The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-06-20

painful to Behold. His eyes gIowed like
huge gems.
The crowd of miners looked at him
with surprise as he entered.
"The coughing stranger" cried one.
'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 piece of soiled paper,
which he laid on the bar under the
glance of P. Gibbs.
Keep thatl" said Blake, in husky
voice, whose service he compelled with
much effort. Sand keep your word, too
That's where you'll find her."
P. Gibbs picked up the paper.
What do yGl mean9" he asked.
THAT woman's name therel It's the
name of my widow; the address, too,
of q photograph man who will tell you
where she is. Get the money to her
quick, before the governor comes down
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 to
her, let him pay his expenses out of it
Ia man you can trust-and make him
tell her made it somehow, mining or
something, SO she'll take it. You
know"
P Gibbs, who had listened with in
creasing amazement, opened wide his
eyes and drew his revolver. He spoke
in strangely low, repressed voice:
Stranger, do you mean to say"
s'Yes, that's it," shrieked Busted"
Blake, turning toward the crowd of In
,tensely interested on-lookers Sand /
call on I'LL Of you here to witness, and
to hold him to his word. That's no
mere bluff. he says, In his notice there,
and I'm the snealxing hound that in
formed. My widows entitled to his
five thousand dollars. l did 1t in To
,pelxa, and for proof see this newspa-
peru
P. Gibbs fired shot from his revol-
yer through the newspaper that Blake
pulled from beneath his shirt Then
the saloon-keeper brought his weapon
on a level with Blake's face.
tits good your boots is onp' said P.
Gibbs, ironically.
But he did not fire. Blake stood
perfectly still, awaiting the shot, and
feebly laughing.
So the two remained for some mo-
ments, until Blake suddenly sank to
the floor, quite exhausted. He died
within half-hour, on the saloon floor,
his head resting in the palm of 2.
Gibbs, who knelt by his side and tried
to revive him.
At the next dawn a man whom they
called Big Andy started east; and the
piece Of paper that Blake had handed to
P. Gibbs was not all that he took with
him. The United States marshal ar
rived and duly closed Gibbs saloon,
which reopened very shortly afterward,
minus the five thousand dollar offer.
And Big Andy found the widow of
Busted" Blake, to whom he told bit of
fiction, in accounting for the legacy
conveyed by him to her, that would
have imposed upon the most incredulous
legatee. When she had recovered from
the surprise of finding herself and her
child provided with the means of sur
'viving the possible loss Of her situation,
she forgave the late Busted" and there
was flow of tears unusual to board
ing house parlor and unnerving to Big
Andy.
Presently she asked Andy whether he
knew what her husbands last words
had been.
Yep" said Andy, IT heard m plain
and clear. Pete Gibbs, the other ex-
ecutor Of the will, you know-Pete says:
It's all right, partner; me an Andy
will see to it, and then your husband
says: Thank Gawd, I've been some
good to her an the child, at last"
Which account was entirely correct.
When Big Andy had returned to Get
there City and related how he had per-
formed his mission, he added:
I'D been such a lovely liar all through,
it's shame had to go an spoil the
story by putin in some truth at the
finish.'
They put up wooden grave mark
where Blake was buried, and after his
name they cut in the wood this testimo-
NAL:
"a tenderfoot that was some good to
his folks at last. "-R. N. Stephens, in
Philadelphia Press.