Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-05-16
Captured by Kindness.

and, one after another, q company
of men gathered upon its bank in
a secluded spot some ten miles above
the city Of Cairo, and consequently
that distance from the river juno
tion with the mighty Mississippi.
Six in all formed the group when
they were assembled, the last hav-
ing arrived in a skiff from down
stream. This seemed to be the
leader for as he sprang ashore and
made the boats painter fast, he
said, as he cast glance about:
You're all here, l see. That's
good. Now to business"
The half-dozen individuals were
hard-looking characters, that is, all
but the chief. He might have
passed for a steamer pilot, had he
been encountered on a vessels deck,
and so he had been; in fact, Joe
Humphrey still carried a license to
serve in that capacity on both "big
rivers" But for some reason he
was out of a boat at the present
time.
You're all here, see," repeated
the leader, land I'm glad of it, for
we've got to decide on a pretty
weighty job tonight"
III thought we'd decided to board
the Rivet Monarch on her up trip"
remarked one of the men.
Didn't you detail each one of
us for certain part of the work?"
"Of course l did, and if you only
faithfully perform that to which
you are assigned, we'll have the
steamer safe, and it's contents all
right and tight. But there is some
thing else to be done that l did not
know of at our last meeting"
whats that?"
"Just this" went on the chief.
81 am almost positive that Hi
Burnham is onto to u.s."
deputy sheriff."
1.-THE same"
swell, then, / don't see why a
little lead, or maybe half a foot of
steel won't settle him." answered
the man who had first replied to
Humphrey.
"But l don't like the idea of do
ing away with the fellow. You
know, boys, that Hi and | were
Butties once, and he's never done
anything to cause me to get down
on him yet"
] HE will tho ugh, if he runs ath-
wart of us in this lay" returned
another of the men.
II was thinking, perhaps, con-
tinued Humphrey, "that we might
give him the wrong steer"
"Then if we do, and we succeed
in capturing the pile, won't Hi
know who to look to to settle the
blame on?"
mo, sir; if there is any possible
chance of the sheriff's suspecting
that we are going to board the
Monarch, why, I move that we call
upon him when he amt expectin'
us and lay him out"
"And ! second the motion"
"And r.
"And Iw
"And II" ran through the group.
"You seem to have settled it
among yourselves" returned the
chief. "And you must do the job
yourselves. I'll lead you aboard
the steamer, and take the biggest
part of the risk there, but I'll not
lend hand towards the death of
my old mate"
Never mind, Cap'n, we don't
blame you feelin' that way towards
Hi for we know you two run to-
gether on the river several years.
But it's matter of business, self
preservation as it were, and you
can leave him to US. Well have
him out of the way by daylight"
81 suppose its got to be, but it's
pretty hard" returned Humphrey.
Then he added, "Be sure that you're
on hand tomorrow afternoon when
the boat makes a landing at Cairo.
Well board her there"
Don't be afraid of US, we'll be
: around on time"
"Thus assured, the exploit and
present pirate cast his skiff adrift
and Aoated away down the stream.
In the suburbs of Cairo, and not
far from the river, was 10 Humph-
rey's home. A cosy place it was
and one would hardly think that it
housed an outlaw.
The pirates wife was neat, pa
tient, and had, at one time, been a
handsome woman. She suspected
her husbands crimes but was too