The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-12

Would they do so rash thing as seek TO
save him BY attempting to divert the
idiots attention and SO precIpltate the
catastrophe? What wonderful things did
not come trooping out of the open door or
death and run riotously through the
bandits head?
A clumsy thumb slowly felt along the
barrel for the hammer, and its opposing
foretinger as slowly crept along under
meath as it CROPPED for the trigger-guard.
The pallor in the prisoners face thereupon
became a dead gray, and as slowly and
surely as the idiots thumb ana forennger
crept along the rifle BARREL sure, strong
bandit hand was taking firmer hold OF q
knife, and powerful biceps were preparing
for masterful effort. There was perfect
silence between these two-the idiot, who
was master, and the strong and competent
man, who was helpless-but no sound that
either could have made, no word that
either could have spoken, would have
been so terrible as this deadly communion
of silence between them.
1t was a repeating-ride that the idiot
held. He had already fired shot from
it, and that had necessitated throwing OF
the lever to eject the empty shell. The
bandits had seen the idiot. perform that
feat with quick dexterity when he had
shot one of them in the shoulder, and
knew that in doing so he had cooked the
weapon. The one ray OF hope that now
shone in the leaders heart was that the
idiot had taken the precaution to let down
the hammer after they had left him. 10
cock the weapon would require second.
One second was ali that the rObber needed.
With the bandit it was not now matter
of disabling the idiot with knife-thrust
through the arm; it was battle to the
death, and his stout heart must not quaver
under the superstition which had spared
the boys life when he first intruded him
self. Nor could he for moment permit
himself to calculate the distance which
his LIE, were lessening between themselves
and him. TO kill this unspeakable
monster that held his life on the touch
of a finger was the present necessity, the
only thing that could be thought of, the
one idea upon which he must concentrate
every faculty of his strong, clear mind.
The interposltion of the boys hand pre-
vented view of the rifles lock. The inn
prisoned man could not see whether the
hammer was up or down. He could know
T, that fact only when he should see the
| clumsy thumb begin to press on that
| potent bit of crooked metal. Meanwhile
the grasp on the knife had been made
| sufficiently firm and the biceps were ready.
| With incredible swiftness the rubber 5
arm shot out, and fine, strong knife-one
| of the kind made to kill-went flying
| through the air. 1t was wonderful aim,
for it had been calculated seemingly
through incredible ages and had been
| planned and judged for accuracy to the
thousandth part OF an inch. So true was
it that it found the boys throat, through
which the knife passed till the guard was
pressed hard against the skin.
1t was only the springlng of mine. In
another moment bullet was blowing its
way through the robbers body, having en-
tered his mouth; it was the blow of the
knife upon the idiots neck that had
! pressed the finger on the trigger; and the
robber, whatever else might have hap
pened, had indirectly given himself a
death wound.
The Gathering of horses hoofs and the
running of men to the scene of the tragedy
followed the duel so closely that the dying
highwayman' last words, issuing thickly
from his torn mouth, were indistinctly
| heard:
mo man that ever murdered an idiot
| since the world was born has stepped out
OF this life with his boots off !"