Putnam patriot., 1909-01-08

! ./M oscar sllneu the | wall. and Chau-
 He iau howts'sg uitA venet's curses F" did not halt the
 Servian when he found Oscar at his heels.
 Chauvenet stood impassiveiy by the l wall. his revolver raised and covering Arlnitage. who walked slowly and dog gedly toward h,m. The pallor in Armi- | tage's face gave him an unearthly look
 He appeared to be trying to force him self to a pace of which his wavering limbs were incapable. At the moment | that Claiborne sprang upon the wall 1 behind Ghauvenet Armitage swerved and stumbled. then swayed from side | to side like Il drunken man. His left arm swung limp at his side. and his i revolver remained undrawn in his belt | His gray felt hat was twitched to one side of his head. adding a grotesque touch to the impression of drunken
 ness and he was talking aloud: "Shoot me. MT. chauvenet Go on and shoot me. l am John Armitage, and live in Montana, where real peo- pie are. Go on and shoot. Winkel-
 ried's in jail. and the jig's up and the
 empire and the silly king are safe. Go on and shoot. tell youv' He had stumbled on until he was within dozen steps of Chauvenet. who lifted his revolver until it covered Armitage's head.
 "Drop that gun! Drop 1t quickw And
 Dick Claiborne swung the butt of his rife high and brought it down with
 crash on Chauvenets head; then Armi- tage paused and glanced about and | laughed.
 It was Claiborne who freed Durand l from the dead horse. which had re- | eeived the shots fired at Oscar the mo | ment he rose at the wall. The fight l was quite knocked out of the conspira- tor. and he swore under his breath. | cursiug the unconscious Chauvenet and
 the missing zmai and the ill fortune of | the fight.
 Its all over but the shouting Whats next?" demanded Claiborne. Tie him up and tie the other one up.n said Armitage. staring about | queerly Where the devil is Oscar?" Hes after the big fellow. You're l badly fussed. old man. We've got to get out of this and fix you up"
 "Im all right. I've got hole in my | shoulder that feels as big and hot as q l blast furnace. But we've got them nailed. and it's all right. old man." Durand continued to curse things vis- l ible and invisible as he rubbed his leg. while Claiborne watched him tmpa- tiently.
 .sIf you start to run, I'll certainly kill you. monsieur"
 We have met. my dear sir, under unfortunate circumstances. You should not take it too much to heart about the potato sack. It was the fault of my dear colleagues. An. Armitage. you look rather i'll. but I trust you will harbor no harsh feelings" Armitage did not look at him. His eyes were upon the prostrate figure of l Chauvenet. who seemed to be regain ing his wits. He moaned and opened his eyes
 "Seareh him. Claiborne. to make sure. Then get him on his legs and pinion his arms and tie the gentlemen l horse is quite the thing But. messieurs." began Durand. l who was striving to recover his com l posture. this Is unnecessary. My friend and I are quite willing to give you every assurance of our peaceabe in- tentions"
 .I don't question it." laughed Ciai- borne.
 But. my dear sir. in America. even | protect the citizens of another coun- try"
 .It will. Indeed" and Claiborne grin | ned. put his revolver into Armitage's hand and proceeded to cut the reins ! from the dead horse. "In America | such amiable scoundrels as you are | given the freedom of cities and little | childrsn scatter nowers in their path. You ought to write for the funny pa- | pers. monsieur"
 T trust your wounds are not serious. | my dear Armitage"- | Armitaee. sitting on . bowider. turn cd his eyes wearily upon Durand, whose wrists Claiborne was knotting together with a strap. The officer spun | the man around viciously. You beast. If you address Mfr. Armi- 1 tage again I'll choke your Chauvenet. sitting up and staring dulIy about. was greeted ironically by | Durand:
 Prisoners. my dearest Jules: pris- oners. do you understand7 VIII you l please arrange with dear Armitage to
 let us go home and be good?" | Claiborne emptied the contents of
 Durand's pockets upon the ground and l tossed fask to AFmitage. We will discuss matters at the bun
 galow. They always go to the nearest farmhouse to sign the treaty of peace- Let us do everything according to the
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