The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-06-30


nifcantly and glanced at his com
panion, whose visage distorted itself
into a horrible grin Jim took OF his
hat and nervously mopped his head
with a red bandana handkerchief.
Wen. what d you say? Are you
goin' to stand in an make the five
hundred. er are we goin' to throw yer
corpse under the bridge an take the
team ourselves?" He impatiently
ierked his thumb toward little
stream crossing the road a hundred
yards ahead.
"Ef Miss Fannie an Miss Jennie
goes ober de cut, ole Jim goes too"
He Paused a moment and looked at
the two men expressively. Il reckon
dc five hundred bucks doan grow on
many OBJ de trees roun' yere, SO ole
Jim's goin' to make hay fer shore
while de sun shines"
he smiled broadly, and in spite Of
the mixed metaphor involved the two
seemed to understand him perfectly.
That's the business" affirmed the
man with the gun. I'VE don't want
to have no shootin' or nothin' like
that In this Job. Do we. Joe?"
Again the horrible grimace spread
over the face Of the man with one eye.
He shook his head by way OF answer,
clambered into Little Betsy and
stretched out at full length on the
sacks of grain. The other man fol-
lowed and seated himself on the pile
Of hay, the shotgun resting on his lap.
Now go ahead" he commanded.
Jim whistled to the leaders and the
outfit moved forward once again with
the jingle of trace chains and hame
bells and the rumble and rattle of the
tandem wagons,
II was almost dusk when they
reached the point where fuckers Cut
branched of from the main road This
cut was short route over the noun
tains to Goodall's Landing and was
little used because Of the heavy grades
and poor condition Of the roadbed,
which in some places was even dan
gerous. A stream crossed the road
here and Jim got down to water the
animals before the long ascent. The
man with the gun had been nodding,
but as the teams came to a standstill
he woke up with start and gripped
his weapon alertly. After the thirst
OF the animals was satisfied Jim
looked over the harness and spent
considerable time adjusting the coup
lings which bound Little Betsy to her
ponderous sister. Joe slept soundly
on the grain sacks, the empty socket
where his eye once had been staring
upward into the gathering gloom.
Again the bells and chains jingled
and the team began to climb the cut
The road became rougher and wound
IN and out along the sides Of a steep
ravine It was almost dark now, but
the leaders picked the way, avoiding
washouts and other distractions with
marvellous ssgacity. Above them the
black shadow OF the mountain side
sloped upward TO the stars. On the
other side. 80 near sometimes that the
outer. wheels crumbled the edge
yawned a steep canyon. Along the
bottom, several hundred feet below,
small stream flowed over a bed Of
stones and boulders.
Several times Jim looked furtively
back over bis shoulder at the two men
In the rear wagon Joe lay out
stretched on the sacks, slumbering
heavily. The man With the gun sat
on the hay, his chin dropped forward
on his breast and his head swaying
| from side to side, as the wheels
bumped over the ruts and stones in
their path. He, too, was sound asleep.
Jim peered through the darkness. for
some time at the limp figure, then
stopped and quietly wound the jerk
line around a cleat on the footboard
The mules remembered their training
and continued their steady pull up the
grade. Noiselessly the negro climbed
down from the high seat and crRwled
over the iron TASKS to the rear of Big
Betsy. Here he paused and listened
intently. He could hear the heavy
breathing OF the two men only a few
feet away. In a moment he slipped
over the end Of the heavy vehicle and,
clinging with one hand to the tail
board. deity unwound the chain that
fastened the tongue Of the smaller
wagon In place. Again he looked back
into the darkness and listened. He
could see the faint outline OF the man
sitting upright and back OF that the
dark figure on the sacks. With q quick
tug he loosed the last loop OF the
chain and showed the tongue back
ward and outward with ali the
strength In his black arm.
Little Betsy hovered for an instant
on the edge Of the descent and then
with a creak toppled over into the
canyon. An awful shrek came up
through the darkness, and then the air
was filled with the sound Of breaking
wood and metal as the mass shot,
end over end, down the rocky decliv.
lty. A miniature avalanche OF stones
and dirt ratified down into the creek
bed, and the surrounding mountains
and ravlnes sent back an echo OF that
hlood-curdltnu human cry