Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-31
A CLOSE SHAVE.

"A CLOSE SHA " r..
another step and you are dead
man.
"By what authority do you bar my
passage?"
Authority? Ha, ha! If this amt
enough" holding cut revolver in each
hand, with hideous leer in bis evil face,
II reckon / have to explain further. By
the authority Of the Road Agency of this
great overland route
1t was in the days when Ben Halliday
and the pony express served in lieu Of To-
comotives and telegraph lines. When
might was right throughout region ex-
tending over nineteen hundred miles.
from St. Joseph 10 Sacramento; when the
stage run the gauntlet of road agents and
Indians, and bones, many Of them human
remains, grinned up at the traveller unex-
pectedly as he crossed the plains; when
to be "quick on the trigger was worth
more to man than all the courage in
the world.
Dick Hartford looked into the mans
face calmly, looked into the muzzles of.
the pistols, smiled and uttered single
WI u. well!
Don't you aggravate me, or will fire,
and serve you right"
II never flinched in my life. I won't
finch now. What do you want?"
'Throw down your revolver. Now
turn round, and if you bulge hairs
breadth III blow your brains out"
Hartford obeyed. He permitted his
hands to be tied behind bis back. He
saw his pockets TUNED inside out. his
money appropriated, his watch pocketed,
and only demonstrated when his captor
felt for a money belt Don't cut me,
there's no belt on me'
" O! you did feel it then. Thought l
had bank to pry open. Now then,
march. There's good ground here, and
plenty of it. 1t will do you good to
stretch your legs. Keep right on to the
clump to the left, and mind you, don't
stumble, for like as not you'll never get
up. There was one fellow stumbled here
about six weeks ago, and he never cot
higher than his knees I'll show his
bones d1reckly"
Was it a lie, a threat? Hartford cursed
himself for refusing to listen to the adj
vice of the conductor of the stage who
warned him to beware Of the road agents.
He had answered that he would take the
risk, he desired to see for himself if the
stories ,old of the robberies and murders
on the route were true. And he was
leaning.
"A little faster, stranger. My horse
is reether FESTIVE, and, beside. jim Porter
would like to see youn
The road was unbloken, but the dust
was sitting, and it blew from the horses
feet to the captive. The captive kept his
head up, and strobe on.
Rough, isn't? Now suspect you came
out to capture some one. Like as NOT
jim Pcrter?"
No response from the captive.
They do say there is a party looking
for us. Porter is anxious to see them.
This yer's a god-send Never thought to
meet We this way. Got tired ridin',
suppose. Thought you'd lay over, do up
little business, and take next stage.
Now, l knew man to lay over that didn t
rue it. There was a man from Hlinov
laid over about three months ago. Had
some instruction. He was mighty sly
that IlliIoyian. re Dixon he'd furnish a
regiment of Vigilantes with cunning.
Kind o. sauntered out Of same town you
left an hour ago, but he had some com
pany. he wasn't such fool as you.
And his company went back on him.
Shot him through the spine then tickled
his ribs with knife. He was power
full active Vigilante, was the company.
He was too much for the Illinoyian.'
"Just as you were too much for me-.
II like your pluck now. You do keep
stiff upper lip. But it'll be all day
with you the moment Porter claps ewes
on you. He makes short work Of spies.
I reckon that's your line.''
The captive did not reply. At that
moment his thoughts were on home. A
mighty throb rose in his throat-a suffo.
eating throb-wrenched from him by that
one thought ofhome. His wife and child,
his boy that he would never see again. 1t
was hard. He had played bold game
and he had lost. The Vigilantes were in
league with the road agents. He had
been outwitted. The stage company
would be short another man, and the road
would be under tribute as before. His
plans, so carefully concealed in his own
breast, were known to the murderous
gang. Perhaps in less than an hour he
would be dangling at the end of rope.
| He half turned as he thought of the end.
"None o. that, unless you want your
early pill, in which case I'm bound to
! accommodate ye. Porter didn't say we