FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173  
174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   >>   >|  
wers with attention hardened again, Kinnard braced himself and forced a satirical smile. "This man aimed ter git Jerry Henderson from ther fust day he come hyar--not because ther stranger sought ter feel ther way fer ther railroad, but because he dared ter talk fer enlightenment: for schools whar yore children could grow inter straight manhood, an' roads thet could take yore crops and timber ter market. Sich open speech didn't suit Kinnard, hyar, because when folks has knowledge they ceases ter be victims ter his greed and cunnin'. "Jerry Henderson spoke out his belief an' he was marked down by Kinnard Towers fer death. He's a-dyin' now." A low and dangerous murmur ran over the crowd, but Bear Cat Stacy stilled it with his raised hands. "I believes thet Kinnard connived with ther Judas revenuer to jail my paw expressly ter cl'ar ther road fer this murder. Ef thet's true he didn't jest attack a furriner, but he affronted every Stacy an' busted ther truce ter boot! Till I kin prove what I suspicions, I aims ter hold my hand; but I stud in Brother Fulkerson's house last night amids ther ashes of sorrow an' I've done dedicated what's left of my life ter one aim. "I don't know whether I'll hev holp or go single-handed, but as Almighty God hears me, I aims ter clean up these hills! I aims thet 'stid of grumblin' like old grannies because our fields air littered with rock an' our roads air all dirt, we shell take ther rock outen ther fields an' put hit on ther roads. I aims thet every child thet hankers fer enough larnin' ter raise himself above ther level of beasts shell hev a school whar he kin git hit. I aims thet when yore baby falls sick or thar's a bornin' at yore house, ther doctor kin git thar--in time!" He paused, and his audience, swept by the abandon of his extemporaneous fervor, fell into an excited approval. The magic of inherent strength and sheer personality was at work upon them. "Before sich things es them kin be brought ter pass," began the speaker again in a voice dropping suddenly to stern calm, "ther wrath of numerous folks will flare up ter murder-hate--because thar's a stumblin' block in ther path thet's ancient an' thet hes got ter be man-powered loose. Betwixt us an' betterment stands ther thing thet all our troubles springs from--an' though hit don't profit but one man in every score, yit thar be some amongst ye thet'll die fer hit!" He stopped and looked down into faces puzzled and
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173  
174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Kinnard
 

murder

 

fields

 
Henderson
 
springs
 
profit
 

troubles

 

beasts

 

school

 

hankers


larnin
 
littered
 

stopped

 

looked

 

Almighty

 

puzzled

 

grannies

 

grumblin

 

betterment

 

Before


things
 

brought

 

ancient

 
stumblin
 

suddenly

 
numerous
 
dropping
 

speaker

 

personality

 

paused


audience

 

abandon

 
doctor
 
bornin
 

Betwixt

 
extemporaneous
 

powered

 

inherent

 

strength

 

approval


excited

 

fervor

 
stands
 

knowledge

 
ceases
 
speech
 

manhood

 

timber

 
market
 

victims