The piece blazed and burned
in his hand.
"I never seed no coal in these mountains like that--did you?"
"Not often--find it around here?"
"Right hyeh on this farm--about five feet thick!"
"What?"
"An' no partin'."
"No partin'"--it was not often that he found a mountaineer who
knew what a parting in a coal bed was.
"A friend o' mine on t'other side,"--a light dawned for the
engineer.
"Oh," he said quickly. "That's how you knew my name."
"Right you air, stranger. He tol' me you was a--expert."
The old man laughed loudly. "An' that's why you come over hyeh."
"No, it isn't."
"Co'se not,"--the old fellow laughed again. Hale shifted the talk.
"Well, now that you know my name, suppose you tell me what yours
is?"
"Tolliver--Judd Tolliver." Hale started.
"Not Devil Judd!"
"That's what some evil folks calls me." Again he spoke shortly.
The mountaineers do not like to talk about their feuds. Hale knew
this--and the subject was dropped. But he watched the huge
mountaineer with interest. There was no more famous character in
all those hills than the giant before him--yet his face was kind
and was good-humoured, but the nose and eyes were the beak and
eyes of some bird of prey.
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