The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-02-04

voice was hardly audible Us he an
swered with the same sickly smile
lowering about his white lips:
Because useter court her myself
and you cut me out!'
Before the words were fairly out of
his mouth Bill sprang at him with the
fury of wild beast. With all the force
of his mighty arm he struck and the
blow descended upon the arm-the Grip
pied, knotted arm-which Joe had inter-
posed to ward it off. Some say it de-
scended upon the very knot itself. He
fell from his pony as if he had been
shot, and lay for several moments on
the turf where he had fallen.
(Which way did you send her?"
asked Bill, in the same awful tones he
had used before.
81 won't TELL" gasped Joe.
"Then get off that ground"'
Joe meekly obeyed.
"Get on your pony-no, l see it's got
away from you. Then saddle up mine
yonder and go after May and bring her
back at once, sir! Do you hear?"
Joe meekly took the huge Texas sad
ulG Ill LIS lSll dIlI! IL 10
where the pony was grazing, tied by a
long rope to tree. His right arm hung
limp by his side. After some ineffect-
ual efforts to throw on the saddle with
his left arm he gave up the attempt.
81 can't get the thing on" he said.
"Use your right arm, sirr' called his
brother.
81 think you've broke his game arm,
BILL" said Jim Smith.
Its lier' shouted Joe, "that arms
as good as ever it was"
To prove the truth of this assertion
he made mighty effort and managed
to lift his arm to his shoulder, though
the wrist still dangled loosely from his
elbow. Even then he could not restrain
his face from wincing and his teeth
from clinching with the pain. Drop
ping the saddle he turned abruptly and
limped off into the woods without a
word.
Jim Smith afterward said that only
his solemn promise to Joe kept him
from telling the whole truth at this
tuncture just as he knew it to be, and
that he had to grit his teeth hard and
say cuss words under his breath to do
1t then. AS to the rest Of the crowd, it
must be remembered that they knew
nothing but Joe's own statement about
the matter. and consequently they all
sympathized with Bill. After some
moments of coincidence and consulta-
ton with the crowd, Bill, with some
four or five others, started out to find
Joe.
"Get that rope off your saddle there
and bring it along" he said to one of
the men.
"You amt goin' to string him up, are
you, Bill?'' was the rather anxious re-
ply.
mo; just want to skeer him little.
Come on"
In very short time they found the
man they were looking for.
"Are you ready to tell where May is,
or to go after her?' Bill demanded.
"N-no," faltered Joe, with distrust-
full glance at the little group of attend
ants.
, Again his brother sprang at him.
This time he threw him to the ground
upon his throat.
Don't, Bill, old fellow, for Gods
sake" gasped Joe, as his brother some
what relaxed the grip on his throat, 81
didn't mean no harm by it-honest,
didn't. l won't do it no more. What
are you going to do with that rope,
Bill? You're not going to kill your poor,
no-account brother, are you, old boy"
Without a word Bill and his attend
ants, continued wrapping the rope
around Joe. Then they stood him up
beside tree and tied him to it, so that
his club foot touched the ground, while
the other, the strong one, was doubled
back in the coil of rope.
"Now, you ungrateful whelp," said
Bill, as he started to leave, "I'll be back
in thirty minutes to see if you're ready
to tell me-
"Didn't he kiss your hand as you was
tying him?" asked some one as they
walked away
Hardly had they left when Jim Smith
came up and at once began to unite the
ropes.
"Don'tw said Joe. "Bill will be back
in few minutes. Just unslip this loop
here. Thank you! The strain was on
my right arm, and 1t hurt, because 1t
was sore. Jim, this is hard-but guess
1 can stand it, for Bill's sake. 1 amt
It's mostly all joke. Bill was always
a powerful fellow to joke. 1 wisht
you'd go tell him when he comes back
please not to bring anybody else with
him."
At the appointed time, Bill saddled
his pony and rode off to where Joe was.
"I'll take the hoss, so that if Joe's
ready by now he can start off after
May and bring her back. l rather
guess he's ready by now, too. Maybe
We'll get to eat wedding dinner to-
day, yet-only little late, Of course"
After some time had elapsed and
neither brother had Showed up" as
the phrase goes in Texas, Jim Smith
walked to the place where he had left
Joe. There the poor fellow was, utill
tied to the tree-but dead! The thirty
minutes strain had been too much for
his crippled leg to bear, and it had
gradually given way, and this had al
lowed the poor fellow to choke to
death. Of course, Jim lost no time In
rousing the quasi wedding guests, and
in telling the real facts about May. 1t
is not the first instance in the history
of the world where a man has had the
truth told about him too late to do him
any good. A pursuing party was out
after Bill at once, but all was to no
avail. Some say he committed suicide
shortly afterward in San Antonio; 9TH
ers, that he is still alive in New Mexico;
still others, that he is to-day in the in