Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-10
A FIGHT ON THE BORDER.

/ all San II was dDOub NIL IS
rom Denver ard not railroad near it. !
so went down Gy stage | worked a
while at mining, bat l didn't make a |
strike, so l dri,tei down to small town
then known as Cow Gap, but 1ignified now
by longer name. | spent mos of my
money there and one day l took it into p!y
head to start out or IL tramp. | head d
for Pueblo. good way OFF, I know; but
was in no harry, and rs there were several
ranches only hail IL. : walk apart was
not troubled about foo i,,u., shelter. Folks
are very hospitable in the west | man
aged to get OF the right trail while cross
ing one of the mountains, and although
was on some kind of a wagon road didn't
come to any ranch. ] had some bacon,
salt matches, five pounds of -four and
loztn large potatoes with me, so | had no
ToHole in getting dinner. | didn't much
relish the idea of camping out, as l had no
blanket, bat had about resigned myself to
It when ! saw the smoke of ranch
"When reached the house l was at
.acked by two enormous dogs, but beat
;hem or and shouted until woman APP
4 peared. She seemed surprised and some
what annoyed TO see TIE, but when Ioffered
to pay for my board she asked me into the
house, where a man was sitting by a huge
fire 1t seemed that lie was simply a neigh
Dor. The master of the house was away.
the woman said The neighbor was inst
keeping her company during his absence.
The neighhor WAS very sociable, but he
seemed "A tribe uneasy and wanted to md
ont all about me. / had nothing to conceal.
50 / made his pumping process easy work.
and when, ~ | supposed, he was satisfied
that 1t was safe to leave me alone with he
woman, said cOoG-Jy to both OF us, mount
ed his horse and rode away.
The ritnchman was expected home ky
5 but he had not arrived when the clock
struck TO- The woman did not seem IN
easy at his absence. She and | had been
chatting about many things. She had Just
shown me where ! could sleep and | was
4 preparing to turn in when heard a horses
hoofs ringing on the frosty road 1t struck
me that the animal was being ridden for
al 1T was worth, and | wondered whet 1er
any accident had befallen my hostess has
band and if the rider had come laden W 18th
bad news. The horse was refined up short
at the gate leading to the house. ! peered
out through the window medium sized
man with handsome beard was rapidly
removing the saddle and bride. These he
tossed inside the gate, and then gave the
horse a smart cut with his ''quirt'' or
whip. The animal-a fine Kentucky bred
black-wheeled and gallOped of at ire
nendoUs pace. The man listened until the
hoof beats died away in the distance and
then entered the house. / heard him talk
ing with his wife, for did not doubt that
4 the newcomer was the owner of the rarch
wondered why he had ridden so furiously
q and then turned his splendid horse adIift,
81 for the night was chilly and the horse very
4 warm. Presently footsteps approached my
door and heard my hostess voice.
4 My husband wants to speak with you
Il at once, she said. viii you please make
haste? Wondering more than ever at this
request, / hastily resumed such of my
clothes as | had thrown aside and ioi ned
the couple in the living room. The man
was eating some supper that she had pre-
pared. He seemed hurried, but perfectly
cool She looked worried.
Sorry to disturb you, stranger he
said, looking up as / entered the room
My wife tells me that you asked for shell
q ter and she has given it to you. I'm glad
to meet you, but it's unfortunate that YOU
happened here tonight. From the look of
you l don't think you'd betray the man
whose grub you have eaten, but | can't
afford to take chances. I'm Tom King
4 While he was speaking a dozen conject
ures fitted across my mind. Did he mean
4 to Kill me- l wondered, and as he declared
his determination to risk nothing | in vol
UNFAIRLY felt for my revolver. AS his name
that OF noted desperado-left his lips,
however, l gazed into the muzzle of Colt
40 He must have had the weapon on his
Ennp II &c u.
l did not attempt to draw my shooting
IRON / had learned sufficient to know
N when man got the drop on me. OBJ
4 serving this he lowered his weapon.
Don't take offense, young man, he
said Don't fool with your gun eith her.
Lay it on the table
81 complied.
You are recently from the east are
you nOt2' he asked. l answered in the af-
firmative.
"'Ah,' he said, rehectively, I was in
Wall street fifteen years ago.
Something in his appearance, I knew
not what made me look closely at him
so your name low is Tom King [ re
marked. Did you ever meet my father
Nicholas Greener?"
He started from his chair. You cont
mean to say that you are little Fred
Greener? ! see the likeness now, though
Well, your father did me many gooC
turn. Pm more sorry than ever that you
should have come here at this time. Th,
sheriff and large posse are after me, anC
guess there'll he fight
1.-The ranchman was an old friend OF my
fathers He used to visit my family very
frequently when | was youngster il
knee brooches. He wore no beard in thos,
days. He had often given me tips, and h'
was, ] knew, then most eXtrava gam
man. / dimly remembered that he hat
held prominent position in the street
and that he suddenly ceased coming to on
house. remembered also that my fathe
had spoken regretfully of his fall, and tina
the commercial world had been oundeC
at the magnitude of the series of robberie'
that he had committed. | also knew tina
he had been arrested and jumped his bal
I think with the consent of his sureties
He watched me for moment while pom
dered on these things. Then he spok
again:
Don't breathe my name to any Living