The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-02-23
DAILY SHORT sroRY
THE WIDOWS LEGACY
BY Elfer Rigdon.

1uOIOTtOu5 ucSp6TduO III tuc SOuLn
west, had honored Pinta, Bowie
county, with visit, but the news
didn't become generally known
until the next morning, when II
was discovered that the express
office had been robbed of a pack.
age containing $1,000 that came
in on the late train, and the agent
found bound and gagged. The
fact that the missing money was
left the Widow Jones by rela.
tive and sent her by the lawyer
in charge of the estate, caused the
greatest indignation in the town
Mrs. Jones, a most estimable
lady, conducted the Imperial
laundry, and from the proceeds
supported four small children as
best she could.
SO when it was learned that
Mrs. Jones had been robbed oil
her money the frontiersmen i'm.
mediately formed a posse to go in
pursuit of Crawford, although
they knew it would require the ut.
most strategy to capture him.
In the meantime the robber was
covering miles across the cactus
studded prairie, and when night
came he stopped at deserted sta.
BILE in a desolate section of the
country to rest his tired horse
Fatigued and worn himself he
leaned against the wall and dozed
The creaking of board awakened
him, and a moment later he
pounced upon lean, short man
within an arms length of him
The stranger, taken by surprise
made no remonstrance. Ssh,
he whispered, don't blow on nc
pard, I'm tryin' to get away from
a necktie party that's lookin' fol-
me-"
How long you all been here?'
asked Bob, dragging his diminu.
tive captive to the light and look
ing down at the weather-beater
face of the intruder.
i've been sleepin' over in the
corner fer an hour, and I was go
in to light out when you nabbet
me-"
Shrimp"
81 was mixed up in a little
gunplay over at Valley Springs
and / had to hit the trail fer feal
of gettin' roped. Don't turn me
lover to the vigilantes.
| Bob thrust the little man from
him and laughed hilariously, up
iroariously. "Oh, you needn'
fear. I'm tryin' to escape a poss,
myself. If I can cross the Re,
9river and land in Oklahoma Tn
1safe. So if you want to pull
dfreight with me, all right
l The small man expressed hi
delight at the opportunity to hav
company, and the pair departed
lBob's companion expressed his ia
Imiliarity with the country an,
Suggested shortcut to the Re-
river, which was accepted, ant
the men started with the express
led intention of travelling man,
miles before dawn. The lay o
the land changed, and Just as the,
were passing between two hill
thickly studded with trees tn,
Pinta posse sprang upon then
from places of concealment. Fo
the first time in his life the war,
Bob Crawford was taken by sur
prise and found himself disarmet
land bound. The little man parte,
with his weapons, but he WASH
tied, as his captors considered hin
too small to give them trouble
lThey poked him playfully in tn,
ribs and mirthfully commente,
labout his size.
/ When the widows money wa
found in the possession of Craw
ford the Pinta delegation indulge,
In jubilation by unharnessin,
their blue hardware and firing
Ivolley of shots in the air. Boz
Crawford chafed at the though
OF walking into the hand of tn
enemy and being captured withou
la struggle. you made no mis-
take about me-" he growled: blu
Iyou may as we'll turn the Shrim,
loose, as he wasn't mixed up ii
this deal"
/ We'll, he was in purity ba,
company" observed Oklahom
Heiney. "and I guess we'll TAX
him along, anyway"
While preparations were bein,
made to return to Pinta, Bol
Crawford leaned over to the littl
man and whispered: "The,
haven't bound you, and you ma,
get a chance to unite me after
bit. If you do I'll see that W,
both get away. I always like t,
keep in touch with men of ou
profession" he continued affably
"and while I've been CALM yo,
Shrimp, bein' as how you ain
much bigger than a peanut, II
like to know your real cognomen.
"You'ss excuse my etiuuet
Bud" replied the sun-dried indi
vidual; but we bumped into eacf
other so unexpected, and as you
had a strangle holt on me at the
time, plumb forgot to interduct
myself. My name is Shorty Long