The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-02

Hudson was in Denver when the thing came out, and he didn't get back into camp until two days later. He heard about the attack on him in the paper as soon as he lit back. Some barkeep flashed It on him.
 Hudson had his usual rum parcel with him, and when he read the story he did a teeth-grinding specially that made the barkeep duck under the counter. Hudson didn't recall Vickers, hadn't met up with him in Leadville, and so he didn't know who was back of the wallop.
 ''Who Is the coyote?' he howled at the barkeep
 Little feller-a sawed-off-named Jack Vickers; come her from Tucson; some quick in handling himself, too, explained a bystander.
 "Hudson started right away for our office. I'd heard that he was in camp, and that's why happened to decide that there were some new stamp mills way on the west edge of the camp that I'd been wanting to inspect for some time.
 Hudson Meets Vickers.
 "It was late in the afternoon when Hudson climbed the riekety stairs of the two-story wickieup where the paper was got out Jack Vickers, seated at his desk, a pine table, with his right side turned to the one door, was reading over poASii oA luc PdlSut uuSlutS TOT the next days issue when Hudson stalked through the doorway without knocking. Hudson instantly recognized vickers
 'Oh, you're an editor now, you sand toad are you? was Hudson's greeting as he stopped in the middle of the room with his right hand on his starboard gun. So you're the Tucson mule-whacking shrimp that writ this thing about me. heyY
 "Vickers pretended to look scared al- tn r,Io I.f- ,,f., the desk with a hand that seemed to shake with palsy of fear. Then he be- gan to stammer inconsequential things. Vickers' acting in the tight pinches was what helped to get him out of these messes.
 None O that damned whimperingr bawled Hudson. taking a few steps closer to where Viclers sat trembling realistic ally, and at the same time whipping out his right-hand gun.
 "Vickers burst into wreching sobs, the sobs of cornered man with the fear of sudden death upon him. He had figured up the effect that sort of thing would have upon Hudson, and his dope was cor rect
 Hudson enjoyed his sobs keenly The bad man meant to kill Vickers, but he extracted so much enjoyment out of the spectacle afforded by Vickers ap- parent anguish that he was willing to protract the misery of the undersized man and defer the killing.
 "Vickers, his face drawn into an ex- pression of agony, rocked back and forth In his chair. letting out the dry. tearing sobs that seemed to rend him apart, while Hudson, his gun in his hand, stood regarding him gloatingly.
 "'Fraid O tn blazin' hell you're go- in to, hey?' he said croakingly to ViC<p sCnT1in' bau al oh of
 Hudson Gets Too Close.
 That's as far as he got. Forgetful of Vickers' record as a quick thinker and looking upon the small man rock ing back in the chair as his prey al- most too easy, Hudson kept edging to- ward Vickers, probably with the idea of shaping him with his open palm or splitting in his face-Hudson had a trick of splitting in the faces of ten derfeet-before shooting him.
 But he got to close to Vickers reached out with cat dab of both of his hands and grabbed hold of Hud- sons right arm between the wrist and the elbow. Jerking the bad mans arm to him mouth, Vickers fixed his teeth in Hudsons wrist and bit clean through to the bone, and then kept right on gnawing.
 "rrhe pain of 1t caused Hudson to re- lax his hold, on the gun which he had in his right hand, and the shooting tool dropped into Vickers' waste paper basket. Hudson was hammering Wick CTS on the back of the head with his huge left fist to make Jack let go with his teeth.
 But the instant Vickers saw the gun drop he reached with his right hand into the basket and picked it out, never letting go his wolf's clutch on Hud- sons wrist with his teeth. The gun safely in his right hand, though he suddenly let go the teeth hold and jumped to his feet with such force that the top of his head caught Hudson braggart's tongue was lolling part of the way out of his mouth at that in- stant, he was made to bite his tongue almost in two.
 Goes To Floor Like Log.
 '"This caused him such agony and stunned him so that Vickers had time to wheel around and face the big one. Then, hauling back to get all the lever age possible, Vickers banged Hudson over the forehead with the gun, and the power of an entire lifetime of clean liv ing was behind those walops with the bad mans gun.
 'HuQSOn, OdZeu, OHly Hdll couSClOuS, went to the floor like log. Vicl1ers put the gun on the table, pulled the other gun from Hudson's belt and placed that on the table, too, and then, leaning over, he caught hold of Hudson by the two hands and dragged him to the door, which was still open. Hudson wriggled. but he was too far gone to put up any resistance.
 "Yanking him to a sort of sitting pos ture, Vickers gave the bad man kick an Hudson's huge carcass rolled down t..s rickety stairs to the landing below, right alongside the pavement. The bumps he got going down sort of reused Hud- son, and when he reached the bottom he sat up and put his hand to his mouth. A number of passersby stopped and looked at Hudson.
 '"rhe bad one had hardly reached the bottom before Vickers was downstairs. standing alongside of him and address ing him.
 You were quite right to look me up. you big bogus string beam Vickers said to him, in a calm, sort of judicial tone. while the bunch gathered about to lis- ten. You wanted the editor. l am the eu,tor. When an editor attacks you. look him up every time, and get an explana- tion from him. You did quite right. Any time in the future that you want any thing rectified or fixed up or straight ened out don't hesitate to look me up again. My office hours here are from in the morning till the next morning. Come again..
 "Then Vickers walked upstairs and sort of strengthened up the mess and re- stunned the reading of patent inside stuff for the next issue, while Hudson, banged beyond recognition and unable to speak on account of his bitten tongue, picked