The herald., 1895-03-24
Some Characteristic Western Tales Of Fact and Fiction

l OSulubely uclDl6SS, ana knowing tDdt
under the code Of Alder either McLen-
nan or the woman would be acquitted for
killing him, Ash saw nothing to do but
| follow the suggestion. He was asked to
, lay his weapons on the table, and then to
take a seat by the stove. He was most
surly guest
You cowards!' he said, ''you assas-
sinated my brother and now you are wait
ing to kill me. Go ahead!"
You are mistaken" replied McLen-
nan, with an ugly look in his eyes. "You
are the coward. 1 would have killed you
now If the senorita had not pleaded to
ask you in and see if we could not explain
matters. Now after your remark you
can't name proposition that l won't
accept"
Ash. after reviewing the circumstances
of his brothers death and the queer pro-
McLennan and the woman were thorough
born towards despite their talk, and were
afraid to kill him.
you will accept any proposition? Well,
| will offer one,' he said with a sneer.
''One of us must die, and, with that GER
Others life should be spared. You know
where Hell's Corner is and you know the
big fir, and the limb that stretches out to
the middle?'
YES"
"Well, I will throw one poker hand
with you to see which one of us climbs
out on that limb tonight and drops over
in the sand.
McLennan paused before answering.
The Spanish woman looked him squarely
in the eye, and said few words in her
native tongue.
II said you were a coward, F" said Ash.
Il accept your proposition" said Nc
Lehman.
1t was Ash's turn to go into his boots,
and according to his own statement, he
came near falling through the floor. But
the cards were brought forth and counted,
shu1ei and cut by each man. 1t was
game of death and each player sat as cold
and rigid as a block of steel. The senorita
sat at the other side of the table as i'm
movable as either, watching the cards as
they were dealt by Ash and fully prepared
Tor any result. Each man studied his
hand for moment and then McLennan
quietly asked for three cards. When Ash
said that he would take four cards the
woman smiled for the first time during
the play. The hands were com pleted,
when McLennan laid his cards down, and,
in his usual calm way, said: ''Aces at the
top;
color had returned to her brown cheeks,
when Ash laid down his hand, saying:
II take back the remark about you being
a coward, but | guess YOU will have to
ride the limb on the fir tree"
He had drawn four cards to king and
had caught two others!
McLennan and the woman, each as white
as marble, were silent for moment, and
then talked hurriedly in Spanish for full
half hour. The gamblers arose from their
chairs and McLennan said: "It was fair
deal, and am going to do what | would
have made you do if you had lost"
The latter part of Ash's statement and
the conversational notes show that while
bp har rod n Iata IL tho ati
at the cabin and the movements of the
play. he remembered only in a general
way the tragedy which was the wager of
the game. He remembers that McIennan
wrote few letters, and that, unarmed, as
he supposed, the three started down
side street and across the gulch. The
senorita chung ON McLennan's s arm and
sometimes whispered to him in Spanish.
Each time when so addressed he shook
his head, and when she became more per-
sistent he stopped and told her in English
to return to her home. She refused, and
rem ined quiet until the grewsome sand
pit with its sentinel pine, was reached.
The moon was shining full from over the
silent corner of the gulch where the gam
bier was TO be his own executioner. Ash
writes that he stood back from the cliff,
and that his mind seemed vividly acute
to the scene, although, in it's present dis
traction, the picture seems to have
dimmed He saw McLennan place his
arms about the woman and kiss her, and
then go to the tree and climb the small
branches until he reached the overhang-
ing limb. Then he crawled slowly out
toward the end over the pit of quicksand.
For an instant he stopped, then called:
"Now!"
The end of the limb broke with crash
as the Mexican woman fired revolver.
My God, | have missed" and with
terrible cry, she sprang from the cliff into
the sand.
Ash waited no longer. He saw the
woman sucked downward by the sinking
sand and disappear with gasping Span
ish cry for mercy, and he saw the man
deep in the sand, but clinging to branch
that was not quite severed from the hang
ing limb. Then, as if escaping from
frightful nightmare. he ran to McQuaid's
cabin Just as the dawn was creeping over
the distant foothills.
Mr.. McQuaid, resuming the narrative,
said: Il braced the poor fellow with
brandy until got the story, which he
made me promise not to tell until l knew
to certainty that all were dead. A week
later he died of brain fever. l visited
Hell Corner the next day after he came
to the cabin, and found the end of the big
limb torn off. and | was satisfied that it
had gone down with McLennan."
7 "