The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-14

- ao... esxre eowosa CO.., sIw yoax.

enough" he answered: "bekase when
We TUX up the insurance We kept the
dollar We charged me wife for writing
the policy"
Then 1 became desperate. All the
Big Timber agents charged policy fees
| ranging from 81 to s., which we con-
sidered as our legitimate perquisites.
I felt that 1 had earned that dollar fair
and square. and his taunt Stung me.
What must have been my latent
bravery was aroused. A heavy brass
oil lamp stood on the desk beside me.
1 seized this and shouted: Get out of
here you drunken brute, or I'll smash
your ugly facet"
| Very much to my surprise he lowered
his pistol, and saying, "Pll not kill We
| in yer own Office, but I'll lay for We on
! the street and shoot We on sight, he
| backed out of the door, slamming it be-
hind him. I sank back in my chair
| bathed in a cold sweat, shaking like a
| leaf and feeling as if I had been sea-
sick for a week. Then I got out an
| old pistol l hadn't looked at for years,
oiled and loaded it and started for
home I stole cautiously down the
stairs, holding the revolver in my right
hand hip pocket, and as I sidled around
| the corner ran into Charlie Burton. l
staggered back and said: Ivy ny, Gna~-
lie, is that you? You almost frightened
me-
1T would take a better man than l
am to frighten you, and then he
couldn't" said Charlie. Where you
going?"
"Oh, I'm g-going home" I answered;
"have you seen John Muldoon?"
Not lately, but when l do I'll tell
him you're looking for him."
"N-never mind I said.
Just as leave as not, and glad to do
it; have a beer?"
"N-no.
"Well, good night; I'll tell him, sure"
and he left me.
| Heaven save me from my friends! L
thought, as I nervously slid past the
saloons, lodged around the next corner,
and met William George.
"H-have you seen Muldoon?" 1
asked.
No said George, mot for an hour.
He was drunk then and wanted to Kill
somebody. I'm liable to meet him soon,
and if do I'll tell him you're looking
for him
You needn't bother about it, said l..
ct will be a pleasure for me to do it, .
he replied will you go to the club
and have a game of pedro? Paul Nc
Cormack's there, and maybe we can
stick him, though l never did yet. No!
Well, good-by; I'll tell John you're try
ing to find him.
| 1 finally reached home more dead than
alive and Immediately made my will.
The next morning I went down town,
| tremulous, but clinging to my pistol,
and met the Sheriff.
| Have you seen Muldoon?" I asked.
| Look here, Wesley" said the Sheriff,
''for the sake of his wife, as nice and
pretty a little woman as ever lived,
don't hound that man to death. He
heard last night that you were looking
for him, and took the midnight freight
for Billings. He's a bad man and none
of the boys blame you for wanting to
kill him, but for the sake of his fam
| lily let him go. Now, promise me that
you will. I know you are one of those
tcool, desperate men, hard to turn when
| you get started, but take my ADVICE
| this time and spare him."
| hesitated, looked stern and then re-
piled: Sheriff, 1 will, but don't let him
cross my track"
"Oh.. he's the worst scared man 1 ever
saw said the Sheriff; "he will never
| come back
Shortly after I left Montana and
moved to San Francisco, where my rep
| utation preceded me, and on the
strength of my supposed fighting quail
ties l readily secured a position as a
special agent and adjuster My name
in Big Timber, I understand is still
used to scare children with, and ambl-
tious scrappers there are referred, as a
proper example, to "the time when
Wesley Boggs went a cunning for Null
DOOM
Since then I haven't met any one,
excepting typewriter or two, of whom
I've been afraid. I have had to be
brave because it's expected of me, and
now I think courage is only matter
of imagination and habit.-Edward
Niles, in California Knapsack.