Tol'able David

1
Behind three great
 ranges of moun-
tains lay the pastoral
valley of Greenstream.

2
There the Kinemons had
 long made their home
as tenants on the rich
  farm of John Galt.

3
Hunter Kinemon kept
the biblical tradition
of a family united by 
every tie of love and
       honor.

	EDMUND GURNEY

4
Mrs. Kinemon,

  mother of a home
   her tenderness
    helped create.

	MARION ABBOTT

5
David,

  the youngest son,
   was called his
    mother's boy.

	RICHARD BARTHELMESS

6
Allan,

    the elder son,
 reckoned the strongest 
   man in Greenstream 
        County.

	WARNER RICHMOND

7
Rose,

  Allan's wife, loved
   as a daughter of
      the house.

	PATTERSON DIAL

8
"It's eight o'clock,
 and time for bed."

9
The morning rose
 serene and pure
over the village of 
  Greenstream.

10
Esther,

 the granddaughter
 of neighbor Hatburn.

	GLADYS HULETTE

11
"Can you spare us
  a cup of sugar? 
 I'd fetch it back 
 tomorrow."

12
"Allan, if you want to 
  stay home with Rose
  today, I'll drive the 
  hack for you."

13
"Why, David, you're
  too young to carry
 the government mail!"

14
"But I'll drive the
  hack when you 
 go railroading!"

15
"You won't be a man
 for a spell yet, David,
 but you're tol'able - -
 just tol'able."

16
The sun crossing the
eastern mountains found 
Greenstream peacefully 
       awake.

17
Allan drove the daily
 hack 20 miles into
   West Virginia.

18
John Galt,

 storekeeper, village
   postmaster, and
   richest man in 
     the Valley.

	LAWRENCE EDDINGER

19
On such a gentle sum-
 mer day it seemed that
nothing could disturb the
 peace of Greenstream.

20
"I'll beat you playing
 mumble-ty-peg."

21
"Remember you're not
  well, Pa, and don't
 overdo yourself."

22
But trouble like the
  shadow of a black
 cloud hurried across
the countryside toward
     Greenstream.

23
"Don't shoot! They're
 across the State line.
 We're well rid of them."

24
Iska Hatburn,

 chief of a fugitive 
      family.

	WALTER LEWIS

25
His elder son, Luke,
whose peculiar humor
it was to destroy what-
ever he encountered.

	ERNEST TORRANCE

26
Little "Buzzard"
Hatburn, the baby
  of the clan.

	RALPH YEARSLEY

27
"A cousin of ours lives
  in here. We'll find
 him - - get something to
 eat, and lay up a while."

28
Elbow Barren, the 
 home of Neighbor
     Hatburn.

29
"I'll bet there's not a 
  man in the County 
   who can snare a 
   trout like that."

30
"Yes, David, you're
 right tol'able - -"

31
"- - for a boy."

32
Neighbor Hatburn.

	FORREST ROBINSON

33
"What are you 
 laughing at?"

34
"Are you sure it was
  the trout you were
 after?"

35
"Laugh if you want to,
  but I'll - - I'll bet
 there's not a man in
 this County can snare
 a trout or shoot like
 David."

36
"Don't you know us?
  We're your cousins."

37
"I thought you
  were in jail."

38
"We were. Then we
  had a little trouble
 over Tug River way,
 and came to visit
 with you till it blows
 past."

39
"We won't trouble
  you - - much. We
 can sleep anywhere."

40
"Pap, I'm hungry."

41
"Well, what are you
   waiting for?"

42
"We're not ghosts
 - - we got to eat!"

43
"Who are these
  strangers?"

44
"From now on I don't 
  want anybody hang-
 ing around here."

45
"Grandpa says they're
  cousins from up Tug
 River, and the Sheriff
 is after them."

46
"Shall we go back
 and lick 'em, Rocket?"

47
Today Allan drove
 recklessly - - anx-
ious to get home.

48
"Say, what's the
  hurry?"

49
"It's a boy and 
 weighs ten pounds!"

50
"He's a Kinemon all
 over, just like you."

51
"Well, David, you're
  not the baby of
 this house any more."

52
"David must always
   be my baby."

53
"You have a lot 
  of time to learn
 to smoke."

54
"I'm afraid of those 
 Hatburns."

55
"When one of them
 looks at me he - -"

56
"If they get ugly
 you send for me."

57
"David, they'd mow
  you down like a
 clump of daisies."

58
"Hey! It's a boy and 
 weighs ten pounds."

59
With the passing weeks
 Rose thought her baby
became more and more
     a Kinemon.

60
"I reckon you won't
   need a doctor
 around here for a 
 while."

61
"Hunter is bothered with
   that old pain again,
 and we can't drive him
 to see you."

62
"I've been telling the 
  doctor about your 
 bad spells."

63
A wave of love swept
 over David - - a love
for everything and every-
body that made his home.

64
"Where is that dog?"

65
"Allan took Rocket with
   him this morning."

66
"Hatburn, you killed my
  brother's dog! I have 
 government mail and pas-
 sengers now, but when
 I'm through - - I'll be back."

67
"What happened - -
   an accident?"

68
"No, but there will
 be if you don't
 'tend your own
 business."

69
The shadow of the 
black cloud had 
crept across the 
 Kinemon home.

70
"I'd thank you to drive
 the hack to Green-
 stream and not bother
 the Sheriff."

71
"Allan is helpless 
 for life."

72
"We can do nothing
 more now. I'll call
 back this way tonight."

73
It seemed to David
 he waited an eterni-
ty for his father to 
move.

74
"Hunter, you've been
 a mighty good hus-
 band - - I pray God 
 will send you back."

75
"Us Kinemons can
 revenge our own."

76
"Put that gun up and
  help your Ma."

77
The realization that
 death had shifted
the burden of the
Kinemon honor to him.

78
"Damn and Damn
  the Hatburns! I'll
 kill 'em all."

79
"You're my little David.
  You can't go. They'd
 kill you."

80
"There's Rose and the
  baby. You're the only 
 man we have now."

81
With Hunter Kinemon
 dead and Allan crip-
pled they were forced
to move from the place 
that held all their past
      happiness.

82
"It's hard leaving our
 old home, Mr. Galt."

83
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Kinemon,
  but it takes a man to
 manage the cattle."

84
How could David let
 them see the grief
that was choking him
at the destruction of
what he loved most.

85
"David, is there any-
  thing I can do?"

86
"I hate you and
  everything that's
 Hatburn!"

87
"We haven't left a
  thing - - nothing
 at all."

88
In the poverty of a
 small dwelling in the
Village the Kinemons
tried to hide their sad-
ness from each other.

89
"No David, you can't
  drive the hack.
 You're too young to be
 trusted with the mail."

90
"If I was David Kinemon
      I'd have fed them
 Hatburns a dose of hot
 lead."

91
To David's unhappy
 mind it seemed that
all the Valley held
him a coward.

92
"I was just telling Rose
  you'd be better off
 with me dead."

93
"David, run down to
  the store and fetch
 some soap."

94
"It's like David blames
  it on Esther and me,
 and that's not right, Mrs.
 Kinemon, it's not right."

95
"David doesn't mean
  it, Esther."

96
"I've made up
  my mind - -"

97
"You can't drive
  the hack - -"

98
"But you can start
  to work in the
  store tomorrow 
     morning."

99
"Thank you, Mr. Galt.
  I'll - - be here."

100
Life went on unhindered
 by individual sorrow
and the gaiety of a dance
 filled the schoolhouse.

101
"I just had to bring
  Esther tonight, she
 wanted to come so
 bad."

102
David resolved to
 meet every obliga-
tion of his fully ac-
cepted responsibility.

103
"If you don't aim
  to ride with me
 you can walk."

104
"You're fired for
  good!"

105
"You can't fire
  me. I quit!"

106
"What'll you do now?
  I'll miss the through
 train."

107
"David, I'll have to
  let you drive the
 hack today."

108
"This has gone on
  long enough. It's
 got to stop."

109
The afternoon was pass-
  ing from Greenstream
with its appearance of
     old serenity.

110
"I tell you Sheriff I can't
  stand them. Something
 must be done to get them
 out of my house."

111
"They'd be arrested now
    for crippling Allan
 Kinemon but Court's
 three months off and
   the jail wouldn't
       hold 'em."

112
"Let him tell at the
  Village he lost the
 government mail."

113
"I guess I'll wait for
   David with the mail."

114
He had passed no
 one on the road 
  but a Hatburn.

115
"I only tried to clip
  off his ear, but he
 moved."

116
"Don't hinder me. I'm
  the Government's 
 agent - - and David
 Kinemon too."

117
"I wonder what's
  happened - - -
 David's late."

118
"You can depend on
  David. His ambition
 has always been to
 drive the hack."

119
"It seems only yesterday
  he was a child and sat
 on my knee while I read
 his favorite story of David
 and Goliath, and now - -
 he's a man and driving
  the government mail."

120
"I won't wait for the
  mail. I must hurry
 home to Esther."

121
"David - - they've
  killed him!"

122
Responsibility, conquering
 his broken body, drove
        him on.

123
In the darkness upon
 him a single determi-
nation lived - - he must
keep the horses on the 
road, he must deliver
      the mail.

124
"David, you're
  wonderful!" 

125
"Ma's right. I'm
  only tol'able
 - -  just tol'able."


THE END