Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-07

manent throughout the journey. So /
hmped ahead, with very sorry grimaces and
a sorrier gait, but without giving up, and
by the time 1 stood in Missouri my feet
were as happy as all the rest of my body.
A bad sprain of my ankle just at starting
cured itself in the same way.
Contended with Heat and Rain.
The weather was hardly the best for walk
ing. Across the first two States it was op-
pressively hot, and then had several days
of walking in the pouring rain. However,
it could not drench the spirits within, and it
was welcome as an experience. Crossing the
noble bridge which wades with giant legs of
granite across the Father of Waters at st.
Louis, followed the general course of the
Missouri Pacific Railroad across Missouri,
having some funny experiences with back
country people, and at last bit of adven-
ture little west of Warrensburg.
From over the hedge of a cozy little farm
house huge savage dog leaped In pursuit
of me. He did not come to bark-that was
plain from the frst-but on business. He
evidently liked strangers-raw. He did dnot
pause to threaten or reconnoiter, but made
q bee-line for me, and when close, made a
savage leap straight at my throat. Ny
hunting-knife CHANGED to be at my hand,
and as he sprang 1 threw up light switch
in my left hand. He caught it in his big
laws, and in the same instant, with the in
stinct of boxer, I gave desperate upper
cut" with my hunting-knife. The strong,
double-edged, eight-inch blade caught him
squarely under the throat and the point
came out of his forehead, so fierce had been
the blow. He never made. a sound except a
dying gurgle, and tugging out the bedded
blade by violent effort, hastened to de-
part, leaving him stretched in the road.
Two Tramps Put to Flight.
A couple of days Later two cheap tramps
of the ordinary sort ''held me up" during
one of my returns to the railroad. They
were burly, greasy fellows, the first glance
at whom assured me that they were cow
ards, and not worth serious treatment.
They were both so much larger than that
they did not deem it worth while to take
even q club to me, and one of them grabbed
my coat with sublime confidence. My
weapons were handy, but unneeded The
largest fellow stood just in front of the rail
so loose, so unbalanced, that it would have
seemed sinful waste Of opportunity not to
tumble him. Just as he reached his left
hand for my watch, biff! biff! with left and
right-his heels caught on the rail and
down he went as only big and clumsy ami.
NAL can fall. Then whipped out the knife
and started for the amateur robbers with q
murderous face, but chuckling inwardly-a
chuckle which broke into open laughter as
they fed incontinently down the track.
their tatters streaming behind upon the
wind. 1t was cheap fun and no danger, fol
1 was armed and they were not; and the
laugh lasts whenever recall their comical
cowardice.
AT Independence, No., heard good
deal of the notorious train robbers and muir.
derers, the James "boys," and had long
talk with Frank James, who was the brains
of the gang, as his unlamented brother Jesse
was its authority. He looked very little
like the typical desperado-a tallish
slender, angular, thin-chested, round
shouldered fellow, of cunning but not re
pulsive face, and an interesting talker. The
home nest of the outlaws was about indie
pendence, and many of the citizens WHIT
were not their sympathizers had partici
pated in some of the exciting attempts tt
capture the criminals Frank was as fire,
as YOU or 1, a prominent figure at the coun
try fairs, and rather influential parsonage
all of which struck me as trifie odd.
How He Fixed the Mosquitoes.
For several days after leaving Kansa
| City, where / made a very brief stay, sine,
cities are plenty enough and was walkin,
TO see something less hackneyed and NOR,
interesting-my course lay along the pretty
valley of the Kansas river, properly namet
the Kaweily, but in common parlance tn
Kaw; and very pleasant days they were
My feet were all right now and there wa
no drawback to absolute enjoyment-excep
the mosquitoes, which hung about me il
clouds, biting even through my thick, lonl
stockings, whose red was almost lost unde
THEFT swarm. But that was for one day only
AT Lawrence, Kan, bought @ piece o
netting, sewed it into long cylinder opel