Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-04-09

( We stopped our horses and listened
3 The men had lighted torches, some ver
, preparing a rough gallows under tn
bridge; two were uncoiling rope; som'
held the horses of the others beyond tn
, bridge. The men were masked now; ant
l could see by the lighted torches tina
their number was increased. Jack wa
very white and sad, but he showed NJ
fear.
81 am innocent, gentlemen" he sale
slowly, "but refuse to tell you of whom
bought the hides"
Understood him. Could Harry White
be cattle thief? l felt as if l were
growing mad.
"What shall we do?" whispered Ted
cooking his revolver.
Suddenly bright red light illuminat
ed the heavens followed by clouds o.
black smoke and queer cracking noise
A yell from the men, Gill Mead's voice
above the rest. The haystack was or
fire. It seemed to me in the glare around
it that l could see foreign-looking hui
man vanishing across the plain.
The men mounted their horses, Gil
Mead at their head, and set on: across
the fields at q mad gallop. They must
save the stack. They left Jack bound
hand and foot and guarded by one man
shep, the wonderful dog, had kept by
us until now, Sinking in the dark shad.
oys. Now, gliding sideways and still, he
reached the man on guard, whose back
was to us, and with no warning grow
caught him by the throat with strong
white teeth that could choke coyote in
second. The man, who was in sit
ting posture, fell back with groan.
Ted struck him over the head with the
butt of the revolver, and pulled off the
dog. cut Jacks bonds with knife.
He looked at us wonderingly, and stag
gered to his feet.
"Never mind how we came, Jack" l
said. "Quick, mount the horse beyond
the bridge. and ride to Denver for your
life. They will not harm woman and
child"
"Harry White" he muttered, the loyal
soul that even could think of another's
danger.
81 will tell him."
"No, no; not of this-only say, if he
stole the cattle to fly the country. They
will find it out sooner or later"
lie galloped down the road. Ted and
l mounted, calling off Shep, who sat on
his launches watching the unconscious
man, and we, too, sped down the road.
The haystack was giving out great vol
umes of black smoke, but the fire was
dead.
| Ahead of us was q riderless horse, Dol
ly, who greeted her master with a joyful
whinny. Where was Yik kee? Then
Dot, my horse, SHE'D from the road at a
recumbent black figure. 1t was the in
domitable Yik Kee, who had crawled all
the way from the stack on his stomach,
so that he could not be seen, after lying
in the ditch until the blaze had died out
"Hunph! no catchee Chinee; heap sore,"
he said laconically, rubbing his stom-
ach.
He mounted Dolly, and We rode on to
Whites ranch. Harry rushed out at the
sound of horses feet, at midnight. There,
under the twinkling stars, l looked into
his eyes, and told him the whole story,
He showed no guilt, but only said we
must stay the night at his ranch, for the
men would come back to Jacks for him,
and then mounting his fleet colt rode of
down the road. l comforted his mother
as best could. At daybreak we rode
home.
Mary was in a wild state of alarm.
Where had we been? Where was Jack?
and how cruel we were to leave her
alone. She said that at l o'clock three
masked men had come to the house and
searched it and the premises, but had
not molested her or the children, only
asking where Jack was very sternly and
sharply.
At noon Jack, Harry, the Sheriff, and
a party of armed men from Denver rode
up, stopping only moment to tell me
that they would be back at night. l
dared not tell Mary, and she worried all
the afternoon at their strange conduct.
At night Jack and Harry came home,
looking tired hut happy. Then Jack
told Mary, and she cried and chung to
him as though she could never let him
go.
1t seemed the pleasing ranchman from
Chicago was one of band of cattle
thieves. He sold the hides to Harry.
who, honest and open himself was slow
to suspect wrong dealings in others. The
Sheriff had caught the men skinning a
COW that belonged to Mead, and had
captured the gang ard taken them to
Denver.
lynch Jack were sincerely sorry. Their
regrets would not have availed much,
however, if they had succeeded in their
purpose. They gave each of their chill
dren ten acres of land; they gave Ted
sixty-fve, and me, whom they pleased
to consider very plucky, $50 acres. l felt
rich enough, and time has made it very
valuable land. The man on guard was
our warmest admirer. He thought Ted,
Shep, and wonders of courage. He said
when / came down on the bridge with
the open knife, he thought his last hour
had come.
Gil Mead committed suicide not long
after this. He was always queer. No
one ever knew that Yik Kee set the stack
atre. Itell you Jack rewarded the faith
full fellow-gave him good farm, taught
him to work it, and built him house.
The funniest thing was Yik Kee had a
wife and three queer little children in
China, and Jack sent for them, and Yik
Kee and his family are as happy as they
can be. The children play with Jacks
(they have twelve now, and get along
finely together.
In 1875 married Harry White, which,
l suppose, was foreseen from the begin
ning-at least Jack says anybody could
have seen it. The most serene and salts
fed face at the wedding was the Celes-
tails. In my inner consciousness, not
withstanding he is heather Chinee,"
have the conviction that as great hero
as is seen in modern times is the man of
few words-Yik Kee.-Our Continent.
If you muddle your brains with any
of the whisky compounds which are SOLD
under the name of "bitters," and which |