The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-24

knowledge to fifteen cosmopolitan
young Westerners at the Cedar Springs
school, eight miles over the hills. He
o d out every morning from Piute.
Hello, Professor" called out the I'M
lucky teamster. Say, come V e here
and cut me loose"
"JonesI" cried the astonished teacher,
wheeling about, his eyes fairly bullying.
What are you doing there?" He was
not long out, remember.
ooh, just resting" with a grin.
"Why bless me-er-have you been
held up?"
Looks like it, don't it?"
Once free, Bill Jones stretched HIM
self, and, in answer to the gentle Eas-
|! tener's volley of questions, related all
that had occurred. Thought he was
goin' to get me, though he finished.
Vernon, looked 1t him a moment, then
came out of his shell and burst into
roars of laughter.
by George, that's the best joke I
ever heard Of" he cried, between gasps.
"Ha. he! ha! Oh, Lord, let me laugh
some more!" and again he exploded.
But where did o get the idea?"
WELL, as Dill jules STlIllleu again
Il one a heap of thinkin' about this
run, KNOWN I'd be held up some day
carryin' this none pay days. I told
the company, but they wouldn't e to
it. One day I told Doc Sumner how it
was. and what 1 wanted. He fixed up
the dope. Said a decent drink from
that bottle would put a Teller to sleep
for four o. five hours-and do it in a
hurry, co.. Curse, there was chances
on them not takin' it, but most of these
here fellerS can't overlook a nice bottle
that's laying so handy, y know. Why
I been carryin' that for six month"
Vernon gazed at him in speeches.
admiration.
"Guess we'd better gather them in
resumed the m~ulepuncher. taking a
fresh chew. "Other one's DOWN there
a ways. sleepin' real sound, 1 guess
as they finished binding the big mar
securely and swung him onto the wag.
on. A short search revealed his con.
federate. "sleepin' real sound" as Bill
Jones had predicted. Near by lay thu
stolen gold. Between them they tool
the little man by the head and the heel:
and shortly after tossed him onto thu
load of Jour to keep his senseless com
panion good company.
Restoring the money to it's formel
hiding place, Bill Jones mounted hi:
seat. and started his browsing mules
with exquisite profanity and vlgorou!
SlaSheS of the heavy blackSnake
Reaching a clearing shortly, he turned
about and headed back for town, tn
gentle Fastener riding as a cavalry es
cort, forgetting all about his fifteel
young cosmopolitan Westerners. Sucl
a day might never come in his lif
again.
An hour later little Piute was plupg
ed into the widest excitement it hat
ever known, when Bill Jones, his cap
tives and the gentle fastener arrived
They rang the fire bell, and in tel
minutes the town had gathered ever,
soul about Bill Jones and his wagons
Then the marshal came and carried tn
pair off to dream awhile in security.
| When Jake West and Hank Dawson
for such proved to be the names of tn,
road agents, came back to their sense
some hours later, inside the little ston
jail, wearing nice nickle-plated bracelet
and handsome leg irons, they were tn,
maddest men in California-and tn
most crestfa1len.
1t seems they were wanted all tn
way from Tulare to Modoc, by tn
sheriffs of half a dozen counties. Nov
they're doing life up at Folsom in tn
rock quarry.
Bill Jones'? Oh, he isn't drivin.
freight wagon n more. The compan.
found something better for him.