Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

500 ney, but thet’s es fur as this jolt-wagon goes. From thar on, we journeys acrost ther tail end of Tennessee over ter old Kaintuck— an’ we goes with one mule critter. We travels ride an’ tie.”’ * Ride and tie?” she repeated in be- wilderment. “I don’t understand.”’ Patiently he explained. ‘ Thet’s ther only way two folks kin go when they hain’t got but only one ridin’ critter betwixt ’em-— save only ef they rides double, an’ most of ther goin’s too slavish fer thet. One body rides on a spell an’ then gits down an’ ties his critter ter a flying’ limb an’ goes on hoofin’ hit. T’other comes along an’ mounts an’ passes ther feller on foot, an’ then atter a spell he lights down an’ ties. Hit’s jest takin’ turnabout ridin’ an’ walkin,’ that’s all.’ ‘“ Where did you say you lived?” ‘In ther Kaintuck Ridges back beyant Big Pine.” | ‘“ Oh,” she murmured somewhat feebly. ‘“ Didn’t ye never hear tell of ther Kain- tuck Ridges?” v6 No.”’ “1 reckon ye hain’t nuver lived nowhars save in hugecus big cities like Asheville- town, hev ye?” Through all her nervous tension, the Broadway instinct in this shallow-witted young fugitive wanted to break into derisive laughter. What sort of savage could this be to whom Asheville appealed as a ‘“ hugeous big city?” But she spoke soberly. “TY come from New York.” ‘I’ve done heered tell of hit,” he replied with equal gravity, and it was as if he felt, although he was too polite to express it, a sense of superior information, since he knew of her place while she was ignorant of his. But if a little fleck of the ludicrous had flashed across her heavy mindedness with that interchange, it went into instant dark- ness like a shooting star. With his lines hanging and his eyes on hers, Wade Mur- rell began again and this time his voice carried a note of grimness. ‘“T reckon fer a gal like you, thet only knows how ter live in crowds of folks an’ thet goes dressed up in fancy fixin’s — I ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, reckon fer a gal like that, hit hain’t nuthin’ less then plaiu unshirted hell ter be farin’ over inter a place like ther Kaintuck Ridges —with a man thet she don’t know ther which ner ther whether erbout. I reckon nobody wouldn’t skeercely undertake hit—- ef they wasn’t leavin’ somethin’ behind ’em thet was—-wa’l, a lettle bit wuss then un- shirted hell.” ‘ Tve told you—” she began, but he cut her short with an uplifted hand. ‘“ Don’t tell me nuthin’,” he commanded. ‘“T hain’t askin’ questions. I’m aimin’ ter tell you somethin, an’ hit’s kinderly slavish because I hain’t hed no master great schoolin’ in handlin’ words.” He broke off and then went on with an obdurate sort of intentness. “I knows ye wouldn’t hev tuck up with me this fashion save only thet ye felt plum obleeged ter git erway. Ye says ye dastn’t face ther law albeit ye’re innocent of any wrong.” ‘I guess that sounds queer,” she began again, and again he cut her short. ‘Hit don’t sound quare ter me,” he assured her. ‘‘ Hit sounds right sensible. Thar’s good laws an’ thar’s bad laws. Thar’s laws thet hit’s seemly ter keep and laws thet hit’s seemlier ter bust. Thar’s laws thet hit’s seemly ter keep sometimes an’ seemly ter break other times, an’ then ergin, thar’s laws thet’s all right in themselves, but thet jedges an’ sheriffs an’ ther like kin make a stench in ther nostrils of mankind.” Once more the man interrupted himself with a parenthesis. . ‘“‘ [’m talkin’ now erbout man-made laws. I reckon no godly man seeks ter cavil with ther laws of God. Ther amount of what I’m drivin’ at is this. Hit’s plum nat’ral that ye mout mistrust me. I’m a man, an’ albeit I don’t aim ter brag, I’m a survigrous strong man. Ye haint nuthin’ but a gal. Ye starts out with me, an’ ef I wanted ter do hit I could make light of ye. Thet’s why I proffered ye my pistol-gun—ter ease yore mind. Es fer ther law—ter hell with hit! I don’t owe hit nuthin’. I’ve got a kinsman thet’s a jedge an’ he’s a good man. I’ve got another one thet’s in ther penitenshery, an’ he’s a good man, too.” Cynthia felt that she ought to say some- thing, but a large doubt as to what it should DOO Cc S CO