The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-16
WITH A POSSE COrIITATUS.
BY E. F. Bow1Es, IN ST. LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT.

thought by the papers they were good
and peaceable now
Them PEACHES amt never peace
able, a'am,' said Doe, though I low
some of EN- are good now, an he
kinder grinned as he looked between
his powders at four or five llalf-naked
bucks a-layin' in the sand in the bot
tom of the gulch. She was back
against the bank and couldn't see 'em.
: DO you think the driver got through
safe?' she asked. 1t was gettin long
toward night, an we was gettin' anx-
ious.
We're hopin' he did, ma'am,' says
Doe. We amt see no sign that he
didn't
Doc was a-Iayin' next to me, an
KEEP a-cranin' himself UP to look down
the canyon. I told him to be keerful,
but he was gettin uneasy. Every time
ne did, the bullets 'ud bite into the
bank around US an chip off pieces of
| the rocks. The last time he did. 1
heard somethin' go chug.' [ knowed
the sound, an looked at Doc jest as he
sunk down on his breast
They dead sure got to me that
time he says, kinder between his
teeth an clinchin' up handfuls of dirt
| an rocks.
'Where?' I says.
:" In the breast; I guess I'm done up;
no, don't pull me back: it might worry
| her; let me lay here fiat" We didn't
know jest what to do, only to look
closer for chance to play even.
. Twasn't long till she noticed some
thin, an says: Why, what is the mat
ter with Mr.. Cutler?'
Why, it's the heat ur-ur-some-
thin; he's kinder sick-it affects some
people that way But a little red
streak a-triclslin' over the rocks from
under him made me out liar.
Why, no. she says, he's been hit
an about half raised herself to go to
him when one of the boys reached
around. ketchin her by the dress an
pullin' her down jest as about a hand
full of bullets hit the top where her
head showed a second. They thought
they hit, an yelled some, an about
that time low we got five for one.
well, sir, nothin' would do but she
must look at his hurt, so we got on
our hands an knees an wriggled him
back. She opened his shirt, an there
'twas-a forty-four hole jest to the
right of the center of his breast. She
| took off some kind of q kerchief she
had around her neck an washed the
blood away with water from a canteen
an took Docs head in her lap an
bathed his temples an washed the
! powder smoke an dust off his face.
| She wasn't trernblin' none now, but she
was white, an the tears KEEP a drop
pin soft-like on Docs face. He didn't
know nothin' about it, though, for he
| had tainted dead away. Poor boy
she said, he may have a mother some
! place, an it might have been my jim
N.Y. an right there every one of us
swore to himself that if James Rich
ards was in Arizony we'd find hinl-if
we got out of that hole alive.
'Twasn't long after that we heard
clatterin comm up the canyon an
then a lot of CELLS an shootin'. The
Paches on t'other side broke cover an
| went up the canyon, an right there we
| got in our work handsome, pluggin' it
to 'em at every jump. Whenever we
| got one, he'd go into the air, turn over
like a jack-rabbit an come down in a
| heap. But down the canyon there was
lively scrimmage. They was a big
party of bucks, an KNOWN Bill 'ud
! be back they was a-layin' for EN-. But
/ Lord, PEACHES are no account in a
stand-up fight, an they broke like
sheep. When they come by. we had
our innin's, an jumpin' out of the hole
! Joined the boys in the fun.
Bill had rid the big bay leader, an
| jest as he got to the bottom of the hill
two bullets struck him in the flank an
| Bill caught one in the arm; but the
! boss KEEP I'D for nine miles, an Bill
| run the other one on foot holdin' his
arm. Nearly everybody at the station
| turned out, an they wasn't too many
| then; as twas, they lost three men
the postmaster and two miners. We
hitched I'D the stage, put our three
| dead on top an her an Doc inside, she
| hOldin Docs head all the way. He'd
kinder come to an tried to let on like
| it wasn't much, that he'd get over it,;
| but ne seemed to rest easier with her
smoothiTi' his for'ed an talkin' to him
easy an soothin like.
I'VE got him into room in the stage
| tavern an sent for the camp doctor.
He dug around an got the bullet out
an thought mebby he'd pull through,
| but Doc KEEP a piczin' at the blanket
and calm for his mother an Pete
Jennings says, I've watched lots of
'em go over the divide doctor, an they
always go that way; when they take
! to picllin' at the blanket an calm for
mother they are dead sure goin'. No,
sir; Docs down to bedrock, an not a
sign o color; he'll peg out tonight,
shore
James Richards mother she came to
the room door jest as Doc was calm
wild like for his mother; she jest
stopped minute in the door like she
| was maxim up her mind, an we all
! took our hats off an waited. Mother,
said Doc, kinder pleadin' like; then she
sorter choked somethin' back, an with
her eyes shinin', went straight up to
Docs bunk Here I ann-ny son. and
then she laid her hand on his forced.
Doc was delirious like, but he smiled
| kinder easy an didn't call for mother
no more.
.Along in the night his mind cleared
some an he reused up; he knoWed he
was hard hit, an felt himself sinkin.
Would you mind holdin' my hand,
ma'am? he said, 1t will kinder help
me over the rough places in the trail
I'm on. She took his hand and he was
quiet for a long while, then he opened
| his eyes and said: "They's a song,
am, amt heard for 20 years an
more, not sence I left home; it begins:
! There is q Fountain would it be ask
The white-haired little mother cleared
her throat easy-Iike, an started the
tune They wasn't one of us but knew
the tune, an tried to help her out, but
ii brought back so many things to us
that we Jest choked up an quit an
stood there with the tears runnin' out
of our eyes, leavin' her to carry the
| tune through alone. After she'd finish
ed, Doc says: Thank you, ma am and
iE a little while we see he was about
gene, but he looked up at her still hold
in her hand, an says, in a. sort of
! whisper: Would you mind kissin me
maam? You've got a boy an know
the reason I ask? She bent an kissed
him. Thank you, maam, I'm almost