Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1889-10-05

/ nent. Pretty soon he heard the lellOW
behind him softly lift his head a little,
as if afraid of being overheard, and not
with the unconscious movement of a
sleeping man. Jim slipped his hand
down to his revolver, noiselessly adj
justed little mirror he had behind the
lock for just such emergencies, cooked
it and quickly brought it up behind the
cards, which he had in his left hand,
till the barrel pointed over his right
shoulder, took aim in an instant by the
glass at the eye of the spying bartender,
who was playing skin game into the
hands of the gambler and fired. He
got his man, but the gambler was too
quick for him, and shot out of the door
like lightning. That was the last ever
seen of him in Hornetsville. Some of
the boys found fault with Jim for not
giving it to the sport first, but Jim said
though he'd trust that right ears re-
ports from the word CO. he thought he'd
make dead sure of his case before he
shot the fellow The first glance in the
little mirror settled it. OF course no.
body could blame Jim for this affair,
though at first Tom Mulligan was
little mad to lose such a tirst-class bar
tender, good articles of that sort being
somewhat rare in the mountains just
then.
But hardly one of the boys stuck
up fer Jim in is next scrape. He
knew they wouldn't, and lit out With
out waiting for public opinion to get at
him.
Tom Mulligan started a restaurant
next door to his saloon and brought
girl over from Denver as cashier. She
wasn't very handsome; she was freckled,
had washed out red hair and bad teeth;
but she was a girl and the boys went
wild over her. The restaurant trade
just doomed. Jim was completely gone
on her He couldn't get enough to eat
in those days, and couldn't pay often
enough for what he did get Spruce
young johnny Whittle, though he'd
been used to finer society, paid good
deal of attention to the girl, too; just
for fun, [ suppose. He knew more
about the sex than Jim did, but Jim
meant business and johnny didn't.
Jim used to loaf around the restau-
rant nights till it closed up, and then
drop into the saloon for a game or a
drink before going home. One night
he started out earlier than usual, leav-
ing most of the boys still in at Toms.
Jim knew that the girl lived over the
restaurant He'd often looked up for q
light in her room-One reason why he
= went off early, But this particular
night, as | happen to know, there WASH t
any light In few minutes Jim re-
turned. His face was as white and
stern. He stood in the door moment,
looking sort of wild like.
Stand out there. Johnny White! =
he said And the first man that stirs
= is good as dead I've got little speech
to make. As | went by the restaurant
| heard the girl up there talking in her
, sleep. And you know who she was
| talking about! Not mel No, it was
you, Johnny White. You've been
, trihin' with that girl, and you know it,
and you've got to pay for it right now.
Stand back there!
Zone shot from Jim's revolver and
Johnny fell. Jim disappeared in the
{ darkness. l didn't think at the time
that Tim ought to have done it, neither
did most of the boys, as | said, but
! didn't get chance to express my
opinion personally, for the vigilance
f committee didn't catch him. | dom
I believe myself they wanted to- for mos
, of them were friends of Jims, and he'C
always acted square up to that time.
t heard nothing Of jim for long time
I'd left the mountains some years and
d was in business in Chicago. | wa
e walking down State street one day wher
S a broken down, trampish-looking MAJ
stopped me.
1 Hello, old fellow! won't YOU speal
y to an old acquaintance?
L Il looked at him a moment; ther
d came flash of recognition.
;, Jim Budgelow, by all that is glo
t nous, | exclaimed.
t THE same, says he; but thing
e have gone hard with me since the ole
n time. And in reply to my inquiries h
told me little about himself. / Ina,
e soft berth here with the fire depart
e meut for long time; night Waterman