeback，totakekeero’hisolemammy，ofco’se，butItellyeDave’sa—playin’apurtylonesometune。HekeepspurtyshyYIT。
Hedon’tnuversa’nterdownthisway。
’Pearslikehedon’tseemtothinkhit’shealthyferhimdownhyeh，an’IreckonDave’sright。
Rosie？Oh，well，IsortertukRosieinmyself。Yes，she’sbeenlivin’tharintheshackwithmean’myboyJim，an’the——Why，tharheisnow，stranger。
That’shima—wallerin’outtharintheroad。Doyoureckonthar’dbeasinglethingaginthatleetlecussefhehadtostan’uponJedgmentDayjesasheisnow？
Lookhyeh，stranger，whutyoureckontheLawdkep’a—writin’tharonthegroun’thatdaywhenthemfellerswasa—pesterin’him’boutthatporewoman？
Don’tyoujesknowhewasawritin’
’boutsechasHIM——an’Rosie？Itellye，brother，hewrittharjeswhatI’mal’aysa—sayin’。
Hithain’tthewoman’sfault。Isaiditmore’ntwoyearago，whenRosiewasuptharatoleDave’s，an’Isaidityestiddy，whenmyboyJimcometomean’’lowedashowheaimedtotakeRosiedowntotownto—dayan’
gitmarried。
``Youricollect，dad，’’saysJim，``hermammy？’’
``Yes，Jim，’’Isays；``allthebetterreasonnottobetoohardonRosie。’’
I’ma—lookin’fer’embothbackrightnow，stranger；an’efyouwill，I’llbemightygladtohaveyestayrighthyehtotheinfairthisverynight。TharnuverwasawordaginRosieafore，tharhain’tbeensence，an’youkinrideupan’downthisrivertillthecracko’dooman’you’llnuverhearawordaginherag’in。Fer，asItol’you，myboy，Jimistheshoot—
in’es’felleronthiscrick，Ireckon，’ceptONE，an’，stranger，that’sME！