Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-31

by train to Horse Creek, quick. Mac
Morroghs are trying to dynamite us
in the Nadia. Ford.
Almost without a break in the In
sect-like tickings the reply came:
Stand them off; help coming.
The thing done, the master work
man in Ford snatched at the helm.
Did you catch and hold the pick-and-
shovel men from this camp?
he clicked anxiously.
Got them all herded here and ready
to go back to work-for more pay.
answered Frisbie: and Ford licked
one more word, Hurry and closed
the key with a sigh Of relief. Then,
and not until then, Adair said: is
that all, for the present? If it is, I'm
sorry to have to report that the beggar
outside have hit upon Your gas-pipe
scheme. They are rolling a round,
black thing with string attached
| down upon us from the commissary.
! The slant of the hill is just enough to
keep 1t coming where the ground is
smooth
From sheer force of habit Ford dis
connected his field telegraph. cased
and pocketed it. Then there was an
| instant adjournment to the rear win
dows on the camp side. Happily the
rolling bomb was as vet only on the
way. Pebbles and roughness inter
vened here and there to stop or to turn
| it aside, and since it was out of reach
of their longest pole. the dynamiters
would start it on again by throwing
stones at it.
Hereupon cnsued a struggle which.
under other conditions would have fig
ured as horse-pIay One after another
| the three men in the car heaved
cushions. pillows. distractions of any
sort, in the path of the rolling men
ace. And behind the commissary
barricade the dynamiters patiently
| twtcbed the bomb by the firmly fas-
tened fuse this way and that to avoid
the obstacles, or sent it forward I'M
| der the impact of well-directed mis-
siles
Ford was the first Of the three to
recognize the futility of the cushion
barbados.
( They'll beat us--they'll drop it in
4 the ditch right here under us in spite
Of fate" he cried "Brissac: go and
break the glass in the accident tool
case and bring me the AK quickly
And when he had 1t: Now get me
a piece of that telegraph wire and
bend a hook on the end of it--iumI
for it: You'll have to twist it Off WITH
your fngers!"
With an energy that made no &c
1 count Of the lamed arm, Ford tore ul
the carpet and fell to work fiercelN
cutting hole through the car floor;
while Brissac broke a piece from the
wire and bent a finger shaped hook o,
the end of it. Adair. with his eye a
a hole in a window shade, gave his
attention to the attack.
They are getting it here, slowly
but surely" he reported cit is goinE
to roll under us just about where yoi
are Now 1t has gone pas
my line of sight" And momen
later. in the same drawing monotone
"rhey have lighted the fuse, bu
there is good long string of it to burr
through. Take your time" Then
|, with sudden failure in the monotone
No by Jove, YOU can't take you
, time! The fire is jumping across tn
road to beat the band!"
The hole was opened through thu
, floor, and Ford was on his stomach
with his face and an arm in the apet
| ture. fishing desperately for the Loo
in the fuse 1t was his success. hi
sudden drawing of the loop up into tn
car. that had shocked Adair out of hi
| pose. Brissac was ready with thu
j ak. and the instant the loop appeare'
it was severed. the burning end cas-
: off, and the other end with bomb a!
tached, was, safely drawn up into tn
car
The perspiration was running fror
{ Ford's face in streams when he ha
, the engine of death securely in hi
hands.
Take it, Roy he gasped. Drop
, into the water cooler. That will b
,, the safest place for it if they fall bac
, on the gun play
: AS if his word had evoked it. a storr
, of rifle bullets swept through the Cal
, smas hing windows. breaking the e
!, naming gas globes and splintering tn
wood work Again and again tn
!, flashes leaped out of he surroundin
!, shadows and the air was -ibilant VIII
whining missiles
bGISSdc Hdu liC ih-Clhai ilioSiiiliS
!, at first he fell upon it and covered
+ with his body; afterward he crawle
! with it to the nearest state room an
:, muffed it in roll of hertl. mattresses
+ When the storm ceased, as suddenl
as it had egun, they crept togethe
, in the vestibule farthest from the con
), missary lead-hurIing volcano to cou!
h the casualties.
There were none; not even bulk
!, score or a splinter wound to show II
the hot bombardment, though the sid
> of the Nadia facins the commissal
was riddled.
:, I'm believing all I've read abo'
;, it's taking a hundred pounds OF lea
), to kill one man in war battle" sa
Il the New Yorker, grimly humorous
: the last How do you two c. Els a
v count for it?"
e 1--WE don't, said Ford shortl
n We're merely thankful chat all 4
:. mankind habitually shoots high whi
q Its excited or in hurry
: Then he sprang afoot, secured h
9 ak, and sent Brissac to the pantry
= fr>,. On mons ga f.,l,