The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-01-25

TorTEGiNG."
with "A calm, blue eve. aquilinc nose,
thin lips and quiet voice The
crowd had SIZED him up: Quiet,
but dangerous The estimate was
cOtrcCt
Big Jack swa gers into the saloon
TO receive the salutatiUus and con.
sratulatIOus OF the crowd He Is
lcttcr-nlturcd than he was but there
Is "A look in his eyes which forebodc.
danger. Three or four men slip
quietly out of the back door while
the Others fawn aud tlatte and press
1.-THE hoSs' to drink with them. He
i willing enough; that Is part Of
the homage he demands. As he
stands at the bar, glass In hand, his
eye Lights on the stranger for the
1rst time. Instinct tells him the
mans occupation and warns him not
To pick quarrel Brute strength
aud bull dog courage overpower his
instinct IL is IA golden opportunity
To make man 'crawn for the
amusement OF the crowd. 1t is "all
hands take "A DIR nix, but the stranger
has not left his seat That is an ex.
preston Of contempt aud defiance
"Di1l't yc hear" bellows Big Jack
as he rars on the bar with his
knuckles aud eyes the stranger
The stranger looked up lie knew
with whom he had To deal aud he
knew what was c9min" Those
n"'"""'' ""'" '"' dy Loot
tame iuto nis eyes. an. 49,. .sl
compressed. Big Jack turned his
back To the bar, rested 10th ,ellOws
upon IL, and there was lcer on his
face as he ontinued:
Too cussed nice To drink with
this crowd | expect Mpbbe ye ar
lOokin' fur champagne and a white
shirt gang Mebte ye want CARPET
spread down TO walk on as ye move
about"
The stranger looked Big Jack
straight in the eyes The lines on
his face hardened and there was
dangerous fash In his eyes. The
ru',ian noted these S'gns, and real.
lied that the scout was bad man to
stir up He had gone too far To re.
treat however. The crowd had fail.
en back to right and lett, and the
two had "A clear field. 10 turn from
the stranger was To lose prestige.
Loss OF prestige meant death to him
Two kinds OF courage were opposed
to each other-that cOarsc-grained
fearlessneSs which Is born with brute
strength, and which delights in Civ
ing aud receiving blows, and that
quiet but dangerous characteristic
which men call sand and whih
is never cruel nor brutal. For
long minute the two faced each
other, and Big Jacks adherents saw
him change color, He was figuring
on his chances He might bun the
stranger down, but failing in this he
hoped 10 get the drop on him.
THE man who won't drink with
me insults me, and the man who in.
suits me has got TO crawl outdoors on
his hands and knees or git bullet
In his head"
So growled the runian IL was his
blum. He looked his tiercest as he
spoke the words, but in his own
heart he knew that they would have
no weight with the man whose blue
eye, had the CLEAN OF new bowie
kniie, but who had not st rred a tin.
ger.
"Git down and crawl-git down,
will ye, or III riddle yer carcass with
lead"
The bluff had failed. Now for the
drop OF sudden Big lack dropped
his right hand To the butt OF revoly-
er hardly six inches away and pulled
the gun and fired. Two or three men
started To cheer, but almost as the
sound left their lips, and following
the other report like the stroke OF
bell, came second discharge. The
giant did not fall to the right or To
the left. lie stood for five seconds,
swaying and totterlng, eyes wide open
aud Fixed on the stranger, and then
without moan or sound he sank
down in "A heap on the floor. shot
plumb through the heart. His bull
let had passed through the brim OF
the strangers sOmDrerO-a poor shot
for any sort OF marksman only four.
teen feet away.
'ls his pardner here?" asked the
scout as he looked over the awe.
stricken and silent crowd, while
from the muzzle OF his revolver a thin
streak OF blue smoke curled lazily up.
wards
All looked at him but no one an.
swored.