Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-08-07
HIS PRESENCE OF MIND.


TITS great thing, presence Of mind,
and always regret that somehow l
don't think Of the right thing until
the wrong time"
The speaker, says the San Francisco
Examiner, was man whose mus
tache and hair showed the winter of
life was near. His eye was piercing,
not shifty, and his clothing and
adornments betokened comfortable
circumstances.
81 was guard on the Big Bend
stage. had been gambler for twen-
ty years. knew all the tricks and
had played every game in all sorts of
ways and with every kind of device.
ut was just such night as this,
the very gentlest Of breezes, the moon
so bright one could read by it, and the
road through the woods was as
white ribbon. We were bowling along
quietly enough up grade, when at Il
turn we met two horsemen coming at
a slashing gallop. They threw their
horses back on their launches and we
were held.
passengers, drivers and all were
stood up in row, and one of the ban
dts guarded us, while his partner,
Pete he called him, was soon at work
on the box. l suspected the driver of
connivance, for when we heard the
horses he said it was the courier COM
ing; he knew of the trip, and so threw
me off my guard. l was put in a line
alongside of the reinsman, and while
l had both eyes on the guard and his
partner, not move of that rascally
driver escaped me.
"Of course we all had our hands in
the air, and right here let me explain
a little point. Did you ever see po-
ker hold-out? It's an ingenious con-
trivance which fits beneath your clo-
thing, with an arm extending down
the sleeve of your coat on the inside,
so regulated that by pressure of the
elbow the clip is at the wrist to grip
a card or out of sight up in the arms.
1t is a handy affair not to be caught
with, too, for it is prima facia eyl
dence, and hanging's too little for d
man who's known to be ready to play
with the contrivance about him
When 1 quit the game had a set OF
em. / took 'em from a fellow from
the bay who came up to earn an hon
est dollar. l wouldn't sell 'em OF
give 'cm away; some one might think
used such things myself. So l JUS
quietly worked patent. l got pail
of single shot derringcrs, which would
lie in the crook of my arm aud no
rest hard, and fastened 'em to eithe
clip of the hold-outs. OF course wheI
my hands were up the derringers la.
!. snug against my forearm. l had prac
ticed with 'em lots, and knew jus
how to cramp my elbows, drop m,
arms little and have the little bark
Q ers in my hand.
y II was gradually letting my hand
down once; that is l was testing tn
thing, when the guard called me u
8 sharp, fearing something, and mad
. me move away mite from the line
where he could watch me particula
and keep the passengers covered a
we'll He ordered everybody to kee
still, too, for there was little bit G
sobbing by woman in the party an
a sniyeling drummer was bemoanin
his fate Pete was not doing goo
business with the box, though, for h
was clubbing away with hammer
but not making any headway at oper
ing the little safe.
Suddenly the opening came. Th
guard was getting impatient ours
ing Pete, when with smash tn
hinges broke. Pete gave an exclamS
tion, and the guard turned his head
only for a second, though, but tina
20 was enough, for had been watchin
. him, and it was no great thing to tax
advantage of the chance.
"Like flash my arms had droppe
and those little 3s.callbre pops wer
T. in my hands. With my right
dropped the guard, the bullet goin
d through his head. l shot the fello'
at the box with my left hand. l ne'
- er was as good shot with my left q
= with my right, and, in addition, b
was three times as far.away. So, il
stead of hitting him in the head, as
tried, only got him in the body. A
he turned and drew his gun cried
%. the people to drop, for knew thel
mt would be some lively shooting. l di
not take time to reach for my ON
- gun, but threw myself on the dea
robber, catching his bullet as l wei
down.
81 had the gun of the dead one |
OF Are You Tired
All the time? This condition is a su