Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE TRAIL By a quick movement, I vaulted into the saddle, taking care as I did so nat to turn my back on him for an instant, and holding him all the time in my field of vision. I knew that despite his mas- siveness he was as active as a cat, and that he held no good will toward me. . Drawing my pony beside his, I as- sumed a confidence I was far from feel- ing. “TI find it pleasant to have company over such a lonely road; how far off ts your house?” ‘Bout a mile,” he answered, with a partial thawing out of his reserve. “ Night is so near that if you are will- ing I'll stay with you till morning.” “ Jim Goepel lives a couple of miles beyont my cabin.” “Tll go there if you don’t wish to keep me.” “ Our latch string is allers out to everybody in these parts,’ he remarked, as if he felt my reproach, “ ’cepting the Gulick boys, damn ‘em! ” “ ‘What's the matter with them?” “ Hain’t you ever heard of the Gu- lick boys ?—the twins?” “ Never heard of them.” “ They b’long to the Baker party— they’ve killed two of our folks and lamed another for life. Jack and Sam are twins. There was four of ’em at first, but Bill and Pete graderally got tired and Jaid down, and it was me that helped Pete lay down,” added Tom Auckland with a chuckle; “ that leaves only the twins and the old man and woman—but they’re all cold p’ison.” Now. there was tremendous signifi- cance in this remark. It might be it did not contain a word of truth. I sus- pected it was a feeler intended to lead me to reveal my sentiments. Of course, I knew all about the How- ard and Baker factions, representing the respective parties to the last hideous feud in Kentucky. The words of Auck- land implied that he belonged to the Howard side, but it was probable he was a partisan of the Bakers and was trying to entrap me. ‘OF A MYSTERY. 7 And yet it might be the other way, and since the whole thing must remain for a time in doubt, my cue was to be non committal. To feign total ignorance of the moun- tain feud would confirm the suspicion of my companion. I believe,” I said, as if turning the question over in my mind, “there's some sort of quarrel between the How- ard and the Boker—or is it Baker ?— families, and that their relatives and friends have taken sides. I think there have been several lives lost.” “Humph! I reckon,” replied my companion with a grunt. “ Well, I -have no interest in their quarrels,” I remarked indifferently ; “ I have come into this part of the country on different business.” “ What mought the same be?” “ Well founded reports have reached Chicago that there is a good deal of coal and iron in this section; I repre- sent a company of wealthy men who want to make certain of such being the fact before they buy the lands.”’ “Wal, pardner, there ain’t any mis- take about it, for I’ve seen it myself, and there’s lots of coal and iron on my property.” “TI congratulate you, Tom, for I don’t suppose very high prices have been paid for land in this part of Kentucky.” ‘“ Him that can git three dollars an acre counts himself lucky; how much do you ’uns give for land that it’s sar- tin has coal on?” “ Well, it is hard to say, for you can understand there may be a good deal or “only a small amount of coal; if it should happen to be of the cannel kind and there’s a lot of it, the land would be cheap at a thousand dollars an acre.” It was the most foolish thing I could have said, for I overshot the mark. If J had named a hundred dollars an acre, the man might have believed me, but the sum specified destroyed the last ves- eco tige of credence he may cola Deen dis- posed to put in my asser