Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-08-26
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE eALLows IN THE GLOOM.
LOrigInaL.]

you now.
There was a heap of excitement
when Norton was found murdered. and
as soon as it was known that PaXson
had been with him at his cabin over
night and had dug out some time be
fore nornin' a posse got after him.
found him ON the road to Hunkers,
brought him back, tried him and con-
victed him before the excitement had
had time TO cool They was goin' TO
string him up at once when his wife
come and plead so hard for Il leetle
time with him before he left her that
she, bein woman, got EN- to give
three days Meantime the prisoner
was KEEP in d barn, with two citizens
to watch
ALI Baker and me was friends OF
Nortons. and | was friend of the
Parsons. Molly. she come to me, wiring
in her hands. and begged me to do
somcthin I'd "a taken Cy's place at
the end o. the rope if l could, but, OF
course, l couldn't. 50 / made up my
mind to die tryin' TO help him break
Jail | went to All Baker, who was a
level headed sort of Teller. To git
points how to 20 TO work. He laid out
a plan and agreed for the woman's
sake and not believin' Cy guilty to help
me ont with it,
The fuSt thing he did was 10 90 blus-
term around, sayin' he didn't believe
they was g1in' to punish Cy for KILN
Norton nohow and let on as If he
'spected they'd cOntrive to let him es-
cape In this way he got himself put
on to watch the prisoner with another
man. Durin' the cvenin' ALI sent the
Teller OF for some tobaccer. unlocked
the door and tole Cy to come out. l
was waitin' in the road with three
bosses.
There's no doubt we'd Il got Cy away
If we hadn't struck a streak o. bad
luck. Fust. my boss got stone into
his shoe and we lost all of ten minutes
gittin' 1t out. Then. the night bein'
dark as pitch. we got often the road.
BY the time we'd got back on TO it we'd
lost half an hour more. But what did
the business for us was the lamin' o
the boss Cy was ridin'. This was about
3 o'clock in the mOrnin' when we was
comm 10 the railroad. We pulled up
and was feelin' of the critters leg
when we heard a faint sound o gal
lOpn' hoofs
1t seemed as If the game was up. l
heard Il moan from Cy and saw him
starin' at sOmethin' loomin agin the
sky. l looked and saw n gallows with
a man swinGin' 10 1t. l couldn't be
lieve II. 1t must "a been Il phantom
gallows set up by the murdered man
to mock his murderer.
Look | said in II whisper TO ALI.
All looked at it for a few moments
without sayin' a word. Then an idee
seemed to strike him, and tellin' Cy TO
hide in the bushes and me to come along
he rides back to meet them that was
comm. When we was q hundred yards
apart he called on EN- to halt. They
pulled i'm and we chinned. They was
the sheriff and the man that ALI had
sent for tobaccer. When he'd gone back
and found the barn empty he hurried
to the sheriff and reported the escape.
Then the two Of 'em, without waitin'
for any one else had hurried over the
only road we could well have taken
and followed us. All tole 'em who we
was.
We didnI believe you meant bust
ness" he said, so we allowed we'd
do the job ourselves"
What jObF'
why, hangin' that galOOt Cy Paxson
for the murder of the best friend
ever had"
You hanged him."
You bet
What have you done with hlmr'
Hes swingin' jist back there"
WELL" said the sheriff after some
thought, well ~ and see. If you
amt lynn We'll take the body home"
You can see if you like, but as to
takin' the body back we'll take care O.
that ourselves" You see, we both
think u. heap o Molly Paxson. and, al
though we hain't said nothln' TO her
hain't made no promises-she's goin' to
have a chance to give the man she
loved a Christian burial. Now, We'll
show you the body hangin' to the gal
lows we come out here and set up yis
to-day. But you shan't go a step fur
der without promise that after
you've seen 1t you'll go home peace
able"
WAL, the sheriff he talked awhile,
but ALI stood pat. and he knowed Air
wasn't to be trifed with, so at last 1t
was settled. We rode back till we
could dimly see the thing swingin'. 1t |
wasn't a pleasant sight at that time in |
the mornin', and we all felt creepy.
WAL" asked Alt, air you salts
fed?"
Reckon" said the sheriff, 81 don't |
want TO rob poor woman of a leetle |
comfort, and now that the laws been |
enforced I've nothin' more TO do with |
the case
The two Of EN- rode away. ALI and |
l waited till they was outen hearin', |
then We larfed and larfed till We re-
membered poor Cy. when we rode on /
and called To him. We give him the /
best boss and tole him to light out. /
Then me and ALI rode hack