The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-03-29
II RIVER PRESS.


off my tongue.
George Raleigh, are you going to rob
me ?" l exclaimed. finding my voice at
last.
"Well, some folks might call it robbery,
but we dress up the term a little by calling
it the only correct financial way of equaliz-
ing the floating currency, so that each one
is provided for, and no one left out
"You shan't have the money I'll die
first - | yelled, rising a little.
.Bh, | see, you didn't take quite enough
he coolly remarked. "Well, | have provided
for this"
He went to the buggy, procured ropes and
a gag, and kneit down beside me. | had but
little strength yet. and he conquered me in a
moment. Laying me on my right side, look
ing towards the fence, he tied my hands. AND
then forced the gag into my mouth.
"There, now, you see, you are nicely hxed
| up, and all because you acted like a fool, In
stead of a sensible young lawyer, soon to De
admitted to the bar.
While be was speaking-indeed while be
was tying mel had caught sight Of the
face Of a little girl looking at US between the
rails of the fence. | could see her great,
blue eyes. There was red stains about her
mouth and on the little hands resting on the
rails, and I knew that she was some farmer .
daughter searching for strawberries. | could
not warn her OF hel danger, and | feared she
~..,rld ~ co.n 40 hnn~l Whiia Puloi,yh uoS
tying the last knot l wlnked at the girl rs
hard as I could, hoping she would see me
and move away. But she did not go.
Swell, now for the money" said Raleigh.
and he began searching my pockets. he
| went from one to the other, removing all the
articles, and finally passed his hand over my
bosom and discovered the money.
"Ah, here it is" he exclaimed, drawing
out the packages aud he was cool enough
to go at it and count the money. As be
commenced the gill waved her hand at me.
My heart began humping, for l expected
she would utter a word or shout but she
sank down from sight and caught a glance
of her frock as she passed through the
grass.
You see, my young FRIEND" remarked
| Raleigh, as he drew off one Of his boots and
deposited some of the bills in it, There is
| nothing like transacting business as it should
be transacted. Some men would have shot
or stabbed you but it's only apprentices
who do such work. All the gentlemen OF Oh.
o.Ji:o. Az - ~, aoa &c rao41upna on ohri11N ~
He drew nff the other boot and placed
some ffties and twenties in it, and then con-
unued
Il have it all planned how to deal with
you as soon as | get this money disposed OF
around my person. l shall lay you ON your
back aud pour the balance of this wine
down your throat. There's enough of il t.
make you sleep till tomorrow night, and
by that time I will be hundreds of miles
away. As soon rs | see that the drug has
taken effect | shall unite your hands aud re-
move the gag. When you come out of your
sleep-if you ever do-you had better crawl
out to the road, where you will he most like
~ to meet with some traveller. I want to use
the horse and buggy, otherwise l should
leave them for YOU
How coolly he talked !! He treated the
matte. as If it WAS q regular business trans
action in which l fully acquiesed. He had
me q fast prisoner, and / felt that he could
TO just as he pleased. While l was thinking
I saw the little white face appear between the
roi1o Grain hpt in a rnnrnnpf II fa6a6 uuou
and its place taken by the sunburned phiz
Of q farmer. He looked from me to Raleigh
and back again, and / winked to him in u
way which he readily understood. His face
disappeared, and / felt tina. l should be
| saved.
mo, old Script won't get his tin today"
mused Raleigh, storing away the bills in his
pocket. You will go back to Law & Law,
feeling put out and cut up. But they
shouldn't blame you-it is not Your fault at
all. True, had you minded your business on
the Gals and not oeen 80 free with a stranger
this would not have happened | was on my
way to Milwaukee, and bad no thought of
such rich pickings here"
How, IN just about q minute, we'll be
through with this business" he remarked
trying to put the mouth of the fl .sk between
my jaws.
| rolled my head to one side, and he did
MT succeed. He Was jamming the glass
agains, my teeth, when | caught the sound
of il soft footstep, the crash Of q club, and
r 4leigh rolled IF my b 'dy. He tried TO leap
up, hut three or four farmers struck him
down, and one Of the blows rendered him