Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-10-24
the sHEHIrF's MISTAKE.

regulation whiskey untouched, an
shutting to the door.
4 The sheriff was a safe man to be
| lieve, though how he made out any
thing in the binding glare of evenin.
sunlight that flooded the level prairi
| west of Buffalo station no one but
professor of optics could have told
The old man had the eye Of an eagle
! Two on EN- with pack pony h,
added, and just then sudden sunse
shadow swept across the lonely vast,
and we saw them too.
| They were about quarter OF /.
mile away, heading for the station
and its single combination building o
store, dining room, tavern and freign
house. They came on an easy gait
driving theirpack pony before them
IA they noarcd rs we could note the
signs OF hard travel about them. From
their dust-sown clothing and then
loose seats in the saddle as we'll as
the jaded canter OF their ponies, ev.
erything in their appearance spoke oil
a long ride and weary one.
They crossed the track and drew
up in the shade of the station. one Of
them only replying to the sheriff
CHEEKY hail with curt nod. He dis
mounted stiffiy, addressed few words
to his companion who remained in
the saddle with one leg crossed over
| the bow, and moment later his
gaunt blckskn- and frieze CARRIED flo.
ure vanished in the cool shadow Of
the store.
| "a likely boy said the sheriff, who
had been cycling his companion in
tently. They mought be Texan
droyers then agin they mought-
MT
He added the latter sentence rehec.
lively, never relaxing his scrutiny OF
the mounted stranger. That person
was likely boy indeed. Afoot, he
might have stood nearly six feet on
his bare soles. His swarthy face,
handsome as gypsy girls and deli
cately shaped as any lady's, was
framed with shock of tangled wavy
hair, Of whose black glory any court
dame might have been proud; and his
eyes, full, black and lustrous as those
Of race horse, flashed proudly under
the finely penciled brows. The hand
that rested lazily on his knee was
large and in perfect keeping with his
well knit figure, but in shape clean
cut and handsome as woman's.
was still scrutinizing this some-
what singular apparition with more
than ordinary curiosity when the
sheriff turned suddenly to me.
WARS yer pony, Tom,' he asked.
Sin the she'd.
sSaddled p
with loose girth-yes.'
'The sogers is in the Hundred Horn
Gulch,' he went on, speaking rapidly,
Slide forrerd an bring 'em up. May
the big wolf of Devils Run devour
me if them amt two of our men
] knew the sheriff too we'll to hest
tate or question further. As l girth-
ed my pony in the shed a shadow,
| fioated across the doorway and was
gone. When | rode out the two
strangers were cantering off to the
southwark pointing to the Republican
river, and as | gave my pony rein and
galoped in the opposite direction, |
saw the sheriff mounting his big grey
mare which had been tied to the cor
ner post of the store.
The sheriff and a party of soldiers
from Fort Hays were on the watch
for the train robbers who stopped the
west bound train at Big Springs
eight days before and who were sup
posed to be striking for the Texan
border with their rich spoil. The sol.
diers, as the sheriff had said were
posted in ravine known as Big Horn
Gulch, few miles from the station
and where the main trail from North
Platte crossed the railroad track.
The sun was just dipping when |
rode up to the station ahead Of the
troopers. The sheriff, who was study
ing the written description of the
maurauders by the waning light put
himself at our head without word
and we trailed off long line of creak-
ing, jingling, hoof-beating clamor
through the windy silence and gloom
of the darkening prairie.
The ride was a long one for our
quarry had an hours start of us and
the moon rose globe of coppery fire
and found US still clanking on, l had
joined the sheriff and the leader oil
the soldiers. We were silent trio un.
til / ventured:
Are you certain sheriff, of our
men?'
| Sure as the MOON said the old
man, tersely, drinking in the sweet
air of the sublime night with a sigh
which seemed to say, let me alone.
I know what / am about and won'l
be questioned
Silence again. The brisk breeze
was blowing rifted clouds across the
face of the moon, nothing the dim
plain with fantastic shadows. Sud.
denly these clouds burst away. A
full, clear burst of light flooded the
prairie and not half mile away we
saw three moving figures which in
the now marvellously brilliant lunar
illumination, could easily be distin-
guishad as two mounted men and q
pack animal.
| The wind was in our faces bic wing
the noise of our approach from the fu.
gitives' ears, and though we rode
hard and with no attempt at STEALTH,
ness, il was not until we were close
upon them that they suddenly drew
in and faced about, both men sitting
bolt upright in their saddles with
their hands on their hips. In gesture
and bearing they meant fight and
looked every inch desperate and dam
gerous men.
We halted too. For moment a
dead silence fell upon us. Then the
sherif's gray mare neighed and the
| charm was broken.
who's there?'called one of the fu-
gitives in Spanish emphasizing the
challenge by the sharp click Of his
pistol as be brought it to cock.
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