The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-06

Finally Smith broke out, Whats the
use waiting here? Barlow's got chick
en-hearted and won't come back at all.
Let's go ahead and do it without him. -
Some Of the more timid ones objected to
/ this summary leap in the dark, but
! Smiths scornful remark that surely
| five men are more than a match for
one, especially if that one is in bed and
! fast asleep" overcame even Langfit's
! habitual caution, and we started off.
The front door was unlocked but the
stairs were as dark as pitch, and in our
efforts to go up quietly we made about
/ as much noise as squadron of cav
airy. Upstairs we stumbled around,
and by dint of much cropping found our
way into our victims study. Here we
stood for a minute or two crowded to-
/ gether and breathing hard. Somehow
/ we didn't like the looks of things a
! little bit.
The room was as dark and quiet as
the grave, and there was something
mysterious and ineXplicable about Bar
lows sudden disappearance. The thing
that we had started out to do didn t
seem so very grand or heroic now that
we were fairly into it. No honest man
likes a one-sided fight, no matter how
closely he may think might and right
to be allied in his favor. And some of
US couldn't help wishing that the odds
weren't so fearfully against poor Os-
borne. 1 believe we would even have
welcomed the thought of possible de-
feat, so distasteful had the prospect de-
our easy victory become to u.s.
The silence was broken by that odious
Smith exclaiming in a loud whisper,
''Pshaw! what are you fellows waiting
| for?" and he stepped forward and
boldly opened the door into the bed
| room. AS he did so, shot rang out
| from the direction of the bed Smith
gave a cry of mortal agony, threw up
his arms, spun half around and fell
face downward on the floor The two
men nearest the door half ran and half
fell down the stairs and fed for dear
life. one of them never stopping till he
had put a mile and half between him
and the scene of his fright.
Langfit and 1 were too smuch horri-
fed to move. ana stood stockstiH for a
moment that seemed an age. Then
Teddy, in an awe-struck whisper, sug-
gested that we get light. After a
good deal of laundering around in the
dark the gas was lit, and there lay
Smith outstretched on his face in the
doorway between the two rooms, still
as death itself. In the next room the
same gruesome darkness and silence
prevailed.
We stared for a moment in silence,
and then Teddy broke out, 81 can't
stand this any longer. If he's dead I'll
never forgive myself. It's our fault,
and now We've got to help him" We
knelt by Smiths side and with trem-
bling fingers began to search for the
wound. There was no visible signs OF
injury. but we were too badly fright
ened to notice that. and cur amaze
ment was indescribable when the man
who by all right and reason ought to
have been dead as stone, sat up and
laughed in our faces. From the bed
room now came signs of life and Bar
low and Osborne appeared on the scene,
the latter still clutching the revolver
that had created such CONSERVATION
You're pretty pair, you are he re-
marked. scornfully. If l were as
smooth as you fellows I'd leave college
and set myself up for a strategy
board
That's right. Rub it in" Teddy
meel1ly replied. 81 know we're easy,
but all the same, I'd like to know how
it happened"
Easiest thing in the world" said