Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-03-08
THE SACRIFICE OF SAM.

The blacksmith's City" lasted until
almost six o'clock, and while he was
engaged on Bills hoof the loafers wan
dered out, one at time, ana GisatJ-
peared up the hillside, presumably in
the direction Of a house, and this re-
minded Sam that it was supper time,
and that he was hungry.
Bout suppeh time, stranger" said
the blacksmith, suddenly, as though
divining his clients thought Hadn't
we bettah come up an Craze with We
all, an let the job go f'r bit?'
CANT do it, pardner," Sam replied,
somewhat hastily, thereby confirming
the other in certain suspicion he held
about Sam THAT is that he was mar
shals or sheriff's deputy cause, We
see, got t be a movin' right peart, an
gittin' [ Rio. 'Bliged to We, all tn
same, I'll just 60 ovah Z tn store an
get smack vile We finish tn job"
There was a little faded, sharp fea-
tured woman behind the counter in the
little store, and her keen black eyes
studied Sam criticallyas she proceeded
to serve him with the cheese and
crackers he called for. Presently
tall, big. e-shouldered fellow
came in and stood by the door, and tn
woman went and joined him. They
conVersed in low whispers for about
minute, and Sam, dimly suspicious,
glanced at them two or three times
The last time he saw that they We
looking at him. Then the woman
with a half laugh, shrugged her tina
shoulders and said aloud, as the BIZ
man turned to go out:
"Quien sabe? Quien sabe?"
The moment the big man was SOne
however. she FASTENED TO the back o.
the store, looked into the bsrroCm, ap-
parently to make certain that it was
unoccupied. then came up to Stires,
who was hastily gobbling his lunch,
and asked, in a whisper:
stranger, be YOU a deD'ty?'
Me? No. O. cOse not. Whit
"Co'se." said the woman, With en las
patient gesture, Il might a kncWcd
wouldn't say so, If We was. LooS ere
she went on hastily, coming closer and
laying hand on his arm, ''yre ln da-.-
ger. mister lie me tell We, vile Use
got tn chanst. th't We wantuh siI uIt
O. this real quick-an' don't TAX le
Rio trail fur. Leave it mile on. aH
cut cross to'ds Amity Fo'ks-heaA
me?"
"Yes'm. shO do: but Whut-"
Don't stCp & asst no fool questions.
That big fellah's Ned Flynn an yere's
We're e hangs out a lot. They'll git ye,
eff We don't look out. I'm teliin ye
this, 'cause-'cause neyah min.
Only Git 3 move on"
Sam lost no time in seeing that Bill
was properly fixed and, getting
started, he took the strange little wo-
mans advice and turned toward Amity
Forks, thereby preserving, no doubt,
whole skin. He asked himself many
times why the woman should have Ia
ken the trouble TO warn him. but was
unable to find any reason for ii.
Asa matter OF fact. the woman her
self could have given no reason beyond
that essentially feminine because
TIE lace OF Ned Flynn haunted Sam.
Why. it is impossible to say, for Sam
Stires. like the rest of his family was
not at all imaginative. There was
rothing at all remarkable about the
the face of Flynn, the outlaw excepting
the racJ that il behed the character OF
it's owner, being a square honest face,
with two clear, honest blue eyes while
Flynn-ven, everybody within 100
miles of The line knew what he was.
Nevertheless that face bothered Sam,
all the way home, and for two or three
DAYS afterward. and he could think Ct
no reason for its constant appearance
before his mental vision until, one after
noon shortly after his arrival home, he
started out for the Huston place to see
Mat Then, as ne fOrded a creek near
the Huston ranch, he remembered the
man he had met there one time when he
had been told after his arrival at the
house was Harry Armstrong. his
much-heard-0i but -before-seen
rival for Mats affections And he re-
mem5ered now that the strangers face
vas the face of Ned Flynn, outlaw and
hustler
After making this startling discoy-
cry he rode more slowly in order TO re-
cover his mental equilibrium. He was
in doubt how to act in the matter, for
he was by no means absolutely certain
that he was correct and he knew that
to tell Nat of his discovery and then
find that he was mistaken would ieO-
pard, If not ruin, his own chances with
her. Wherefore. he resolved to pro-
coed with caution, and to assure him
self that he was right before going
ahead.
Say, Bart" he asked, in confden-
tial tone of Mats brother. who rode q
mile or two with him on his homeward
way late that night, who's this yere
Armstrong, anyways
Bart Huston laughed.
"Gittin' scairt of i'm, Sam? Didn't
s'pose he was worryin' We at all, sho
didn't"
Oh. I don't car ptic'lar," said Sam,
hastily, with gesture Of deDrecation.
"On'y I'm jes' sort O GURUS bout i'm,
that's ALL"
"Wa-al. fact is, I don't know much
bout the duck" confessed Bart. Seen
i'm onct, didn't We? Wa-al, all l know
bout i'm is, th't he's got a ranch oyeh
on tn Pecos, an 'notheh one oyeh b tn
Two-Mile-or Watrous place. ye
know. Says 'es goin t sell aout tn
Pecos place. an move oveh I this coun-
try afteh tn fall raound up. Seems t
be a purity good soht o fellah, an ac's
ike 'e's got dough. Els some eddi-
Gated, too"
Him" grunted Sam, as though it