The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-20
THE ADVERTISERS :. .s ) = = DAILY SHORT STORY.0
Copyright. 1900. by Daily Story Publishing Co,

1 to it-suthin' thet'n put new life in a corpse. I'm wuth dozen dead men this minet. an I'll down ole Cy Grandy yet or know the reason why. I reckon hell be sorry he didn't con-fis-cate
 that flask of moonshine when he had the chance. Elf it warn't fer that bull
 let in my back I'd feel'bout ez chipper ez ever. Bet 1 kin pull a trigger with the best of 'em yet. Lemme see; whar is my gun?"
 Reaching down he drew a heavy six shooter from his hip pocket and swung 1t into position for action. His steel gray eyes gleamed with the baleful glitter seen in the eyes of a wounded snake or a wild beast at bay. There
 was a smile on his face-the crafty. yindictive smile of a savage lying in wait for his prey or gloating over the suffering of his victim tied to the torture-stake.
 A little brown bird alighted on a twig above his head and began cheeriiy singing. but with a wave of the hand and an impatient oath he frightened it away.
 Then a buzzard wheeled lazily over head, scanning with hungry eye the earth below, and as the wounded man looked up and saw it he broke into sardonic laughter.
 "Ha, ha, ha! Yeh seen ole Cy Gran dy out with his gun an yeh thought he'd left some grub fer yeh along the road behind him. did yeh? Well, yeh got fooled thet time. Yer dinner ain't quite ready fer yeh yet, an 'twon't be till ole Cy gifts back!"
 He raised his revolver to level with his right eye and squinted steadily along its shining barrel. For fully a
 minute he held 1t thus. and then dropped 1t to his side with the remark: Hand an nerve ez steady ez ever fer the time bein'. an now all ask of the Lord in His mercy an goodness is to send Cy Brandy back here to git his deserts-an' send him quick, before the effecks of thet whisky works off an
 my stren'th begins to give out. Got to save it all now fer the final clinch.'' half hour passed during which the wounded man neither stirred nor spoke. .
 His eyes were half closed, but all his senses were on the alert.
 Suddenly the stiffness was broken by the sound of horses hoofs c1attering on the hard mountain roadway and rapidly approaching the spot where lay the wounded man.
 Instantly he was all attention. He turned his face toward the point from which the horse was evidently coming, and all his faculties wrought up to the highest tension were strained to catch
 the slightest sound.
 Nearer and nearer came the ap-
 preaching footsteps, until finally they
 halted near the spot where the man
 and the pistol lay waiting. "T thought So " 11Aefullv xyhfSporod the wounded man to himself Its ole Cy Grandy on his way home. an he
 wants to make sure I'm dead. Waal
 he'll find out I aint ez dead ez he'll wush I was when he sticks his nose through these bushes" Slowly, painfully he raised himself on his left elbow. The exertion sent the red life blood gushing forth afresh from the gaping wound in his back,
 but he needed it not. His whole mind was intent upon the movements of his enemy. His right hand firmly grasped the stock of the heavy revolver. with his ready forefinger grimly caressing | the trigger; his lips were pressed | tightly together; his eyes gleamed brighter. more ha!efully than ever and nervous expectancy.
 The waiting man heard the horse
 man spring to the ground with a swag- ger and an oath.
 The heavy footsteps approached the spot where he lay the bushes parted and a bloated, rough beared face with
 bloodshot eyes appeared in the open ing.
 Good God! alive yet, an'-an' "- For one horror-filled instant the bloodshot optics gazed fascinated into
 the basilisk-like orbs behind the pistol;
 then a shot rang out, the owner of the bloated face and bloodshot eyes pitched heavily forward across the body of his adversary. the waiting
 steed gave a startled snort and gal
 loped riderless away-and two men
 were left dying by the roadside instead of one.
 by Opie Read.