The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-07-15

also recognizing CaluWell swept all
of the banks ready cash, $4,000,
into the leather pouch suspended
from his neck by a strap. Then he
| backed out the door. None of the
bank people had made move ex-
cept the cashier, and the cashier
only moved to do what Caldwell told
him to do. Caldwell got on his horse
in front of the bank and made for
the canons at leisurely amble.
"As ] say, when / got to Duran
go, three hours after the thing hap
pened, Durango was heap per-
turbed over the thing; but nobody
seemed to want the $4,000 reward
which the bank Immediately offered
for Caldwell. dead or alive.
THE folks stood around and talk
ed aboutit in the groggeries and gam
bling joints and hsnkatonks, but
none of those qulck-trigger people Of
Durango had lost any $4,000 worth
of Bud Caldwell that they were anxi-
Gus to recover. The idea of camping
on Buds trail wasn't even suggested
by any of them.
About Z o'clock that evening l
was having an after-supper smoke in
the 12x20 lobby of the Holl-Nor-Pete
Hotel, where ! was registered. when
the hotel blackboard came up from
the railroad station with a new guest.
He'd swung along from Dcadwood.
He was Bricky Barr, my former vio-
lin pupil of wichita.
II recognized him at once, al
though he had picked up some bad
and disfguring knife scars on the
left side of his face. He remember
ed me, too, and he was kind enough
to say, in his foolish loyalty to his
first instructor, that, although he'd
heard Wilhelmi aand Remenyi since
seeing me last, he considered that !
had both of those renowned violin
lists eaten up in a limekiln when it
came to sure-enough fiddlin'.
"Bricky had been prowling around
the new mining camps Of Colorado
for some years, he told me, and We
were having a pleasant time, talking
fiddle and fiddling, when Bricky's
attention was attracted by the up
roar of caloric talk in the bar over
Bud Caldwell's visit that day. Bricky
pricked up his ears at that and in
stantly lost interest in the fiddle con-
versation. / told him briefly about
the Caldwell business.
Anybody goin' after him7' in
quired Bricky getting up and address
ing the thirty or forty men lounging
around. Two or three of them NUT
tered that they hadn't lost any Bud
Caldwells.
"'Well. you're a pigeon-livered
lot O. JUMPERS said Brcky. where
upon I instantly ducked behind a
partition in the rear OF the ONCE,
not hankering for any lead ballast.
Poor plasterer,' breathed to
myself as l made the shelter of the
partition, you've fiddied your last
double-step in G major or in any
other key!
But. to my intense establishment,
there was no fusillade. Bricky had
got by with his savage crack.
peered from behind the partition.
They were all standing fixed in their
position, looking curiously at Bricky.
He was natural captain of men.
observed that the topaz glitter / had
caught once before in his eyes was
there again. The others in that lob
by and bar seemed to be under the
influence Of that eye of Bricky's, too.
Anyhow, not a man of them went
for his guns, despite the hot gibe
from the lips of this stranger in the
camp.
is there anything In 1t for fetch
ing the coyote in?' Bricky inquired
Of the crowd in general, after the
long pause.
Five thousand. two or three of
them chorused
Well, that's a slick enough piece
Of change to be worth tearing off,
said Bricky, not in any boastful tone.
but with the air of a man expressing
approval of business transaction
that looked pretty good. Amy ON
brey here stake me to couple O.
guns?'
We'll, could see them rubber
Ing still harder at the red-haired
chap then. He had given them all
that raking about being pigeon-liv-
cred, eh, without having any guns
on him at the time he spoke? 1t
was plain that they couldn't make
anything out of Bricky. But a big
ruffian Of camp terror brought his
mallet-like fist down on the bar.
He amt no - gopher II he
is a red head the ruffian beloved.
And then he strolled over to
Bricky and handed him a pair of
.45's, butts foremost. Then he un-
shipped his cartridge belt and Bricky
buckled 1t around his waist.
Any hawss loafing about camp
that can get out of his own way?'