The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-20

While awaiting response his eyes
turned toward the only other persons
in the saloon-three burly, bearded
miners of the conventional big-hatted,
big booted and big voiced type. Above
their heads and against the wall was
this sign, lettered roughly with char
coal under a crudely drawn deaths
head:
Five thousand dollars will be paid
by the undersigned to the wido w of the
sneaking hound that informs on this
saloon. This is no meer bluff.
P. Gibbs"
Blake, after brief coughing TT,
looked up. at the man behind the bar-a
great. thick-necked fellow. with a mien
of authority and yet with certain
bluff honesty expressed about his eyes
and lips. This man, whose air of pro-
prietorship convinced Blake that he
could be none other than P. Gibbs, had
first looked sneeringly at the ten cents,
but had shown some small sign of pity
upon hearing the ominous cough of the
attenuated vagrant. He set forth a
bottle and glass.
Help yerself," said P. Gibbs. While
Blake was doing SO, Mr.. Gibbs went on:
Bad cough O. yourn. " mightn't
guess it, but that same cough runs in
my family. 1t took off brother but it
skipped re."
Here was bond of sympathy be-
tween the big law-defying saloonkeep-
er and the frail topper from the east.
Busted Blake drained his glass and
presently coughed again. p. Gibbs
again set forth the bottle and this time
he drank with Blake. Before long, by
dint of repeated fits of coughing. on the
part of Blake, the sympathy of ?. Gibbs
was so worked upon that he invited tho
three miners in the saloon to join him
and the stranger.
Blake slept in corner of the saloon
that night. He left there the next
morning, a curious expression of reso-
luton on his face.
During the next three weeks he was
now and then alluded to in P. Gibbs
saloon as the coughing stranger"
In the middle of the third week, at
nine o'clock in the evening, when the
lamps in p. Gibbs saloon were exert
ing their smallest degree of dimness
and the bar was doing good business,
the door opened and in staggered
Busted Blake. His staggering on
this occasion was manifestly not due II
drink His face had the hideous con-
cavities of a starved man and the I'M
certainty of his gait was the token of
mortal feebleness. His emaciation was
painful to behold. His eyes glowed like
huge gems.
The crowd of miners looked at him
with surprise as he entered.
The coughing stranger!' cried one.
1.-THE coffin stranger, you mean,' said
another.
Busted" Blake lurched over to the
bar. His eyes met those of P. Gibbs on
the other side, and the latter reached
for whisky bottle.
Blake fumbled in his pocket and
brought forth a piece of soiled paper,
which he laid on the bar under the |
glance of P. Gibbs.
Keep that" said Blake, in husky |
voice, whose service he compelled with |
much effort. And keep your word, toe. |
That's where you'll find her"
P. Gibbs picked up the paper.
What do you mean?' he asked.
That woman's name there! It's the |
name of my widow; the address, too, |
of photograph man who will tell you
where she is. Get the money TO her |
quick, before the governor comes down t
on you with the troops TO close you up |
And don't let her know how it comes |
about. Pick out man to take it 70 /
her. let him pay his expenses out Of it |
a man you can trust-and make him |
tell her made it somehow, mining or
so she'll take it. You |
know"
?. Gibbs. who had listened with in
eyes and drew his revolver He spoke
in strangely low. repressed voice:
stranger. do you mean to say
"Yes, that's it." shrieled ''Busted"
Blake, turning toward the crowd Of in
tensely interested on-loolters. And T
cali on all Of you here to witness, and
to hold him TO his word. That's no
mere bluff, he says, in his notice there,
md I'm the sneakjug hound that il
formed Ny widows entitled TO his
i've thousand dollars. I did Is IN To-
oeka, and for proof see this nevspa-
pert"
P. Gibbs fred shot from his revol-
-er through the newspaper that Blake
pulled from beneath his shirt. Then
he saloon-keeper brought his weapon
N a level with Blalxe's face.
It's good your boots IS on said P.
Gibbs, ironically.
But. he did not FIRE. Blake stood
still, awaiting the shot, and
.eebly laughing.
So the two remained for some NO
nents, until Blake suddenly sank 70
he floor, quite exhausted lie died
within a half-hour. on the saloon Aoor,
is head resting n the palm OF 2.
iibbs, who l1nelt By his side and tiled
o revive him.
At the next dawn . man whom they
allied Big AEdv started east: and tae
,iece Of paper that Blake had handel -
,. Gibbs was 10, al ;Aat he toe. sFi.a
.im- The United states marsha ~
wed and dusv closed Giobs' sal,on.
vhieh -eopeues3 yery shortly afte-war.-,
--iCuS me IKE t4.oysa11 collar oder
And Zig Audy found tie r.d.ssv -
Busted Blake. - yzl.osa he told TT %
.etiou- n accounting for the tcraoT !
o. In 70 Aez. i-a. woal1 {