Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-08-29

lishman to believe that. You folks are
an awful law abiding crowd. For my
part l would sooner stand my chance
with revolver than a lawsuit any
day" Then the good-natured Texan
told the story OF the pistol in Texas;
of the general lack of demand for it,
but the great necessity of having it
handy when it was called for.
A man with murder in his heart
should not hold conversation like
this, but William Strong was too full
of one idea to think of prudence. Such
talk sets the hounds of justice on the
right trail with unpleasant results for
the criminal
On Thursday morning Strong set out
on horseback from Broncho junction
with his face towards Felixopolis. BY
noon he said to himself he ought to
meet his former partner with nothing
but the horizon around them. Besides
the revolvers in his belt, Strong had
Winchester rifle in front of him. He
did not know but he might have to
shoot at long range, ara it was always
well to prepare for eventualities.
Twelve o'clock came, but he met no
one, and there was nothing in sight
around the empty circle of the horizon.
1t was nearly two before he saw
moving dot ahead of him. Dandy was
evidently unused to riding and had
come leisurely. Some time before
they met, Strong recognized his former
partner and he got his rifle ready.
Throw up your hands!'' he shouted,
bringing the rifle butt to his shoulder.
Dandy instantly raised his hands
above his head. ~ have no money on
me" he cried, evidently not recogniz-
ing his opponent. you may search
Inc if you like"
"Get down off your horse; don't
lower your hands, or fire."
Dandy got down as well rs he could
with his hands above his head. Strong
had thrown his right leg over to tho
left side of the horse, and, as his
enemy got down, he also slid to tho
ground keeping Dandy covered With
the rifle.
II assure you 1 have only a few dol
lars with me, which you are quite well
come to-" said Dandy.
Strong did not answer. Seeing that
the shooting was to be at short range,
he selected a six-shooter from his belt,
and, cooking it, covered his man,
throwing the rifle on the grass. He
walked up to his enemy, placed the
muzzle of the revolver against his rap
idly beating heart, and leisurely dis
armed him, throwing Danbys weap,
ons on the ground out of reach. Then
he stood back few PAGES and looked
at the trembling man. His face seemed
to have already taken on the hue OF
death and his lips were bloodless.
81 see you recognize mo at last, Mr..
Dandy. This Is an unexpected meet.
ing, is it not? You realize, hope,
that there are no judges, juries nor
lawyers, no mandamuses and no ap.
peals. Nothing but writ of eject.
ment from the barrel of pistol and no
legal way of staying the proceedings.
In other words, no cursed quibDles and
no confounded law"
Dandy, after several times moisten-
ing his pallid lips, found his voice:
"Do you mean to give me a chance,
or are you going to murder me9"
81 am going to murder YOU"
Dandy closed his eyes, let his hands
drop to his sides, and swayed gently
from side to side rs man does on the
scatfold just before the bolt is drawn.
Stnong lowered his revolver and fred,
shattering one knee of the doomed
man. Dandy dropped with a cry that
was drowned by the second report.
The second bullet put out his left eye,
and the murdered man lay with his
mutilated face turned up to the blue
sky.
A revolver report on the prairies is
short, sharp and echoless. The silence
that followed seemed intense and
boundless, as If nowhere on earth
there was such thing as sound. The
man on his back gave an awesome
touch of the eternal to the stiffness.
Strong, now that 1t was all over, be.
gan to realize his position. Texas,
perhaps, paid too little heed to life
lost in fair fight, but she had an un-
comfortable habit of putting a rope
round the neck of q cowardly muir
derer. Strong was an inventor by ma
ture. He proceeded to invent his
justification. He took one of Danby's
revolvers and fired two shots out of it
into the empty air. This would show
TINT the dead man had defended him
self, at least, and 1t would be difficult
to prove that he had not been the first
to fire. lie placed the other pistol and
the knife in their places in Danbyis
belt He took Danby's right hand
while it was still warm and closed the
fingers around the butt of the revolver
from which he had fired, placing the
forefinger on the trigger Of the
cooked six-shooter. To give effect
and naturalness to the tableau he was
arranging for the benefit of the next
traveller by that trail he drew up the
right knee and put revolver and closed
hand on it as If Dandy had been killed
while just about to fire his third shot.
Strong, with the pride of true
artist in his work, stepped back
pace or two for the purpose of seeing
the effect of his work as whole. Az
Dandy fell, the back of his head had