The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-23
Our Daily $bcrt Story

and the next instant a man was pre- cipitate6 at their very feet in a most undignifisd heap.
 | It was then that Sarah sawkins had I her inspiration. Like a Hash, her duty | to herself. to her helpless relatives. to the preservation of the law, was re- veAled to her. She sprang forward with marvellous quickness for one so large and sat upon the prostrate form. , fully, freely and without reserve. The man groaned, tw1tched as much as he was able to twitch. and then lay quiet except for an ocasional convul+ sive attempt at breathing. "Come!" cried Mrs. Sawkins, excited 1y to her astonished relatives. Don't you see I've got him? Come" But Fate had never thrown Mrs. Sawkins much among her relatives. She did not know how deeply grounded fs the instinct of Representation in those loved ones who are bound to us By the strong ties of kinship. She realized 1t, however, when they started down the road, led by their Cousin Willie, who sped as an arrow shot from the bow. For moment she gazed after them in astonishment and fndig- nation.
 A futile struggle beneath her brought her mind back to her prisoner. She bent slightly in order to see around her generous curves, and lock- cd the bandit full in his upturned face. "why--it's an old man" she gasped involuntarily. There was a sudden kicking out of his half-imprisoned legs as if he felt the indignity of her remark. He sub- sided immediately he was compelled to turn his attention to procuring enough air to breathe. What Mrs. Sawkins saw was a very | much tousled and mussed face of a man of perhaps fifty years. His white side whiskers were plentifu1ly besprinkled with the dust and earth that had ac- oompanied his sensational entrance on the scene. His glasses had slipped almost to the point of his nose, giving his round face a most comical touch. His wide blue eyes held a look of fixed ] and immutable perplexity. His mouth was screwed askew as if to keep back the pain of the weight he was sustain ing.
 Sarah Sawkins was naturally kind woman and her heart softened a trife at sight of him. He made another ef- fort to move and his lips worked tremulusly.
 If you want to talk I'll raise a bit," she said. not unkindly.
 He nodded feebly.
 I'm e gentleman he began, "and protest against such--'
 Mrs. Sawkins settled her weight upon him again with decision.
 You shan't talk that way to me-" she said co1dly. Its bad enough to hold up a stage and scare people to death. without trying to flb out of it."
 But, madam" he begged feebly.
 Keep stilI," she commanded. letting herself relax to the fullest. Don't add falsehood to your list of crimes"
 There was silence for a moment and a strange expression settled over the face of the prisoner.
 "rd like to leave a statement of some sort" he moaned. feeb1y.
 A startled look came to Mrs. Saw kins' eyes. She put her palms on the ground and shifted some of her weight to them.
 ''The fall injured you?' she asked 6 tri1A more gently.
 That was mere play" he sighed.
 She looked down at him with grow ing misgiving. His face was certainly not the hardened one of the criminal But then. had she not read times with out number that the flower of our manhood had been known to engage in such nefarious business? No for once she would not permit the soft ness of her heart to conflict with her plain duty.
 If you're stin here when it's all over" he groaned. 'I'm going to ask you to get word to my friend. Kilby, who will probably look after--what's left of me and"
 Mrs sawkins firted spasmodicaIly to one side and burst into tears. The bandit rose slowly and with much diff ficulty. With a weak pretense at brushing his clothes. he walked stifiy over to a rock and Sat down.
 If you'll control yourself madam" he said. I'll explain my presence here and then I shall expect your explana- ton. which is certainly due me-"
 He waited patiently for her sobs to cease and began:
 My name Is Billings-Tulliver Bil- lings of San Francisco. am down here at the invitation of MT. Kilby to look at his mine. arrived just a mo- ment ago on the eastbound train. found the stage for Kilby's had already left, but that by running down the trail I could probably overtake it. called to the driver to stop. He did. and asked him to wait till got down. In coming over that wall I slipped. You know the rest almost-but not quite as well as I. Now" and the twinkle in his blue eyes anticipated the slang. Its up to you"
 When she had finished. they both laughed. It was not the half laughter that is used to cover an em- barrassing situation. It began with tremendous vigor and died out of sheer exhaustion.
 'Tf you can manage the team. I think we'd better be going" she final ly suggested. We may pick up some of the other guests between here and Kilbys."
 Three months later MT. Kent Kilby and wife took a long-cherished trip east.
 T guess you and Full will keep everything going till we get back" he