The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-04-24

EAgcneo tue WINDOW. we were b0tn
talking to cover our serious delihefa-
lions. Our plight was not so much q
matter for testing as We wished to
make 1t appear to each other. / had
experienced one struggle with the
Italian at the houseboat on the Tippe-
canoe and was not anxious to get
within reach of his knife again. I did
not know how he had captured Giles
pie, or what mischief that amiable per-
son had been engaged In, but inquiries
touching this matter must wait
"Are you ready? We don't want to
shoot unless We have to. Now, when
I say go, jump for the open"
He limped little from the cramp-
ing Of his legs, but crossed over to me
cheerfully enough. His white trous-
ers were much the worse for contact
with the cabin floor, and his shirt
hung from his shoulders in ribbons.
my stomach bids me haste; I'm go
ing to eat beefsteak two miles thick
if ever get back to New York. Are
you waiting?"
We were about to spring through
the outer door, when the door at the
rear flew open with bang and the
sailor landed on me with one leap. I
went down with a thump and crack
OF my head on the floor that sickened
me. The gun was under my legs, and
1 remember that my dazed wits tried
to devise means for getting hold Of It.
AS my senses gradually came round I
was aware of a great conflict about me
and over me. Gillespie was engaged
in a hand-to-hand struggle with the
sailor and the cabin shook with theig
strife. The table went down with
crash, and Gillespie seemed to be
having the best of it; then the Italian
was afoot again, and the clenched
swaying figures crashed against the
trunk at the farther end of the room.
And. there they fought in silence, save
for the scraping of their feet on the
puncheon floor l felt slight nausea
from the smash my head had got, but
1 began crawling across the floor to-
ward the struggling men. 1t was grow
ing dark, and they were knit together
against the cabin wall like single
monstrous, swaying figure.
My stomach was giving a better &C
count of itself, and l got to my knees
and then to my feet. l was within
yard of the wavering shadow and could
go H. hrr 4 nh
trousers as he wrenched free and flung
the Italian away from him; and in
that instant of freedom l heard the
dull impact of GilIespie's fist in the
brute's face. AS the sailor went down
l threw myself full length upon him;
but for the moment at least he was
out of business, and before l had sat
isfied myself that l had firmly grasped
him, Gillespie. blowing hard, was
kneeling beside me, with a rope in his
hands
4 think" he painted, 4 should like
champignon sauce with that steak,
Donovan. And l should like my pota-
toes lyOnnaise-the pungent onion is a
squirting tonic That Will do, thanks, for
the arms. Get off his legs and III see
what l can do for them You oughtn't
to have cut that rope, my boy. You
might have known that We were going
to need it. My father taught me in
my youth never to cut string l
want the pirates knife for a souvenir.
| kicked it out of his hand when you
went bumpety-bumpety How's your
head?"
Il still have it. Let's get you out
side and have look at you You think
he didn't land with the knife?"
Not bit of it. He nearly squeezed
the life out of me two or three times,
though. What's that?"
He gave me a jab with his sticker
when he made that flying leap and
guess I'm scratched"
Gillespie opened my shirt and dis
closed a scratch across my ribs down
ward from the left collar bone The
first jab had struck the bone. but the
subsequent slash had left a nasty red
line.
Gillespie swore softly in the strange
phrases that he affected while he
tended my injury My head ached and
the nausea came back occasionally.
sat down in the grass while Gillespie
found the sailors pail and went to
fetch water. He found some towels
in the hut and between his droll chaff-
ing and his def ministrations I soon
felt fit again.
We'll. what shall we do with the
dago?" he asked, rubbing his arms and
legs briskly
I'VE ought to give him to the village
constable"
That's the law of it, but not the
common sense. The lords of justice
would demand to know all the why
and wherefores. and the Italian consul
at Chicago would come down and make
a fuss, and<the man behind the dago
would lay low and no good would
come"