Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Paymaster's Ride.
IOriginal.l


cerned. Only the name is changed.
Many years ago, when California was
inhabited largely by people of Spanish
descent, John Nolan was an officer of
a lumber company at Sacramento. 1t
was one of his duties to go among the
lumber camps of the company in lit
| tie two seated wagon and pay off the
men. One evening while riding from
one camp to another Nolan saw the
| figure of a woman standing in the road
| ahead of him, evidently waiting for
| him to come up.
"WilI you give me a lift, signor?" she
said when he reached her.
Certainly. Get up beside me, or, if
you think it too crowded on the front
| seat take the hind one"
'Thank you. signor," replied the wo-
man. Il will take the seat that gives
the most room" And she climbed in at
the rear.
Him." said Nolan to himself. "She
has an eye to correct behavior" And
| he drove on. Its a fine night" he re-
marked by way of opening a CONVEX
sation. Il think the moon must be at
the full"
"a fine night" repeated the woman
without adding any thing further. No
Ian tried with several remarks to draw
her into conversation, but, failing,
relapsed into silence. The moonlit
plain over which he was driving, the
serene heavens through which the
queen of night was slowly moving. the
glittering stars, were far more attrac-
tive than woman who would not talk.
Nolan drove on. occupied with his own
| thoughts, and was gradually forgetting
his companion, when, happening to
| turn his head sidewiSe, he caught a
flash of moonlight reflected from some
polished surface behind him.
Now, there was nothing In the light
of the round disk in the heavens to stir
any emotions within John Nolan ex-
| cept those of the most serene character.
Why, then, should these few reflected
rays. this momentary glitter, cause his
heart TO stand still and a cold Shiver
| to run down his back? What passed
| through his mind was even quicker
| than the flash of moonlight. 1t was
| this: He was riding alone, with a
large sum of the company's money in
his possession. He was known far and
wide as the company's paymaster, and
this woman was sitting behind him
ready to plunge a knife into him in
order TO obtain the money.
He was armed. but what use weap-
on at his hip in plain sight of the wo-
man behind him? AT the first move Of
his hand to grasp it a foot of cold steel
would be thrust between his ribs.
Ii,
that a remote One-he must appear to
be without suspicion and invent some
artifice to secure an advantage.
Turning partly sidewise, he address
ed a remark to her, keeping in that
position as If to converse the more
readily, but without in the least ap-
pearing to be aware of her purpose. As
he turned, her arm that had been raised
sank and her hand found concealment
| in the folds of her dress. One of No
lan's eyes was strained to watch her,
while the other was cast ahead at
forest they would soon enter. He
| knew that in the struggle which was
| inevitable he would have an advantage
Oh the open plain. Within the shadow
of the wood there would be no ray of
moonlight to reveal to him an over
| hanging dagger. He must devise be-
| fore they reached the wood some ex-
pedient either to get rid of the woman
| or force her to show her hand.
"Get up, you lazy beast" he said to
his horse. "At this rate well be out
all night" And, striking at the an
imaI with his whip, he contrived to
drop ii in the road.
| m fry 70
stop the horse at once, but took pains
that he should leave some interval be-
tween them and the fallen whip.
1--WE dropped my whip" he said to
the woman. Would you mind getting
it for me?"
The woman hesitated moment, then
got down and went back for the whip.
| The moment she picked it up Nolan
dashed the horse with the reins and
started on. The woman, seeing that
she had been tricked, ran for the
wagon.
Then began a race which Nolan
feared was one between life and death.
His horse, which was merely a hack.
broke into lOpe, but made no great
| speed. The woman, on the contrary,
ran swiftly and in a few minutes
caught hold of the tailboard of the
wagon. Nolan seized the weapon near
est at hand, the seat the woman had
| been sitting on, and began to belabor
her over the head. But her head was
hard, and she was persistent. While
she ran she was making efforts to
climb over the dashboard and get into
the wagon. Finally in one of these at
fop1nfS har foot loft tho OpOund and
she was poised on the tailbOard.
Now. Nolan even in self protection
had no stomach for killing n woman.
Thus far he had neither shot at her
nor made any effort to stab her. But
when he saw her about to force an
entrance he used the next most eff
fective weapon to the seat-his boot.
With n kick under the cheek he laid