The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-10-18

49, ninuts'aai dsa came into ny had.
& otspt down 8 fast q I could % the
|edgs of The little steep which led to the
nrss terrace. The cliff was perpendicu.
lar-inclfning in Il anything; It wa
about twenty feet down and the ledge
below was some six or seven feet wide.
with grass and bushes on it. I was
hanging over there in another moment.
and down I pumped, pretty we'll shaken
up and bruised, but all right. The ap-
preaching roar became louder and
louder. I lay down close to the rock.
Pretty o stones and dirt and trees
came a-whizzing and rumbling off the
ledge, and shot past me down into the
ravine-a regular cataract of stuff. It
kept up for about half an hour and then
the worst was over But 1 hadto snug
gle close, you better believe. after the
main body had got by, for now and then
q struggling rock would tumble leis-
urely over the ledge, and sock down too
close for comfort. Ilay still till 1 was
sure-the thing was done for. Then I
got up and took q survey. I was in q
pretty pickle. The terrace narrowed in
both directions, sort of alligator shape.
It was thirty feet down to the next ter
race. and that didn't appear to have any
outlet. either. OF course, I couldn't
shin back up that rock. I didn't know
what to do. Ilet off a few yells, with
q faint hope that somebody might be
within hearing. I could just catch a
glimpse Of Hornetsville, away down in
the valley through the opening of the
gulch, sc far that it looked like a clus-
ter Of powders beside the river. Iheard
no answer to my calls but the far of
echo from the other side of the gulcl
and the faint clatter of the stream be-
low. sat down and thought, every
once in a while giving a yell, till the
echo began to make me feel queer and
lonesome like. Then I shut up and be.
gan to smoke.
"Old 10 Seven-up told me afterwards
how it was. He and Jim Budgelow
were playing a quiet little game of old
sledge at Tom Mulligan's Double Par.
lors. Jim had the bind ON him 90
privately rendered me his thanks after
ward, in liquid form,) when Jim sud
denly dropped the cards and listened.
He had fortunately forgotten his plug,
and left it at his boarding house after
dinner.
Great Job!' exclaimed Jim, some.
body's in trouble up there in Red Her
Gulch! Get out the boys and we'll go
see what's up. Hear that yell? No! Of
course you didn't. You couldn't hear
the steam whistle down at the quarry
mill unless You climbed up on the roof
and laid your ear to the pipe. Don't
talk-go get the boys!
"It "a beginning to grow dark, wher
I heard faint calls away off down the
mountains. I started up, put my hands
to my mouth and roared like o fog horn.
The shouts came nearer and nearer, ani
at last they right above me. Pretty
soon 1 could just make out Jim's heai
peering Eel the ledge above. They'l
been forehanded enough to bring a rope
SO 1 was oon out of that. But if il
hadn't been for Jim Budgelow's right
ear, probably my bones would now bt
decorating that terrace in Red Her
Gulch.
~Jim didn't stay long at H~ornetsvill,
after that. He got in q couple of littl.
scrapes. In the first one he had the
right of it and nobody objected.
Jim was playing down at Tom Null
ligan's pretty late n night with a sor
of a dandy sport that had dropped in
from Denver. Everybody else had gone
Tom Mulligan had fallen asleep in Iii
chair, and the man behind the bar wa.
nodding across the counter, which wa.
almost directly back of Jim. He was
losing right along in a way that made
him uncomfortable and suspicious. HI
glanced around; tile barkeeper was hal
lying across the bar with his head OF
one arm and his face turned toward til.
players. He appeared to be asleep
However, Jim took the precaution o
quietly taking the plug from his col
without being observed by his oppo
nent. Pretty soon he heard the fellow
behind him softly lift his head a little
as if afraid Of being overheard, and moi
with the unconscious movement of
sleeping man. Jim slipped his hant
down to his revolver, noiselessly ad
justed o little mirror he had behind til,
lock for just such emergencies, cooked
it and quickly brought it up behind til,
cards, which he had in his left hand
till the barrel pointed over his RICH
shoulder, took aim in an instant by til,
glass at the eye of the spying bartender
who was playing q skin game into tn
hands of the gambler and fred. 81
got his man, but the gambler was to'
quick for him, and shot out Of the doc
like lightning. That was the last eve
seen of him in Hornetsville. Some o