The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-09-23

could give Il pretty good description
or hin. n TWO hours later they h,l
MIN under arrest. and nothing was too
god fer KITE ia that village. TRAMP
th@t | Was. So sarriI invited me home
TO supper y I hill and fitted p,a out
with Il fairl. cod SUIT Of clothes. The
murderer w~s IA farmer. At first he
seemed stunned. Then he began to
grin and chUc.slc. Then he broke into
laughter. The others said that he had
gone insane. but l had an uneasy feel
ing that l was to come down with a
dull thud.
After supper we took him to the
woods. and | pointed out the grave of
the missing girl. 1t was opened amid
solemn silence. We found a big
bundle Of clothes and held our noses.
a skunk had made its way into his
house the day before and odorized
many garments. and the man had bur-
led them to take away the faint. I
got away before they could hang me,
but 1t was a close shave. AS a mat
ter of fact, that sheriff hunted for me
for the next four weeks. though the
missing girl had returned home all
right.
"One summers day when l had push
ed up into northern New York I passed
a camp Of people on the shores Of a
lake. A mile beyond and just around a
wooded point I saw a young lady in a
canoe. About the time l saw her the
turned over, and she went into
the lake and began screaming. There
was a young chap fishing from another
canoe a quarter of a mile away, but I
didn't notice him. OF came my old
jacket and shoes. and in l went to save
human life. The first thing l discover
ed was that the water was not over
three feet deep: the next, that the girl
was In no danger whatever. She had
only to wade ashore and draw the ca
noe after her. Did she do it? Not a
great deal. She was looking toward
the other canoe and uttering delightful
little shrie&s. and she didn't notice me
until was close at hand and had cried
out:
Hang on tight for your life. miss,
and I will save YOU
eco back. you idiot. she answered.
"'But l have ONE to saw your
"'Go back or l will have you hunted
out Of the woods"
All He Got Was a Wettina.
Il went back. and as l climbed on to
dry land h young man in the canoe
reached the perishing girl and savel
her. He also shook his paddle at me
and said he would have me in state
prison. Beautifully worked, eh? A
marriage probably resulted from the
romance. and all I got out Of it was a
wetting.
"One more case. l was at Watkins
Glen to view the scenery. Make no
mistake on the dilapidated gentleman.
He fairly dotes on scenery. l had pen
etrated to a wild spot when I heard
those same female shrieks and broke
a run to reach the scene. Present
~ I found d good looking young cir,
perched on a rock and at its base a lit
tie striped snake about a foot long. It
was harmless and tender hearted. It
could have been put to bed with q
baby.
The viper. The viper shrieked
the girl as ! looked around for thu
caUsc of af."l.
Il picked Up a branch to kill it, but
she protested:
NO, no Go away, bad man.
"'Rct the viper. miss
Go away o I'll scream for help
II turned and went down the path,
and presently Il young man passed ME
the fly and destroyed that poor little
snake and saved a human life. There
l was, ready TO perish in that girls be
half, and she never gave me the slight
est show. l met the pair two hours
later rs they We're walking arm in
arm. and while she hung back the
young fellow came up to me rs bold as
a sheep and shook his fist under my
nose and warned me 20 begone from
thence ." suffer such consequences as
para'yze my physical system for
the next hundred years. You people
that stick here in the cities get bumr.
ed by 4 street car now and then or lose
your money by some con game. but II
you want real excitement and man
mixed together you must take to the
road and become a dilapidated gentle
NJ. QUAD