Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-02-12

| R1URRA y AND MI LIS

oVeiix
BY JOHN } I \,
q
4 marriage, 60 give up morse Wrangling
for some vocation ofYasmere eleyating
character. So Terrill let him help
about the station. chiefly in the clerical
work While so engaged Bud learned
that d package valued at 5000 was
expected upon o. certain train Al
4 though no consignee was mentioned
\ the fact that the amount tai lied exact
u with the sum: Payson was expect
4 ing caused him to conclude 1t was
Dicks repayment of his loan. Ac-
cordingly he informed Nick EEL that TIE
time they were awaiting had arrived.
Florence bad grown up ias; settle
ment sbout as spring. of winter some
time before the advent Of the railroad.
Builders Of the line got into trouble
with the inhabitants, and In revenge
located the station: half mile away
from the spring, thinking new settlers
would come to; them. In this they
were disappointed The point was an
isolated one and the station a. deserted
spot between trains.
Eastward and westward the" Single
track Of railroad drifted to simmer
ing points on the. horizon. A, ToHathe
south dreary wastes Of sand g.istening
white under the FURNISHED sun and
crowned with clumps; OF grayish green
sagebrush stretched to an, yenclrcling
rim of Hills: Cacti and yucca palms
broke the rnonotony Of the roll Of the
plains TO. the ands.;5s+osa starry = t,,i
sahuaros lowered over the low sta
ton, which was built in the style Of
the old Spanish missions: Its: red roof
Jared above the purple shadows cast
by its walls, In the fathomless blue
aboves@a a: buzzard sailed thajestfcalfy
down an air current land hovered;smo.
ttonless S. over the lonely OUTPOST OF ciyi.
Hzation. ~',
Within the station a7telegraph sound
er chartered and: ehirruped ole Man.,
Terrill was at the instrument, His du-
ties were over for the forenoon, the
eastbound express. which. with the
westbound,s composed the; only: trains
that traYersed that section Of the road
each day, having arrived and departed
a half hour before. and he had cut ii
on the line to regale himself with the
news Of the world. But there was
dearth of thrilling events such as,3hisi
rude soul delighted in:sS The Apache
Uprising that was feared had not taken
place. Colonel Hardie of Fort Grant
had#the situation weli- finland. The,
nthilists were giving their latest car.
breathing spell. No new prizefghter2
had arisen to. ,wrest the, championship
of the world from John L. Sullivan, who
had put all Ills old rivals ITO sleep" -
%. "ole Man" Terrill proceeded to. follow
their example. He had been up late
!, the night before at a poker game. His
head fell forward with a jerk Aroused
by the shock, he glanced drowsily
about him Heat waves danced be.
fore. the open window. Deep silence
hung over his little world. Again his
eyelids closed, his head dropped and
& slowly he slipped into sleep.
Tragedy was approaching him now,
but not along the wire Down an ar
i royo, OF draw" It he dry bed"of a wa
ter coursel,r that wound In detour
/ around the town Of Florence. and de-
Z b3uehed INTO the open plain near the
Station. s1rept two men in single file,
!. each lending horse. Ehey+were Buck
Nc kee and. Bud Lame, who had ridden,
north from the town that morning with
the ecfared purpose OF going to Bucks
& old "a the Lazy Il, They had cir
& cied .stbaut. the town, timing their ar
4 rival az the station a little after the de-
partuieESof ;$the trim which was ex-
4 peeted 10 bring Dick Lanes money. j
B. Nick fe emerged first from the mouth
of g the draw. He. wore a coarse fan
mel shirt loosened at the throat. About
x his neck was a handkerchief. His rid
ing overails were tucked into high
q boots with Spanish heels and long
spurs hIexican hat with a bead
band & topped a head covered with.
coarse black hair. which he inherited
Il from his Cherokee mother. ~ JAZZ
5s Save for the yulture floating high in
y air not aH living thing was in sight.
EESsV s ithas the caution OF q coyote Mckee
to The stat lion door and ! peered
y blinkingly trough the open door into:
a the roo 81 The change from the daz-
Il zling ghi thout to the shaded in
S5terfor blintIeds him for ID moment He
heard the heavy breathing OF the sleep
& er before be saw him. q 1 :
ss5 Returnin to the mouth OF the ar
royo, Mckee toned to his compan-
sSFssionsf % bring out the horses. When this
was done tilefgo men cinehed the sad
dies and rl mad q l every preparation for
sud den flight Lane and the horses
outside the Hon behind q