The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1904-07-01
A Snail's
Pace For Life
.IOriginal.J

IL
said the mayor. coming into police
headquarters excltedly.
when? How? Where:"
My English was not correct. but the
mayor understood me-
yesterday noon he rode up to Ben
tons bank at Squirrelton, shot the pay
ing teller, grabbed package of bills
and was away before any one realized
what had happened"
Weir!
"Then he met a mounted policeman,
got bead on him and forced him to
give him his uniform. This was near
Redmond, five miles to the south of us.
want you to go out, hunt for him
and bring him in, dead or alive. You
know the reward-$5,OCo.
"Alone?"
Yes. You can work better by your
self than with lot Of bunglers."
Right you are, and I'll go in u..i-
form. It'll be shooting affair any
way, and l always feel better facing
a gun when Eve got my togs on"
! l tracked Irwin by asking people if
they had seen a mounted policeman
| and came up with him while he was
| trotting along country road. I shout
ed to him to stop, as l had something
to say to him. He cast quick glance
at me, hcsitated, then impatiently rein
ed in his horse. I didn't wish to kill
him if could get him into trap and
disarm him. l rode up to him leisurely
and said
II see you're on the force. Where do
you hail from?'
'Im from Squirrelton; looking for
Irwin"
Get any trace of him."
"One clew points to Sparksburg, an
other down there in the river bottom.
If you're looking for him you might go
one way while 1 go the other"
"All right l said to inspire conf
dence. when we get to where the
road forks I'll go to the river bottom"
Presently drew rein and dismount-
ed under pretense Of tightening my
saddle girth. From behind my horse
| I drew my revolver and, bringing 1t to
bear OH him before he could see what
| I was about, called on him to Surren-
der.
He had to choose between two forms
| OF death-my bullet or the gallows.
With the former there was slender
chance, with the latter none whatever.
Bending low behind his horses neck,
he gave him a cut and dashed OF, fol-
| lowed by my shots. Meanwhile l
mounted and went after him. Now
and again he turned and fred at me.
but I got down fat on my horse, and
there was not much for him to shoot
at. Finally I fired a shot that made
him totter; then he fell from the sad
die. I was beginning to draw rein
when my horse, on crossing rotten
covering to a culvert, broke through.
and 1 went flying through the air, land
| ing about fifty feet from Irwin. My
revolver flew to a point at the side of
the road between US. though tr1he
nearer to him than to me. l started
up, when I got II twinge that laid me
out again. My leg was broken.
As soon as could think Of anything
except the pain I raised my head and
saw Irwin crawling on his stomach to-
ward my weapon. He had moved only
few feet. and his progress was SO
slow that it would take him some time
/ to reach it. Evidently he had either
parted with his own weapon or had
discharged all the cartridges. l saw
at once that it was a question OF life
or death with me to secure the revOlv-
er myself and began q crawling which
was no more rapid than that Of my
enemy.
Every now and again I would hear
a groan from Irwin, which was usually
echoed by one from me. Irwin made
ten feet while I was making six, then
he stopped. took out handkerchief
and, binding it around his leg. twisted
it with his knife as tourniquet. While
he was doing this he was watching me,
who made ten feet while he was at
work with his surgical apparatus.
| Starting again, he was handicapped by
having to hold the tourniquet, which he
had no means of fixing permanently.
| Nevertheless desperation gave him
strength, and he made better Roadway
than 1. 1t was singular, this tortoise
race between two fellow beings with
life for the prize, death for the forfeit.
| Several times I thought should faint,
but knew if 1 did 1 would probably
never return to consciousness. l there
fore nerved myself to keep my senses
and continue on my way. But in five
minutes 1 did not make five feet, nor
did Irwin do much better.
. Presently Irwin stopped and calculat-
ed his own and my distance.
| "What do you say to rest, pard p
| he asked.
There's no rest for the wicked" l
replied without ceasing my efforts.
every well. You'll get one pretty
soon. Since stopped the flow of blood
I've ceased to lose strength. 1 can see
you're giving out pretty fast. only
proposed the truce because I didn't
like to see you suffer"
There was now about ten feet for
both of US, and felt sure that despite
| his plucky words Irwin was bleeding
from an artery, and, though I was ex-
| pecting to lose consciousness every mo-
ment, 1 pushed on. 1 reached the
| wpaDOn while he WAS vet three feet