The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-07-06
THE GAMBLERS END.

BEYOND the balsam thicket the gam
bier made his stand. Carson, the de
tective, was in full pursuit, and as he
burst through the balsams he founc
himself within twenty feet of his antag
onist. Both men stood for an instant
each with a pistol in his hand, eacl
looking full at the other. Both were
experts. Each knew the other.
You count" said the gambler
coolly.
Zone, two" said the detective,
"three, Firer'
One pistol alone sounded. The gam.
bler's had failed to explode!
You've won; you needn't deal
again" said the gambler. And then
he dropped. The red stain on his
shirt-front showed where he was hit.
"There's some lint and bandage,''
said the detective, and he flung a small
package into the gamblers lap. 81
hope you won't die, Dick Raymond"
"Oh, it was all fair, Carson" said
the other, carelessly. GIVE held a
poor hand from the start"
He paused; for the detective had
Twenty rods further on the detective
caught up with the trapper, who was
calmly recharging his piece. On the
edge of the ledge above, the half-breed
lay dead, the lips drawn back from his
teeth and his ugly countenance dis
torted with hate and rage. A rife,
whose muzzle smoked, lay at his side;
and the edge of the trapper's left ear
was bleeding.
GIVE shot Dick Raymond by the bal
sam thicket,' y said the detective. "Fm
afraid he's hard hit"
"Pll 90 and see the boy" answered
the trapper. you'll find Henry fur
der up. There's only two runnin'. You
and he can bring 'em in
The old trapper saw, as he descended
the hill, the body reclining on the
MOSES at the edge of the balsam
thicket. The earth gave back no sound
as he advanced, and he reached the
gambler, and was standing almost at
his very feet, ere the young man was
aware of his presence; but as the trap
per passed between him and the shin.
ing water he turned his gaze up to the
trapper's face, and, after studying the
grave lines for a moment said
you've won the game, old man"
The trapper for a moment made no
reply. He looked steadfastly into the
young mans cOuntenance, fixed his
eyes on the red stain on the left breast,
and then said:
"Shall look at the hole, boy?'
The gambler smiled pleasantly and
nodded his head, saying: "Its the
natural thing to do in these cases, | be-
heve." Lifting the hands, he. unbut-
toned the collar, and unscrewed the
solitaire stud from the white bosom.
The trapper knelt by the young man S
side, and, laying back the linen from
the chest wiped the blood-stain with a
piece of lint from the white skin, and
carefully studied the edges of the
wound, seeking to ascertain the direc-
ton which the bullet had taken as it
penetrated the flesh. At last he drew
his face back, and lifted himself to his
feet, not shade in the expression of
his face revealing his thought.
"Is it my last deal, old MANI" asked
the gambler, carelessly.
Il have seed good many wounds, ="
answered the trapper, land I have
noted the direction of good many
bullets, and never knowed a man live
who was hit where We be hit eff the lead
had the slant inward, as the piece had
that has gone into YEP
For a minute the young man made
no reply. No change came to his
countenance. He turned his eyes from
the trapper's face and looked pleasant
ly off toward the water. He even
whistled line or two of an old love
ballad, then he paused, and, drawn
perhaps by the magnetism of the steady
gaze which the eyes of the trapper
fixed upon him, he looked again into
the old mans face, and said:
"What is it, John Norton?"