Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-20
JUNE 20, 1909.

ousy to uphold the empty shell of his dignity in the
eyes of his comrades, yet always morbidy conscious
of the difference in his body Whisky had been his
solace, his sweetheart. 1t changed him, raised and
beatfed him into the likeness of other men, and now
as he pondered, he was aware of consuming thirst
engendered by the heat of his earlier emotions I'm
doubtedly it must be quenched
He rose and stole quietly out into the big front
Perhaps the years of free life in the open had
bred suspicion of walls, perhaps he felt his conduct
would not brook discovery, perhaps habit prompted
him to take the two heavy Colts from their holsters
and thrust them inside his trousers band.
He slipped across the room, silent and cavern-like,
its backness broken by the window squares of starry
sky till he felt the paucity of glassware behind the
bar
''IIere s to Her." 1t bounded delightfully."-.
Here S to the groom 1t tinged more alur
ingly.
I'm drink what 1 can, and get back to the bunk
before it works, - he thought and the darkness yelled
the measure of his potations
He started at noise the stairway. His Senses
not yet dued detected stealthy tread Not the
careless step of unafraid but the cautious rustic
and halt of marauder Every nerve bristled to keen
aertness the faint occasional sounds approached
passed the open end of the bar where he crouched,
leading on to the window. Then match fared, and
the darkness rushed out candle wick sputtered.
Shorty stretched tptoe, brought his eye to the
level of the bar and gazed upon the horrent head of
Bailey. He sighed thankfully, but watched with
interest his strange behavior.
Bailey moved the light the window from
left to right three times paused then wig waged some
code out into the night
>
through quick. l m getting full" The fumes of
the liquor beating at his Senses and he knew
that soon he would move with difficulty.
The man. however, showed no intention of leaving,
for his signals completed, he blew out the light, first
listening for any sound from above, then his figure
loomed black and immoble against the dim starlight
of the window
''Oh Lord! 1 got to set down. and the watcher
squatted upon the floor, bracing against the wall.
His dulng perceptions sufficiently acute to de-
tect shutting footsteps the porch and the cautious
unbarrinp of the door
'Gettin late for visitors,' he thought, he
entered blissfu dose. ''When they re abed, IL
turn in -
1t seemed much later that shot startled him. To
his dizzy hearing the sound of curses overhead,
the stamp and shift of feet the crashing fall of
struggling men, and what brought him unsteadily
to his legs, the agonzed scream of woman. 1t
echoed through the house, chilling him. and dwinded
to aching moan.
Something wrong, he knew that, but it was
hard to tell just what He must think. What hard
work it to think too he d never noticed before
what laborious process it was Probably that sheriff
had got into trouble; he fresh guy, anyhow;
and he d laughed when he first saw Shorty That
settled it. He could get out of himself. Evidently
it was nothing serious, for there was no more dis
turbance above, only confused murmurings. Then
light showed in the stairs, and again the shutting of
feet came, four strange descended. They
lighted by the sardonic Bailey, and they dragged
sixth between them, bound and helpless. 1t the
sheriff.
Now, what had he been doing to get into such a
fix9
The prisoner stood against the wall, white ana
defiant He strained at his bonds silently, while his
captors watched his futile struggles There
thing terrible and menacing in the quietness with
which they gloated-a suggestion of some horror to
come. AT last he desised, and burst FORTH
"'You We got all right You did this, Bailey,
you traitor
He s never been traitor, far know
sneered one of the four In fact, might say he's
been strictly on the square with us
81 didn't think you made women, either,
Marsh Tremper, but it you re everything from
q hipfd WhV cOuldn T. ioht mi alone
in the daylight, like man9"
''You don t wait till ratter's coiled before you
stamp his head off, - said the former speaker. 'Its
either you or us, and | reckon it's you. "