The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-05-17
!, THE RAILROAD
a CLERK
Ss+. --
BA STELLA ESTHER DUNN
Copyright,by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.


goin' to show up,for pluck" said Josh
Coyne when we was drivin' across
the plains. till hest tried. When the
Union Pacific was stretchin itself
westward from Omaha, with' tempo
nary terminals, .sich astJulesburg. Lar
annie and them kind, a littlet fellow
come out from the east to takela posi-
zion In the office. He wasn'ttmore'n
eighteen years old and was awful
alandified He wore one O them col
lars they called chokers In them days
because, / suppose, 1.-THE men asswore
Penn always looked as If they was
'bein' choked. TheyN said he WIS the
son O. one o. the men who was back
I'M up the road financially and had
come out to learn the railroad bust
ness in these we're parts SOS he could
he one o. theNanagers when the road
got to runninHregular.
Everybody laughed at such thing
ms that, for the boy wasn't more'n
Eve feet FIVE and not sign Of a
beard. His hair was the color o
molasses candy. andshis eyes, was like
two robins eggs-jist purity boy.
"There was a ranch not fartfrom the
terminal, where this youngN Teller
Johnny Bittern was his name-was
slingin' ink on high stool, on, which
there was the purtiest little gal you
ever see. She was at the colt age.
mostly legs and arms. but her face
swould make yer mouth water to look.
at She and Johnny met somehow or
hther-I disremember jist where 1t
was-and they took a shine to each
other right Off.
5' ~ got horse and wagon my dad
sent me from Chicago said John.
1.Will you go ridin' with meY
You'd come back dead If did. I
got Teller, an II went ridin' with
you he'd fill you full of holes
"'Maybe / might shoot fust.'
at don't keer. Ell you want to take
the chances III go with you
$50 that afternoon Johnny drove up
to the house where Lizzie lived and
stuk her into his wagon. and the two
went Off just as IL they was grown
lup man and woman.
aBen Hackstaff was the Teller that
twas courtin' Lizzie. When she and
Johnny started Ben was a-huntin' up
some lost cows, but he come home
soon after.
"'Ben.' said one o his pals, yer gals
gone off to ride with that measly lit
tile tenderfoot In the railroad office
Johnny Bittern?'
! "sYaas.' .si5l sl4.
"'Which wayT sy', lsss
Il That away
ben wheeled his boss about so sud.
den that he come nigh THROWN him
and galloped down the dirt road along
the railroad track. Them as seen him
Ego remarked that it was a pity there
was no parson In the town to make |
decent funeral for Johnny.
"The children had gone as far as |
they wanted to and was comm back |
when they saw Ben tearin' along to- |
wards 'enn, furious.
"'There he comes says Lizzie Git |
yer gun out, Johnny
"Johnny throwed the reins to her |
and took revolver in each hand. Liz
gie TUX the reins In one hand and put |
It'other one around him. She didn't |
think that Ben would dare shoot at |
Johnny SO long as he might hit her In.
stead, though she took q risk, for Ben
was mad enough to shoot her too.
"Le' CO. said Johnny.
CT won't says Lizzie.
''By this time Ben was purity nigh.
He list TUX deliberate aim Mt Johnny
and his bullet passed between the two
Ghildren's heads.
"That made Johnny mad. He fet
drive with Lizzie's arm around his
waist, never mindin' the danger they
was both In. He seemed to think the
best way to protect her agin a man
Nhat would shoot as Ben had shot was
ito disable him as soon as possible. He
had both arms stretched out forard,
frin' from both pistols, at the same
time calm on Lizzie to duck.
at may a been that Ben on second
Thoughts was afraid o. hittin' the gal.
Anyways, none o. his shots TUX effect,
while nearly all o. Johnny's made holes
in Ben. There wasn't none o. 'em that
killed him at onct, but he lost so much
blood that he dropped often his boss
and lay in the road as good as dead.
''Some railroad men In q wagon come
along about that time and seen Johnny
down in the road a-kickin' man lyin
there.
"'What you dom that forY they
asked.
He was a-shootin' at gall said
Johnny, and with that he began kickin'
ag'in.
"sYou better git back into yer wagon
and drive the gal home; wen look out
for the corpse
Johnny give last kick, then climb
ed up beside Lizzie, and they driv Off.
"Jes' Is soon's the story got out in the
town Johnny was elevated from a ten
lderfoot that wore chokers to hero.
Everybody was down on Ben Hack
star for ahootin' at Johnny SO clost
beside Lizzie and didn't give him no
.v