Part 13 (2/2)
”Tell me how she came by the spelling-book, will you?”
”Hit war about that time. Paw, he nevah come home again. I cyan't remembah much 'bouts my paw. Maw used to say a heap o' times if she only had a spellin'-book like she used to larn out'n, 'at she could larn we-uns right smart. Well, one day one o' the neighbors told her 'at he'd seed one at Gerret's, ovah t'othah side Lone Pine Creek, nigh about eight mile, I reckon; an' she 'lowed she'd get hit. So she sont we-uns ovah to Teasley's mill--she war that scared o' the Gorillas she didn't like leavin' we-uns home alone--an' she walked thar an' axed could she do suthin' to earn that thar book; an' ol' Miz Gerret, she 'lowed if maw'd come Monday follerin' an' wash fer her, 'at she mount have hit.
Them days we-uns an' the Teasleys war right friendly. The' wa'n't no feud 'twixt we-uns an' Teasleys then--but now I reckon thar's bound to be blood feud.” She spoke very sadly and waited, leaving the tale of the spelling-book half told.
”Why must there be 'blood feud' now? Why can't you go on in the old way?”
”Hit's Frale done hit. He an' Ferd'nan' Teasley, they set up 'stillin'
ovah in Dark Cornder yandah. Hit do work a heap o' trouble, that thar. I reckon you-uns don't have nothin' sich whar you come from?”
”We have things quite as bad. So they quarrelled, did they?”
”Yaas, they quarrelled, an' they fit.”
”No doubt they had been drinking.”
”Yas, I reckon.”
”But just a drunken quarrel between those two ought not to affect all the rest. Couldn't you patch it up among you, and keep the boy at home?
You must need his help on the place.”
”We need him bad here, but the' is no way fer to make up an' right a blood feud. Frale done them mean. He lifted his hand an' killed his friend. Hit war Sunday evenin' he done hit. They had been havin' a singin' thar at the mill, an' preachah, he war thar too, an' all war kind an' peaceable; an' Ferd an' Frale, they sot out fer thar 'still'--Ferd on foot an' Frale rid'n' his horse--the one you have now--they used to go that-a-way, rid'n' turn about--one horse with them an' one horse kep' alluz hid nigh the 'still' lest the gov'nment men come on 'em suddent like. Frale, he war right cute, he nevah war come up with.
”'Pears like they stopped 'fore they'd gone fer, disputin' 'bouts somethin'. Ol' Miz Teasley say she heered ther voices high an' loud, an'
then she heered a shot right quick, that-a-way, an' nothin' more; an'
she sont ol' man Teasley an' the preachah out, an' the hull houseful follered, an' thar they found Ferd lyin' shot dade--an' Frale--he an'
the horse war gone. Ferd, he still held his own gun in his hand tight, like he war goin' to shoot, with the triggah open an' his fingah on hit--but he nevah got the chance. Likely if he had, hit would have been him a-hidin' now, an' Frale dade. I reckon so.”
Thryng listened in silence. It made him think of the old tales of the Scottish border. So, in plain words, the young man was a murderer. With deep pity he recalled the haunted look in Frale's eyes, and the sadness that trembled around Ca.s.sandra's lips as she said, ”I reckon there is no trouble worse than ours.” A thought struck him, and he asked:--
”Do you know what they quarrelled about?”
”He nevah let on what-all was the fuss. Likely he told Ca.s.s, but she is that still. Hit's right hard to raise a blood feud thar when we-uns an'
the Teasleys alluz war friends. She took keer o' me when my chillen come, an' I took keer o' her with hern. Ferd'nan' too, he war like my own, fer I nursed him when she had the fever an' her milk lef' her. Ca.s.s war only three weeks old then, an' he war nigh on a year, but that little an' sickly--he like to 'a' died if I hadn't took him.” She paused and wiped away a tear that trickled down the furrow of her thin cheek.
”If hit war lef' to us women fer to stir 'em up, I reckon thar wouldn't be no feuds, fer hit's hard on we-uns when we're friendly, an' Ferd like my own boy that-a-way.”
”But perhaps--” David spoke musingly--”perhaps it was a woman who stirred up the trouble between them.”
The widow looked a moment with startled glance into his face, then turned her gaze away. ”I reckon not. The' is no woman far or near as I evah heern o' Frale goin' with.”
Still pondering, David rose to go, but quickly resumed his seat, and turned her thoughts again to the past. He would not leave her thus sad at heart.
”Won't you finish telling me about the spelling-book?”
”I forget how come hit, but maw didn't leave we chillen to Teasleys'
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