El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-23
The Herald's
Daily Short Story
When the Coach WasHeIdUp

But HalliweiI, once started, was not
| willing to leave off 1T is preposter-
ous,'' he declared. that seven men
| should permit themselves to be cowed
by one or two. What do you say, ma
damn" and he leaned towards the OBJ
scure figure in the corner.
To ignore his question was not pos
sible. and the woman half turned her
head She showed a glimpse of very
pretty, refined face. and a pair Of dark
eyes. Her voice was gentle, the voice
of a well-bred woman
I'm afraid I can't say. sir" she
replied. This is the first time 1 have
been out west, and I do not understand
the customs. No doubt, however, there
are good reasons for them. But !
hope we'll meet this man Flaherty."
The answer was not encouraging,
but Halliwell refused to be crushed;
his natural obstinacy was now thor
oughly aroused.
But. my dear madam he protested,
you surely don't agree
He was cut short by sudden 1urch
ing of the vehicle that jerked him off
his seat.
That is about the place I reckoned
Mixed find u.s." Halliwell heard the,
man Langford quietly say as he gath
cred himself up off the floor.
AS he rose he dragged his sixshoot-
er from his pocket. If the other occu-
pants were such towards as to submit
to be robbed Without a murmur he
was not going 90 be the same.
But, as he tried to straighten HIM
self. a heavy blow fell on his right
hind and, as his gun fell to the floor.
an angry voice cried: Crop it, yer
darned fool! Dyer wan her to git
shot"
simultaneously the door of the coach
was flung open. and the lamp indis-
tinctly revealed the figure of a man.
? He held a short rifle in his hands. and
the muzzle was directed within the
coach.
Sorry t interrupt yez, boys, but
guess 1 want yer dust an such like.
An put yer hands up, SOS 1 can see
yez amt hidin' nothin' and then come
out all of yez."
They came, Ealliwell first, under the
road agents watching eyes and rifle.
and stood in line along the track
and Halliwell felt a fierce thankful
ness that it was night. Yet he caught
a glimpse of the dark figures of the
two outside, mounted man beside the
road with rifle pointed upward to-
wards them, and riderless horse.
manu- Oul yer NdllyDleS. DOSS, anu
Mike went TO the first man.
There was the chink of coin, and the
sound aroused Hallfwell
He leaped as a panther upon the
tall figure Of the robber not four feet
away.
There was a yell, a crash, blaze
OF light and a laundering explosion.
"Th' fooIi" an angry voice shouted.
But HalliwelFs long arms were round
Red Mike his rifle fell from his hands.
and the pair went headlong to the
ground.
Red Mixes colleague lost his head
and his nerve, proving unequal to the
occasion.
Two harmless shots he fired at the
men on the roof, who had dropped
flat; and then, answered by a bullet
from the rifle one of the miners had
picked up, he wheeled round his horse
and dashed off at headlong speed.
The struggle in the road was short
The suddenness of HalliwelPs attack
gave him an advantage, and, though
he might not have been powerful
enough to have overcome his antagon-
list unaided, half a dozen strong hands
came to his assistance
crack on the head with a butt of
his own weapon quieted Mike, and in
few minutes he was secured beyond
hope of escape.
Bruised and painting. the Englishman
rose to his feet He had vindicated