The Tupelo journal., 1909-09-24
ing and gone back to the corral, when
BY ANDpT BONLES

Du Sang answered: mo; we're from
Sheriff Coon's office at Oroville, look
ing up a bunch of Duck Bar steers
that's been run somewhere UP Deep
creek. Can we stay here all night"
They dismounted and disarmed
Bags suspicious, though the condi-
ton of their horses might have warned
him had he had his senses. The I'm
fortunate man had probably fixed 1t In
his mind that a ride from Tower w to
Deep creek in 16 hours was a physical
impossibility.
"Stay here? Sure! I want you to
stay" said Baggs, bluffiy. Looks to
me like / seer you down at Crawling
Stone, amt II" he asked of Karg.
Karg was lighting a cigarette. II
used to mark at the Dunning ranch"
he answered, throwing away his
match.
That's hit. Good! The boys cook
ing supper. Step up to the kitchen
and tell him to cut ham for four more"
Four"
1.-TWO of Ed Banks men will be here
by six o'clock. Heard about the hold
up? They stopped Number Three at
Tower w last night and shot Ollie
Sellers, as white a boy as ever pulled
a throttle. Boys, a man thatll kill a
locomotive engineer is worse'n an In
dian; I'd help skin him."
"The hell you would" cried Du
Sang. well, don't you want to start
in on me? l killed Sellers. Look at
me; amt I handsome? What you 60
ing to do about it,"
Before Baggs could think Du Sang
was shooting him down. 1t was wan
ton. Du Sang stood in no need of the
butchery; the escape could have been
made without it. His victim had pulled
an engine throttle too long to show
the white feather, but he was dying
by the time he had dragged a revolver
from his pocket. Du Sang did the
killing alone. At least, Flat Nose.
who alone saw all Of the murder, after
ward maintained that he did not draw
because he had no occasion to, and
that Baggs was dead before he, Karg,
had finished his cigarette. With his
right arm broken and two bullets
through his chest, Baggs fell on his
face. That, however, did not check
his murderer. Rising to his knees,
Baggs begged for his life. For Gods
sake! I'm helpless, gentlemen. I'm
helpless. Don't kill me like a dog!"
But Du Sang, emptying his pistol,
threw his rifle to his shoulder and sent
bullet after bullet crashing through
the shapeless form writhing and
twitching before him until he had
beaten it in the dust soft and fiat and
still.
Banks men came up within an hour
to find the ranchhouse deserted. They
saw a lantern in the yard below, and
near the corral gate they found the
little boy in the darkness, screaming
beside his fathers body. The sheriffs
men carried the old engineman to the
house; others of the posse crossed the
creek during the evening, and at II
o'clock Whispering Smith rode down
from the south pass to find that four
of the men they were after had taken
fresh horses. after killing Bags, and
passed safely through the Gordon
Banks had drawn around the pass and
along Deep creek. Bill Dancing, who
had ridden with Banks men, was at
the house when Whispering Smith ar
rived. He found some supper in the
kitchen, and the tired man and the
giant ate together.
Whispering Smith was too expert
enced a campaigner to complain. His
party had struck a trail so miles north
of Sleepy Cat and followed it to the
Missions. He knew now who he was
after, and knew that they were bottled
up in the Cache for the night. The
sheriff's men were sleeping on the
floor Of the living room when Smith
came in from the kitchen. He sat
down before the fire. At intervals sobs
came from the bedroom where the
body lay, and after listening a mo-
ment, Whispering Smith got stiffiy UP,
and, ~tiptoeing to still the jingle of his
spurs, took the candle from the table,
pushed aside the curtain, and entered
the bedroom.
The little boy was lying on his face,
with his arm around his fathers neck,
talking to him. Whispering Smith bent
a moment we the bed, and, setting
the candle on the table, put his hand
on the boys shoulder. He disengaged
the hand from the cold neck, and sit
ting down took it in his own. Talking
low to the little fellow, he got his
attention after much patient effort and
got him to speak. He made him.
though struggling with terror, to un-
derstand that he had come to be his
friend, and after the child had sobbed
his grief into a strange heart he ceased
to tremb1e, and told his name and his
story, and described the two horse
men and the horses they had left.
Smith listened quietly. Have you had
any supper, Dannie? No? You must
have something to eat. Can't you eat
anything? But there is a nice pan OF
fresh milk in the kitchen"
A burst of tears interrupted him.
'Daddie just brought in the milk, and
I was frying the ham, and I heard
them shooting"
"See how he took are Of you till
the last minute, and left something
for you after he vas gone. Suppose
he could speak now, don't you think
he would want you to do as ! say? !
am your next friend now, for you are
going to be a railroad man and have q
big engine"
Do~-{o 10N1yn4 1fn 0nod wasn't