Evening journal., 1903-09-03
UIbY He ~
Was CouS6f
[orIgInai.l

a verltaDle desperodo, got permission
Of his keeper to visit him. Among
other things he told me how he came
to be caught at last This is the story:
I'd had things pretty much my own
way for long while, and it made me
careless. It's never best for man to
have q run Of good luck. He needs
backset now and then to keep him cau-
tious. While was holdin' people up
and gittin' away with the plunder
forgot that those I'd levied on was
strrin' up trouble for me.
One day I rode by ranch and seein'
1t was a prosperous loolxin' place
thought I'd stop and see If l could haul
in anything The door was opened by
as trim a gal as you ever see. Not a
plains gal or greaser or anything like
that. but a lady all over. / told her
was a-travelin' and would like to get
dinner if might be allowed to pay for
II, and she said l could have all
wanted to eat with nothin' to pay and
welcome heard an old crone's voice
speakin' from above. 4dl
"what you thinkin of, Lillian7 OF
course he can pay for dinnerl D'you
s'pose we're made OF money"
The gal colored, but said nothin' and
went out and give orders to the cook,
while l. bein' convinced that the place
was open to me, went, upstairs, and,
scarln' the old woman by SHOWN my
weapon agin' her scalp, axed her what
valyables there was In the house. She
was vixen, you bet, and l was
afeerd I'd have to blow her brains out,
but the cold iron and my thinkin'
whether to do it or, not, which she
could see in my face, helped matters,
aud she at last give in and showed me
where she kept her valyables. 1t hap
pened that they was all together. so
she was 'bleeged to show EN- up all at
oncet
Well, while we was a-talkln' the gal
come upstairs, and though for awhile
she couldn't seem TO git on TO what
was up TO. she did at last and give me
look I'll remember TO the day
swing. Somehow it made me feel
what was Nobody ever made one
feel that way before.
tCome,'' she said, ''when you've got
what you want. I've had what we
have IN the house set out for you. I'm
not accountable for your acts, only my
own Yon asked for a dinner apd 1
promised to give it to you. 1 shall
keep my PROMISE
She tux me downstairs, and there
on the table was such a snack as she
could get up IN short time, cold beef
and bread and butter, eggs and such
nke, and I set down and eat hearty,
for / was hungry. I-felt sort OF mean.
with the gal a-waitin' on me as Though
she was servant and a gentleman,
specially as / had all the movable
property in my pocket. Every time I'd
look up there was that innocent face
lool,in' at me, and when l wanted any
thing shed help me to it. So by the
time I'd got a good meal into me 1
was ready to do ihe only decent thing
ever did in my life.
You're nice leete gal" said, aand
you've treated me fair Oncet I was
respectable, and somehow the way
you've been actin toward me and
lookin' at me has made me ashamed o
myself" ...
TUX out what I'd stuffed In my
pockets and put It on the table and, got
up and walked out O. the house and
rode away. t..
Well. that was right enough so far as
it went. but it went furder. Somehow
couldn't forglt the looks O. that leetle
gal. 1t seemed TO me that If l could
live where could see her sometimes
and have a change I'd turn decent
One day when was near the ranch
l rode over there. That was the un-
Z luclxfust visit of my life. ] hadn't
moro n rode I'm through the open gate
before tho committee that was a-lookln'
I for me -calae round turn in the road,
/ and there / was caught like a rat IN a
trap.
The only man on the committee that
knowed me for shore had gone bacl1with
a lame horse, so after they'd taken me
IN on suspicion they called the leetle gal
for they knowed I'd been there
aforo-and axed her if / was the man.
She looked at me. maxim believe she
was puzzled or couldn't remember or
somepiD, then said:
mo"
was that surprised you could "a
blowed me over with a kitchen bel
lows, . :,
Never seen him bcforeT axed one
Of EN-
Not this one. The other was bad
fellow. This man, I'm sure. is good
one and wouldn't hurt any one"
That was true so far as I hadn't
robbed any one since l seen her.
"All right, stranger said the leader
"You kin go. I'm sorry to have dis
turbod your al-
4 l was walkin' forward to the door
when l heerd a rustlin' on the stairs
aud the old crone come down just in
! time to meet me face to face. She give
I n siIrieK. yellin'. "Take him. Hes the
man that robbed u.s.
I Well seen at oncet II was all up
with me. They took me in and brought
me here for trial and I'm waitin' for
the end OF It. What gifts me is that. the
only decent thing ever did was the
thing that got me into trouble. II. I'd
a Tux the valyables and not got soft
hearted Ia probably be roamin'.. on
the road now. l tell you. when 4 man
starts ont TO be bad he don't never
want TO turn aside TO be good. Il II
] rrt.-a him art-ar- 1ooI c1,,ro