The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-06-30

"'I have thought this matter over, he
continued, lowering the revolver, 'and
have determined that one of us must
die. I could have shot you down any
night and none would have been wiser,
but I am frank enough to make you a
proposition.
'But I shall make no objection to your
marrying Miss -" I said hurriedly.
"She is nothing more than dear friend
to me. Go ahead and win her, man." l
thought him crazy. and believe to this
moment that he was not in his right
mind.
"'No,' said he slowly, and with deter
mination; this world is not large enough
for we two men. will kill You before
this night is done, or you will do me the
same favor. You are armed and shall
have an equal chance for your life; we
will go up the valley a little ways, and
there settle our quarrel like men. If l
kill you none shall ever know whether
the cases were right or wrong, and if l
fall it will be with no malice toward
YOU
"He took my arm, and we walked up
the street together. 1t seemed like
dream to me, and yet there was the man
anxious to murder me, ut my side. L
began to grow nettled, and was suffi-
GENTLY reckless before we reached the
Bismarck stage road to have fought him
with the bowie knives had he demanded
it. Then, too, was angry at the free
manner in which he had spoken OF Miss
-. Up the valley we strobe, some
thing like four hundred PAGES. The
snow was crisp and hard, the moon was
full, and in the clear sky lit up the sur
rounding country and the sleeping city
below in fantastic manner. Two or
three hungry cayotes, which had ven
tured down to the outskirts of the camp,
scampered away and were, except myself
and companion, the only evidence OF life
in the valley. Presently my strange
guide and enemy halted and said:
"'You stand here and 1 will step ten
PAGES farther one.
81 obeyed his directions.
"He paced off ten strides, and, remov-
ing his hat, faced me, revolver in hand.
"'Hold onr said 1; if your mind is
fully made up to shoot me, at least let
me know your name.
"'That makes no difference to you,
said he. It's as good a one as you can
boast. Please be ready to fire when l
count to three
81 am clever shot with the pistol,
and can shoot the spots from card at
even twenty yards, and felt confident
that no matter how good shot was my
antagonist, that could kill him at ten
PAGES. l drew my derringer and cooked
1t carefully. l was standing with my
back to the moon and he was little
above me, and the moon shone full on
his broad brow. He leveled his weapon
and began to count. As the fatal words
were slowly pronounced, l raised my re-
volver, and at the word pressed the trlg-
ger. We fired ut the same instant. and L
felt the wind of his bullet by my head.
He sank to his knees without struggle
and fell upon his face in the snow.
"My being in the shadow little below
him and the moons rays falling on his
pistol barrel had, even at so short dis
lance, disturbed his aim. l walked for
ward, turning over the body, still warm,
and looked down in its face. My bullet
had sped true. There was small,
blush looking hole, from which the
blood hal not yet sprung, in the centre
of his forehead. Ii any one heard the
pistol shots, no heed was paid, and not
wishing to be arrested and charged with
murder, 1 walked down the valley over
the hard beaten snow and returned to my
hotel.
After minutes pause Harry Norton
relighted his cigar, emitted a cloud of
smoke through his nostrils and con-
tinued.
1.-The following afternoon l saw quite
crowd assembled at the city undertaker's.
elbowed my way into the group, and
asked an acquaintance standing near
what caused the commotion.
"'Some cuss got sick of the camp,
went up the valley last night and com
mitted suicide The wolves were hover
ing about, and picked his bones pretty
clean before one of the men from the
Homestead mine" came down to town
and found him.
"'He might have been murderedT l
answered in questioning tone.
"'No; he committed suicide, was the
reply. His revolver was found in the
road, and one chamber bad been
emptied. He Just got homesick and
went up there and "called" himself, and
the wolves had good meal and he can't
be identified. He was not murdered, for
over $500 in bills were found scattered
about.
II walked away and shed no light on
the mystery. In Deadwood, where peo-
pie came in and departed by hundreds