The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-04-10
THE
SARP
SISKIYOU COUNTY.
BY L ~CALAvERAs.
CHAPTER /.
rnE srAoE-pRIvEn's STONY.

.er1ion ana with a cut OF the whip al
monished his of leader that any cut
,ing nm shines on his part, at that par
ticnSlsr moment. was irrelevant 10 he sub
Iect under consideration, and would he
promptly checked.
The fair young girl at his side raised q
pair Of large blue eyes 40 surprise, "a.
Howl You do not know VINO tbis
man i--tbis Diamond Dick
No more | don't, miss: and 1 reckon
no one else does, answered Sol, doggedly.
We'll. but what sort Of a man Is ne De
scribe him 10 me.
Wall. il youn excuse my rough tori
and WAYS. III do my level best, miss
'Tain't often as / hev such 8 poOty list ner
TO spout 20. you know.
Alice Reordon blushed at The broad com
pliment. and busted herself arranging the
various robes and shawls about her IN
such a manner as TO secure Inc most com-
Portable position. ~,
The fust time ] ever seed TINS Di-
ming Dick. commenced Nutmeg Sol. war
about three months ago. Iwar al Yuma.
/ he'd two pilgrims that day. Parson Mo-
SEES aud Big Joe Healy, and war just
agoinc 10 start when some n wells oui 10
hold on. Then a teller jumped on the
stage and squatied down by me as pert as
Won please, and without AZ much as saying
by yer leave
.stylef Wal. | should remakr! Store
clothes. boiled shirt. and boots that war
shining 80 bright that ye could hey used
them Tor lookin'- glasses. But / didn I
notice them details then; what took me
MAR the ornaments he had on him. !
don't 'speci would believe me miss-and
don't blame VEL wouldn't a believed II
mvselfifI hadn't seed it, but every bless
ed button on his coat he'd n dining sol in
II. likewise his vest, and bis hands Was
blazin' with them.
s.Mornin' Nutmeg Sol, says he. 'reck-
on I'll take a ride with ye, II ye hev no
obieckshuns.
.Sartinlly. Morning, stranger, morn
ing said |. and with that ! hit Danny
leader thar lick that made him jump
clar off d the ground. | war so mazed like.
And il would hey done yer eyes good 10
see them other pilgrims cape at thet stran-
ger.
The stranger didn't appear to notice
noihin' though, but kept on a torkln IN
his easy. soft voice, so like a iemale wo-
man, that / took q liken 10 him al oncet,
and tOrked back all / know d how you bet.
Wal things kept on in this way ontil
we most nigh got by the hill thar ye can
see ahead, when all Ter oncet the horses
SHED like blazes. -.
Thar was a bend in the road here which
wehad lust turned, and thar at the other
end, about thirty feet away, stood a man
on horseback. with a SIX shooter In each
hand. and which were pinted dead centre
at us on the stage.
'.Halt thar yelled this fgger, halt. or
III make a frst-class funeral around these
diggin's.' r.
fain't no coward, miss. il | do say ii,
but YOU kin bet your bottom dollar it didn
take me m0re'na million seconds 10 pull
mp. .
Up with yer fish-hooks. pilgrims,
says the igger again, I'm Moonshine
Mike, YOU hear meF .
1hed my hands iull with the horses. l
couldn't a-drawed if he'd wanted TO. and
Ididn't kecr much. and Joe and the parson
elevated their fists mighty quick. but the
stranger scratched a match OF the seat, lii
his cigar, and pulled away as coolly and
upconcerned-iike as though thar warn
ao bloody handed robber within miles. !
looked for MOonshine Mike to plug him
~instanter. but he didn't; stead he says
kind of icy like:
Stranger. my arm is gitiin' tired, !
iayne't time 10 more than 1--WE up
with your hands
'Eh, well, ifyou are in a hurry / won't
detain you. says the stranger, anc with
thet quicker 3 at a fash. he junpea-ss O. g,
the stage.
4 don't know sow lac did it. Tn only
i~ehtA2-ss; / hadn't seed nc weapon:
s.Dout him, but when the strangers feet
touched the ground he had a pistol in each
hand, like MooEshine; and thar they stood
the stranger and Mike. looking like two
owdaoious bull pups awaiting the word Il
pitch In and chaw thunder out OF each 9th
er.
Wal Mr.. Mike Moonshine.' says he
who's got The drop nowf My name is Di
ming Dick. ever hear'n tell OF met
Dining Dick. heyf' says Moonshine
Wal. now. sonny drop them shootin Irons
/ don't want 90 hurt you II kin help II.
But the stranger laughed right out, a
though he war amused.
why, Looner Mike. We amt a bit per
lite. saws he. 1 did think ye war going
20 raise sum fun. but ] reckon you're moth
ing but q sardine arter all
Tibet war too much for Mike, you bet
he gritted out a cuss and let drive twice
I spect 20 see the stranger drap, but kc
didn't. ne only whit back like a step or so,
and then he let drive at Mike. ] saw the
shot saw the fire come out OF the pistol
and then | heard a yell like an Apache'i
death squawS. Then | saw MoonshiEC
fall from his hoss, thet galloped away like
mad. The black thing thet he'd kiveret
the face of the road agent had fallen off
and thar plum centre in his forehead, wa
a round red hole.
I couldn't make it out ct first. BIZ
when Big Joeiumped out of the stage anC
give a hip. hip roar, it kind CT woke m'
up; / realized then tibet Moonshine Mike,
the terror of the kentry. war dead.
Wal. not I bother you too much with
particulars. IN cut il short. We took the
body into Greaser Gulch. and / tell you ]
made noise. Dining Dick war the pc
ofthe town ~instunter, and when he took thu
reward as the company had put up tor the
KILN of the r~oad-agent, and gave th'
boys a lay out, that settled it.
Since then Dick has located in the
gulch. lie Gums and goes as he likes
people don't ask him wbar he goes
woulen't be healthy. and--and wal, that
all guess
Alice had listened with keen attention
% the story told by the driver in his
suaint rough style. Gifted with a viyi,
imagination, she had pictured the scene e
herself as II had happened. and while sh
shuddered at the fatal termination of th
thrilling tableau, she admired the Draw
daring OF the man who was known onll
by the fanciful name Of Diamond Dick.
DO YOU know, miss. said Sol. breakin.
in on her thoughts. they say Moonshin
Mike can't rest easy. and hs' mt the gorg
in which he WAS Killed
Alice laughed heartily st the driver
words.
How charming, areal ghost. How
should like TO meet this unquiet shade
4 don't think ye'd feel so good cver il
miss, il We knowd all. Tom seed it. II
said il cum'd out Of a solid rock. riding o.
horseback, on q hoss blacker'n the darkes
darkness, with blue fire cunning out of hi
nose and mouth. And the sperit war a
afre with a sort OF a cloud floatin' aroun
IL anu TWO uals aIteis ION Sot n lcst
and died. Yankee Nick wal the next {
meet it:a week arter he was found dea
on the hillside; no wounds on him. but al
awful look on his face
II was plain that the superstitious drive
had his own peculiar notions about the ad
visibility Of meeting this dread thing.
The next moment a turn in the road tool
them into a dark corner. The moon wa
not high enough vet TO throw any light in
TO this gorge. and 10 Alice there was some
thing foreboding in the sudden transitiol