The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-19
THC ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

tress. It wasn't that feared the result of the opening, for held a safe hand.
 Boon my inexplicable distress became 70 great that I half arose from the table and Easped for breath.
 i" Set down. therev roared Ali. You coward! You don't quit the game that wayv EF
 pression of his face drove the blood to my heart. He held high his hand, and began to laugh in demoniac shriekg. Ills brother. 1 vakuelv noted. was gazlny It him. with staring balls. All the blood when the show down came. Ali had a pair of aces and pair of tens:
 He looked over at Joe's hand The
 You cheat! shrleked Ali, and, quick as a flash. he seized a skillet-lid and struck Joe op the side of the head with the edge of It. The latter rolled under ened to think how badly Joe was in- jnred. when the demon shrieked at me. What have you got, you roxuer n
 Oh. cried. nothing now; the pot is and skillet lid knock out my four kings?
 "The demon raj, to his coat. took out the bottle and drank again.
 DrinkI he yelled reaching ,hs s,'.,n9;S t fS %s
 :Drinkr he shriekea again.
 T raised the bottle and pretended to critical act and threw the lid at my head. I saved the skull by shifting the bottle. It met the lid and fell to pieces. I now screamed as loudly as I could. The man he was about entering the hut. Ali fired at him with a revolver. The man ran a few feet and reeled over the logs into the river.
 ,Ntx ShNf OTazQd the left side of my head, and badly powder burned my cheek. He fired again, but ] disturbed his aim with my left arm. and the ball went through the roof of the pistol snapped. Bv this time got hold of the skillet-lid. and. before he could | aim again. struck him on the side of the head with such force that he fell 1 senseless to the floor. wallowing in his l own and his brothers blood.
 1T now stooped to examine the extent of Joes injuries. Alas! His skel was broken at the right temple. and the cleft.
 "Now. what should dor One man was 1 dead. sure; the other apparently SO. and the steersman. of course. floating down the .,,, river. ,,sas, and would be hung for the
 'The distress I suffered for the next l hour passes power of expression, but you see the blossoms it put forth in my l ndlT, WnlCn was DldCh dL tu6 liuCs DuA | white inside of . month.
 For several minutes I sat at the reek. l ing table, my powers of thought almost gone. and my brain only conscious of 3 l burden of Eckening agony that weighed l down my icy limbs. Finally the strik- | ing of the raft against the side of the | bank partially aroused me. I struggled | from my chair and went out on the logs. [ went slowly to the steering apparatus the raft in the current until I reached 1 Catlettsburg Then I landed, called to some men on the grade, and told them my awful story.
 1T was not believed by many on account l of the peaceful disposition of the Davis brothers. I was accordingly arrested and taken to jail. A great trailing throns were known to all. and, on account of their kindly natures. greatly beloved. For awhile there was buzzing hints of a mob.
 T was given completely over to de- | spair, when. an hour or two later. l looked out from the jail and saw 6 1 crowd returning. Now I was to die knew. However, the disgrace of dying in would be innocent of crime. was all that disturbed me. Death. in itself. would be kindly relief. On came the crowd The | key turned hoarseiy in the lock. The l door was pushed open, and the sheriff | and Jim Anderson entered. Jim Ander- son was the steering man supposed al
 the bottom of the river. He was only
 the raft to avoid the murderous maniac.
 His evidence. supported by the bad rep
 utation of the persimmon ooze, saved me. | "No: no more poker for me. thank ] you"