The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-03-05

ror of the Nugget Saloon, waited with his
! J. !: : :" !
right hand conveniently near his six
ES&@W shooter. The sheriff stood at the other
Ae~&&EkSs end of the bar, watching.
M@NM3M Waiting for his drink Julio warily ran
kAH@M his eye over the crowd surging about him
$ Dirty negroes from the irrigation bitches
w. NJ predomnated; but here and there Julio
M@mmMmM spotted we1l-known cko1o, or horse
(a thief. 1t Saturday night, and the
sheriff had prophesied trouble. Julio had
beeh waiting half hour, and every min
ute the cursir had grown louder the stencil of cheap
liquor stronger. Saturday night always bad but
with the Nugget crowded to the doors, and the new
negro element with, tonight babe fair to break
the record Julios dark eyesthe one feature betray-
ing the Spanish in his boodwere slightly dilated with
excitement For Julio knew little of fighting He had
been appointed deputy sheriff six months before but
his arrests had been quiet ones.
At the crucial moment when panic and gun smoke
made setting for death-rdden brawl it was the
sheriff who fought for control The sherif's smoke
becrined face surnonnted by that unmistalable
of sandy hair could always be located at the cursng
v7ritlnsz center of any riot 1t the sheriff who
knew the trick of dealing blow with the butt of his
1.n-a blow that would slit clean cash in mans
scalp and would rob him of consciousness until he was
iaiIed-sometimes longer. Because of this the sheriff
had won great favor; but his deputy was said to be
coward Julio the things said of him. Instead of
infurating him. they cut him to the heart He did not
believe that he was yellow, for he had never But
to see men fighting and snarlng like dogs paralyzed
him; and the sight smell of fresh blood overcame
him with terrible Tonight would tell; the
sheriff had ordered him to Saturday-nght duty IN tue
Nueret Julio prayed for trouble The sixshcoter at
his hip had been given him by Marie, the sheriffs
daughter; he wanted her to know, too Julio glanced
down the bar and saw the sheriff drinking another
straight whisky; It must have been somewhere the
tenth since supper 1t flashed through Julios mind that
tis astounding capacity for drink might have
thing 10 do with the sheris impervous courage; but
he put the unclean thought from him.
AS Julio raised his small glass of red wine an accom-
panying culver ruby light raced up the big mirror
before him; as lowered the wineg1ass the bar
he quizzicay followed the fash Of descending ripple
Above the laughing oath 1eaped outthe oath that
does go unchanenged-
In the n1addened uproar Julio did hear the shot;
but in the great mirror thousands of wriggng lights
radiated from round black hole foot above him.
One twisting crack darted like lightning flash to the
ceiling The second bullet sang above his head, and >
mist of singed hair sfed over his face The shatering
mirror swayed toward him; there din of crashing
Ngasss-the cursing and screaming of men, The stan-
ree dragged Julio from the bar and flung him to the
floor A man trampling him plowed down
and fell of blood gushing from his leg. Julio
elawed his way toward the door, crawling like some
animal between the tramplng legs of the stanpeders
He found himself the sidewalk, flung against the
front wall of the saloon He rose to his feet dizzy
Again he had been found wanting. He reeled through
the splintered doorway. He stumbled over body that
yielded seenngy beneath his feet suffering lamp
in distant of the saloon hickered into feeble
fame and showed beneath ii, graphing Rum
ming toward Them Julio the light CLINT six
shooter butt as If flashed up then sank down crook
edy to the SnOfter man SHOULDER. he o1oPpCo
with quiet Tied Julio did rot have to the name
Of sandy hair that bent above the fallen bcdy he knew
that twisted blow.
The sheriff clutched the unconscious man by the
shoulder With the other hand he playing the
circle of his fash hudd1ed lay against the wall
broken chair tossed upon IT.
That's one of 'eua Get him." the sheriff command
ed Vvidy conscious of the unnnistakabie sickness
of the shirt he dragged the man toward the sheriff
There's more" the sheriff grunted- "Shots come
fror, three different Olaces"
~By the door" Julio gulped. II walked on him
sIT1 take him, too"
"Hes dead" Julio answered.
aT1l get him to the sidewalk and the doc-man can
say that"
They struggled toward the doorway with their CHASTITY
l,,cVaee The sheriff added the second body his
cargo and without the guidance of the fashight they
stumbled down the remaining eiass-strewn steps to the
street. crowd stretched in big horseshoe before
the door into eehoing shout the officers laid
their sOof upon the sidewalk. With flush mounting
70 his forehead the sheriff swept off his Steson in
awkward recognition. Julio seized the to bend
down and rrarac1e of the prisoners who was
ing family.
fallen near the door had shot through the heart
TJo and the doctor rolled the body the wall and
covered II with the barenders proered bibapron. The
,,eoro and the Irish miner would i've The sheriff
$500 !. vvav through the crowd and loaded the prs
,rrs into the first vehicle he found. Julio took thu
e;ns aud the sheriff with the doctor mounted guarc
I'm the wagon-bed
at don't know what the started up about, thu
.f,er;F said "but they firm from three differen
sDots n the saloon. The only worse fight ever SCI