The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-12-11

he sees ships. 1remembee Twas HlkIns
with him once-T forget just what so
were c~onversin' about, but Potts sas
talkin' as sensible Is any man could
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 shipsi' he says. Lsos
at the pretty ships sailin' in the skyi
Don't yo' see EN-? Ships! shinsl
Il looked where ae pointed and +
couldn't see even a yauer hammer or
bluejay.
az don't see no ships. / says.
Don't see emil says Potts WHY
Dune We. whar's yer eyes? Can't
see 'em? Why thar's thousands ana
thousands of emil
He stood looking at the sky for
awhile, and then he got zane again and
went right along with what we were
sayin'. You bet I cut the conversation
short and got away from there. Iain'S
got no use for crazy people,"
"But the old mar was crazy enough
this mornin', he continued. sAs I said.
he's had one Of his girls livin' with him
and last night he tried to give her a
whaling, and she ran away and came
down to where the boys were worn
at the Point. The old man came down
this mornin' lookin' for the girl and
him and the boys had q 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 keteh
her. But he didn't ketch her. and when
he came back he was Just a raFin
maniac. He passed by the shop, gohlg
down river, and he was the widest
lookin' mortal you ever see. He had the
ax in his hand yet, and he was swingin'
it and talkin' and yellin' to the sky,
and l reckon he'd have killed anybody
that got in his way. know I'd a shot
him if he'd "a came at me; and George.
my boy, he was about scared plumb to
: death. / tell you, that's why he pulled
out so early, l reckon. / shouldn't be
I surprised if some OF his half-breed boys
lays him cold one of these days; for it
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 a strengthening
being.
/ A tall man, broad-shouldered and well
/ made. On his head, a woman's ragged
E 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--
t partly, l say, because it was torn open
1T his throat, showing his hair5 breast,
/ and had no sleeves, which left his long,
/ sun-burned, muscular arms bare. From
his waist down he was covered By .
/ pair of old pants which came pnlg to
his ankles. and his feet were shoeIess.
In his right hand lie aIE on
baggard
t which burned two fierce hollow eyes.
t were the shadow Of insanity
For a 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
I ever restless, caught sight of the two
men under the shed of the old shop, and
I were at once fixed upon them with an
intensity not pleasant. For yet an
other moment he stood thus, and then,
e with quick, catlike steps, he started
+ towards them.
The man at the plum box turned
e pale and attempted to rise, but waa
. pulled down to a huddled heap. Then
e Clark's hand went to his back pocket
. and pulled out an old Colts revolver.
t He had drawn his knees up close to his
t chin, and now he laid the barrel of his
pistol upon his knees, the muzzle Of
1t pointing downhill towards the slow
+ l~y-ad1ancing lunatic.
With his finger resting lightly upsn
< the trigger; with his thin lips parted
. so they showed the tobacco-stained
a teeth, between which his pipestem was
= held so tightly that it was crushed
e fat; with his gray eyes filed with that
cold, steely light that tells of an un,
swerving. IMPLYING determination
b Clark waited.
Behind the man upon which the gun
+ was trained the great canyon of Yuba
a lay-a strange, impressive background
y for the tragedy the man at the plum
9 box felt was about to take place.
I But there was no tragedy. When the
man came within q few yards Of him
Clark called out:
Don't come any nearer, Potts, d
I'll ghcot!"
NPotts stopped, looked at C,arl
steadily for a moment, then whirled
I and went down the trail on the othei
side of the platform-the trail that lei
9 towards the Chinamen's camp up the
4 river. As he disappeared down The steer
I bank Clark let down this hap4mer of hi
gun and said:
How'd you like Mr.. Potts"
Then he became aware of the fact tina
6 be had ruined his pipestcm, and with
q half serious. half humorous smile OF
his face he remarked:
q SWELL hang OIL Potts! If I'd knowet
c was goin' to bust my pipe I'd "a sho.
d him anyway"