Omaha daily bee., 1884-05-03

Dat ars a s~eweyside bullet, maSsa,p he cor.
tinued, lowering his voice to q whisper
while his eyes rolled liked ships i'm r..
midst OF white and seethinu pillows. 81
Know EN- My ole massa he had one cast
an carried 1T many years. Dey neber Kill
no one but dc fellers dey's made for. Mass
John, dough, he didn't git n chance for Il
use his'n," and the old man chuckled.
"A suicide bullet" said Nutting, with r
smile, as he examined the silver sphere
That's u new idea TO me. Why make \
special bullet, uncle2 l should think ono
of those deadly enough"
And he pointed toward some ofthe heavy
cartridges belonging to his own pistols
which lay on the table near.
"Dey mought miss, massa. Yo know do
debbil cares for his own, an dis bullet is
made by his help, Mt night, in de grade.
yard, an can't miss. / knows 'em massa
rs seen 'em aforc." Then, drawing nearer.
he whispered, as made emp
"And did they do their workPr said
Nutting, laughing lightly.
"Dey did, massa,"
The officer now opened n drawer in his
desk, and took from it an old-fashioned
duelling pistol, which ho had picked up
somewhere, and fitted the bullet into its
rusty muzzle.
"It's just the thing, uncle. Bring me my
flask, and I'll load it with the suicide bull.
let. It's best to have it handy by if 1 get
the blues" He laughed again.
The servant obeyed.
"No use TO fix i'm massa. 'Twon't only
kill de one who it's made fer, shuah am
We couldn't shoot yerself wild it, nohow.o
"Well, uncle, I'll load the old smooth
bore, anyway" said the marshal, suiting
the action to the word, ''and this afternoon
well try il ut q mark. If miss q half
dollar Mt a dozen PAGES, I'll give up that
you're right. If l hit, your suicide bullet
is no better or worse than n leaden enc.h
"All right, massa, but you won't hit"
replied the old darkey.
Just as Nutting completed the charging
of the weapon, n visitor called, and it was
thrust hurriedly into a p%igeon-hole in the
desk. His visitors business detained him
from the Office until night, and the plan of
the morning was forgotten. The ducling-
pistol with its silver missile lay unnoticed
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, seek
ing the notorious Allen, but each time he
had returned unsuccessful. Occasionally u
still would be destroyed, or II quantity of
liquor seized, but the man himself remain
ed free, and the winter was approaching
rapidly. Soon these raids musr be dropped
for the year. Nutting chafed under his ill
success.
One final effort, however, was 10 be
made. Certain information which he knew
- l. ..1.olln 1,,l ~ lncf In fn1t S,rn ,,pt
the outlaw in his hands, and he looked to
his horses shoes and loaded his pistols
with unusual care.
At his orders mounted guards-men on
whom he could depend-patrolled all the
roads. Upon the morrow ut dawn, with a
posse of seven fearless mountaineers, he
was to storm the very stronghold of the
moonshiners, and tomorrow night would
find a vacancy either in the government
office or the ranks of the illicit distillers.
The expedition had thus far, Nutting be-
lieyed, been kept q secret. Because of this
he looked forward with strong hopes of
success.
The officer sat at his desk writing. He
had q 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 reports,
filed neatly away before him, he suddenly
noticed the bntt end of his old dueling
pistol, half hidden in one Of the compart-
ments, and as the remembrance of how it
came there flashed over him, he was about
to draw it from its hiding-place, when a
shutting step at the door arrested him, and
an instant later an aged and bent woman
entered the door.
The hour was late, and Nutting regarded
the new conner with surprise, US he arose
to offer her q chair. She accepted it with
n whine of thanks, and sank painting into
it. The marshal resumed his seat at the
desk.
"Ye are the gov'ment man, I reckon ?"
said the woman, after q pause, raising a
brown and wrinkled face, half hidden be-
meath an immense hood and a pair of green
spectacles, toward Nutting.
"Yes, madam" replied that worthy.
"I've come a right smart piece to see We,
for an old woman. I'm true grit, l am, but
q gittin' wore out. These yere mountains
are a sight %steeper'n they was forty year
ago." and she sighed. But see here, I'm
on business, l am. 1 want to talk to we.
You don't know me, / reckon?"
II can't say that l do" said Nutting,
slowly.
81 reckon not-as we never see me be-
fore. Pm Mrs. Allen-Bethsheby Allen
an my boy he's Ruloff Allen. Ye've heard
of him, mebbe?" and she paused and gazed
cunningly into her listeners face.
ayes, L know him" and the mans brow
darkened.
"Wall, now, I'll tell We. 1t pears yer on
a raid arter him to-morrer-ye see ! know
a thing or two-an' ye've got the boy bad
ly cooped up this time, shore. Not but
what he'll fight, an some Oh yell catch
suthin' besides moonshiners. My boys
smart, he is, 1 tell We, an he'll tote ye
round considerable afore we gether him in;
but he's cooped all the same, an Pm afeard
yell catch him or kill him. An Pm his
nanny, We know"
The old bag paused and wiped her eyes.
She was a woman even yet, and Nutting's
heart sOftened towards her.
"What can l do in this matter, Mrs.
Allen? ?" began the marshall. "Your son is
a-n
"Never mind what he is-you can save