Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-02-16

mortified, she slipped out of town by I
a side street and moodily rode back to
Allen Hacienda.
After the debauch was over and the /
merry, mad devil Of nervous excite
ment was succeeded by the brooding
demon of nervous depression Mckee !
preached to Bud the idea Of robbins
the express agent of the money com
ing to Payson. This fell in readily |
with the young mans revengeful
mood, and he unreservedly placed him
self under the half breeds orders.
In accordance with these. Bud hung
about the railroad station great DEAL
cultvatlng the friendship of Terrill
the agent. "Ole Man" Terrill. as he
was called, although he was a vigor
GUS specimen of manhood on the under
side of sixty, was ticket and freight
agent, express messenger and tele-
graph operator-in fact, the entire bu
reau of transportation and communica-
tion-at Florence station. Bud frankly
! told him he was out of job and had
indeed decided, in view of his coming
marriage, to give up horse wrangling
for some vocation of more elevating
character. So Terrill let him help
about the station, chiefly In the clerical
work While so engaged Bud learned
that package valued at $4,000 was
expected upon certain train. AL
though no consignee was mentioned,
the fact that the amount tailed exact
ly with the sum Payson was expect
ing caused him to conclude 1t was
Dicks repayment of his loan. Ac-
cordingly he Informed Mckee that the
time they were awaiting had arrived.
Florence had grown up as settle
ment about q spring of water 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 deserted
spot between trains.
Eastward and westward the single
track of railroad drifted to simmer
ing points OH the horizon. 10 the
south dreary wastes Of sand glistening
white under the FURNISHED sun and
crowned with clumps of grayish green
sagebrush stretched to an encircllng
rim of hills. Cacu and yucca palms
broke the monotony Of the roll of the
plains to the uplands.
Sahuaros lowered over the low sta
ton, which was built in the style of
the old Spanish missions. Its red roof
fared above the purple shadows cast
by it's walls. In the fathomless blue
above buzzard sailed majestically
down an air current and lowered mo-
tionless over the lonely outpost Of civil
iZation.
Within the station telegraph sound
err chartered and chirruped "Ole Man
Terrill was at the instrument. His du
j ties were over for, the forenoon, thu
. eastbound express, which. with tn,
: westbound, composed the only train!
) that traversed that section of the roat
each day, having arrived and departed
= half hour before, and he had cut II
. on the line to regale himself with tn
{ news Of the world. But there was
dearth of thrilling events such as hi
rude soul delighted In. The Apach
uprising that was feared had not take
i place. Colonel Hardie Of Fort Gran
= had the situation well in hand. TIL
II nihilists were giving their latest cza
breathing spell. No new prizefighte
had arisen to wrest the championshi
- Of the world from John l.. Sullivan, VIII
u had put all his old rivals ito sleep.
y "Ole Man" Terrill proceeded to follo'
u their example. He had been up lat
le the night before at a poker game. H!
e head fell forward with jerk. Arouse
81 by the shock, he glanced drowsn
+ about him. Heat waves danced b.
" fore the open window Deep silenc
>, hung over his little world Again b
~ eyelids closed. his head dropped an
III slowly he slipped into sleep.
Tragedy was approaching him nov
ne but not along the wire. Down an a
IL royo, or draw" (the dry bed of a W;
ter course), that wound in detol
around the town Of Florence and d
bouched into the open plain near tt
station, crept two men in single fl
each leading horse. They were Buc
1 Mckee and Bud Lane, who had riddle
north from the town that morning wit
4 the declared purpose of going to Buck
j old ranch, the Lazy X. They had Ct
cled about the town, timing their a
rival at the station little after the d
il parture Of the train which was e
Il pected to bring Dick Lanes money
4 Mckee emerged first from the mou
of the draw He wore Il coarse fla
n mel shirt, loosened at the throat. Abo
his neck was handkerchief His ri
Y ing overals were tucked into hi.
boots with Spanish heels and lol
N spurs. A Mexican hat with be,
n band topped a head covered wi
"a coarse black hair, which he inherit
4, from his Cherokee mother.
u Save for the vulture floating high
q air not living thing was in sigl
81 With the caution Of coyote Mex
n crept to the station door and peer
"a blinkingly through the open door in
IA the room. The change from the d,
| zling light without to the shaded
terror blinded him for moment.
VI heard the heavy breathing of the slet
er before he saw him.
Returning to the mouth Of the
4 royo, Mckee motioned to his comp1
ion to bring out the horses When Il
IKE was done the two men cinched the s,
dies and made every preparation
ike sudden fight. Lane and the hor:
~.