Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1915 — ALL “MOONSHINE” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALL “MOONSHINE”

By ETHEL BARRY LUKENS.

“Madam, we must do our duty!" The dictum fell awesomely upon the still air of the Telford home, and upon all the hearts within. Mrs. Telford wavered, her face bloodless. Ina, the fair daughter of the house, gave a great gasp. She shivered, a mighty dread at soul. Filial love had received a terrible blow. Outside of that, she thought of her fiance, and her pulses beat cold. Wolverton was a crude Kentucky mountain town, but it was in neither the feud nor the moonshiner belt. David Telford was a respected and moderately prosperous member of the community. For six months, however, he had cherished a secret and had been acting mysterious. He would drive away Monday morning into the mountains and not return fur several days. The upper part of the barn he kept closely padlocked, and during the days he spent at home most of his time was passed there. For some time past, during his periodical absences mother and daughter had been visited and questioned by sinlsteMippearing strangers. Upon this especial morning the thunderclap had come. “We are revenue officers,” announced one of the two grim-faced callers, ‘‘and we have a warrant for the apprehension of your husband, madam.” “Arrest David!” cried Mrs. Telford. “For what?" “As a moonshiner. If you doubt It. look at that truck we have found in his barn workroom,” and the speaker pointed to a miscellaneous heap of stuff In their wagon. "How dared you Invade my husband's property!” flared up Mrs. Telford spiritedly. “The law is supreme, madam,” retorted the official with dignity. “If you will look over that lot of junk yonder, you will get a view of about

as complete a chemical and still outfit as the best mountain dew expert in the district ever owned. We’ve got the goods—and the evidence. We want the man. I’ll say this to you: direct us to your husband, and his making us no trouble hunting him will help lighten his sentence.” “Mr. Telford will be home when his business away is completed,” announced Mrs. Telford with quiet assurance. “He is not what you charge. He is a good, honest man, and you are making a dreadful mistake." The revenue officer smiled, sneered and cast a meaning side-long look at the incriminating distilling apparatus. “Get the evidence to the courthouse,” he ordered the driver of the wagon. “Then we’ll go in search of this clever moonshiner.” As the officers drove out of the yard Ina looked up eagerly. A young man on horseback had met the departing wagon. Ina’s heart beat fast. It was her lover, Justus Reynolds. He halted and held some conversation with the officers. Ina could surmise what they said. Then, without even looking at her, Justus turned his horse about and rode directly away from the spot. Ina ran to her mother and threw herself into her arms, bursting into tears. “My child! my child!” chided her mother soothingly. “Do not give way so. Your father is innocent.” “Innocent or guilty, I have lost my lover!” sobbed poor Ina. “Justus believes the story and has deserted me.” If she had but known, she might have saved herself hours of grie; and heartbreak. Without coming to reassure, to console her, Justus Reynolds had, indeed, rode away, but it was In behalf of the accused man. It was to warn him, assist him to escape, If possible. . . Justus feared that David Telford was guilty, that he had been influenced in employing his scientific abilities to further some secret distilling scheme. The manufacture of “moonshine" was a commonplace thing in those secluded mountains, almost legitimatized in. the minds of the Justus had an idea where he might find Mr. Telford. His trusty steed

traversed many a rapid mile during the next few hours It was about midafternoon when Justus, pursuing a remote route, drew up and slowly approached a wagon tilted on one side in a deep rut His face grew serious as he saw that it was loaded with sealed up casks and jugs, the more so as he recognized standing beside it the father of the girl he loved. “The very man I need!” hailed Mr. Telford cheerily. “My load is heavy and the horses tired out. You have arrived in just the nick of time. Hitch to and pull the wagon out of the rut, will you?” Within a few minute’s time the wagon was on a safe level basis. Justus lingered. As he viewed the honest face of Mr. Telford, he hesitated about Informing him of the suspicions rife back at his home., “Well, thank you, and TH get along,” ” spoke Mr. Telford. “I am getting my load over to a point near the railroad.” “Mr. Telford,’’ began Justus, "I wnnt„ to warn you— ’’ “Eh!” exclaimed his companion, with a stare of surprise. "Yes, sir. The officers of the law — too late!” It seemed so, for just then there rounded into the road three revenue officers. They road at a wild gallop up to the astonished Telford. Two covered him with revolvers, the other advanced, waving a legal-looking document. •"You are my prisoner on a government warrant,” he shouted. “Hello! . what have I been doing now?” inquired Mr. Telford quietly. "Illtcit distilling.” "Yes, I’ve been distilling right enough,” confessed Mr. Telford, a grim twinkle of humor in his goodnatured eye, "but it happens to be water. “Eh!” ' Yes, sir, that’s the fact. I discovered near here a month ago the most valuable mineral spring you ever heard of. I’ve kept it quiet till I got a deed. 'l’ve been analyzing my big find chemically and —ha! ha! honest old David Telford a moonshiner? Oh, no! Say, officer, try a drink of the aqua piira. It may cure your dark suspicions.” It took a mere superficial investigation on the part of the revenue men to establish the fact that they had made an egregious blunder. Ina, fretting for her lover, Mrs. Telford, dreadfully upset and anxious, both flew toward the gate early the next morning when the two loved ones in question drove into the yard. “Innocent!” breathed Mrs. Telford, fervently, as her husband told his story. “I knew it could not be otherwise.” Ina stood with downcast eyes. She felt that she had been unjust in ever indulging the thought that Justus could cease to love her. She came up to him trembling, her lovely eyes filled with tears. “Forgive!” she choked out brokenly. "Forgive what, ihy troubled darling?” inquired Justus, in honest ignorance. "I fear—l thought—” and there Ina broke down utterly. Never, even later, did Ina tell Justus of her great fear, of the injustice she had done his noble, loyal nature. And in the succeeding days Justus marveled at a new gentleness on her part, and manlike, attributed her increasing devotion to his efforts to save her father from apprehended trouble. At the wedding the invited guests drank long and deeply of the marvelous crystal spring water, which baue fair to bring them all a fortune. (Copyright. 1915, by W. G. Chapman.)

Traversed Many a Rapid Mlle.