The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-21
For Life or Death.

For Life ar Death.
A long, billy road winds from the Gates
cottage to the aqueduct.
Midway tiny dollhouse and a high,
red-painted tollgate bar the road
This gate, stretching the full width OF
the highway, was nearly six feet in
height and was never closed, except at
night.
The duties of tollgate-keeper were light,
for there was little traffic along that
road.
Bill Loucks was tollman.
He was standing modify in front of
his gate. Things had gone awry.
In the first place, Bob Blessing had
utterly cut him out with Ora. In the
second, she might at any moment tell
Bob Of Bilrs attempt to murder rim. In
the third place, Loucks had been bullied
by Gladys Middleton into stealing Ora's
album which held the letter and photo
graph of Ora's father. Bill had met
Gladys in the woods as she planae1. She
had destroyed the photograph and letter
and refused to pay him a cent for his
trouble, even threatening him with ar
rest.
So he had returned moody and disap-
pointed to his post at the toigata
He was in little humor for conversa-
ton and scowled forbiddingtY as Era
Cookus hove in sight.
Whats the matter, Bill" inquired
Era, persuasively. look kinder sour
Got a dime about YEP"
NO. growled Loucks. ''Thc1n dime
borrering days is past. The Middleton
girls got my secret, and she says she's
going to tell. So what'd 1 be givin' you
a dime for?''
"Oh, nothin Only I heard scmethin'
that maybe you'd like to know
Bill hesitated. Then his curiosity con-
quered. He held out dime, AMI said;
well, what did you hear?"
''Well was-I happened, Jest by
chance, to be lookin' through the fence
at Gates this mornin', an -"
The thought that Ezra had witnessed
the theft of the album flashed across
Bills mind. Selling Cookus by the
throat, he shouted:
You saw me, did We? Well, you'll -
mol" gurgled Ezra, breaking free, 81
didn't see we at all Was you there?"
NO" snarled Loucks, relieved.
II know why you grabbed my throat
like that just now" went on Cookus.
''Why?'
Cause you don't like me- whined
the aggrieved Ezra.
Never mind that What was 1t you
saw through the fence 1T Gates'?"
Il saw BleSS1n k1SS1n' DRY. An L saw
him drop money belt and size picked 1t
up, an he told her to take it to the fore
man, Bard, an he said it was the dagoes'
wages, an he rode off another way to
draw ofs them two Writ boys that was
follerin' him. So I went and told The
Writ boys what I'd heard ana give 'em
a tip to foller her instead Of him if they
wanted to swipe the money lust then
she rode out of the Gates barn on that
old horse of hers, and they started after
her. 1 come over here by the short cut
to tell you about it. Why what's the
matter7"
For Loucks had sprung to his feet in
wild excitement.
do you know there's $4,000 in that
money belt?" he screamed. "An' she'll
hev to pass along here with it. It's ten
thousand for each of us If you've got
the sand to help me OUT
why, how's that?''
''Well shut the tollgate and catch her
horse and take the money before Writes
catch up
but that's highway robb'ry, amt 1t2''
Its $4,000 apiece. That's what 1t Is.
An Wen make a rush to git out Of the
county safe with 1t and then change
our names an live like lords. Are we
with me, Ezra?"
There she comes nowI' cried Ezra by
way of reply, pointing to cloud Of dust
half a mile up the road. she's comm
along like lightnin' on that old boss OF
hers. And there's the Writ boys after