Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-07-11
A WESTERN STORY.
By W. L. FRENCH.

parents houses, some ten miles
cas- of Council BluFs. Iowa and
went to Denver, Colorado, for
the double purpose of seeing
the West and making some
money if an opportunity Of
fered. Fr ON yer they
drifted ont to a mining camp, were
striking a good job, they decided
TO stay for q time at least. Here
they met two men who they had
known back in Iowa. One of these
men bore a very hard reputation
i'm The country around his former
home, and it was even said that he
was a member of an organized
gang which had committed a num-
Der of rObberieS. The other was
quite wealthy, anil owned a large
farm adjoining Graves fathers
farm in Iowa, but as he always had
a hatd set OF men working for him,
his reputation was but little better
than that of the men whom he
harbored B t as we all are ever
eager to meet ani be friendly with
any one We have known near our
old home, so The boys were glad to
meet these men on friendly terms
discuss incidents familiar to all
Several robDcries had been COM
mltted IN the camp just before the
boys arrived, bat IN spite of all
efforts no clew had been found to
the guilty parties. The boys had
quite a sum of money with them,
and tbOughtlessly made a remark
to that effect before their Iowa ac-
Quaiutauce, Jently and Burns.
That night Graves was aroused by
a noise in the room where he slept,
and saw a man in the act of search
ing his clothing.
Graves sprang from the bed and
grappled with the intruder, and in
the brief struggle which ensued
the burglars mask being torn a
side, he recognized Burns; the
next second he was fellen to the
floor, uDconclouS, by a blow from
behind.
1t happened so Qulckley that
Langly, awakened by the struggle,
had no time to offer assistance.
Some time elapsed before Graves
became conscious, and told Langly
Of his discovery OF the identity, at
least, of one Of the robbers, and it
was plainly evident to them that
his pal was Jently.
The following morning the boys
made know their adventure of the
night before, and the tact that
Graves had recognized Burns as
ono of fhp bnrVlaTs.
There was a vigilance committee
in the camp, and they speedily cot
together and went on a hunt for
the outlaws, bu, the birds had
flown. AS Colorado was then a
Territory, and the judicial ma
chinery in consequence r9ther loose,
no attempt was made TO trace the
men up. AS the rObberies IN camp
ceased after their departure. 1t was
plain that theywere the guilty ones
IN the former robberies that bad
been committed.
Late in the fall of the same year,
the boys, wea1ying of Western lite,
decided to return home, and they
gave it out in camp that tha would
leave the week before Thanksgiv-
ing.
Here for a time we will leave
them, and go to the home Of Burns,
| in Western Iowa, for there he had
returned after he had fed from
Colorado. On this particular even
ling he was excitedly pacing up aud
down a room in his house, holding
a letter IN his hand and talking
rapidly to a man seated in the
room who, on closer inspection, We
Rpognized as jently.
d" 1 tell You, JeutIy, those boz
must be got rid OF before they eyer
have a chance to get back here and
blow on us. / don't know how It
happened that they haven't written
home about it boiOre this"
But they haven'C and that's
enough for u.s.
''Td have f xed Graves for gooC
that night If I'd have though ht
knew me-"
"Miller says in his letter tina
they leave the week before Thanks
giving"
They'll be her pretty soon, thel
and now what's going to be don ?
81 don't know, Boss," reple,
Jently. "YOu do the planning i
this case, as you do in all Others
and I'll carry them out that's al
I've got to say"
Tot r,o COO y coil Rurnc ho'