Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-02

at last got down TO my knee. There h,
stopped.
Cold Conso alton.
My heart seemed t%hrobbing in my
very throat and almost suifocared me.
a m later it seemed to quit beat
ing altogether, and it was only by the
most strenuous assertion of my will thai
| saved myself from falling limp to the
ground. The centipedo had turned and
was going up my leg again! | was al
most on the point OF dropping my hands
that a bullet might relieve me from the
misery of that frightful situation. when
the capricious centipede turned and
started down again, moving with more
celebrity than he had used since he began
that appalling trip. | don't know VIA
started him, but he kept up his run all
h rest of the way down my leg, and
presently droppee to the ground and
&C trried away. | just shut my eyes,
gave one long breath, and was on the
point of relieving my pent up feelings
consequences, when the tough and
watchful customer with the derringers
exclaimed:
I'm be good and damned. pardner, il
you hain't got more nerve thar that
stage could hold. But say said he.
consolingiy, IF the plsen cuss had a
dipped var, wouldn't Il let var suffer.
I'd a run a ball into var and let var out
of it from the GO in"
"That bloodthirsty wretch had seen
the centipede go up into my trousers
leg, had known all the time what | was
suffering, and had been cody watching
to see what the outcome would be. For
a year after that | lived in the hope
that | might run across that william, and
| did. 1t was under different circum-
stances than | had longed for. though,
and besides | didn't know it until it was
too late to use the bullet on him that |
had made a VOW to use if ever | had the
chance.
When He Got Even.
at was only the next spring after
that little affair of the Pueblo stage that
l, together with six others, were taken
out of a stage five miles from Nevada
City by three masked robbers. The
stage carried Wells, Fargo & Co.'S
strong box between North San Juan and
Nevada, and on this trip there was 49,
600 in the box. Two Of the robbers
blew the box open with powder, while
the third held the seven of us up. They
got the money, took ours and started us
on to Nevada. The stage got there as
soon as it could be driven-iive miles
and in less than an hour the sheriff had
a posse and was out on the track of
the robbers. | only remember the
name of one of shat posse, and
thai was Steve Venard. He
struck the trail of the men along the
South Yuba river and followed it to q
deep ravine that came into the river
there. This was q wild, rough place,
but Steve plunged into is. He was
armed with u Henry rifle. In u narrow
alley between high rocks in the middle
OF the ravine Steve came suddenly al
most face to face with one of the men.
Steve got the drop on the desperate.
but as he did 50 he saw another one rise
to his feet on the top of u rock and cover
him with his revolver. But Steve never
let go his advantage over the first mar
and lent S rifle bali through his heart,
At the same time Il pistol ball whizzed
from the rock, passing through
Steve's hat and cutting nair from the
top of his head. The man who fired that
shot dropped down instantly out of sight
but left the muzzle of his revolver ex,
was fatal to the hiding robber, for Steue
instantly covered the spot with his rife
and as the robber cautiously raised his
head, by and by, to see how the lard lay
Il ball went crashing through it. Steve
had hardly killed these two when he
discovered the third one of the party
trying to escape by sneaking up the IA
vine, but he was brought down by Steve
unerring rifle. The three men were
killed inside of four minutes.
Entering the rocky alley Steve founc
all the booty that had been stolen. Th'
robbers haG evidently beer counting the
money when they were surprised
Steve went back and found the sheriff
and his party. They returned and Sc
cured the recovered plunder. an