The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-01

over the turbid stream. and the shat
tered remains of pile driver resting
where 1t had been thrown on n shelf of
rock the great works had disappeared.
Occasionally a heavy beam. wrench"d
from the bolt that had held it to the
now submerged pillng, would rise to
the surface, throw half its length in the
air, and vanish down the stream.
Then the river began to fall. With
q rapidity second only to the rise the
water lowered its level. 1t left on the
black face of the cliffs a brown band
of silt, which turned, as 1t dried in the
torrid sun. to a light gray. Here and
there against corners of the rock, 1t
deposited confused piles of drift.
Then some of the higher hilocks on
the broad flats below the canyon be-
gan to show their heads as islands. The
current became less rapid. a trail
which wound along the face of the
mesa was uncovered, and along this
| trail presently, man came slowly rid
ing. His horse was wounded; both
the animal and his rider wore the air
of utter collapse. caused by long and
violent exertioh
IT'S Cappy Lee" said some one in
the watching crowd Lord, he's sure
been up against it-look at himl'
Slowly the horseman made his way
up the steep path to the mesa. He
was at once surrounded by question
ing men, and a dozen TASKS were Of
fered him. He drank and slid heavily
from his horse. before speaking.
you don't go thnkin' | went fer to
take that low trail, do you?" he said,
in reply to a question. "Wen. | didn't.
| was thrOwed there, me and the
| horse, an we winned out on place
what was JUS above the rush. The
rest is gOne-Barton an Joyce an Will
lis. All gone. Seen 'em go, an couldn t
do a thing. The thief, he's gone too
gone with 'em. His legs was hobbled
| under the horse he was ridin, so he
couldn't help himself nohow But
they couldn't none of 'em help EN-
selves"
As the man was speaking. he SWayed
on his feet and was about to fall. Car
ter and the transitman helped him to
n seat against the shaded side of the
stone house. Some one began tanning
him.
The contractors wife appeared for
| an instant around the corner of the
house, beckoned to Carter and van
ished, Carter followed her.
Where did you take your man,
Lee?' asked the transitman
Jus across the river, none So far
from here" was the repIy Me an
Reddy Willis ketched up to him on the
Aqua Caliente road He was rdin' one
er them ponies what Unc' George lost.
without no saddle, an he couldn' t
hardly stay on AT a walk. He was the
man we was after, all right enough.
but say; dyer know | kinder felt sorry
fer i'm? He wasn't no kind of a horse
thiet--he wasn't hardly a man. | tells
| him to throw up his hands. an he
don't seem to saVy what l'm givin i'm.
He comes from back east somewhere,
| could see that stickin' out II foot.
| Then | tells him again to throw up his
hands an he pulls out one er these
ERE little guns, like you'd hang on Yer
watch chain an fires at me"
Did he hit you, Cappy? some one
| asked.
| "Naw!" replied Cappy, smiling
weakly. "Ain't heard f'om it yet, any
how, if he did. | takes his gun away,
an Reddy he hits him a clip across the
| cabeza. Say. That galoot he begins
to cry-to cry. He don't say that he
amt took the horses. but he talks
about the disgrace-bein' ketched, !
| reckon he means-an' says he wanted
to pay for 'em, only he couldn't, but all
| the same he offers US the dust Twice
| as much as them CrOWbaitS is worth, it
was. | couldn't saVVy his lay, nohow;
| said he didn't dare buy EN- When we
wouldn't take his money, he cries
| some more, an talks about his wife
an kids. Reddy, he gets dead soft
an was JUS about ready to take the
stuff a turn i'm loose, an / don't
1 know as I'd made much of kick only
jus then up comes Barton an Joyce
Barton said that. seein' he was shcr-
iff, he'd have to do his duty. He al
ways done that, Barton did. Then we
starts to come back here, an the flood
ketches us. We pushed fer all we was
worth, all Of us, but it didn't do nc
good--nOt to the others. anyhow.
see Barton stoop out of his saddle to
| cut the thief's leg hobbies loose, an
| then the water came. That feller, he
| let jus one SCream-a scream like a
wounded horse. There amt nothin
| worse than that. I went down stream
| l don't seem to recollect much about
| it, only | stuck to the saddle, an
| bimeby me an the pony gets chuckeG
| out five miles below, or thereabouts.
winned out, an | come up here. | was
| crossin' the flat, down here ways, an
| | sees Barton an the man we'd took
| an the poney he was a-ridin'. Dead
| All three of 'em dead. Bartons horse
wasn't there, an Bartons hand was
| grippin' the foot-habble yet, an hi:
other was clinched roun' his knife.
left EN- there-I couldn't do nothin
else. They was jam'med right III
against one er> you fellers' stakesJ an
l pushed it up an brung it along, sos
you'd know where to look. Somebody
oughter go out an bring 'em in
| Quick, before the coyotes-before any
thin happens. I'd go, only I'm knde
| done"
Several men started in the direction
of the Comals. Lees saddle was lying
on the ground near by, and to its can
tie was tied the stake. 7 was loos
ened and handed to Powers. WHIT
glanced at the red chalk figures whlcl
still showed legibly ON its side
IT'S the last stake we put in today,
he said. "Go in. to the office and lool
at the map, They'll have plotted tn
notes by this time. Take a couple O
extra horses with you when you go
and aparejos. No wagon can reacl
there after this flood" Powers wake,
slowly away, passing in front of tn
house, as the door opened, and Carte
emerged. Powers stopped and waited
Il reckon twas you sne wante,
when she sent out" said Carter, as h
approached the engineer. "TWa
about them kids. She wanted the
should be sent to their grandaddy if