Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-04-15

sitl"n Ia influence him to the extent of
freeing his prisoner 5 hands.
During the meal the talk drifted to
poker Kay knew enough about the
game To have lost most of his pay for
year before He was interested in Crack
trbox : professional skill and when the
gambler pushed back his chair after fin
ishirg lis coffee and remarked: just
let me STOW you how that's done. ser
geant, before You put the braccl Is ON
again and walked over to another ia
BILE on which lay pack of cards Kay
did not dclnur. but followed -he might
learn something which would help him
retrieve his losses. or perhaps even do
better than that
Hathcrtun was interested too. and
stood h side the sergeant. Milligan was
still eating Account for il as you may.
they appeared To have forgotten him
perhaps because he had once been a fell
low of b troop with a blank defaulter
sheet Bennett apparently knew all he
wanted to about poker. He hustled
Iroun1. hanging his tin dishes and pans
The noise enabled Mi!ligan to slip mp
behind the troopers unobserved
''You see. said Crackerbox. picking
up the thread of his story again. There
was 81. 500 in the pot. and they Il all
dropped ont except Wat Batty and ne
| took the deck in my left hand il
was supremacy interesting this.
and 'CardsY' says /. Il want one. says
Bat l gave it to him I'm takin
three. myself. says |. while he looked
at his hand and | took EN- They
were good ones. and they came right
out o the deck here. just like that
Seer
Hands up It was Milligan who
spoke The two troopers faced about
and each looked into the unfriendly
muZzle of his own revolver. whit h Mil
ligan had deftly extracted from its
holster rs he leaned over its possessor 5
shoulder
Get them up. now Quickr' he re-
peated
Crackerbox laughed his exaspcrating
laugh "Yes. | would if was in your
place. sergeant. he remarked ''Ev
erything has been real pleasant so far
between rs this mornin. and we
wouldn't like to have any misunder
standin now we're about partin from
you Oblige us Did you notice how
that game came out? Funny how it
goes. amt it Luck with you one min
ute and the next it's with the other
Teller | didn't know you understood
the sign language SO well. Milligan
You tumbled handler than tailed
steer You must have belonged to the
Invincibles before you left the ould
country What was yOnr number
Bennett looked on stoically, while.
with some difficulty. Crackerbox re-
moved the handouts and replaced them
on the wrists of his late captors in ac-
compIishing this the gambler hit upon
what he regarded as neat arrange
ment He stood Kay and Hatherton
back to back and divided pair of the
cuffs between them ON either side, Sc
curely linking them together Bennett
did not propose To risk his health in any
attempt to uphold the dignity of the
law Why shoEld he: From AN abstract
point of view il seems rather Il peculiar
fact that there shuuld so seldom he APP
parent any strong general antipathy to-
ward the man who has done nothing
worse than shoot another man openly
It is only the wretch who laws upright
eous hands upon woman-the Bill
Sikeses of this worldwide find all
doors of hope of human forgiveness
and forbearance shut against them
you've been real hospitable. Mr.
Bennett. and ! just hate To put you ont
any. but there are times. you under
stand, when man has 10 burn all his
crossed bridges. and this looks to me
like one of the times. Ii ; quite ways
to where we're going. and guess You
won't hold il against us if we rope You
up with the others.
They bonnd Kay's and Hatherton'
ankles. and Crackerbox walked Bennett
to his bunk in the corner and tied him
on il hand and foot Then. rs he stood
with his back To the others. he pulled II
bill ont Of the silk handkerchief about
his neck. winked and held il mp 81 that
the host couid see the 30 printed On
the corner and then pushed it into Ben
net wasicoat pocket Milligan then
went 10 the corral and turned ont Ben
nets stock and brought the troop
horses from the bluff
We'll so long. sergeant. said Crack
erbox as he stood beside Kay ; saddle.
We ii he glad Ia spend another half
hour in yonr company but you under
stand we've no time To waste in social
entertainment We thank You for a
real pleasant mawnin and for hringin
down these bosses for our use My feet
was plumb playin ont. hut | reckon
we II get on now If YOU look real hard.
boys. yen II find the keys of them cuffs
i'll the grass not more II 100 yards from
here. and. Bennett. your hosSes won
stray 81 far but what you II bc able To
pick en- mp tomCrrer Good day. ser
geant Ii Won ever come down my way
look me mp won't forget your consid
Grafton | won't. honest
He >prang into the saddle and clat
tered off but AT 100 yards he stopped
and drawled over his shoulder
And oh say. sahge;nt. remem
neh me 10 the naiah and tell him
said. with my compliments. he WA nj
Ia fn get Ia mention you in q dchs
Then the outlaws >purred across tie
prairie in the direction # that line he
yond which lay another government
driving Bcnnet's loose horses before
them. and that was the last the two
troopers saw that day of Crackerbox
and Milli2an
In after years ! sat often 81 an even
ing over Scotch with Kay when he no
longer wore government clothes or
nurseh an ambition To shine al poker
but had married girl aud settled
down L. raising cattle and Il family
He spoke Of nuany things. but he never
told me- what his feelings were as he