The Bossier banner., 1907-01-03
roeuvre kept him covered with one Of

the revolvers.
Rushing back to the stage, the rnessen-
ger regained the box. Then came blue
card bearing the word "Goodby," and the
steel highwayman backed slowly from the
trail into a narrow defile in the hillside.
The drivers long whip fiickered out
over the backs Of the leaders. and the
stage jumped on toward Matanzas like a
cannon ball. There were no passengers
inside the vehicle, and the last thing
saw was the white. scared face of the
messenger looking back at the scene OF
the automatons exploit.
Marcus klipton," said /, finding
tongue, now that the excitement was
over, "you have betrayed my trust In
you. Motor cowboy, indeed!' added sar-
castically. "Why didn't you tell me it
was motor highwayman in the first
placer"
"Don't get on your high horse, Will
liam,'' answered Klipton. Il wanted the
truth to dawn on you by degrees. have
demonstrated, think. that kliptcn's au-
tomato road agent is an unqualified sue
ress. We can build ourselves 4 nice little
rendezvous out here in the hills ard sit
in the shade and play seven up and let
our indestructible highwayman transform
us into millionaires'
"Be that as it may l went on relent-
lessly, ain taking the loot collected by
this iniquitous machine you are receiving
tainted money
sIf it comes to that" he broke in, there
isn't dollar in circulation in all this
broad land that has not at some time or
other been won dishonesty and passed
through criminal hands"
"You will become fence for stolen
property" I proceeded. "And them l
finished sternly. suppose the automaton
should kill somebody
'Hang it, William, cried Kllpton.
you're about the worst case of dis
coura cement an inventor ever went up
against! I know when I've got u good
thing, and Tn going to let my invention
/ work and collect royalties for me. Take
! your own trail, and I'll take mine!'
/ With that he spun around and rushed
down the hill in temper. / could not
bring myself to abandon him just yet and
/ followed.
/ The automatic road agent moved out
/ into the road to meet us as we advanced
| upon the place where it had been Sc
| creted. Ny friend proceeded very conf
IDENTIFY, but came to a startled halt as
| one of the Colts was lifted and brought
! to bear on him. simultaneously the
! ''Hands Up!' card flashed into view.
It was more than plain that Klipton
/ was not expecting this. The revolver
cracked, and kliptons hat was twisted
nalf around on MS nead.
'What's the matter, Klip?" shouted.
'The blamed thing must have slipped a
cog or something!'' he flung back at me-
Then the other card Haunted it's order
for him to deposit his valuables in the
basket
"Run!" yelled. "You know what hap
pened to that fellow they called Franken-
stein. Get behind the rocks or you'll be
killed."
'Its geared for fatalities If victim
tries to rum he groaned, palpitatiny back
and forth in the trail Sneak around be-
hind it, William he added. clutching at
a straw Of hope, "and push. button No. 8.
Hustle The black card is up!'
1 l hustled, but the other revolver TO-
/ cused itself upon me before l had taken
dozen steps. Klipton pslled disconso-
lately at his red locks and jumped around
in the trail like an Indian doing a war
dance.
"Now you're in it, tool" he whooped.
GO up close and put your contribution
in the basket. We've got to do 1t! After
that we'll follow the car till the electricity
gives out. and then we can get the stu1
back"
With the frowning muzzle of the six
shooter looking me squarely In the face.
laid my forty dollar donation in the
iron basket and followed 1t with an heir
loom in the shape of an old silver watch.
Thereupon was permitted to back away.
klipton advanced with one hand in his
pocket. I don't think he had any valu-
ables about him, and 1 watched with in
tense interest to see what happened
OF a sudden, when close to the nefari-
Gus machine, my friend hurled himself
upon 4, one hand reaching around to-
ward button No. 3. There followed q
sharp report which struck on my heart
like knell.
With a groan klipton dropped across
the iron basket, a melancholy tribute to
his own misguided genius. / leaped for
ward instinctively, but before l could
come anywhere near the machine it had
got under headway and was moving at a
moderate gait in the direction OF Pells
Notch.
/ made haste to recover my horse and.
trailing klipton's mount behind me,
started in pursuit A clatter of hoofs
drew my attention, and l discovered the
sheriff and a posse of four galloping up
from the rear.
They had started from Matanzas on the
trail of a cattle thief and had encountered
the stage two miles out. The narrowing
tale of the driver and messenger had sent
the officers after the singular bandit who
had annexed the express company's
strong box.
The sheriff, as could see, looked upon
me with more or less suspicion. l was
known to be close friend of klipton's
and klipton, so the sheriff had been in
formed, had pushed machine answering
the messengers description to tho Matan-
zas power house that morning.
Our pursuit did not lead US far on the
PelIs Notch road. Just beyond the rocky
hills the motor wheels left well defined
tracks across the desert southward.
Squirting forward at top speed. We soor
had the machine in sight-a slowly NOV.
ing blot on the horizon. At about the
same moment we discovered a trailing
plume of smoke off to the west.
"The 1890 local for Albuquerque" re-
marked the sheriff, and presently the
train was seen writhing like a snake
across the sand.
Tho blot representing the motor car was
observed to be at a standstill, presumably
experiencing difficulty in getting acros,
the rails. A long drawn out whistle from
the locomotive reached our ears, followed
by shrek after shrek Of frantic warning
The automatic road agent failed tt
move, and we sat our horses and gazet
while the train glided into the blot, pass
ed on for a hundred yards or SO. and theI
slowed to halt.
"By Jupiter" cried the sheriff, "th,
!. local has collided with the horseless wag
ens It's all up with the highwayman
Spurs and auirts. boys!'
rOde Oh VITA SlckenlnS sensation o.
fear for my erring and luckless friend
but the fear faded into wonder when. OF
reaching the spot, we failed to find Kip
ton anywhere in the wreck.
The automatic road agent had beer
knocked into a scrap heap. By som'
! miracle OF poetic justice. however, th'
messengers strong box was found ,
dozen feet from the track umtnjured;
raked my watch out Of the debris.
shapeless thing flattened to the thinnes
Of q knife blade I likewise recovered
fifteen Of my forty dollars.
Yet. despite my personal loss, / shoul,
have been a happy man as accompanied
. the sheriff and his posse back to Mafa ary ri