Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-01-24

crowd, and get away without scratch
"Uncle Dick nuoca ne with his elbow
and grinned. You're gassin', AD,' he
said. Talks cheap, but i taxes money
to back II.
1--WE got It replied Skinner.
81 Put il up then said Uncle, or else
hush
- I saw Sheriff Smith in town said I
Suppose we get him to hold the money
'eThe proposition suited the Others,
and re found our man and stated the
case. Alb was 10 20 to the Golden
Spur and deliberately insult the whole
crowd that might be there, from the bar
keeper down. If he got away unha-mcd,
the money was his; If he was killed, or
wounded in the least. the whole sum went
to uncle and me- | invested every dollar
I had. and the old man covered the rest
Of Abb money, some two hundred dol
lars.
Smith took a stand next door to the
saloon where he could see the fun; and
uncle and went inside, and getting be-
hind some whisky barrels, out Of range
of the door, waited for Ab to show up.
There was q big crowd in the Golden
Spur'--for-v al least; and all Of them
bowling drunk. Every man sporteda re-
volver. and some Of them, two, and there
was a half-dozen Wi1chcsters stacked in
the corner.
- I reckon Wen get even with Skin
ner this time, said /, and Uncle Dick wa.
so tickIcl with the prospect that he set
up the drink all around.
'.Just as the glasses w&s filed, I heard
the tramp Of hoofa outside, and a horse
hcad was stuck in at the door; and over
it and beyond, I caught a glimpse Of Alb
Skinner and big d0uble-barrcIcd shot
gun.
q You know nae, he yelled. I am
Alb SHinner-a white man and a GENTLE
mainland TOO good 70 mix with the
drunken, cowardly c,,t-throats that hang
around this ranch. DO you hear mc2
Yes, they heard him. Six-shootcrs
cleaned all over the room. The pro-
prict0r lcaped over the bar with
SharD's carDino in his hand. and Uncle
and l Rugged the whisky barrel closer
than ever.
Then two shots were frcd-the two
barrels OF Abs shot quinn quick sue
cession, and, as the smoke filled the
room, it seemed to me that my eyes
had been torn from my head, and had
swallowed a bushel of fire. In the midst
of my agony [ listened for more shooting,
but failed to hear it, Instead the air was
filled with coughs and snceZes mixed
with loud but broken bursts of prOfan-
ity. did not know then, but [ learned
afterward, that Abs gun contained, in
lieu Of shot, about sixteen ounces of snuff
and Cayenne pepper, with enough pow
der behind it to blow it into the room,
and scatter it we'll through the atmos-
phere. It was dcvilish, cruel scheme
to work on a. fellow, and if the men Of
Rawhide CITY could have caught Skinner
that day they would have burnt him at
the stake without a dissenting voice.
GA half-hour later Uncle Dick and I
were down Oh RawhIde Creek, with about
forty more tough-Iookin@ citizens, wash
ing the snuff and pepper from our eyes,
when Deputy Smith strolled up, and
rendered us q slip Of paper which set forth
in Skinners unmistakable scrawl, that
The bearer has paid over the money
placed in his hands, and Will hand YOU
two dollars and fifty cents 70 be invested
in eye-salve and blue goggles And that
was the last I heard Of Alb Skinner until
got the news t'other day of his election
to the State Legislature from the same
Rawhide County, where he gobbled all
of my small change, ruined the prospects
Of my return North, nearly put out my
eyes, and broke me Of betting on another
ma1's game. "-Tu31Lae Blade.
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