Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-07-12
The door swung wide open.

"God knows" said the other. Little
enough. But we do not need one Come,
man"-turning to me-"stand there"
l turned to the girl, and she looked
up at me. / read in her face what she
saw in min We must go through with
the thing, or in half an hour she would
be at the mercy of these outlaws.
why not, my friends?" she said,
turning to them. Il cannot be married
too soon. Else why should / have run
away from homer"
After all, the man vas no minister,
n a forced affair like this could mean
nothing. And so there, in the reeking
moon, with one man in a stupor and
with five as wicked specimens of HUI
mainly as ii had ever been my lot to
meet, the drunken Marvin married us
in the early morning hours. How the
wretch knew aught of the marriage SER
vice / could not then tell. But he did.
and we agreed by nods-only speaking
when forced toto cleave to each other
in sickness and in health, in good for
tune and In bad, till death should us
part.
When he came to ask my name, /
hesitated. and was about to give anoth-
er, and then-.Curse me for a careless
beast-the man called Purdy spoke up
reading from the rim of my hat: Bal
fort"
III 81 L 6dNe lily III
Mistress" said Marvin, your name
now"
Deborah Phillpse," she said, be-
meath her breath, and then repeated a
part of what he dictated, though her
arm grew heavier and heavier in mine
till my wounded wrist throbbed with
pain.
/ thought then it was over, but he
must needs get paper and ink, and
Nrrita ont a h1ltcra1 an1 70 HING cor
tifcate hat Merton Balfort and De-
borah Philipse were married the 18th
day of September, 1850, by James Mar
win, minister of the gospel; whereupon
those looking on roared with laughter
at him and his solemnity, and most of
all at his signature that covered half
the page When he had signed, Purdy
cried out:
Now, a toast to the bride!" and we
filled again, and they drank and / tast-
ed.
But Marvin stood up, keeping his bal
anCe as best he could, and droned out
In noel solemnity:
Gentlemen, you forget. The minister
has not had his fee"
Then, turning to me, he said in a
w~heedling tone, with a horse-pistol
pointing at me from his right hand,
you would not forget the man of God
hat made you the possessor of such as
this?"
Indeed, l had not seen 1t until that
moment, nor had it occurred TO me till
then that / had on my first hight in
this country fallen in with a gang of
SINNERS. 1t was clear enough now,
and the amusement they were to have,
and were having, while robbing me was
of their own deVelish making.
Let me pay the Fee" said the girl
eagerly, and, drawing out a silken purse
she took from it half a dozen gold
pieces-enough for forty weddlngs-and
handed them to Marvin, adding, Il
tharh you, sir"
] could have cried with rage at this
last, the simplicity of the girls vision,
coupled with her infinite skill in turn
ing the whole episode from a fight into
a peaceful, or rather harmless, robbery!
Marvin held the. pieces in his hand,
and made a wry face as he leered at
her.
Its but a small sum for so great a
service, Mistress Balfort!"
WHY said she, with a vacant
stare, and then looked at me. Some
thing must have shown on my face; for,
with a sudden catching of her hand at
her throat and a falling of her smiling
mask, she handed him the purse and
turned away.
Marvin counted out the pieces with
slow precision, and then turned to his
gang.
This is but a paltry pair after all"
sale he. "Andanever have I had so
small a marriage fee. Can you not help
your lady wife out, good sir ?"-address-
ing me.
An uncomfortable movement that l
made drew Our long barrels on my
head not five feet away, n with a
T th,aur hin, r,y ,.o IIot . IS .t.ts
1t held a goodly sum, and I prayed
that they might forget to search me,
for what else 1 had lay with my dis
patches in my boots. But a savage
grunt from the other side of the room
saved us. Every eye turned towards
the sound, and we saw the ''jolly good
fellow" wriggle and sit up. He was
dressed like my opponent, and l. was
watching him as he struggled to his
feet, when a spasmodic grasp clutched
my arm. | turned to see Mistress Phil
ipse's face close up to mine and abject
terror written on every feature.
THAT man! That mani" gasped she.
Save me from him, in Gods name!"
And-whether because this was the last
straw, or because of some new and
greater danger from this last addition
TO u company, / know not-she leaned
against me and would have fallen had
l. IOl plChCd ItI up anu carried nGr
into the other part of the tavern.
The door opened into a hall. and from
that l turned into the first room, which.
as often in such houses, was q bedroom.
there i laid her on the bed and took
off her soaked shoes. She lay quiet,
and l seized the chance to seek the
landlord. He was not far, for l found
him standing looking at me as l came
into the dark hall.
GCnyN.o y " coi1 7 G,o, "
famous a lot here as ever l saw, but If
you be the man L think you, you will
get me out of this place."
what car l do with them, sir? They
own the house now. Twill be a rod
send if they do not burn it about our
ears!"
GO back down the road and find the
coach. You'll get q hundred times the
pay there tor "nat l want you to do"
TT DO what 1 cam he muttered.
"Give me another horse and a wom-
ans saddle, if you have it,"
Il have none but ar Ole mans sad
die"
you'll find two horses hitched to the
coach. Keep them" For, If the men
had not taken them, they must still
be there. The men, l knew, would be
gone by this.
Il cannot get the horse for we just
now" he muttered, standing first on
one foot and then on the other.
Come with me, them" said 1, and we
went back to the main room. Twas a
ticklish job, but we did it. They were
at their jolly good fellow again-now
he sat on a stool with his head in his
hands-and they hailed me as an old
friend. l must needs drink with them
and sing a snatch. But we put a key
on the table and stole out, leaving them
fighting for the first draught of it.
We found the coach, but, as / feared,
neither men nor horses. Still, there was
that in the travelling box which more
than satisfied Gowan, n we Don had
another horse saddled standing with
Roger ready in n he'd just above the
tavern. On getting again into the back
room by n rear door, l found the girl