The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-02

tend to have you shot while you're
happy
Nobody replied to this. The man
addressed only glanced across the ia
bic and then, dropping his eyes, brush
ed the ashes from his cigar with the
speakers right smiled quietly over al
his vis-a-vis, and then there was 81
lence for a moment.
The freighter and the prospector,
leaning on the bar, paid no attention
to the four men who sat and -moked
by the little pine table in a dark cor
ner of the log saloon. The Lone
Spruce" as the place was called had
done a rushing business in the boom
days, but Ruby Camp was diving, even
as Silver Cliff, Gunnison and dozens
of other camps have died since-as
Creole is dying today-and business
was slow. A drunken Ute reeled in
and wanted to play poker, shake dice
or shoot with any dog of a white man
in the place. When all the rest had
put him aside coldly he came over to
the corner, and the dark man, being
deep in thought, and not wishing to be
disturbed, arose, and picking his way
between the two guns which dangled
from the hips of the noble red man,
kicked him along down the room and
out into the night.
Having done his duty in removing
the red nuisance-for he hated a
drunkard-the dark man badie the bar
keeper goodnight and passed out by
the back door. The three men at the
pine table followed him.
All this occurred in the last half of
the closing hour of the week. Thirty
minutes later, when the four noun
taineers rode away from the Black
Bear Carrel. it was Sunday, but the
IF took No To0fa of
time. When the sun came up on that
beautiful Sunday morning it found the
dark man and his companions at the
top of the range overlooking the wet
mountain valley. Before they had
reached the foothills the sun caught
the two threads of steel that stretched
away across the park and disappeared
at the entrance of the canyon at the
foot OF the vale. Ali night they had
ridden single file, but now as they en-
tered the broad valley they punched
their horses and conversed as they
went along The dark man kept his
eyes upon barren peak that stood at
the foot of the valley, where the rail-
road track, gliding smoothly over the
mesa, seemed to tumble into the can
yon as swift Niagara tumbles over
the falls At that point the little party
expected to dismount and take the
train for the Cliff. The leader, WHO
was able to read both print and writ
ing. had noticed a paragraph in the
Denver Tribune to the effect that the
Few Custer county bank would open
for business at Silver Cliff on July IL.
He had been assured by his own bank
er at Gunnison that the new institu-
ton would be perfectly reliable, backed
as it was by the First National of Den
Yer Being man of good judgment,
he reasoned that the necessary funds d.
for the new bank would in all pToba-
bility leave Denver Saturday night,
and go up from the junction by the
one daily train on Sunday. That was
why he wished to take the train.
When they had crossed the valley
and entered the wilderness of pine
and cedar they began TO search for a.
side canyon which would lead them
down to the main gulch. Having found
a proper ravine they watered ana
erased their horses and had break
fast.
1t was not yet noon and the train, the
dark man made out from the figures
upon time card which he carried,
would not leave the junction until = p.
M 1t would probably be or 9:l5 when
il passed the mouth Of the little rlll,
upon which they were encamped
Having breakfasted and smoked, the
men stretched themselves upon the
ground. all save the dark. man, and
slept like tired children.
The leader leaning against moss
covered spruce tree, watched black
storm that was brewing in the hills to
the north Presently he heard a sharp
clap of thunder In a few minutes
there came the roaring sound of
waterfall. and the dark man knew that
a cloud had given way; but, as the
main guich was between him and the
storm. he gave the matter no serious
thought.
At last the hour arrived. The four
men. leaving their horses, descended to
the main gulch, only to find that there
was no railroad there. Skinny, still
smarting from the effect of the rather
severe temperance lectures he had re-
ceived the evening before, looked at
tn leader and started to laugh, but the
dark man scowled and crushed him.
He knew the country and knew that
the road had been there, but was now
washed away A little way up the
canyon they came TO the torn end Of
the track and knew for a surety that
no train would come up the gulch that
day.
The silent leader made no show of
disappointment, but quietly dismissed
his men and watched them ride away !
toward the sunset, with their broad
hats tipped sidewise, and their ever
ready rifles resting across their sad
dies. For himself he would have no
rife "Only a coward or burglar" he
used to say, will carry a cannon to
do the work of a forty-five."
When the others had passed out of |
sight the dark man refined his own
horse down the canyon. intending. since
he was so near. to visit his wife at the |
junction. The recent washout had left |
the bed of the gulch almost impaSsa
BILE and it was not until after midnight
that the lone traveller came to the
abandoned train, laying. like a living
thing that had fallen asleep on its own
trail Finding Che express car locked !
he opened one of the doors with the
coal pick which he found on the en-
CINE. The little iron safe was securely
locked. Having removed all the ex
plosives from the car this experienced |
mountaineer quietly blew up the safe
with a few sticks of dynamite, but
there was no money in it. BY the light
of the engineers torch he managed to
read a letter that had been left there
by the messenger, and which was adj
dressed to the express agent. AS the
explorer finished reading it he gave a
low soft whistle of surprise-not much
above whisper-for he was a, quiet
undemonstrative man.
From the car he returned to the en-
CINE, and with the clinker hook fished
an old clay stained ore sack out of the
tank. When he had cast tho sack in
the bed of the river he hurried away in
the direction of the junction, urging