Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1899-11-18

| Ntth >hoN anu >hNttlHe WIN cuiu.
We call him tramp now, We had never
seen one then, bus he Was yeriiable
tramp of the lowest and most brutal
type. He asked permission to spend
the night by the stove. He had been
driven in by the storm and would freeze
If exposed to the binding sGow and
lchilliug winds. when seated mine host
took up his story again and ratified OF
aneosnected chapters until Nancy
called from an adjoining room: Bob.
hits time you'uns Vas lettin' that Young
man go ter bed. We,uns will have to
give him breakfus at ) o'clock apa
hits mos midsight naw."
"Bob" hanted up tallow candle. led
the way to the freezing loft above and
assigned us to feather bed weighted
down with quilts and comforts of fam
lily generation. The room was as open
rs M Idaho summer kitchen and the
wind whistled through the numerous
cracks with the niusic of harp of
thousand strings. Depositing our money,
gTateh and little Derringer pistol under
our pillow we We're soon buried under
IL mountain Of quilts and shiveriugly
went off into drcamland.
AT a late hahr we were awakened BY
a noise at the door. There was no lock
nor fastening and we had closed it by
1 placing chair against it. VS. heard
the chair slide along the bare floor. In
Il moment it flashed upon us that the
tramp was entering the room. We
eoughed and he wis still. Then we
slid dowE under the cover to- the foot
and opposite corner OF the bed from
the door. Out heart beat like Il
muffled drum corps aud II Thousand
/ frightful things fitted through our
mind. The room WAS as dark ~ Egypt
| ian blackRess. We sat with our littls
single barrel Derringer in hand as our
only friend aud protector. Tho painful
suspense of u minutes time was drawn
ont into hours. Presently the CHAIR
slid on the floor again and we knew
some one was stealing through the door.
| We reserved our only shot. We
would have given our. inheritance for Il
rapid firing gun. Then we fsli the
weight of hand on the bed and its
sliding movement about the pillow. We
could see no one in the blaokness of the
darkness. but we said in low but
excited and tremulous tone: ''Who is
that, and what do YOU want?r No
answer came. but heavy blow fell
about the center of the bed with a rim
ping noise and then ann,her, aud we
! fired. With the report of our little
Derringer there WAS noise like u huge
boulder or landslide from the noun
tain-side striking the building. The
unwelcome visitor had fallen backward
on the loose board floor. Bob and
Nancy yelled like an earthquake had
swallowed the hotel aud kept it up
until Bob with his Pickering candle
could reach the roam, He found MS
sitting up and shivering in the cold
with our faithful little friend, then use
less bat apparently ready for further
defense, still grasped tightly in our
hand. The tramp was PROSTATE on the
floor bleeding from the wrist and fore
arm and afraid to move. Our shot had
taken effect in the wrist and passed
/ through the muscular part of the fore
arm. When taken down stairs by the
stove he admitted that he had entered
the room to rob us, and when we had
called to know who he was he attempted
to murder us. His ugly knife aud the
cuts and rips in the bedding were proof
OF his statement. Bob declared that
the story OF the night would. if told,
ruin his hotel. We told him we would
not remain over to prosecute the would
be-murderer, that We were unframed
and would never have occasion to stop
at the Gap again. Nancy bandaeed the
arm Of the wounded man and at day.
break Bob ordered him to leave for
good and all time, and at sig o'clock we
responded to the stage drivers '.all
aboard, and left for the next railroad
station. Bob and Nancy said they
would never forget us for saving the
reputation of their hotel by not prose-
shtlng tine tramp or telling OF the
nights adventure to any paper in
Tennessee, and we promised never to
forget them and their hotel for the
adventure they bad given us In our
young life which bad not then seen the
SHOWS OF eighteen winters.