Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-25
DAILY SHORT STORY
A DELINEAToR OF HEROES.

come from my bravery, my skill with
| the revolver or my strength. l am
rather timid couldn't hit a barn
door with a bullet. and l am but five
foot three.
Now. how do I strike terror into the
/ citizens of this region: l will tell you.
When | came out to this benighted
country. with my delicately cut cameo
face. my six and half lady's kid
hand and my "a shoe. l was cOnsid-
cred too insignificant 10 be noticed by
the more manly inhabitants, but was
subjected To continued annOyances by
those who were mean enough 10 take
advantage of my diminutive size. But
one man really threatened me. and
have always excused him, for l fell
in love with his daughter, and the
worst of il was she preferred me and
my intellectual tastes TO the muscular
bullet perfOrating men of the frontier.
When Bill Stanhope. Lucy's father,
learned how the land lay he Informed
me in the eXTrayagant language of
New Mexico that if he ever caught me
with Lucy he would let enough sui
shine through me to light 4 church.
l was riding one day through Il lone
ly valley and on emerging from Il wood
saw in an open space just below me
two men approaching each other on
horseback. At first 1 supposed they
were riding up to have talk, but
suddenly one OF Nthem raised Il Viii
chester and fired vat the other. Then
saw that they acre Zeb gallagher.
the most dreaded desperate i'll New
Mexico and Bill Stanhope. saw
Stanhope'S hat fall 10 the ground and
concluded the bullet had knocked it
off He took it mighty coOlly, l
thought didn't know that he hap
penCd to be short Of caI1ridgeS-rode
| on slowly without firing till lie got
within better range, then raised his
| rife. took Il sure aim andttired. There
was Il rapid exchange of shots after
this for Il few seconds. neither man
DOING much damage.
1t looked as if l hadt one chance in
ten to bc relieved of the man who
stood between me and happiness. but
somehow | thought of Lucy and how
her fathers death would break her
heart and wondered what / had better
do. Stanhope had come 10 within
hundred yards of me: Gallagher was
still 500 yards AWAY. The first thing |
knew Gallagher threw away, his rifle
and came on the gallop for tStanhOpe
with his revolver. ! knew by this that
| he was ont of ammunition ana looked
for StanhOpe To Kill him with rifle
bullet before he came up. But stan
hope was evidently in the same fix,
for lie. too, dropped his rifle and be
gan firing with his revolver. l counted
eleven shots between the two. then l
saw Stanhope toss his revolver to the
ground. fold his arms and sit quietly
in the saddle evidently waiting for
| Gallagher to finish him. Gallagher de-
| Iibprately examined his revolver, and,
taking five cartridges. from his pocket,
added them to the+ one left there.
| While ne was doing $50 l dismounted,
| and. scurrying alongl on foot behind
low bushes. darted upNto StanhOpe and
handed him my revolver. As Gallagher
was putting in the laSucartridge STAN
! hope shot him dead.
| never shall forget Nthe expression
| on StanhOpe'S face as! he turned his
| eyes from his falling enemy and rest
| ed them on me. withOIr whose timely
| interference he would by this time
! have been 4 dead man. He looked me
! all over from the crOwn'o of my head to
/ the SoleS of my feet. apparently Strug
! CLING up TO Il realization of the fact
! that he was indebtedf for his life to
| such an fnfinitesimal specimen of q
| man.
sonny" he said presently, what
J did you do it for?''
We'll. to tell you the truth, Mr..
| Stanhope at first 1 hoped he'd down
/ YOU: then I'd be free 10 marry Lucy.
/ But when | came to,consider how she
would Geel about it Il wanted you to
win.
Il didn't suppose you could talk so
! near like a man. YouIown me, since if
| 1t hadn't been for youSId have been a
dead man this minute. You can have
Lucy. but what are you going. to do
! with herr You can .Ilever live in peace
among people who don't fear you. I'll
| Tell YOU what we can do. I'll inform
the community that it was you who
| killed Gallagher"
| That's an idea l replied.
What do you want TO make of your
! self he asked after pause.
| Il want to run my little ranch and
scribhle"
Stories. articles. anything in the 1T
erary line"
Well you so home. and hereafter
you'll be known as the man who killed
Gallagher. reckon you won't be pes
tered much after that job. And so far
as Lucy is concerned, why. If she's
willing TO take man who has more re-
speCt for a pen than a revolver 1 sup
pose under the altered circumstances
she'll have TO have her own way"
The next day when I appeared at
the postoffice an opening was made for
me by those waiting and every man
took off his hat. l have ever since
been n terror 10 all.the men and the ad-
miration OF all the women. My wife
and her father are the only two per
sons who know the secret, and the for
mpr has so long seen IN o frosted Nta a