Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-04-07

ana lnen we hurried on as laSC as
We could, it becoming harder all the
time because the snow was wiping
away the tracks.
Now 1t led us downward again. To
where, do you think? Right back into
the road not a quarter of a mile from
where we had taken it, and that was
the end
Dead-beat and disguised we pulled
into Forest Hill late at night, and al
most the first man we met was Bill
Pape. He was In his usual tough luck,
for the express-receipt he had was SIM
ply at owners risk" ne being unable
to afford insurance. We all felt sorry
because he was a bully good fellow
and couldn't afford the loss.
Poor as he was though, 1t was he
who, from his nearly empty poke, put
in the first dust to the contribution we
raised that night in the Miners De-
light for the widow and the little ones.
We took it to her the next day, Bill.
the sheriff and /, and CAV her the
heartbreaking news that there wasn't
a chance in a thousand for our ever
recovering the little fortune she had
lost and which would have made her
independent. II SeeIlCu ike al DloSh>
cry to take her name and address.
The only satisfaction I felt that day
was when | learned that the Gentle
Annie people who had jumped Bills
claim had also shipped at their w
risk and couldn't claim a cent from the
express company. That looked like
Justice! We started the widow of
and headed for home, when away we
went on another chase.
Incomprehensible as 1t seemed Black
Bart had go across the canon some
way and had stuck up the Placerville
stage. He must have gone fast and
been making a wholesale job, we
thought. Everybody went wild. We
were a small army, with Bill Pape In
the lead, when we joined the Placer
Vile boys and started In to scour that
country: but 1t was all useless. Black
Bart got away again.
Just as Christmas came on top OF
us we did get n good piece of news.
Bill Pape got a decision from the
higher court giving him back he Cen
tie Annie, and the fellows who had
jumped it, with all their men, were
marched out of the camp without a
friend. We all stood around not say
ing much when they went, trudging
down the road in sullenness, knowing
We hated them and were glad they
had gained nothing for all their eff
'ort. They had even lost what they
cleaned up, and the road-agent was
the richer. BilIs Christmas-eve cele-
bration was a bowler that went down
into camp history, and we let him
know how glad we were that 1t had
come his way at last.
But now here's the funny part about
all this. On Christmas day I got my
poke back, unopened, and this note:
For certain reasons which aren't any of
your business, I don't want your money.
So I'm sending it back. BLACK BART.
1t was sent from Sacramento. ! had
TO go down there about New Years to
meet my Fan Tan owner, who sold me
a partnership and gave me a good
time. We tried to get a clue to Black
Rart, but couldn't. 1t was in the ex-
press offic that l went digging
through my pockets and happened to
run across the widows address. and.
it being the holidays, and | feeling
kind of holidayish. thought I'd call On
her.
I found her all right and almost
the first thing she said to me was:
Look here. | want to show you some
thing l got a few days ago"
And then she fshed out a note and
I read:
Dear Madam: I don't rob widows when
l can help it. The Gentle Annie cleanup
was good enough for me. I'm sending
hack all took from Won. hut don't fell
anybody. BLACK BART.
Say. you could have knocked me
down with a p~ine-needle. The hand
writing was the same sent me, and
her money had been delivered by a
messenger l tried again to find this
philanthropic stage-robber, but wasted
my time.
When l got back to Forest Hill I
told Bill Pape, and he said he guessed
led take a try as he wanted that Gen
tie Annie dust If it could be found, so
away he went. Well, he kept going
to Sacramento all winter and up to
the time when the spring came and
the snow melted
Early in the summer | went to San
Francisco for some things I couldn't
get in Sacramento, and while there
got a letter from Bill asking me to
bring some supplies up for him. I
did, and on the day landed in Forest
Hill went out on the sunlit trail
through the trees to Bills cabin and
called him outside with a "Hello-in-
there"
Bill" 1 said, there's something
mighty singular about this note you
sent me-"
| ooh 1t and the n signed BLACK
Bart" from my pocket, unfolded them,
and handed them to him
Seems to me these were written by
the same man. Doesn't 1t look that
way to your"
He calmly tore them into small
pieces, laid them on the palm Of his
hand, and gave a mighty blow that
sent the little strips of paper 1utter-
ing off In the air toward where Noun
Badly, snow-capped and serene, looked
down at us from across the Big Di.
vide. Then he grinned and rave 3
great slow wink.
Hank" he said, there's a hell Of a
lot of things in this world that 1t
doesn't do us any good to know too
much about Rut since you're here !