The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-20

structions to blow a hole through the first
one of them that moved hand or foot.
while the other two looted the stage. Joe
was scared He had stood there in a
strained position for five minutes, look
ing square into the muzzle of a rife,
when he rolled his eyes downward TO get
a more pleasing thing to look at. but he
didn't He saw a centipede at least eight
inches .ong, one of the terrors of that
region, hurrying along directly toward
town
1T was soon at the tip of his shoe, but
to his intense relief it avoided the obstacle
and passed on. Il only went as far as his
heel though. Then it climbed upward,
and the first thing Joe knew the hideOus
and deadly thing was climbing his leg
under his trousers, as he knew by the
pricking of the long rows of sharp claws
in his flesh. Joe knew that the least
movement he made would disturb the SEN
sitive and acrimonious varmnt and 1t
would instantly sink every one OF its
many claws into his flesh and squirt into
his blood from each cav its quota of
deadly venom. And there Joe stood, doub-
ly held up If he moved a hand the des-
peradO on guard would fill him with lead.
If he moved q muscle of his leg the CEN
hpede would fll him with poison. Slowly
the centipede Climbed the leg, leaving its
itching, burning track in the flesh, some
thing in itself almost beyond human en-
durance. Joe didn't know how soon the
centipede might get mad at something
and sock its venom points into him, any
how. but he did know that the robber
would soon be through with searching che
stage and then begin going through his
pockets, while the centipede was explor-
ing him, thus disturbing it and inducing
its singing him.
strHhe CpOfiDe6a uoa5a its uvaV dalibarate
~ up one leg, then across Joe's back TO
the other leg, down which it moved more
deliberately still, pausing now and then as
if il had nation 10 go up again. 1t
did start back up the leg once, and Joe
was on the point of dropping his hand in
hope that the robber would put him out
of his misery by shooting him. when the
centipede turned and went down again
and kept on going until it came out at
the bottom of the trousers leg and went
scurrying away. Joe shut his eyes and
gave one long breath, and was on the
point of relieving himself with a yell, let
the consequences be what they might
when the individual with the rifle eX-
claimed:
Say, pard, you got more nerve than
siX-hoss wagon could lug Damned if
could a stood that Teller wrigglin' over me
myself
That cold-blooded reprobate had seen
the centipede go up into Joe's trousers
leg, and knew all the while what Joe was
suffering, and just stood there and watch
ed what the result was going to be- The
robbers made off as soon as they had Sc
cured all the plumber, and the looted stage
and passengers went on to Pueblo And
that was the sort of nerve that Joe Lath-
rop had to have with him that memora-
BILE day. year afterward Joe was one
of posse that pursueA a gang of rob
bers near North Juan, in Nevada. Joe
discovered one of the gang hiding behind
a rock. He shot the desperate dead and
when he saw his face declared he was
happy, for he recognized the man who
had held him up during that Pueblo stage
robbery that time and g.oated over his ex-
perience with the centipede"