The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-05-11
THE RIVER PR ESs

count the money. As he commenced. the
little girl waved her hand to me. NV heart
went humping for 1expected that she would
utter 9 word or shout, and I caught a CLEAN
OF her frock as she passed through the grass.
"lou see, my friend, = remarked Raleigh,
as be drew off one Of his boots and deposited
some Of the bills il it, there's nothing like
transacting business as it should be transac-
ted. Some men would have shot or stabbed
| you, but it's only the apprentices who do
such work. All the real gentlemen Of our
calling do business as gentlemen should
He drew off the other boot and placed
some ssffties' and sstwenties' in it, and then
continued:
Il have it all planned out how to deal with
you; as soon as I get this money disposed
around my person, [ shall lay you on your
back and pour the balance Of the wine down
your throat. There's enough of it to make
you sleep till tomorrow night, and by that
time / shall be hundreds of miles away. AS
soon as [ see the drug take effect, I shall un-
tie your hands and remove the gag. When
you come out Of your sleep-it you ever do
you had better crawl out to the road where
you will meet some traveller soon. [ want
to use the horse and buggy, otherwise I would
leave them for YOU
How coolly he talked. He treated the
matter as if it were a regular transaction, in
which I fully acquiesced. BE had me 9 fast
prisoner, and I felt that he could do just as
he pleased. While I was thinking, I saw the
little white face appear between the rails
again, but in a moment it faded away and its
place was taken by the sunburned phiz Of g
farmer. He looked from me to Raleigh and
back again, and / winked at him in a way
that he readily understood. His face disap-
peared, and / felt that / should be saved.
.No, old Grip wont get his tin today"
unused Raleigh; slowing away the bills in his
pockets. s'You will go back to Law & Law
feeling put out and cut up, but they can't
blame you; it is not your fault at all. True
had you minded your business on the car,
and not been so free with a stranger, this
would not have happened. | was N my
way to milwaukee, and had no thought of
such rich pickings here
I saw nothing Of the farmer. Raleigh fin
ished his counting, and | made up my mind
that the farmer was afraid to interfere, and
han run away. My heart went down as
Raleigh got up, for I saw that he was about
to carry out his plan Of further drugging me.
He turned me on my back, sat down astride
of me, and then pulled ont the flask.
Snow, in just about a minute we'll be
through with this business" he remarked,
trying to put the mouth of the flask between
my jaws.
lrolled my head on one side, and he did
rot succeed. he was jaming the flask against
my teeth, when I caught the sound of q soft
step, the crash of a club, and Raleigh rolled
over my body. He tried to leap up, but
three or four Of the farmers struck him
down, and one Of the blows rendered him
senseless. Before he came to I was free Of
rope and gag, and we had him securely
bound.
Over beyond the pasture a farmer and his
hands were lacking hay. "Little Blue Eyes, y
only eight years old, had wandered off after
strawberries, and had, fortunately for me,
witnessed a part Of Raleigh's proceedings.
She hurried back to her father and told him
that "a man was all tied up out there" IN
derstanding the situation, he and his men
moved round SO as to secure an advantage,
and Raleigh's capture was the result.
When the rascal found his senses he was
terribly taken back, and cursed enough for
the whole Flanders army. We took him
back to Grafton, and when | saw him again
be was on his way TO the penitentiary to
serve a sentence Of fifteen years.
The mortgage was duly lifted, and the gift
which Law s. Law sent Katy Gray kept her
in dresses for many q year.
For myself, I felt SO Inundated at having
fallen into the ~rascal's trap, and 50 Wrathy
at the treatment, that I determined to devote
myself to q thorough warfare on rogues. /
therefore joined the detective force, and at
ter due study took my place as 8 full-fedged
detective.
-m
NeawRHT