The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-09-14
than I ever made before or have made

than ever made before or have made
since. Not sound did l hear behind
me, and in less than ten minutes 1
pulled up before the express Office and
rid myself of my load.
l did not have much appetite for
supper that night. l went early to
my room, not having said word to
anyone of my adventure, and there l
sat until late hour thinking in over
If the man was not rObber, what
was he doing there at that hour, stand
ing in the road with a gun?
If had not killed him, why had he
not returned my shot? In my ignor-
ance, l supposed that anyone who
killed another was liable to imprison-
ment if not to death. If this man
was not robber, was not my life GER
tainly forfeited? Even if he was, was
/ not liable to punishment for taking
the law into my own hands?
These and fifty other like questions
came crowding through my mind. l
had no friends in town, no one to
whom | could go for counsel or advice.
l went to bed and tried to sleep, but it
was of no use; l could only roll and
toss and think, and | can safely say
that that night was one of the most
miserable | ever spent.
Toward morning I fell into rest
less sleep, from which 1 started every
now and then as the terror of that
moment crossed my mind; and so the
long hours passed away and daylight
came.
| had now determined what to do.
l would go to the stable and get my
horse, and ride out to the place and
examine the ground. If / found the
man, possibly | might know who he
was; if a stranger, l could be more
certain that he was there with an evil
purpose. AT any rate, / could satisfy
myself whether the shot had been fatal
or not. If it had been fatal, then |
would return to town, go to the Sheriff
of the County, tell him all about it,
and give myself up; that seemed the
right and best thing to do.
No one was stirring as l led out my
horse and mounted him. The sun had
not yet risen, and | remember feeling
glad that it had not. | did not see
how it could be wrong for me to de-
fend that which had been put in my
charge, and yet as | rode out of town /
felt as weighed down in spirits as it
seemed possible for a really guilty man
to feel.
AS | neared the fatal spot, l refined
my horse to a walk. In a moment
more | should know if the stain OF
blood was on my hands. l dreaded tC
turn the corner, dreaded to see the
still form that | fully expected to find
lying in the road, but at length | gave
the horse the word and passed around
the corner.
Yes, there was the spot, but the road
was clear before me: that was great
relief. The next moment | raised my
eyes, and a peal of laughter rang from
my lips that might have been heard fol
half a mile round.
There by the roadside stood the
stump of an old tree with one lfeless
limb stretched out and pointing down
the road. There indeed was my rob.
Der, the victim of my maiden shot that
had caused me 50 much misery for the
past ten hours. 1t was some comfort
in the midst of my laugh against my
self to find that my aim was good, for
there in the tree was the fresh mark
of my bullet.
That rode back to town with a light
heart, | need hardly say, neither need
| say that l tried to keep this adven-
ture to myself; but at last it leaked
out, and the story of the book-keeper' 5
robber became as well known in that
region as it is now to you.-John A.
Emery, IN Youths Companion.