The Van Buren press., 1897-09-11

tallkln' as sensible as any hdH eouloZ
when suddenly his eyes opened wide.
and a sort o scared expression came
on his face and he lifted his hand and
pointed to the sky.
"'Look at the ships!' he says. Look
at the pretty ships sailin' in the sky!
Don't yo' see EN-? Ships! Ships!'
Il looked where he pointed and l
couldn't see even a yaller hammer or a
blueiay.
- don't see no ships. says.
Don't see 'em.' says Potts. Why
Dune ye, whar's yer eyes? Can't yd'
see 'em? Why thar's thousands and
thousands of 'eml'
"He stood looking at the sky for
awhile, and then he got sane again and
went right along with what we were
sayin'. You bet cut the conversation
short and got away from there. l ain |
got no use for crazy people"
Clark, of the Oregon house, paused
again and seemed to gather his
thoughts.
but the old man was crazy enough
this mornin', he continued. "As | said.
he's had one of his girls livin' with hiEl
and last night he tried to give her /
whaling, and she ran away and came
down to where the boys were worlin
at the Point. The old man came down
this mornin' loolxin' for the girl and
him and the boys had fight. The girl
skipped out while they was serappin' .
and then the old man chased her two or
three miles with an ak, tryin' to ketch
her. But he didn't keteh her, and when
he came back he was just a rayin'
maniac. He passed by the shop, going
down river, and he was the widest
lookin' mortal you ever see. He had the
ak in his hand yet, and he was swingin'
it and talkin' and yellin' to the sky,
and | reckon he'd have killed anybody
that got in his way. l know I'd "a shat
him if he'd "a came at me; and George.
my boy, he was about scared plumb II
death. | tell you, that's why he pulled
out so early, reckon. | shouldn't be
surprised if some OF his half-breed boys
lays him cold one of these days; for (
they don't he'll surely kill some OF
them. He"
The narrative was cut short by the
sudden appearance OF a man. He
scrambled up from the trail that led
from the river, and ran out to the mid
die of the platform in front OF the shop
The horses, peacefully engaged in pick
ing up the few remaining straws OF
their morning feed, scented him, and
then saw him, and snorted. No won
der, for the man was strengthening
being.
A tall man, broadshouldered and well
made. On his head, a woman's ragged
straw hat, beneath which long black
hair hung down to his shoulders. a
rough shirt, villainously dirty. partly
covered the upper portion of his body
partly, | say, because it was torn open
at his throat, showing his hairy breast,
and had no sleeves, which left his long,
sun-burned, muscular arms bare. From
his waist down he WAS covered by a
pair of old pants which came only to
his ankles, and his feet were shoeless.
In his right hand he held an ak, and on
bis gaunt, grizzlcd, haggard face, in
which burned two fierce hollow eyes,
were the shadow of insanity.
For moment he stood still, his great
chest rising and falling with the tides
of excitement that surged within him.
Then his fierce eyes, wandering and
ever restless, caught sight of the two
men under the shed of the old shop, and
were at once fixed upon them with an
intensity not pleasant. For yet an
other moment he stood thus, and then,
with quick, catlike steps, he started
towards them.
The man at the plum box turned
pale and attempted to rise, but was
pulled down to huddled heap, Then
Clark's hand went to his back pocket
and pulled out an old Colts revolver,
He had drawn his knees up close to his
chin, and now he laid the barrel of his
pistol upon his knees, the muzzle of
it pointing downhill towards the slow
ly-adNancing lunatic.
With his finger resting lightly upon
the trigger; with his thin lips parted
so they showed the tobacco-stained
teeth, between which his pipestem was
held so tightly that it was crushed
fiat; with his gray eyes filled with that
cold, steely light that tells of an un-
swerving, implying determination,
Clark waited.
Behind the man upon which the gun
was trained the grcat canyon of Yuba
lay-a strange, impressive background
for the tragedy the man at the plum
box felt was about to take place.
But there was no tragedy. When the
man came within a few yards of him
Clark called out:
Don't come any nearer, Potts, or
I'll shoot!"
Potts stopped, looked at Clark
steadily for a moment, then whirled
and went down the trail on the other
side of the platform-the trail that led
towards the Chinamen's camp up the
river As he disappeared down the steep
bank Clark let down the hammer of his
gun and said:
How'd you like Mr.. Potts?"
Then he became aware of the fact that
he had ruined his pipestem, and with a
half serious, half humorous smile on
his face he remarked:
"Well hang OF Potts! If I'd knowed
] was goin' to bust my pipe I'd "a shot
him anyway"
I'm glad you didn't know it, them"
replied the man at the plum box, with a
faint smile, which died away as a wild,
hoarse cry came up from the river.
They went out to look, and saw Potts