The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-01-15


down their packs while they went il
to patronize the bar. which constitutes
half the town. The older miner wa
careful to explain to the dispenser o
refreshments and the loungers in tn,
place that he and his companion wer'
going to the Balaklala to work. See
ing you've got jobs. 1t amt worth men
tioning." said the proprietor. "but In
jun Flatfoot, who's a-gambling in thu
back room now, says he's willing Il
pay big for somebody to go up the hill
with him tonight and keep some ole
claim or other from being jumped"
The remark was not lost upon Jo-
Barclay along the trail. winding uI
hillsides and around little peaks. some
times under trees and usually through
dense chemise, he asked: will this
Flatfoot party try to interfere with us
tonight. do you reckon?"
You'd better save your wind to get
up these hills, instead of wasting II
asking questions" answered old Pete:
land besides. pine-tree. such as you
be, with a six-skooter handy, ought to
be able to BLUM off q half-breed, any
way"
1t was while they were cooking sup
per in a secluded spot in the ravine,
just below the first of the claims they
had come to operate upon that night,
that Josiah learned more OF Henry
Flatfoot. II would seem that he must
be the boss bad citizen OF Shasta coun-
ty. Barclay told Josiah that the half
breed had shot at many men in va
ricus fights. had stabbed one or two.
and bore the record of his encounters
in scars over his body and long knife
mark across his left cheek. He served
a term in San Quentin" went on Bar
clay. Illuminating. 1T was after he
tried to hold up the Bieber stage. up
yon way. and was shot in the shoulder.
They chased him for FIVE days. He
was SO near petered out that he even
threw away his gun. or some of them
wouldn't have been so hot to overtake
him. At last they caught him in a
deep cave on the McCloud. and how do
you s'pose they knew he was back in
the dark hole? 1t was by the shine OF
his eyes: they were just like an ami
mails. People say it's due to the fact
that a wildcat crawledy into his
mothers cabin one night not long be-
fore he was born"
1t was very dark In the hills at nine
O'Clock. At that hour. Pete Barclay
stationed Josiah Godbolt beside the
scrub-oak upon which Henry Flatfoot's
location of the claim was posted, with
the instruction that when he could feel
both hands of his big silver watch.
from which the crystal had been re-
moved, pointing straight Upward, he
was to tear down the half-breed's mo-
tice and tack up their own as noise
lessly as possible. Then he was to
stand guard beside the sign of their
possession until morning. Pete would
do the same on the other claim.
And what II somebody comes
snorting around here and wants to
clean me out?" asked Josiah.
well, the law gives man the RICH.
TO defend his property in the certain
est way he knows how. and that's my
best gun you've got In your belt there"
replied Pete, as he felt his way into
the little trail which led to the other
claim, half mile away over the hill.
Josiah found his vigil growing te-
dious rapidly. He feared to move
about in the darkness, lest he should
lose the tree, and he had been advised
not to disclose his presence to chance
providers by striking . light For
the same reason he checked half-in-
impulse to whistle. He slid
to the ground, with his back against
the tree, and occupied himself with |
over all he had heard about |
the half-breed, who would own the
very ground upon which he was sit
Ting for more than two hours to come. |
Supposing Henry Flatfoot should take |
! notion to visit the claim while II |
IT'LL belonged to him? Who would be
The intruder then, and on whose side |
would the law be? Josiah moved his |
Dig foot, and the cracking Of twig |
beneath it startled him and set his |
heart to beating.
The darkness was so intense that /
Josiah could see as little with his eyes
pen ~ with them shut. He could not |
ZEE the hand on his crooked-up knee,
md he could not see his right hand,
Which, somehow, seemed comfortable
My when 1t rested upon the butt of
he revolver swung loosely in his
Gather belt. Many the night when
le had followed the dogs at a run in
he bottoms along the Mississippi until
he 'possum was freed and the axes
ouid be swung to fell the perch, but
e had not supposed that night, when
either snow nor rain was falling,
ould be as dark as this. Clouds hid
very STAR In shifting his position
. was delighted to discover glow
Form. He seized the insect and, draw
1g up his cowhide shoes, smeared
hosphorus on the toe Of each. He
Duld now follow the motion. of his feet
hen he moved them and he felt more
With limbs numb from sitting 30
ing In this posture. Josiah pulled cut
IL watch In haste. Surely 1t was al,