, 1899-02-03
RED M'LANE.

lyon amt broke-what's the mat.
ter with you? You amt got any sand
that's what. You've got plenty of stuff
in the bank at Pueblo, and you know
your ohecks'll go with Johnston here.
You're afraid, that's all, Jim Melville"
Red" McLane cut a huge slice from a
plug of tobacco. taking his Fourth of
July breakfast in one mouthful, and
with the soorn of u superior parsonage
turned away from the young man whom
he had addressed.
The poker game at the Head Gate
had been a warm one, and McLane had
won everything in sight. Sprague, the
town site boomer old Judge StilIwell,
Griswold, the "cantaloupe king, " and
DR.. Kinney, the canal company's sur
geon, with McLane and young Melville,
the superintendent and engineer of the
construction company, comprised the
players after midnight. Early in the
evening a Denver drummer and a ranch
man from up the river had contributed
to the stakes on the table and retired.
By sunrise the other players had drop
ped out, leaving McLane and Melville
alone in the game.
There was an old feud between Mel
Vile and McLane. They had grown mp
together back in New York state, where
they both fell in love with the same
girl. While the younger man was away
from home at college McLane betrayed
the girl, who killed herself from re-
morse, and he disappeared. No one in
the Colorado town, where the two men
happened to meet each other several
years later, understood the cause of the
enmity, but it was generally known
that the young superintendent cherish
ed an intense hatred for McLane, the
gambler.
Had some one else won the money
that he had lost that night Melville
would have quit with the others, but it
was CALLING to be defeated by Red Nc
Lean, SO he continued playing, with
the logged determination to vanquish
his enemy. But RED" won steadily as
before. When Melville's last chip was
swept away, he pushed his chair back
from the table and announced that be
was through-and ''broke."
The headgate never closed down. Day
and night, winter and summer, dry sea.
sons and wet, irrigation went on. There
was always a supply for those who had
the price. The bitches of its patrons
were continually full. On this Fourth
of July morning when Johnston, the
proprietor, went on duty at Z O'Clock he
found an unusually large crowd in his
place. One man was still slumbering
comfortably on a billiard table, several
were asleep in chairs, but there was a
collection Of wideawake railroad men
and ~ditchhands, with a few herders
and punchers who had ridden to town
early for the celebration. They had not
j%ourneyed far and hard to hear the ora.
ton of Judge Stillwell or the Declare
tion of Independence read by the elocu-
tionary daughter of Murphy, the section
boss. 1t wac not that their souls were
dead to their native land, but they
could dwell on patriotic thoughts out
on the range when there was Ito holt
day and where there was no drink but
water.
The crowd had become interested in
the little play being enacted at the ia.
BILE aud momentarily forgot its thirst.
Melville offered no reply to Reds"
taunts His face was gray. He gazed
absorEedly at something far away; he
seemed to see or hear nothing around
him. He was thinking that he had been
a f~ool-should he stop where he was or
take one more chance to redeem his for
tunes and then redeem himself after
ward?
McLane arose. Picking up the pack
of cards, he slammed it upon the table.
The action recalled Melville from his
revery. and he looked up at MoLane,
who was saying:
"I'll tell you what III do. I've got
about $500 of your mon here. I'll put
another $500 with it and play you a
game of freeze out for 81, 900. There's
a chance to get your money back and
$500 of mine on top of it. You needn't
put up any talk about not having the
dough Tom Johnston'll cash your
check"
Some one back in the crowd whisper
ed audibly:
1.-The tenderfoot amt got no nerve.
I'll bet he don't call Red.
Melville still remained silent. He
took from his pocket a bunch of yellow
papers, poured some tobacco into one Of
them and rolled n cigarette. After a
couple of deep limitations Of the smoke
he arose from his seat and went behind
the bar and forward to the proprietor's
desk. He wrote out two checks for $500
each and handed them to Johnston. The
proprietor unlocked his safe and count
ing out the money gave the bunch Of
bills to Melville. The curious crowd
had faced around to watch Melville,
and as he returned to the center Of the
big room all eyes followed him. He
walked up to McLane, who was wait
ing by the card table, and spoke for the
first time. There was no other sound in
the room. Meiville's tones were low,
but distinct. aud there was "a look OF
determination on his face.
LET me take ynur gun, please, he
said.
McLane hesitated, and the young man
added:
"You needn't be afraid. l don't In
tend to shoot you."