Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE TRAIL Zach, where was I in my story?” he continued. , Tom leaned his Winchester against the side of the cabin, and Zach left his in the corner, as he came forward. I shoved my pistol into my pocket, but Jake remained standing, with his weapon grasped tightly in his hand. ‘You see, Zach, that time you fired at Bill Watson and missed him ” “Something was wrong with my gun, Tom.” . “ Yes—lI b’leve that’s so, but didn’t I wing him purty? Jake, what’s the matter with you?” demanded his father, turning and glaring at him. “‘ Nothing,” replied the son, meekly leaning his rifle against the logs near the door and taking a chair so near me that I immediately improved the occa- sion by opening a conversation, doing so in a low tone, for his father had re- sumed the story that had been iter- rupted by the incidents just narrated. Clearly, Jake was entitled to an ex- planation of the remarkable situation, and I gave it to him as succinctly and clearly as I could, omitting only that portion which showed the sinister in- tention of his father toward me, though it really would have made no difference in the feelings of the son. When I told of the killing of his parent’s horse, Jake cast a resentful glance at Zach Peters, who at that mo- ment threw back his head and roared with laughter at some joke of Auck- land, whose huge shoulders bobbed up and down with merriment. The son did not speak, and jt was plain he was — in a mood far different from that of his elders. Suddenly there came a lull in the talk of the, men. Auckland’s back was toward me, and he turned about and looked over his shoulder, as if inviting me to‘say something. With a feeling that the opportunity was providential, I did so. Has it never occurred to you two neighbors that you are the champion fools of Clay County? ” OF A MYSTERY. 21 This was direct and personal, and both looked at me with such a blank expression of bewilderment that I laughed. “There are others beside you, but you have no excuse for your course. From a time before either of you was born, Kentucky, as well as a few other States, has been disgraced by the most wanton, cruel and causeless feuds; hundreds of men, who had not the slightest cause for quarreling, have shot their neighbors down in cold blood; homes have been desolated, households darkened with sorrow, chil- dren orphaned and hearts broken be- cause of a quarrel between two scoun- drels, who kept out of harm’s way themselves and hired friends to become enemies and murder one another. Now, why should not you be as you were before this miserable feud started? ”’ I “ paused for a reply,” but there was none. Auckland and Peters smoked their corncobs and stared silently at me. Jake fidgeted in his chair and never once removed his eyes from my face; the mother held her needle sus- pended for a moment and glanced at me with an expression which I could not understand. Then she resumed her sewing. “You and scores of others do not venture abroad without your firearms. Instead of neighbors greeting one an- other with a cheery ‘ good morning,’ you begin shooting as if to ward off the attack of rabid dogs. Now, wouldn’t you prefer to see the good old times come back when you were all friends instead of deadly enemies? ” ‘“T reckon, Zach, it would be more comfortable,” said Auckland, looking at his neighbor, who, without remov- ing his pipe, nodded his head and re- plied, “ That’s so.” “Then what’s to prevent it?” “ Let the Baker chaps stop shooting and we'll do the same.” “That hits me_ right,” - assented Auckland, “ but,” he added with a grin, “T reckon there ain’t maoy of Gm noy 4 eco