Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-11

cabin was broken in and the man out
side sent in one hurriedly aimed shot.
My friend the editor opened a lively
FIRE aud l covered the strange man in
the cabin, but did not shoot. In fact 7
vas puzzled in trying to figure out Just
what to do, as these men seemed officers
OF the law.
After firing three shots through the
window uselessly he sprang through the
back door and beckoned M to follow.
l did so mechanically, in response to
his impatient gesture, n he said hur-
riedly:
keep these hounds off me a few mo-
ments till | can mount n horse,
and you be with Alice at the
- hotel in Sacramento in one week
from to-day.
He dashed down the trail to the barn,
and for u moment | heard the clatter of
hoofs as his horse started, aud that was
the last | ever saw of Inn.
| stood for n few moments where he
left me, with the weapon still in my
hand, and then went back to the cabin.
Alice stood in her nlghtclothes by the
fire, shivering and frightened, and the
smoke of the pistol shots still rose lazily
among the rafters. The man who had
fired the shots through the window
came in, and, covering me, asked me to
throw up my hands.
[ cast the eapon l held on the floor
and invited him to sit down.
He declined to talk until he had in
duced Alice to retire again, and after
she had lone so. we dould near her sob
bling in her room. The two men and
myself sat by the fire and talked mat
ters over. They said that my friend,
the editor, vas IA noted desperate and
horsethief, and that he was publishing
a paper in the mountains to cover up
his real business. They also had
learned hat there was some sort of a
mining syndicate in San Francisco
backing the man. but they were salts
fled that the San Francisco people knew
nothing OF his real character. He had
been n newspaper writer n traveller
under many aliases.
Early in the winter he had shot the
sheriff of Alpine countylon the highway,
when resisting arrest aud taken his
horse. l of course remembered the
night in question, but l had been so
well housed by the queer character dur
ing the winter that l kept my
counsel. The sheriff and deputy were
at first disposed to hold me as accessory
but after l had told my story and estab-
lished my identity by letters, etc., they
dropped the matter.
Next day we all started for the near
est town, twenty miles away, with the
horses and Alice, leaving the news
paper Office and cloud-reared town Of
Manganetus. On the day specified by
my friend the editor when he left m so
hurriedly l was at the hotel in Sacra-
mento When l registered my name
the clerk handed me a letter. 1t read
as follows:
My Dear Sir: Leave Alice in charge Of
the clerk. Her room has been waiting for
her several days. Do not stop here at all and
never expect to see me again, although Hong
to see you. AS you read this l am in San
Francisco. Accept my thanks for all you
have done for me. l know that you are too
much of a gentleman to throw a straw in the
way of my liberty. Alice does not know of
my past, and l hope you will forget what has
happened.
l had a passion for horses which l could
not overcome, and it came near running me.
But l am done with horses and newspapers
forever. Your friend,
THE EDITOR.
folded the letter, babe Alice good
by, and the clerk led her away.
Anew days afterwards in San Fran
cisco I met a man who wanted to sell me
a promising mine.
lie showed me a map OF it, and then
taking u newspaper clipping from his
pocket, asked me to read it, as it was a
good description of the property.
1t was from the Index. l recognized
the type at once. AS for the article, I
had written it myself.