The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-09

mere run OF luck, and instead OF pulling out
were all pla wing more desperately than
before, In the hope Of ~recoupipg their losses.
THE play grew heavier and faster, n
though Il did not appear that Austin was
pressing It, that was, Of course. just what
he wanted. He must have been twelve
| or fifteen hundred to the good when the
! interruption / was looking FOR came. In a
fashion that was totally unexpected to
me as well as TO the othors.
Il was not the only one who was Watching
the game, though / had not supposed that
any Of the four or five other men who were
looking on In silence had the same sus-
picion that ! had. Suddenly one OF them
spoke, and as / turned to see who II was
observed that he had an old-fashioned
! Derringer pistol In each hand. and that both
pistols were at full cock,
sHe was a tall. powerfully built man with
a face that at the moment was fairly Abla1e
with passion.
tive caught you at last. Sam Austin
he exclaimed, pointing his pistols directly
at the gamblers head. and IL o move
III blow your head on
"As a matter Of course, there was an In
slant commotion. am not ashamed to say
that l moved rapidly away, not far enough
TO lose track of what was going on, but far
enough to drop behind tho back OF a car
! seat n the shooting should begin. having no
fancy for being killed in another mans
Several others scrambled away also.
with the same thought, apparently, but
Austin sat as still as a gravestone and spoke
as coolly as If the other had asked him to
take o drink. .
. You've got the drop on me- he said,
and OF course / won't move, but what do
ri mean this said the tall stranger.
fercely, that I've caught you cheating
at cards. You killed a pal o. mine In Texas
that caught you at it two years ago. and !
swore then that il ever i caught you I'd
get tho drop on you. Now turn over that
self from the bottom OF the pack
AS a matter Of fact, Austin had Just
dealt himself one card In the draw, but he
made no motion TO turn the card.
"'You must DO crazy he said, or drunk.
What do you meanF
~ mean what | say said the stranger,
but II you don't want to urn the card
perhaps one of the gentlemen you are play
ing with will do it. He just dealt himself
tina ace from the bottom
This last was addressed TO the other
players; and the planter, who was as cool
az Austin. the other two being plainly scared
said Certainly Reaching over he ex-
posed Austin's whole hand.
at was an ace full and the diamond ace
was the card he had drawn. For a moment
there was silence. AID then Austin spoke.
" i don't know how you saw the card l
drew. but II you say ! dealt 1t from tho
bottom YOU lie. You have me foul, though.
and il YOU choose TO XII me you can. Give
me a fair show and III fight you where and
when you like.
swore II Kill you when l caught you,
but ] cant do L.. II was a fair enough
fight when you killed my pal, and Ill give
YOU the same show. Get of at the next
station and III meet you, or, IL you gem
tlsmen will clear the car Wen settle il right
now y,
.'Not on this train, you won't, exclaimed
tie conductor, who anne forward into
tho smoker just in time to hear the last
few words, and came up pluckily enough
10 Interfere. Put up them guns. he con-
tinued 'Therell be nc shooting in this car
And he pushed Ia between the two.
AS he did so, facing naturally. toward
the Texan, Austin spTang TO his feet and
had his revolver half out OF his pocket,
when the planter seized him. He struggled
like n cat, but the planter had the right
grin and held him firmly. .
a, the same time the conductor seized
the Texan, who tried to push him away
when he saw what Austin was doing, and
with the assistance Of the brakeman, who
had followed him in, the two Delligerents
were soon overpowered.
when they proposed, however, to get
OF the train and fight IL out no one mace
any objection.
"You needn't go as far as the next sta
ton said the conductor. III stop the
train now and let you get on, one on each
side, aud then puff out. BY the time the
train Is out Of the way you can be ready
for each other.
even in those days. but il seemed to strike
everybody as fair enough, and II was per-
fectly evident that there would be trouble
on board il they got at each other; so, as
neither of them made any objection. the
conductor pulled the bell rope.
Before they got OF the drummer de-
maudcd beck the money he had lost, but
Austin had the most OF il in his pocket,
the PLAYERS having bought chips from.
one another after the first Few purchases,
and he turned on the drummer with a
snarl that fairly frightened him. -.
"'You Internal fool, you,' he said II
YOU dare say | cheated I'll kill you first,
and tend 20 this other maniac a~fterward.
And there was no more said about the
money.
when the train stopped the two were
forced off on opposite sides. l had a
notion for a moment, and / am sure that
some others had il, too, Of getting of 10
see the fight, hut no one did.
I'VE all made a rush for the rear OF the
train, though, to see what would happen
after we went; and they were shooting
across the track as soon as they could see
each other. Both fell Mt the first fire. and
we thought they had killed each other, but
before we we're out of sight they were strlg-
Cling up and shooting again.
-Some Of us tried 20 get the
to stop and let us see IL out, but he refused
roughly, saying he had lost time already
and expressing the opinion that u was
nobody's business If they both got killed,
The Louisville papers two days later
had a sort of account Of II all, but II was
not very accurate. They said, though
that Austin was dead and the other mar
not likely TO recover.
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