Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-05-28
aBetter leave it alone" said tho

el@ ast SI-Hts Asr EuluSEf w So
On timed beet When you can get
freah eggs. Besides, me luck couldn't
charge for The worse anyway" he
added as ne thought OF what the
exile life il chat .oae land meant.
"Well, then,' said the constable,
iii you don't mind tie bsd luck
wrap them IN your sl.iii, and | VII
hold your chapeau.' And be waded
over to the other and held tie
helmet.
"Tm Quare looking bird now
aaid the sergeant as he peeled the
gray flannel shirt over his head like
stripping an otter and proceeded to
transfer the eggs from the watery
nest to the impromptu bsg.
u miss MY guess or you III run up
az, in hard lack this trip. ! would mt
touch nest with 10 eggs in it with
a ten foot pole,n said the constable
as they made their way out through
the scrub growth on the edge of the
lakes.
"Haying bath, gentlemen asked
a cherry voice from the wilderness
as they emerged into the open.
1t was the man who had looked
upon them the previous night as
they lay sleeping.
The sergeant was so astonished
that the corner of the shirt slipped
from his hand and the Is eggs rolled
into q batter at his feet.
And it was no wonder that he was
sstonished, for he was looking upon
two policemen.
The three V shaped stripes on the
right arm Of one Of hem, the speak
er, showed that he was a sergeant.
Something about the clothes struck
him as bang strangely familiar. He
could almost swear to a spot or two
on the front Of the tight fitting
brown jacket.
Sorry to trouble you, gentlemen
said the same cherry voice, as the
owner of it toyed with the butt of a
big regulation revolver at his side,
shut my partner here and myself
took notion we'd like to join the
force, SO we just slipped into your
clothes till we'd see how we look,
and as the two suits will hardly go
round the four of US suppose you
stack our duds. They're just over
there by the camp fire.
As he spoke he absentnindedly
drew forth the big revolver and
rubbed his thumb refectiyely over
the hammer and waited for them to
make their toilet
"You're up tolarks this morning"
said the sergeant, thinking thst the
bad luck of The thirteen eggs was al
ready getting its work in on him.
He noticed that their carbines and
revolyers and cartridge belts had all
been taken possession of by the
strangers. He realized that himself
and the constable were in the hands
of the strangers, and he made q
pretty shrewd guess that the man
they were after had turned the tables
and captured them.
"By George, / guess there's no
help for it," said the sergeant good
humoredly as he began to crawl into
the other mans clothes.
"What's you fellows game any
wayH" he said as be pulled on a pair
of deerskin riding breeches.
"Well, take it you're rather a
rough lot" said the man with the
stripes on his arm, "and we're going
10 arrest you for horse stealing"
"Well, that's pretty rich for my
blood" said the sergeant as he COM
pleted his toilet with q broad
brimmed cowboy hat.
snow, ! suppose you're not much
accustomed to wearing iewelry,'
said the other, Shut "I'll have to
trouble you to put these darbies on
and be tossed th e sergeant pair of
handouts. The sergeant laughed,
but made no movement to put them
on.
"Put them on him, Bill" the
stranger said, "and il he moves I'll
let daylight through him. Now the
otherl' he added as Bill clapped the
handouts on the sergeant, and in a
twinkling they were both handcufTed
prisoners. Then they were mounted
on the bronchos belonging to the
two men who had them in charge,
while the latter took their two good
police horses and rode beside them.
"You1l get into fine row over
this,' said the sergeant to his cap
tor.
The latter laughed gaod humored-
~.
mot half 80 fine row as would
have got into if ithad been the other
way about. If you'd got the drop
on me first and / was wearing the
bracelets now, then / would think
there was trouble ahead"
"Whatre you going to do with US
anywayH" said the sergeant. "You
can't eat as. Are you going to hold
US up and make the government
ransom us outfn
"We're going 20 leave the consta-
BILE here with a friend who keeps g
fashionable hotel in shack down at