St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-25

another door, at right angles to the,
/ entry. opener upon passage leadn,
southwark into the dwelling of The post.
master.
The marshal. looking up as the sound
of approaching feet echoed outside. saw
and recognized Collins as lie s!rode
past. Two PAGES brought him to the
omen d2or There the oatIaw was con-
up" " whit the hand. and a palaver
| began. which Collins carried OH mostly,
the answers confined TO moaosyllab.c g,
with always the unDlinking watch and
while always, midst talk. Collins hands
dropping at The wrist and finger pointed
and SwOoped towards his breast.
BILL" quoth Collins. II guess you've
got me-" Keep up them hands,"
| Collins went on to appeal TO memories
OF home, to schoO', boy days, to youths
| binding friendship. Did lie hope 10
| soften the marshal; or perchance was
| this Il tragi-comic interlude designed TO
slacksm the closeness or the watch?
| Whatever the intent, the stealing,
evasive wrists kept dropping alternate,
and again were erected as always the
reply to all came, keep up them
! hands,
Perhaps the marshal IS eye wavered
momentarily or blinked for there came
a hawklike sweep and cl utci of Collins
right hand to the left breast. The
! Texans weapon rang once. The right
wrist OF the outlaw was burned by the
ball that, piercing the ribs and pleural
cavity, traversed the body aud lodged
| in the spinal vertebre.
Before the stricken Collins could
! draw his other revolver the officer had
| bounded into the sOutherly passage and
| closed the door. Had he stayed SO. he
might be looking upon the sun today.
Collins never even stumbled, though
| bis heart was graZed. He stood erect,
intent, intense. watching the door, COW
! ering it, his arm quiverless, his body
stiff and rigid. stubborn against the
! supineness of death, for revenge'S sake,
and the honor OF his kind, whose glory
| is unbending fOrtltude. Anon the door
! moved, opened.and the marshal stepped
out. Then Collins revolver spoke its
fate. and the officer pitched forward,
! dead before he touched the floor, struck
through the heart, within half inch of
the same spot that his own bullet had
entered his slayer.
The postmaster came forward.
We've had about enough of this. Get
out of here; your man is dead" he said.
"All right, Doc. Pll go: yes, l reckon
| he is, and so be IL
Collins began slowly and stiff1y to
| move backwards toward the outer door,
keeping aface of his overwhelmed vic
tic. When the back of his head touched
| the low Intel his rigidity passed. his
| tense muscles wilted, ano he fell back
ward prone, his upturned face outside,
/ his feet still indoors. One who was
| small boy then was almost sQuelched
aud entirely frightened by the body
| falling upon him passing. The outlaw
| died in fifteen minutes.
Thus Pembna's new Goods acre.
got its first sieepers, Laws Executive
ana Outlaw alike; the old sciroolmates
! now lie down i'll the reunion and good
| fellowship and utter peace which that
recOnciler of all feuds; that pardoning
effacer of all crime and misdirection;
| that final serene adjuster of all feverish
| mortal distinction, mighty and merciful
! death, gives to the children of men.
And SO you have it, authentic at any
rate, genuine bit of comic fact; an
episode typical of the earlier West. with
| the heroic will. the broad touches of
| magnanimi;y, the unbendlng courage
in the frOwn of dO0m-the erroneous,
| demonic carelessness of life-all there.
*Note-"Four corners i. G., Emerson and
West Lynn, Manitoba. Canada, and Pembina,
ID. T., and ST. Vincent Min.