Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-01

driver and he says: AL, old man, don't
be a bad boy and Al understood all
right and didn't do nothing.
"They all plunked their dinero and
gold furniture down on the log until
it got to the parson chap.
"He takes a little half sawbuck out
of his pocket and he puts 1t down on
the log and he says: I'm meenester
and l have but this five dollar gold
piece. You ought not take all 1 have
"That's all right, said the gun man,
and he reached over and took the
money and handed the preacher feller a
silver dollar from the rest Of the
change on the log"
But the funniest part OF the Jon
was that the passenger who belonged
to the silver dollar wanted the preach
er to give it to him when they got TO
the springs" said Jeff.
"But the preacher didn't do it," said
Spires.
"Well. the real fun came later" said
Jeff. when they got to the springs
and told about the robbery and how the
holdup man turned his back on the
driver, there was a little Jew there.
Well. nothing would do him but to get
in trouble. He was one of those fel-
lows who talk most of the time with
his mouth and when he amt talking
to keep in training.
Cowed the "Hero"
"'Had I been there [ would nave
shot him.. shouted the little man. III
had lust gotten a chance at ropper
there would have been n different story
A robber is not n whole parlor set be-
cause he is swell dresser, so l guess
1 could handle any of them. m not
afraid of any robber on earth.
"That settled it," continued the
champion as he grinned as though he
was remembering something funny.
"Ne went to his room in the cottage
that night.
"He was asleep in one bed and his
mariner was in another room. HIS
partner was in on the deal and kept
quiet. Well. AL Ellison slipped into his
room and stood real quietlike at the
head of the bed while [ came up the
steps. ] was dressed in thlgh poots
with an old slouch hat on and mask.
so he would know we were the real
thing had a couple of big knives in
nv belt and my big teaser in my fist.
guess that gun must have looked like
a shotgun in the dark, for 1t was a
frontier Colts forty-five and made TO
shoot elephants and bad fellows.
"Well. I went up the steps and IN
cidentally made enough noise to wake
the dead. You would have thought the
world was coming to an END as KICKED
over cans and tubs and made racket
The population of the springs was
waiting outside to hear the fun and
many of them were beneatn the dc" D
bedroom window.
Enter the Champion
,,,,,. T 1oar1 NToea wake I'm and /
cou1d see through the dim light that
he was settin' up in bed with his hair
standing on end.
'Rill.' he pipes out to his pal IN
the next room, Someone is coming
'If he had said elephant 1 could have
forgiven him. but Bill might as well
have been dead for there was no an
swer, and the next second NOSE Ielt
the cold business end of a gun IN tne
Dit of his stomach and he turned 10
see Ellison standing over him with
his teeth srinning from under the edge
of his mask.
"'Move and you are a dead man,
growled Ellison in a stage Whisper SO
the gang would hear and thought
would split laughing as | heard the
Jews teeth chatter and his race TURN
green with fright.
{" For Gawd's sake take everything,
he mOdn6Q, 'ldhS Iiy iiiOiiSS' AA4J
monds but spare my life
"Then I stepped in and L grabbed
him by the hands and he yelled IKE
h-ll while pulled him out of bed and
iammed him up against the wall.
guess he thought he was in the hanos
of the evil elephant for he stopped
moaning and a calm look came over ms
face and he tried to cross his hanos
over his breast. H..
the sunshine and the beautiful stars
mean to me- Think of the long years
of enjoyment that ought to be mine
I may be a father some day and have
children. Oh slay me not!
Everybody Saw 1t, Too
"By that time the population were
leaning in at the windows to see the
show, so after 1 had banged him over
the elbows with the butt of the gun
and he moaned at each wallop,
marched him for the door telling him
we would hold him for ransom.
eve reached the door and the stars
shone down from the blue sky. The
cold mountain air eddied and whistleo
around his bare shins and the tail ol
his night shirt tapped dismally in the
breeze. Then the moon burst forth
from the clouds and showed the man
the crowd at the bottom or the steps
"'Save muh,' he screeched, and triec
to fall down the steps, but I managed
to slip tin tub under him and the
whole bunch, Nose, tub and everything
on the porch went humping to the
bottom of the stairs.
"Mose left the next morning."
When the story was finished JEFF
walked to the ranch gate with me
1t was time for the stage to leave
Burbank and Jeff's man was to drive
over to the stage.
"Come again." said the big man, and
he waved his hand in the air in fare
well.
At the last turn in the road looked
back over the Jeffries ranch. The sur
was sinking rapidly and came sweep
ing in a great golden road dowr
through a cut in the hills.
And there stood Jeff right in the
track of the light, looking like some
great statue of old. And he waved his
hand in one last farewell.
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ATHLETES SAIL FOR ATHENS
By Associated Press.
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