The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-12-19
A CLOSE SHAVE

Another step, and you are u dead
mani"
by what authority do you bar my
| passage?"
enough" holding out revolver in each
hand, with hidcous leer in his evil
| face, II reckon I'll have to explain
further. BY the authority of the road
agency of this great overland route"
1t was in the days when Ben. HOlla-
| day and the pony express served in lieu
of locomotives and telegraph lines,
when might was right throughout a
region extending over nineteen hundred
miles, from st. Joseph to Sacramento /;
when the stage ran the gauntlet of road
| agents and Indians, and bones, many of
them human remains, grInned up at the
| traveller Unexpectedly, us he crossed the
plains; when to be quick ON trigger
was worth more to IA man than all the
wealth all the culture and all the cour-
age in the world.
Dick Hartford looked into the mans
face calmly, looked into the muzzles of
| the pistols, smiled, and uttered u single
word: ''Wellg"
Don't you aggravate me, or ] will
fire. and serve you right
II never tlinched in my life won't
finch now What do you want."
Throw down your revolver. Now
turn round, and if you bulge a hairs
breadth, I'll blow your brains out"
Hartford obeyed. He permitted his
hands To be tied behind his back. He
saw his pockets turned inside out, his
money appropriated, his watch pocket
| ed, and only demonstrated wien his
captor felt for a money belt. Don't cut
me, there's no belt ON me-"
90! you did feel it, then. Thought l
had bank TO pry open. Now, then,
march. There's good ground here, and
plenty of it. IL will 10 you good to
stretch your legs. Keep right on to the
! clump to tie 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
got higher than his knees I'll show you
his bones d'reckly."
Was it IA lie or a threat? Hartford
cursed himself for refusing to listen to
the advice of the conductor of the stage,
who warned him 10 beware of the road
agents. He had answered that he would
take the risk. He desired to see for him
self if the stories told of the robberies
and murders ON the route were true
And he was learning.
"a little faster, stranger. My horse is
reether FESTIVE, and, beside, Sim Porter
would like to see you"
The road was unbroken, 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 it? Now, suspect you
came out to capture some one. Like as
not, Jim Porter"
No response from the captive.
They do say there is party looking
for US. Porter is anxious to see them.
This yer's a gOdsend. Never thought
to meet We this way. Got tired riflin', l
suppose. Thought you'd lay over, do
up a little business, and take next stage
Now, never knew a man to lay over that
didn't rue it. There was a man from H.
linoy laid over about three months ago.
He'd some instruction He was mighty
sly, that IllinOyan. I reckon he'd fur
nish regiment of vigilants with cum
ming. Kind o. sauntered out of the same
town you left an hour ago, but he had
some company. He wasn't such n
fool as you. And his company went
back on him. Shot him through the
spine, then tickled his ribs with a knife.
He was powerful, active vigilant, was
the company. He was too much for the
Illinoyan."
Just as you were too much for me 90
Il like your pluck, now You do keep
a stiff upper lip. But it'll be all day
with you the moment Porter claps ewes
on you. He makes short work of spies.
reckon that's your line"
The captive did not reply. At that
moment his thoughts were on home A
mighty throb rose in his thr0at-a suffo-
eating throb-wrenched from him by
the one thought of home. His wife and
child, his boy that he would never see
again. 1t was hard. He had played a
bold game, and he had lost. The vigil
lantes were in league with the road agents.
He had been Outwitted. The stage COM
pany would be short another man, and
the road would be under tribute as be-
fore. 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 tlIe-end.,
None o. that, unless you want your
early pill. in which case I'm bound 20
accommodate We Porter didn't say we
were to run risks. tie does like friend
ly chat, and he pumps some people as
dry as Il linekiln."
IN make you an offer
"Crack your whip"
"I'ii fight you fair ike a man. Tie
one arm down, give me pistol. and let
us take shot about, you the first"
1Sho', now"
'Or, IN allow You two TO one"
Yes, l see you can allow most any
thing. bufeunlt=ss you move right on, and
keep Inovin', / II make short work of ve''
A cayote rose slowly from sage bush,
looked at them sneakingIy over his
shoulder, then trotted slowly away. A
noisonlc bird of prey rose slowly from
the carcass of mule, Tapped its wings,
lazily, sailed slowly through the air
then settled down upon rib that pro-
truded from the sand
The suns rays poured down upon the
PLAN until the dust and sand seemed 20
melt in the fervid heat And 10 crzLgn
all, the captive suddenly experience6fhe
agony of excessive thirst
A faint sound IN the distance aftk<ted
his attention Was that not the sound Of
horses feets What if it should be his
friends, the vigilantss Impossible. His
morning strhn was unknown to1hem.
The sod came nearer 10 him. Then he
observed for the first time a rocky defilc
further to the left, as though chasn lay
there clIiseled out by mighty
river in its course across the
the plains. Now there could be no mis-
taking the sound. The steady trot of