The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-11-13

Long before the train had arrived |
at Gold Gulch l knew there was 60
ing to be trouble in the Office of the
Courier and that the editor was to be
shot. The man who was going to do
the shooting was on the train. His
hair hung down on his shoulders and
he wore boots and spurs and two big
revolvers. There was a grim determ-
nation on his face.
This Nemesis in boots confided to
the man in the seat with him that the
name of the man he was going up to
Gold Gulch to kill was Swanson and
that his own name was Fuller
Hiram Fuller, from Mizzury," he
said by way of introduction. l de-
cided, as / sat in the seat behind him
and was forced to hear his converse
ton, that in the matter of names the
editor had the best of it, but of course
! knew nothing of his ability to shoot.
I also learned from his condolences,
as did nearly everybody else in the
coach, that 1t had been many years
since he left his native state, and
judged that he had readily become
acclimated in the West.
During the long afternoon ride en-
gagged in conversation with Fuller, the
Infatuated, as l had mentally named
him. l learned that he was ranch
man at Sand Creek and that Swanson
had been employed by him. Swanson
had made love to his daughter, and
that was the cause of all the trouble.
Fuller had driven him away at the
point of a revolver six months before,
and now his daughter Susie had dis
appeared. She had been gone
month, ostensibly on visit to some
friends twenty miles away, and her
father had just learned that she had
not been there. His anger was awful.
"Swanson's stole her, that's what
he's done," Fuller almost shouted. His
wrath increased as he talked, for he
believed that Swanson could not make
q living for the girl. The ranchman
admitted that he knew next to moth
ing of the young man, except that he
had come out West to teach school,
and upon failing to find school had
taken up the occupation of cowboy
for more than year. He also knew
that Swanson had come from the
lumber region of Wisconsin,, but had
said very little about his home or
kindred
In the course of time it came out
that neighboring ranchman had
been wooing the girl before the ar
rival of Swanson, and it was easy to
guess that the father had greatly
favored the alliance; but his will was
a..s. ,ftA III. laI
the young man from the north, and
now he proposed to shoot Swanson
who had drifted to the mining town
after leaving the ranch. for enticins
the girl from home. He had just
learned of Swanson's whereabouts
from letter written by him which
Susie Fuller had left behind.
The train finally crept into GOLD
Gulch and the passengers alighted
Gold Gulch was busy with it's own af
fairs and the arrival of the train once
a day did not disturb it in the least
The train sometimes brought hun
bred or more gold seekers, but the
Gulch had no interest in them unit
they had been there long enough t.
become part of 1t.
l alighted from the train ahead o
the others and made my way up the
path toward the lights, fully determ
fned to warn Swanson of his impend
ing doom. When ! reached the Cour
Ter Office | found the front door open
but just as | entered, and while tn,
light was shining full upon me, bul
let whistled past, cutting the lape
oil nf I lyvn
then that Fuller had OWNED my pun
pose and made the only effort he coul,
to intercept me.
Where's SWANSON" | asked a
soon as l was inside the door.
Down at the Red Dog" said tn
printer nearest me, and l passed o.
through without a pause
The office of the Courier was bull
of logs and rough boards, with door
of heavy lumber Back of the Courie
Office the ground sloped up toward tn
frowning peak of the mountain, wit
not n bush or tree in sight. AS
reached the back door l could hea
Fuller in the front office and kne,
he would shoot again at sight of m,
Ihave witnessed his outbursts of wratl
had not entirely given up the ide
of warning Swanson. 1t was still i
my mind, but at that moment l wa
more concerned for my own safety.
started blindly to climb the side of til
mountain, and twenty feet up tn
slope l grasped a small bowlder thu
lay but slightly balanced. 1t role
down toward the Courier office an
closed with thud the back doc
which opened outward and was stan
ing slightly ajar. The building ws
shaken, but the door was firm
closed
The loosening of the bowlder pro
ably saved my life, for it closed tt
door against the coming of Fulle
who was in the act of emerging Wi
revolver in his hand I could 8,
no hidingplace on the slope of IL
mountain, the whole of it beir
lighted nv the moon On I started