Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-10-19
get nervous-and don't try to run any

Inc gambler arose, white with rage,
and shaking the long, slender index
finger of his left hand under the nose OF
the sheriff, while his right hand rested
firmly on the handle of his six-shoot-
er, said angrily:
II demand that whatever accusation
you choose to make against me shall
be made directly. I'll have none OF
your insinuationsW
1t would have been very embarrass-
ing for the sheriff to have been obliged
to explain his suspicious at that min
ute. He had by some power of intui-
ton connected Poker Joe with the
strange girl, and Immediately upon
forming this suspicion his impression
able mind reverted to the Denver
tragedy 1t would have taxed the
skill of an intellectual acrobat to
reason, upon the mere suspicion Of
Poker Joe's relation to the girl, that
he was in any manner connected with
the murder, But Sheriff Smith was
not reasoning; he was merely acting
upon the impression that there was
something unusual affecting the gam
bier. And this suspicion of an unusual
affection of Poker Joe's mind i'm
pressed the sheriff with the notion
that the gambler was guilty of some
crime or misdemeanor.
He was about to express this opin-
ion, but he was happily prevented, not
by the belligerent attitude of Poker
Joe, but through the more exciting in
cident of the arrival at that moment Of
Miles, the pony mail and expressman,
from Silverton. Badly frozen and ex-
hausted almost beyond the power Of
speech, he dropped into the most con-
venient chair and feebly demanded a
drink of whisky. After drinking the
liquor, he reused little and stared
vacantly about the room, until his
eyes rested upon the poor waif lying
on the pool-table.
Praise God" he exclaimed, and re-
lapsed into a mental condition SO an
noying to those who stood about eager
for some knowledge of the girl, which
they felt he possessed, that the bar
keeper suggested another drink, which
Miles accepted without the slightest
acknowledgment of the courtesy.
By and by he was sufficiently
aroused to be able to swallow third
dram of whisky and relate thrilling
tale of his trip from Silverton with the
girl. He told how he had lost the poor
child within mile of Lake City, and
afterward found her horse, and then
pushed on through the storm to get
aid in searching for her. After sub
hitting to round of abuse by the
company for undertaking to conduct
the girl across the mountains in the
face of the storm, which, they de.
clared, must have been more severe at
the Silverton end of the road, Miles
begged permission to explain. 1t was
reluctantly granted.
''The gal got a telegram from Den
yer to come home right away" he said,
Ind S tn Silverton branch o tn Rio
Grande is blocksded at Durango, her
aunt, what tn gal WINS visitin' at Sill.
verton, begged me so hard to fetch her
over here nd send her out by stage to
tn station on tn main line at |
couldn't refuse, nohow. Ye see," he
faltered, glancing pityingly at the
sleeping girl, Eye see, the gals moth
er's dead-murdered Sunday night"
A murmur of sympathy was ex
pressed by the listeners. The sheriff
turned his eager eyes upon the face Of
Poker Joe, who had returned to his
seat at the poker-table. lie had beer
apparently deaf to the story told by
Miles, and though his face still bore a
death-like hue, he proceeded with hi'
card playing as coolly as if nothing un
usual had occurred.
Sheriff Smith was puzzled. He would
have staked his life on the accuracy O
his suspicion, but there was not the
shadow of real evidence upon which
to base reason for placing the MAJ
under arrest. There were incriminat
ing circumstances, however, which
since the identity of the CIR
was made known, had imbeddet
the suspicion deeper and deeper int
the mind of the sheriff; Poker Joe
arrival in town that evening, his dis
play of large amounts of money occa
stoned by his heavy loss at cards, hi
agitation caused by the presence o
the girl, and his excitement and ange
at the words of the sheriff, But ther,
was one thing absolutely requisite t,
the welding of these links of circum
stances into a chain of evidence. /
would be disastrous venture for The
sheriff if he should fail He turned
toward the pool table just as the bar
keeper, who was industriously engaged
behind the bar rubbing the glasses
looked up, and, for the first time, real
lied the significance of the sheriff
recent remarks to Poker Joe. TIL,
shock he received from this CLEAN O.
intelligence caused him to drop a thir
! glass to the floor. The ringing of tn
! broken glass startled the entire com
pany from the reverie into which the,
had fallen The sleeping girl awoke
sprang to a sitting posture on the poo
table, and with a frightened look, rs
she had awakened from some terribl
dream, turned suddenly toward Poke
Joe. She uttered Shrek of recogni
ton and fell back on the table, hiding
her face.
The gambler arose instantly. H
clutched at his belt nervously, an
staggering to the door passed out.
Maj Downey, who by this time ha
fully realized and comprehended tn
sheriff's suspicious, approached hir
and whispered:
Quick, Clare, or he will ESCAPED"
"Wait," said the sheriff, calmly. lay
ing hand on the majors arm. II
may not be strictly legal, but it will b
better for the girl, Wait" Then bend
ing an ear toward the open door as if il