The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-11-02

!. Ny Would Be Assassin.
BY NJ. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT. 1900. BY 9. y. LEWIS.

L
was to 30 up into the mountains of
Wyoming on n hunting trip vim old
Bill Potts, { dozen men call 4 to bid
me last goOdby. They looNed their
pity and sorrow and their hands lin.
gered lovingly il mine. | was rather
skeptical. | didn't see why | should be
pulled down by Il mountain lion. claw
ed into mince meat by grizzly bear
or buried under 4 landslide. but they
smiled fecbly and shook .their heads
in solemn way. Only one telegram
received out of eight or ten threw any
light on the matter, and = light came
too late. 1t read:
IF you are going hunting with old
Bill Potts, you'd better make your will
and leave things easy for the widowed
and fatherless'
The other kilograms simply read
that the senders would see that NV
grave was kept green, if it cold ever
be found and that it was to be hoped
| wouldn't suffer over a week in diving.
l liked old Bill. He was hale and
hearty and good naturcd. and he could
pack mule, cook a good meal and
shoot fairly straight. He was Il smol-
er and Il chewer. played a good game
of euclrc, and l had every confidence
that The pair of us would get along
like brothers. We got away in good
style, and it was two full days before
anything happened to shake my con
fidence in him. Then, as sat cleaning
my rifle, he picked up the AK to cut
some wood. He hadn't made six
strokes before the AK flew off the han
die and almost shaved my hair as it
passed.
Excuse me- colonel" said old Bill
as he held up the handle. THAT AK
has bin loose for the last six months
and orter have bin fixed. I'll tend to
it the first rainy day we have"
"But, man, that was close call for
me-" l said as l felt my anger rising.
eyes, colonel, but as long as no dam
age was done it's all right. | kinder
thought it was goin to cut yer head
off, but it riz a leetle and missed We"
l figured that it was pure accident
and overlooked it. Next morning old
Bill found the trail of lion near our
camp, and after breakfast We took il
up and started out. | had Il Winches.
ter, and he had double barrclcd shot
gun loaded with bu ';shot He took the
lead, and we had trailed for half
mile when | stumbled over a stone
and pitched forward Potts was about
20 feet ahead of me, gun on his
shoulder and passing perfectly open
ground. AS | went down both barrels
Of his gun were discharged. and my
hair curled as the handful of shot
shriekcd over me and cut away half
the branches of a young pine.
"What is it: What were you shoot
ing att l shouted as l scrambled up,
half expecting the lion had got in our
rear ana was stalking us.
"Yc see, colonel" replied old Potts,
with a Sheepish look on his face, Il al.
lus carry my gun on the full cock, SOS
to save time, and l guess | must have
bin fingcrin them hammers"
you dolt. You idiot! You iackass"
1 yelled at him as looked for n club
"If l hadn't stumbled over that stone,
you'd have blown Il hole through me as
big as barrel"
Yes, but We stumbled, and. bein as
no harm was done. l hope We won't get
mad about it. Why sich things are
liable to happen every day"
told Potts that if ever caught him
carrying his gun in that shape again
7 pump lead into his legs ana leave
IN to the wolves, and for the rest Of
the day the relations between us were
strained. Under the influence of a
good supper and a pipe we got closer
together, however. and by and by he
went into the tent for the cards. He
was fussing around for several min
utes, and | had just opened my mouth
ask him the cause of his delay when
bullet lifted the hat off my head and
sent it ten feet behind me- | made
two jumps for Il bowlder ana yelled
to Potts, thinking | had been fired on
by renegade Indian, but when the
man came out it'll my self cooking re-
volver in his Ii nd l knew what had
happened.
You blunder. cad! You fool of L
jackassw | shouted as | made up o
him, but he backed off and protest e.
ly explained:
Don't git narvous, colonel nd
never seen one of these self ers
and was jest tryin it. l nigh, ave
p'inted it the other way, but { Int
think"
mo, you didn't, and the ball went
through my hat. Potts, you are a
fool You don't know enough to chew
beans"
what a fuss to raise over Il leetle
accident, and nobody hurt at that!
sighed Potts, and we spoke no more
together that evening | made up my
mind before going to sleep that the
firm of Soft & Potts would dissolve
after breakfast by mutual consent or
otherwise, but he prepared such a
good meal and seemed so downcast
and rcpentant that | found myself
melting. We had with us a humping
big bear trap and while he shouldcred
it and set Off to place it in hopes to
catch n lion | took up my gun and
went in another direction.
l came back to camp at noon with a
email deer on my back and found Potts
and dinner waiting Two hours later,
when we had taken care Of the meat
and the hide, he asked me to 90 with
him and see a hot spring he had dis
covered farther up the mountain. |
saw that the hammers of his gun were
down; but, not knowing what surprise