The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11

III. I IIIIgHJy ODIIRtU
telegram-see? There's time for chat,
but me and my pards here are willin to
give you fair chance. There's been
bad old plant made on we, sonny. We have
| information a trains expected here to-
night but We're not sure about the hour,
| We won't trouble you to go to that ma
| chine there, for my pard, Willy Bill VIII
work the wires for any message you care
| TO send-see2 My names Nebraska Ben
| perhaps you've heard ii afore-an tonight
| I'll be a man or a mouse, an SOIL every
! chap who sees me through. Will you stand
in with us2''
Mr.. Jackson was not hero, and fear
| have inaceurately described him as a gen.
| tleman. He belonged to a type which
forces the fact of its existence upon one in
every tram car and trottoir from San Fran
cisco to New York; he is ground up by
der by electric cars ali over the States with
perfect IMMUNITY, for he is cheap man,
ana ad there, there is only. q small amount to pay
Tor killing him accidentally" At this
especial moment however, and in this
lonely station, his representative rose to
courage as admirable, though certainly not
so picturesque, as that displayed by the
famous General Dillon on the scaffold,
when ne gaily stepped to the guillotine out
| or his turn, SO that the timid woman at
his side might see how easy it to die.
I m bowed If do!'' he cried, and rushed
to the Geographic apparatus standing at
| the opposite side of the room, but fell
| senseless ere he reached it. stricken down
| by the butt of Nebraska Ben's revolver.
Tie the coyote up an gag him, quick,
| whispered that worthy, hoarsely; we must
| try 10 work the thing without him. Git
| the men in, too there are plenty in Jag
| sersviile I'D blow the gait if they saw 'em
! hangin around.
He obeyed Immediately, and about
| ten men entered hastily, taxing the limited
| space SO much that one of them stumbled
| over the PROSTATE form of Mr. Jackson.
Take that Teller away out O. the light"
dump him down in the room above an
| lock the bloomin' door. He amt likely to
give trouble jest now, anyway"
There a c fVUC
| men, bearing the limp body between them
| obeyed the second order as silently as pos
/ sible under the circumstances, and then
came stumbling down the little stairs soft
| ly cursing their narrowness.
SILENCE there, gents, if you please" con-
guns. Are the picks outsider
%, es; cap replied one OF the newcomers
with the porter chap"
Good; they'll be wanted in a hurry
Halioa hers wire. Now, then, WHY
| William, what's the news?' he added as
the telegraph bell tinkled.
bending over the keys his pale sinister
what they say and he slowly spelled out,
| as the instrument clicked it's message:
| Freight suspended; gold express due Jag
| gersVllle by 3. Keep sharp lookout. Tele-
| graph Big Timbers If anything unusual to-
our train. by gumr exclaimed the cap
| tain. Mighty smart too. to send the dust
| round by this Rip Van Wrinkle place. they
must ha' got wind of our little game up
| got sand, you bet! If | hadn't the wire
jeff Crlmmins sent on to-day-she's en-
gagged to him now-we were goners. Any
| way, she's with that gaoot upstairs
| over the Dubleek gal, for they'll sack him
| on this job, sure as vandy. There ain t
much margin left for mistakes. Now, then.
| 70 biz. You wire some sort O. answer,
| Billy an you boys take yer picks an get
| the rails up quick at the canyon side She
| must go over there, for, of course, there s
| no cnance of her stoppin' at this yere sta
| ton. The rest'll be easy as kissin yer
| hand. How blamed close they kt ot every
| thing, even from their own clerk. till the
| last moment! If there's a dime there's a
| million in gold in that there train, an if
| we only manage the trick proper were
There was a low growl of satisfaction,
land the greater part of the men trooped
out Immediately. Then came the flied
| pat-pat OF horSeShoeS on the graSs-g grown
road outside leading from the diggings,
and a booted, armed man appeared in the
little blurr of light thrown by one of the
| signal lamps Jem Potts the porter now
| lying bound in the tiny waiting room, haG
| lit Just before being taken prisoner.
Right you are, Fete-on time. as usual -
said Nebraska. Ben, gaily. How many
| have you got?'
Sewn cap, counting myself" answered
the other
"Thatn do. Jest send a couple to watch
| the JaggersVille road an few more To
patrol the canyon bridge Hold up any
| thing you meet. but don't fire. if possible.
The quieter every move of this game. S
| kept the better; there's too many Vigilants
| knock1n around. You may slip yourself
| to the gates where the road crosses the
| ambush for if she pulls up at all it will be
| before pasSin' the station, an jest there
1t amt likely, but we can't afford to take
| no risks"
''All right, cap. Wen make it lively for
that escort if they get curious, There 5
sure H,.,, to be be troops along with the dust
| oned some three or four others from with
IN and departed silently for the point men,
| toned, less than quarter of a mile up the
line. The leader looked at his watch
Times passin', gents he observed to
those remaining, an we must get them
| there. boys. So. Now Sam Willins take
thar lamp yon9er an put it on the bracket
O glass on the arm; youll find ladder pe at
| the side. The trains comm, of course
from Denver, so the distance signal ought
| up there myself. Then we've only got to
| pull the lever yonder the clerk showed me
to-day an the arms II fall. an the signal
stand at Clear. I'll look after this for
| everything's got to be done regular, else
| they'll smell rat. Rest yer eye on them
telegraph keys. Bill, an don't you boys
rail- 70 keep a sharp lookout neither"
And with this pleasantly. which provoked
a suppressed guffaw, he hurried away into
When Mr.. Jackson was so roughly de-
posted upon the floor of his room he re-
turned to consciousness almost mmedi-
ately. For a while he remained perfectly
still, endeavoring to collect his thoughts
| and listening to all that passed in the room
| below. But when he heard the telegram he
| knew prompt action was imperative.
The gag had not been securely fastened
| and the roughness of his bearers had
| further loosened it at one side Working
| his jaws furiouslv he soon able to
| clear his mouth of the felt bandage and
| then lifting his numbed arms, he patiently
| bit asunder the cords binding his hands
| little care presently set his feet free also
| lie was suffering great pain, his ears ring
| ing, his head aching from the effects of the
| hlOW forced himself n pfrot
| his attention on the need of the moment
Leaning against the wall, he stealthily
| struck a match and looked at his watch
| Good heavens, he had not quite twenty
| minutes! What could he do in that time?
| Escape to Jaggersville was out of the Ques-
| An active, unWounded man might succeed
| in tapping the telegraph wires which he
| knew passed close to the shingles overhead
| but the message would Individually arrive
| too late at Big Timbers. Whatever was to
be done should be done at once-but what!
He almost groaned aloud in his impo-
| tence, and remembering Rosie cursed her
heartily. Then he thought of Miss DubleeS
and included her in the anathema. for il
they had not quarreled she would probably
be now at her window waiting, and he
might. by signaling to Bee Ranch, get
something accomplished
why not do so instantly?' he asked him
self, dreamily; ANYTHING was better than
this awful inactivity with every lost min
ute bringing the express nearer to her
doom. The chance of attracting the girl
attention was sickenngly faint, but it was
the only means of communicating with the
outer world left him, and he resolved to
try it.
Slipping off his boots he CROPPED his way
| OainfullV n the window oft