The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-04-23

his person and seek revenge upon the
unsuspecting miners i'll the gulch, but
b. remembered that he had hired him.
SELF to the stage company and forsworn
gambling. He was a man of his word,
and a stage driver he became. It was a
monotonous life until the road agents
began to pay frequent visits to the line,
and Jim liked it. The only thing that
disturbed his serenity was the recollec-
ton of the gentleman from Texas. If he
could bnt once meet that scientist face
to face, life would take OH new charms
for him.
| had a seat beside Jim OH the Lead
Vile coach, and as tho horses crawled
slowly up the grade of Kenosha noun
tain, preparatory to a wild dash down
the other side into the South park, l re-
marked TO him that it was going to be
a pleasant night. He replied that you
never could tell much about nights in
that country until the next day; he had
seen nights just as promising as this
m turn out real bad before daybreak.
The very best of meteorological predic-
tions were likely to fail in a country SO
thickly infested with gentlemen Of the
road.
l expressed a desire to have a view of
Red hill as we crossed that famous ele-
vation and wondered if the moon would.
be down before we got there. Jim
vouchsafed the information that the
would be up, but added that he
had known of peoples appetite for seen
cry being permanently destroyed by
gazing on Red hill by moonlight.
/ was sound asleep with my head on
Jim's shoulder when he nudged me and
said:
We're going up Red hill now. Help
yourself to the scenery, and if you've
got any valuables about you you'd bet
ter hide them. We're liable to see more
things than scenery"
Then the horses came to q sudden
stop, and Jim and I were looking down
the muzzle Of a revolver in the steady
hand of a horseman beside the wheelers.
will you step down for a moment,
driver?" asked the gentleman on horse
back.
Jim replied that he was just thinking
Of getting down, as he was tired of sit
ting. / followed him and took my place
beside him in time to see the other pas
sengers descend one by one from the in
side of the coach with their hands above
their heads and take a place in line be-
side Us.
There were but two Of the road
agents. While Il Of them relieved the
passengers of their weapons and all ar
ticles of value the other was in the
front BOAT Of the stage securing the
treasure box.
When the first robber came opposite
to Jim, he drew back in surprise, ex-
claiming, "Well, I'll be hangedl"
For a second only he was off his
guard, but that brief space of time was
a fatal one. A pistol cracked, and he
fell shot through the head.
Bang, crack!' went two more shots.
Both took effect. The second road agent
reeled and fell from the boot of the
stage, and Jim was lying beside the
first robber. 1t was the big six shooter
Of the man on the stage that had an
swered Jim's first shot, and it was the
crack of a derringer that had terminal
ed the brief battle.
Jim was wounded in the leg. A young
doctor in the party stanched the flow of
blood, and we proceeded on our way
with the bodies of the two bandits
thrown into the hind boat.
The shooting was shrouded in mys-
terry SO far as the passengers were con-
cerned. They had seen Jim's six shooter
taken from his holster by one of the
bandits, after which a careful search
had been made to see that he had no
other weapon, but when we picked him
up a derringer was clasped in either
hand. The question was how had he
managed to conceal them and bring
them into use at such an opportune
time? The mystery was solved when his
clothing was removed at the hotel in
Fairplay. Under his waistcoat was the
wire and elastic poker holdout formerly
belonging to the gentleman from Texas.
The nippers for holding the cards had
been removed, and circular clasp large
enough to securely hold the handle of "a
d%erringer had been attached in their
place. The gentleman to whom the con-
trivance originally belonged was in the
hind boot. His surprise upon recogniz-
ing Jim accounted for his presence there.
Jim's leg was broken, and the doc
tor informed him that when he recover
ed that leg would be shorter than the
other; that he would always limp when
he walked.
Its all my own fault" said Jim.
II don't see how You can make that
out"
well, it was this way: When l let
the d%erringers down into my hands, |
calculated to shoot the man OH the boot
with the gun in my right hand an take
the highest Teller with my lefs, but just
then recognized him a. the gent l was
mostly seekin after, a gent from Texas
who skinned me out O. my pile with
this yere hold out, an, doc, the tempta-
ton was too great. l give it to him
with my right. an it took me too long
to get a bead OF the other one. But,
say, doc. this science is a great thing"