The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-26
THE STRANG lei

in that old shanty he's lived for three
weeks now, and barrin' when he's bought
grub here In the store, nary word hez he
said to me since the night he come"
''Ner me-"
sNer me-"
Then q speculative silence fell on the
smoke-enveloped group gathered around
the stove.
Like en- not" continued The old man
between his puffs, ''we're q harborin' q
runaway criminal from the east or n boss
thief"
HE don't look 'zactly like q criminal,
spoke out q prominent citizen known as
Fizxletop. ave didn't s'picion nothin'
when he drove up i'm that big q o.
his'n and asked il there was a cabin he
could rent"
"That's jes' it, interrupted Dad, with
emphasis. "'Pearances Is deceivin'.
Would a man shut hisself up alone in
doors all day IL he wasn't n sharp or
sump'n? Would q man live three weeks
in tn town without minglin' with the
boys or invitin' EN- up to his place, il he
knew thar warn't nothin' agin him
These unanswerable arguments had
hardly been unburdened when there came
a gentle knock at the door, and a mo-
ment later the subject Of the conversation
stood within the room.
He was a man of perhaps Is, tall and
slight, with a skin of effeminate white
ness and deep set eyes, which reflected
the earnestness Of an unusually thought
full and sensitive mind. An intensely
black dropping moustache seemed rather
to assist in the prevailing tone Of sadness
in the face.
conner removed his hat, an act evidently
of natural and unconscious courtesy, and
with q slight inclination Of the head,
which seemed to include all in the room,
he greeted the loungers with a low spoken
good evening""
There WA a long awkward pause. A
bright spot flashed into each of his pale
cheeks as his greeting passed unanswered.
hut he still retained his thorough self
possession. Replacing his hat with a
i~iinchingly on the crowd, he proceeded to
explain calmly what he wanted. His
horse had died the day before in the SHED
at the cabin. II some one could be gotten
to remove the body he would be well paid
for the trouble.
II required a strong prejudice 10 out
balance an offer of this kind, but popular
feeling seemed to be decidedly against
the stranger, and in Saddletown popular
feeling was very likely to prevail.
Finally one of the men removed a corn
cob pipe for a sufficient length of time TO
drawl out, with mock gravity:
Reckon you'll have ter git rid o. the
boss meat yerself. mister. None o. the
boys seem TO cotton to the job"
The speech wa hailed With a round OF
and before these had died away the
mi with a slight bow, had disap-
peared as quietly as he came.
Perhaps IL was the laugh that had SO
Perhaps il was the ever increasing to-
bacco fumes that soothed il into better
mood. BE that as il may, there certainly
was q reaction In favor of the stranger
after his departure.
The western miner of a dozen years ago
was a curious mixture of good and evil,
swayed by the slightest impulses, and,
perhaps, only this ear account for the
Hood Of good feeling which rolled into
Dad Tangle's little shop as the evening
progressed. fizzletop declared, with more
good humor than respect, that ''the old
bone bag seemed gamey," and even Dad
himself allowed that "he mighn't be so
bad. arter ALL" This was the state af-
fairs had reached when one of the boys
suggested, with IA laugh, that they should
GO over n "cart the old boss away be-
fore morning."
The idea had been offered as a Joke,
and yet, fifteen minutes later, the crowd
was struggling through the moonlight
toward the strangers cabin.
Ii VAS decided h a F~izzletop's team
should be used, as his shanty was nearest
that OF the strangers, and the boys had
almost reached the old shed, when sud-
denly there was a quick exclamation from
Fizzletop, a CHATTER of horses hoofs, the
sharp crack, crack, of a derringer, and i'm
another moment some of the party were
chasing a riderless horse, while the others
bent over a motionless figure In the road.
The figure was that Of the stranger. The
horse was Fizzletops.
The change from good humor TO indig-
NATHAN uua awfrqnna- Even hafpra tho
unconscious man was pronounced still
alive several were making toward the
shed in search Of a rope. The report of
Fizzletop's pistol had quickly attracked n
numbe of spectators and TO these Dad
Tangle was ~expounding on the keenness
of his perception Of character, and his
ability in particular TO detect a horscthief
lat first squint."
Strange TO say Fizzletop seemed to lake
the affair more calmly h the others.
'Give the man "a chance" he SAID, as
the rope was brought up ready ne osed.
"He can't escape. Let's carry him over
to his cabin and give him a trial"
After a good deal of Rrumbling at "put-
to, but Dad insisted on taking the rope
along 50 that IL would be on INT when
wanted. II was only a few steps to the
strangers cabin, and when Fizzletop's
horse had peer returned to the he'd there
the still unconscious man was borne.
After forcing open the door and depos-
iting the limp figure ia the already lighted
room the men proceeded to examine care
fully the interior, and many were the ex-
carnations OF surprise at the shelves of
books. the great lamp and the general air
of neatness. But the supreme sense of
Saddletown justice was not To be shaken
by mere s~entimentality.
Dad Tangle had just delivered himself
81 the opinion that as the range had
been seen making of with the horse M
trial was needed. when one Of the men
suddenly interrupted him with: