Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/122

MY LADY OF THE SOUTH against old Judge Dunn? Surely he is n't directly connected with this mountain feud?"

His lips parted showing again the gleam of yellow teeth.

"What hev I got? Did n't he hold me fer murder? An' wouldn't he hev hung me, if I hedn't got away? An' was n't thet precious son o' his with Big Jem Donald when they shot inter my cabin up at Bald Mounting? An' did n't he head ther posse that run me across ther Cumberland? Maybe ther ol' Jedge ain't in ther feud, but he's got an enemy in Bill Daniels jist ther same, an' he'll find thet out afore many more days, I reckon. In these yere mountings we go after our man, an' quite gin'rally we git what we go after."

"You don't mean to say you would kill that helpless old man in cold blood, merely because as a judge he presided at your trial?" I questioned in doubt.

"Him? He give me no show; he would n't perfect my witnesses; he was a tool o' Big Donald from ther start. I'd a come back yere long ago if thar was any o' my side left yere about with nerve 'nough to tote a rifle. We held 'em all right es long es it was a reg'lar mounting fight. I reckon we got ez many es they did, an' maybe more. But when they found they was fair licked, ther damned skunks went inter court. They had ter bring ther milishy down yere 'fore they could even git us. An' then they put us on trial fer murder—me, and Jim Daniels, an' two o' ther Farley boys. We had n't done no more'n ther other side, but ther Judge let Donald an' all his outfit testify, an' they got a jury from down [ 112 ]