Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-04-15


HBe il so. Then We are enemies.
j, to you and the law; you, to me.
Remember my fifteen minutes, and
beware when next we meety'
He threw his cloak about him, BUCK
led his pistols at his waist, and disap-
peared; but as he left the room little
piece Of metal fell from his person,
and rolled unnoticed upon the floor.
An instant later the ring of his horses
hoofs sounded through the night as he
rode towards the mountains.
The morning following, as Nutting
entered his office, his aged servant
bowed low before him, extending his
brown and wrinkled hand, and said in
an awe-stricken voice:
"Foun' dis on de floor, massa.
S'pose him your'n, Bad ting, massa,
bad EFF We low ole niger to say SOP
The marshal leaned forward in sur
prise. Lying in the out-stretched palm
Of the black was silver pistol bullet.
"Why, uncle" said he, taking it,
''this is not miner'
''Not your'n, massa Tank de lord
Use pleased, Is, massa. Foun' it yer,
dough Dat ar's Il seweyside bullet,
massa," he continued, lowering his
voice to a whisper, while his eyes rolled
liked ships in the midst Of white and
seething pillows; II know en-. My ole
massa he had one cast, an carried it
many years. Dey neber kill no one but
de fellels dey's made tor. Massa John,
dough, he didn't git no chance for to
use his'n, " and the old man chucklei.
ga suicide bullet " said Nutting, with
smile, as he examined the silver
sphere. That's new idea to me- Why
make special bullet, uncle? | should
think one of those deadly enough"
And he pointed toward some of the
heavy cartridges belonging to his own
pistols which lay on the table near.
"Dey mought miss, massa Yeknow
de debbil cares for his own, an dis bull
let is made by his help, at night, in de
graveyard, an can't miss. | knows
'cm massa Is seen 'em afore" TIL II,
drawing nearer, he whispered, IT.
made 'cm !"
"And did they do their work?' said
Nutting, laughing lightly.
''Dey did, massa-
The officer opened IL drawer in his
desk and took from it IN old-fashioned
dueling- pistol, which he had picked up
somewhere, and fitted the bullet into
It's rusty muzzle.
cts just the thing, uncle. Bring me
my flask, and I'll load it with the sui
eide bullet. It's best to have it handy
by if | get the blues" He laughed
again.
The seryeant obeyed.
''No use to fix i'm, massa. 'Twon't
only kill de one what it's made fer,
shuah an ye couldn't shoot yerself wild
it, nohow."
"Well, uncle" III load the old smooth
bore anyway" said the marshal, suiting
the action to the word, "and this after
noon well try it at i mark. If miss
half-dOllar at dozen PAGES, III give up
that you're right If hit, your sui
eide bullet is no better nor worse than
leaden one"
"All right, massa," said the old dar-
KEY, "but you won't hit"
Just as Nutting completed the charg-
ing of the weapon, Il visitor called, and
he thrust it, unthinkingly, into an open
pigeon-hole Of his desk. His visitors
business was such as to detain him from
the otlice until night, and the plan of
the morning was forgotten. The duel
| ing pistol, with its silver missile, lay
upnoticed for months in the desk
The days and weeks passed, summer
came and went, and fall ripened the
year A dozen times had the marshal
organized expeditions and secured the
country, seeking the notorious Allen,
but each time he had returned unsuc-
cessful Occasionally still would be
destroyed, or i quantity Of liquor sciz-
ed, but the man himself remained free
and the winter was approaching rapid
". Soon these raids must be dropped
for the year. Nutting chafed under
his Ill success.
One final effort, however. was to be
made. Certain information, which he
knew to be reliable, had, ut last, he felt
sure, placed the outlaw in his hands,
and he looked to his horses shoes and
reloaded bis pistols with unusual care.
| At his orders, mounted guards, men
upon whom he could depend, patrolleG
all the roads. Upon the morrow, at
dawn, with a posse of seven thorough
and fearless mountaineers, he was to
storm the very stronghold of the moon
sinners, and tomorrow night would find
i vacancy either in the government Of
flee or in the ranks of the illicit distil-
lers. The expedition had, thus far,
Nutting believed been kept dead Sc
cret. Because of this he looked for
ward with strong hopes of success.
The officer sat 1T his desk writing.
There were 4 few pages to complete, a
letter or two to prepare for the mail,
and some memoranda to destroy. He
might never sit at that desk again
| As his eyes wandered over the mass
of papers documents and duplicate re-
ports, filed neatly away before
him, he suddenly noted the butt of his
old dueling pistol, halfhidden in one
of the compartments, and as the re-
membrance of how it came flashed
over him, he was about to draw it from
his hiding place, when shuifling step
at the door arrested him, and an instant
later an aged and bent woman entered
the room.
The hour was late, and Nutting re-
garded the newcomer with surprise, as
he arose to offer her chair. She ac-
cepted it with whine Of thanks. and
sank painting into it. The marshal re-
sumed his seat at his desk.
Ie air the government man,
reckoa?" said the woman after pause,
raising brown and wrinkled face, half
hidden beneath an immense hood and
pair of green spectacles, towar Nut
ting.
"YeS. madam, returned that worthy.
I've come 4 right smart piece to see
We. fer an old woman I'm true grit
| am, but a-gettin' worn out. These
yere mountains are sight sleeper nor
forty years ago. and she sighed. "But
see here, I'm on business. am. l want
70 talk 70 We, 1e don't know me,
reckon?"
i can't say that do said Nutting,
slowly
Il reckon not-as We never see me
afore. I'm Mrs. Allen ethshebv
Allen-an' my boy he's Rul9if Allen.
/ We've heard o. him. mehhe2l ana She