Before leaving the cave Miss Howard brought out the coat she had tucked away. The elder Bradshaw examined it closely, while the others watched his face, which wore a mysterious expression. “I’d best pack hit ’long with me,” he said presently. “I might happen on the owner; I reckon he war in haste ter git away or he’d never left sech as this behind in the ol’ still cave. I call hit downright onlucky.”
“I never knew before there was a still in these parts,” said Martin. “I thought it was over by Pigg Branch.”
“Mebbe you’ll find one thar now if you’ll take the resk of sarchin’ fer hit, but this here one war put out o’ business a cornsiderable spell back.” The man chuckled with such evident amusement that all but Miss Howard and his two sons stared in surprise.
“I think you’d better tell them,” urged the former, “it is a very interesting story.”
“My mam war sure ’nough peart,” grinned the old man. “Lish Dumley kep’ this still when I war ’bout Joe’s age, and pap and I uster come up and call on him oftener’n war fer our good. Hit made mam mighty sober-sided, but we never paid no ’tention ter anythin’ she said. One day she tuk hit inter her head ter go ter the Gap ter see Lizy Sneed-they war gals tergether—and left pappy and me ter tend the young-uns.
“That night this ol’ still war raided and Lish Dumley and his men caught red-handed. Hit’s the last they seen of the mountings fer many a year, ’cept mebbe what they could view through the bars.”
“I ’low your mammy was mightily pleasured to have the stillin’ stopped,” said Gincy innocently.
Mr. Bradshaw smiled broadly. “Law, yes. When mam undertook a thing hit war good as done. She never said nothin’ ter nobody, but the sheriff let hit leak out; he war thet pleased mam war so gritty. Pappy ’lowed Dumley’d burn our cabin once he got out’n the pen, but I reckon he war too broken-sperited ter take revenge thet’d only shut him up agin.”
“I ’low our mammy’d do the same thing if thet still war a-runnin’ now,” said Gid proudly. “She air mighty servigrous when hit comes ter whiskey and sech, and pappy air jest as set agin hit, too.”
The little party looked with a new interest around the cave, and at the dark silent object which the sheriff and his men had wrecked that it do no more harm. If it only had a voice how many strange tales it could tell them.