Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-06-12

you the very first look at him put me on
my guard. For the first time in q wear
I felt that my
LIFE WAS In DANGER.
The same two slatternly women were
about the house and there was a Young
man whom took to be old Bender's son.
This young man disappeared soon after
I arrived, but whether he hid in the
house or rode of across the prairie ]
never knew. Bender's women purchased
about So worth of notions, and the old
man dickered with me for an hour over a
gold watch. It seems he had but small
stock OF cash, but he offered me personal
property in exchange. He had three or
four silver watches, all of which had been
carried, Two or three revolvers, two bosom
pins made Of Jumps Of pure gold, and
three or four pairs of valuable cuff but
tons. We had nearly effected an exchange
when he suddenly decided to leave the
matter open until after dinner.
months afterward, when the discov-
cry of his crimes came out, I thought
the matter over and could remember just
how nicely he played me. Without seem
ing to interrogate me for information, he
asked how long trip I had made, what
success had met with, who I was, where
I lived, and whom I knew in that local.
ty. The old murderer was figuring up
the chances of my being missed in case
he put an end to me. And he had a
curiosity to know beforehand what the
harvest would be. While I told you I
did not like bis looks, and that I had a
creepy feeling in his presence, I had no
idea of an attempt to murder by day
light and in the manner he was planning
for. had trusty revolver and I had
the courage to defend myself Had !
met him out on the prairie, or had we
been jogging together along some lonely
highway, I should have been prepared
to pull my pistol at his first movement.
IN THE JAWS OF DEATH.
Dinner was announced soon after IL
o'clock. 1 took my pack with me into
the dining room where found the table
set for one. There were three rooms in
the house. The front room was gen.
eral sitting room and Office combined.
Bender kept a sort of tavern, you know,
and travellers had this front room. The
next room back was the dining room and
family room combined. There was a
bedroom leading off. On the walls O:
this family room were few old fashion
ed prints in old-fashioned frames, shelf
on which stood clock and few scant
evidence of women's presence. The back
room was the kitchen. I had my eyes
wide open when I entered that dining
room and the very first thing I noticed
was that the table was set lengthwise of
the room and that my chair and plate
had been SO placed that my back would
be toward the kitchen door, which was
not over five or six feet away. Had it
been at the other end my back would
have been toward the Office door. The
first move l made was to turn my
chair around to the side and sit down. I
now faced the bedroom door and had
the other doors to my right and left,
while there was no window behind me.
The younger woman was in the room
and she looked at me in queer, strange
way as I upset the arrangements she
had perfected. Bender did not look into
the room for two or three minutes, and
then retired without speaking. A min
ute later he passed around the house and
entered the kitchen by the back door.
While I could not see him, I heard him
and the woman whispering together,
and caught the words as spoken by
her: 4 tell you he did it himself
RIGHT "oNTo" THEIR GAME.
II could not catch a word from him,
and directly he went out and she came
in with the rest of the eatables. Her
face was flushed and her manner very
nervous. She put on a plate of bread
and platter of meat and then went out
for the coffee. As she set the cup and
saucer on the board she partly upset the
cup and spilled half the contents on the
table, Excuse me, I'm sorry she said,
as I showed back to keep the hot iqid
from dripping on my legs. Never mind,
no harm DONE I replied. 1T was SO
careless of me. You had better change
your seat to the end while sop it up.
oh, don't mind. I'm not hungry,
and shall eat but few mouthfuls any
way. I forgot to tell you that 1 pre-
ferred water to coffee 'But-you-you'
Pm all right She gave me one OF
the queerest looks I ever got, first flush
ing up and then turning pale. Splitting
that coffee was put up job to get my
back to the kitchen door. suspected it
then. A few moments later I had plenty
of horrible proofs.
IN SUSPENSE.
"Before the meat was finished, Bender
looked in from the kitchen door and
drew back and when I showed away and
entered the office he did not show up
for five minutes When I went to dinner,
double barrelled shotgun stood in a
corner of the office. When came out
it was gone. The old man came in
after awhile, and it was easy to see that
he had to force himself to converse. I
paid him for the meal and was ready to
go. 1t was lonely road had to travel,
with no other house for miles, and it
suddenly struck me that the younger
man had gone on to lie in ambush and
shoot me in case T escaped assassination