The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-08-25
AROUND N ABOUT
The Man with a Cataract Eye.

Gallatin, Mont, had been "held up"
so often that the horses seemed to
know Just where to halt and how long
to wait. The road-agents worked in
pairs as a rule, but sometimes there
were three or four in a bunch. There
were five Of us on the trip | am telling
about. Four of us were pretty we'll
acquainted; the fifth man no one
knew. He was not only a mean look
ing man in a general way, but he had
a cataract covering his entire left eye
and binding it, and this gave him q
gruesome appearance. We noticed
the Captain who was stationed at Fort
Ellis, looking at him long and sharply,
and with a troubled expression of face,
and when opportunity offered he said
to us:
Boys, I'm satisfied that this
stranger is a road-agent, and when
the proper time arrives he'll show his
hand. None Of you need bother with
him. In case of attack leave him
to me-"
So many rOad-agents had been killed
off that the survivors began to get a
little shy, and 50 sprung new tricks on
the stage. We had 1t figured out pretty
straight on the cataract man, though
he couldn't have had a suspicion of it.
He and the Captain sat opposite, and
the two never spoke to each other all
that day. Along towards shutdown |
noticed that the Captains face
was pale, and now and then he seemed
to catch his breath, but l had laid it to
his not being in rugged health. 1t was
about half an hour to shutdown when
we passed Red Chalk Bluff and
struck the toughest spot Of the whole
route. Then the Captain coolly pulled
his revolver and covered the cataract
man and said:
IF you stir a finger I'll kill you!
Boys, leave him to me and attend to
the others"
1t wasn't two minutes before there
was a hail, and the stage stopped.
Then the voice of a man who stood
half concealed behind a rock on the
right hand side called out:
Nov, then, everybody come down
and hold up his hands! It's no use
kicking, gents, we're too many for
you"
The Captain, whose face was as
white as a sheet, and whose eyes
snapped with excitement, still kept his
man covered as he called out to the
other:
IF you fire a shot I'll kill your
partner! Driver, go on
"ShOOt the driver, Tom yelled the
cataract man, as he dropped to the
floor and reached for his gun.
There were two reports. one without
and one within. The Captain had
killed the cataract man stone dead,
while the outlaw had fired at the
driver and missed. He ran away as
we leaped down and the whole thing
was over in half a minute. The dead
man was hauled out and laid on his
back and searched.
Nothing of value was found except
his pistols and knife, We had COM
pleted the search when it was noticed
that the Captain sat on a rock ten feet
away with his face in his hands.
He got worked up too high"
observed one of the men in explana-
ton. Here, Captain, have a nip of
this. That cuss thought he had lodged
you when he tumbled, but you bored
him beautifully. Can't find anything
with his name on"
II know it, whispered the Captain,
as he came and stood over the body.
you do! Why, who the devil
was he?'
My own brother!'
1t was a month later befor I learned
the particulars. That renegade
was truly the Captains brother, who
had disappeared from home and the
sight of relatives years before. Aye!
that very cataract of the eye was
caused by an injury accidentally in
hlcted by the Captain himself in boy
hood days. 1 do not think the recog-
milton was mutual. The outlaw had
grouped us all as strangers, and he
had planned to be among us when the
stage was stopped and to be ready to
kill the first man who resisted. The
Captain, however, whose perception
was keener, knew for long hours who
sat in front of him, and when I