The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1902-02-13

graduate Gale on his luck. but Bill did
! not seem TO care. He was getting used
to our irreverence. 1t may be noted,
however,. that when we tried next
morning to get Billy TO take galloping
shot at the stripe in a blanket nailed
ON to shed door. to see how near he
could have come to ''creasing" a mad
steer from the back of fool pony. our
proposition met with scorn. There We
go agin.:: said Billy. What's tn blame
use O. wast!n' er whole lot o. cartridges
jes' ter convince err mess O gabbltn'
egiots that err thing kin be did? Aw. go
off an try poundin' san In err rathole
fer yer wits Bet We carn't even do
that" And he rode off. much offended.
When Joe Fleming brother of the
boss, and Hank Barr had a brush with
half dozen Indians and just escaped
with Their lives. leaving bunch Of fat
cattle to be run off by Uncle Sans
dear sweet proteges. Billy's opinion
was at once Forthcoming. Huh! We
mout les n well saved mos o tn crit
ters an got them thievin' red cusses
TOO. wy didn't ye wen ye seed 'em
ritlin' down on We. ies' Kill three or four
critters an pile 'em up fer err barricade.
That'd ben better'n losin' tn hull
bunch"
When Bob Hall. a cowboy from the
.3 Bar" the next ranch-one Of the
meanest ugliest. most quarrelsOme bull
lies who ever tiourished a gun-got kill
ed at the hotel in town by an unoffend-
ing tenderfoot whom he had tried to
compel to take Il drink. Billy. as usual.
had something to say. Huh! That's
them tentierfeet all over. They think
eft er man tries ter hev fun with EN-
hyar that they've got ter shoot. an
shoot quick. TIL galoot oughter've jes
took Bob Hill by tn scruff O. tn pants
an kicked or throwed i'm out. an Bob
'id've poilygized too quick. Bob Hall
never had no sand. a-..-.....
All the sanle. there was an old story
to the effec, that once when Billy had
been unacc,,untably absent from the
ranch for three or four days. he had
been in town. devoting considerable at
tention to Keeping out Of the belligerent
Mr.. Hairs way. ,....
But Rilly's opportunity came one day.
He had been laid up a week and was
still lame as the result of being on the
side next the ground when his pony
stumbled and fell one day and was sit
ting at the door one morning about
1870 when the stage came along. Sew
eral Of us were in the ranchhouse and
were somewhat surprised to hear the
wheels outside. for the stage road was
two miles from the ranch. AS we
crowded to the door we saw "some-
thing was up." for Dyer. the driver,
looked excited. . .... .s
"Mornin'. gentlemen" he said. And
then to Boss Fleming: Fleming, ex-
pect TO be he'll up over by Five Mile
I'll get another man at Parker's. an
rackon three'll be 'nnugh."
"Why. yes. Of course was the reply.
You can have more if yM want 'em.
I'll go myself. But wh.' didn't you
bring guards If you're carrying any val
uables?"
Dyer explained. The night before he
characters in town and observed that
they eyed him considerably. This morn
ing he had started early. hoping to pass
all the places favorable to a '.hold up
before the three tough looking gentle
men had time to get located. He had
felt a bit backward about bringing
guards. as he did not like to appear
cowardfy. and besides his suspicious
might be groundless. and the laugh
would be on him. There were no valua-
bles except the mail bags.
But the three strangers had passed
him a mile back. evidently in a hurry
to get somewhere; hence his visit to the
"HX't
Fleming turned to get ready to go
he was not the man to send somebody
else into danger--but he was met at the
door by Billy. 'heeled' with two re-
volvers and a Winchester
Hello, man!' calculated Fleming
Didn't you hear me say was going ~
Don't care eff We did answered Bill
ly CURLY. '"rhar's plenty work ter do.
an my laigs is too stiff ter straddle any
blame broncho." And he climbed pain
fully up on the drivers seat. and the
stage rolled away. leaving us staring
at each other. unable to believe our
eyes. .s .,... .-..l ..# s.s
The stage did not reach the Five
Mile nor did it reach Parker's. At a
place two miles west of the "HX,"
where the road traversed the edge of
a bluff over:an=ing deep rayine,
civ Epn6 nd
Walt Dyer and his two team leaders
fell into the road. Then there were
more shots-a ratt::Gg fusillade for two
or three mnutes-tllen silence.
szs When we got to the scene we saw
Billy Brag lying across the body of
the driver. supporting himself on one
elbow and keeping the drop" ON a
man who stood holding up one arm
the other was shattered and hung
limp. Two dead men beside Dyer lay
in the road. The wheelers were quiet
now. but their hoofs had cruelty
mangled the bodies of their PROSTATE
comrades in front.
81 knowed ye'd come. boys" said
Billy. ''else I'd he'd ter kill this un,
stead O. savin i'm fer leetle necktie
party. They got Dyer fust lick. but
Wen they run up ag'in Phin Ellsworth,
they ,ketched er tartar. Guess l kin
die off real peaceful now" ......
But he id not die. With a ball in
his leg. another travelling around some
where on his inside and wound in his
throat which causes his voice to break
in ludicrous way he still lives and
hrags of this very exploit.
HydrOphObia and St. Hubert.
1t is we'll known that st. Hubert
died \. ID. T21I was reputed to cure
hydrophobia by touch. as kings cured
the kings evil The saint was IA
Their before he was saint and left
son. from whom descends family.
the Lavernots. still flourishing in Picar-
\ T. - ~ zl4. = -