River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-11-29

Make every shot bring a man. Whoop-
ee-e. done said we might meet 'em.
stay in the square. Aleck. while we
ms drink. an Charley II bring yoGr
I drink out Come ahead, boys, an
Ticker up; but go Slow
The square is cleared for action like
/ the deck of a cruiser. The villagers
stand about within saloons or in front
of stores, waiting for the first signs of
battle. Old man ferguson has for
gotten his warning and stands against
the hotel bar boasting about the men
he Is going to kill and keeping Charley
on the run for the brown bottle with
the glass ball stopper that holds the
''red-eye."
The sun drops away over the snowy
tops of the Belt range. Aleck alone
stands watch in the square. his eyes
| turning in all directions and his gun
cooked ready for action. His vigil is
not long.
/ over in the village hurdy house
I window Is raised 50 quietly that the
sound does not attract Ihe gossipers
/ beneath The appearance of a rifle
. barrel escapes notice in the changing
light, and the form behind is out of
sight save for cad and pair of
bright eyes get ing range on the boz.
4 I, - youngster rests his gun on tie
~r.Tnd. turns to the hotel. and calls.
I Charley. bring out that"
I His voice Is stopped. The On II om
I the window Is sighted. Bl.m, blim!
stream of fire shoots out. and the toy.
struck in the head by both bullets,
20 g. . q 4
In flash the barroOm is empTied,
and out on the square comes the old
man. staggering from the liquor he
has drunk. and at his heels are half
dozen owboys of his tribe. all with
guns drawn and looking vainly for
the enemy. The other boy cries:
Pa, watch out! The T. L. has been
here all day.
/ Hardly had he spoken before the
/ hur,ly house window is again raised,
I wv o guns are swung ont. and blimi
Y blim. 5lim. blim. away they go right
Y into the little cluster of men I've
: cowboys fall and the others are STAN
peded. The old man shouts;
] scatter. boys. tIII we locate 'em,
| an then get together, Boys. don't for
/ get that they murdered our Aleck!''
4 And his voice drops away into a fierce
wal for revenge.
The old man runs to the hotel as an
( other form sneaISs FROM around sa-
I joOp. raises a shotgun To fire, ana then
I darts quickly across the street 20 the
I end of the shed. Charley, the bar
tender, has seen him. lie calls to the
I old man. who steps from the window
Z 10 the roof of the shed and crawls
along as silently as a snake in the
I grass The old man leans over the
/ roof and sees his enemy peeping from
the side waiting for him to come ont.
/ lie lays his rifle on the roof and draws
his revolver. GlOating for a moment
over his man. he fires three shots
down through the mans head. jumps
| lightly to- the ground, and finds him
dead
An hour drags by without a shot.
/ Men with drawn revolvers are p, eping
I from the corners of buildings and
watching for pitfalls. The villagers
from windows are awaiting the next
play. The old cottonwood tree is
favorite gathering place. for it is in
the open and just beyond the range of
shots across tine square. Between The
fighters il is a game of hide and seek
and shoot any way to kill. Old man
ferguson has returned to the hotel,
and Is in hiding while awaiting de-
veiOpments-
1t Is Charley. the bartender, who
saves the day for the Triangle. While
he stands on the steps a whispered
voice almost under his feet asks:
ANY % the Triangle inside?'
Not a soul" he answers.
Can we sneak in and get d-iukT'-
''Of course
Three men crawl from the darkness
beneath the steps and one by one
sneak in the barrOom. the last one
backing in To guard from an attack.
Il want To get that old man and
then ! am ready to go back to the
ranch" said one, pulling down the
window shades.
Charley calls them over to one side
of the room and they do not see that
the door &c the hall is opened cautious
" and that a man crawls through on
his hands aud knees and drops behind
the bar.
Give US another drink, Charley, and
then wei go out and get old Jergu-
sons scalp and take along that other
hoy for bear bait ] say, but wasn't
that a pretty long-range shot made
from the hurdy house Window
The bartender drops a cork on she
floor and whispers TO the old man
while picking it up Then ne takes =
deck of cards aud offers TO show q new
n OK that he learned from CONNER
cial traveller. The three men lean for.
ward. one resting his gun or the bar
1t Is fatal move
'-Whoop-ee," and before the smartes1
boy could say Jack Robinson old mar
ferguson i mp with a gun in eael
hand pouring shot across the counter
square in the faces OF the rrstlers. Tws
drop back dead. The third jumps u
the rear of the room unframed, and
then begins a deadly duel. The rust
ler's first move is 70 shoot out ths
lights for he suspee Is that Charley Is
Ia tie play against him. Each fighte-
I DE- .ps on the floor and all is quiet The
ola mar reaches forward until he
moves a chair and the noise betrays
his position. Two shots are fired in
quick succession at him. Tie gives
"a fierce grunt IS he feels a 81 ng in his
side. The rustler changes hIs position
and the old mans answering shots are
buried IN the wall But two more
shots are left in his gun. The bar
tender i raid TO move because If the
rustlrr conquers he Will have To
answer for his treachery. One more
shot comes in the direction of the old
man and misses lie is weak from loss
of blood anu has dropped over on his
side. HEDGES not reply, and the ruStleT.
sure of his victim. erawls slowly for
ward, with knife between iIs teeth
and gun in each hand
4 light flashes at one corner of the
window left uncovered by the curtain.
] II falls on the rustler's face, and be-