The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-11-10
THE CONTRACTOR DIED GAME.
One of the Compact Little Iiomance- of
the Great and Growing West.


the Great and Growing West.
IL was out in Arizona. An outfit had
come on to do some work on the new bar
racks at the fort, and they were an or
merry set, You bet. They were getting
s.. 80 day, and when orders came out
from headquarters to rush things ut the
post they up and struck for 81, after
every man of them had signed an agree
ment to work for $3.50. The contractor
mounted his mustang and rode over to
where the gang was hanging out.
happened to be over there when he came
mp.
What the row here:' says he.
we can't work for no $3.50" !" says the
leader.
What do you mean by that
I'VE want 81
Struck, have you? Struck Get to
work, every blanked one of you. The
first man that says strike TO me I'll let
daylight into him,'
Il say strike" says the red haired, rcd
shirted, ugly mugged leader, can if
there's any shootiu' going on, IN here
That wasn't my day for being in the
target biz, and Topped fiat as pancake.
The contractor had leveled dead at the
man-but he had only one shot in his
gun.
ip,-zip,-zip.-Zip.-
The red shirt was down ut the first
shot, with his ''seyen up out just as he
struck the gravel.
asGP he hoisted on his left elbow; then
he banged away, while the contractor did
some lively dodging; that was the last
three zips.
The red shirt rolled over, and the con
tractor asked me if there was any doctor
around. I said, Eyes, over at the quar-
ters.n
He got that last one into me sure;
lets see that doe
We went over and found the surgeon.
L got the contractor on my bed, skinned
off his clothes, washed away the blood,
and the surgeon probed him. 1t was n
bad hole III the left lung.
II reckon it's an ugly one, doc? Dead
sure thing, eh? Yes2 thought so.
How long have / gOt2'i
1t was | O'Clock then.
You'll last till evening"
That's all right. But did fetch HIM"
Dead rs door nail
''I'm blanked glad that blankety
blanked blank is fixed
lie wanted me to take charge of the
$4,000 in gold notes in his belt and write
to his brother
After that he called for a square drink
and got il. Next he must have the to-
niest cigar in the camp. The surgeon said:
''1es, il didn' make no difference" !
got real Havana. lie smoked away Mt
il slow and comfortable like, and when
the cigar was played he expressed his
satisfaction that everything was lovely,
passed = few more compliments about
that red headed blankety blank who was
fixed, then he quit: but he was game,
though, yoU bet
The really curious thing was that
when we sent on that red haired striker
there was just that one hole in him. and
that was plumb through his heart How
he hoiSted onto that off arm of his'n and
set that contractor dudging them three
shots beat the whole Cutfit-corouer's
inquest, post surgeon, and me But lie
did-lll swear to that-and I'll swear
that contractor miSCalculatcd the last
dodge, somehow, and made connection
thar way with kingdom come. | wrote
10 that brother Of hiS'n as per request
and he Wrote back n how the contractor
had killed three men before the last
matinee. ami that he had ALWAYS told
him he'll run plumb ag'in' "A pill some
day if lie want BANKED careful like
Yes. il was touching letter Did the
strikers - To work for $500 You can
just gamble on il strauger.-Noah Count
in brakes Magazine.