Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-05-07

What have l done"
Nothing. Tom Swartout is jealous,
and I'm afraid of him.
He won't hurt you, will he?"
mo. but he may hurt you"
rs that the only reason I must keep
away?"
Yes"
''Then I'll come as usual"
One day Tom Swartout was playing
a friendly game with some of his asso-
ciates in an adobe n story house
when Billy and Daisy rode by on
horseback.
There gnes your girl. Tom" said
one of the party. Are you going to
give her up to that purity little Teller
without a struggled"
Tom didn't need the taunt to egg
him on. He arose from his seat. went
to the door and looked after Billy and
Daisy.
why don't you let her see you pull
his nose?" asked Il cowboy. "Thatll
show her the difference between a
man and a boy
Tom said nothing, but ground his
teeth.
"Go for him. said a third.
Swartout strobe to his horse that
was picketed near by. united and
mounted him, then rode after the cou-
| pie. He didn't know what he was
going to do. He was mad with jeal-
ousy and intended, or, rather, was i'm
PEELED by the devil within him. to
make a display Of it. Unfortunately
he had a revolver at his belt and a
Winchester attached to a hook on his
saddle. He had no idea of using Ell
Their of the weapons. Indeed. he for
got that he had them.
Now. it seems that Daisy knew
Toms haunts and had suggested to
Billy that they had better not ride by
the adobe house. But Billy said if he
couldn't ride where he liked he had
zbetter go back east. Daisy's anxiety
led her. when she passed the house. to
look in. and she saw Tom. At the
same moment he looked up and saw
her and Billy. AS for Billy. he was
looking straight ahead.
When the two had gone something
over a quarter of a mile from the house
where the game was going on Daisy
turned to look back and saw Ton COM
ing. She inferred that what she had
dreaded was about to happen. She
put the spurs to her horse. Billy look
ed back to see what had started her on
and saw Tom coming. He also saw
several cowboys n by one leaving
the house. mounting and riding after
Tom. They wanted to see Tom pull
the little tenderfoots nose.
Everybody in that country carried
weapons except Billy. whose work Al
the station rendered it inconvenient fol-
him to do so. He vas not armed now
even with a knife. But Daisy. who
was something of a sportswoman
usually had a rifle slung to her saddle
Billy. seeing an enemy coming. nat
urally longed for a weapon and. find
ing Daisy's rifle handy. bent over an(
unlocked it.
Swartout saw him do this. He didn'
see Daisy prevent him. She onl!
strongly advised putting the rifle bacl
, Tom was maddened more than ever a
seeing Billy about to use Daisy's riff
with which to shoot him. He unhooi
ed his own rifle. Billy told Daisy she'
better ride on; she might get hurt. In
+ stead of doing so she tried to put hel
self between the rivals.
Here is where Billy showed mani
instincts, while Tom showed brute
! ones. Billy refrained from firing 8
!, Tom from the protection of a woman
skirts, but Tom fired at Billy as 500
: as there was a chance, of doing s
$ without hitting Daisy. The bullet san
g between the two. who were not thre
S feet apart.
Billy was disguised, but averse
e taking his rivals life. He could hav
i killed his enemy at a single shot. bl
rather than do so he permitted Dais
e to get in front of him and refraine
froEs firing.
e "Come out from behind a woman
e you coward" yelled Swartout. an
S those behind him jeered.
Billy gave his horse the spur. th
y animal jumped. and when he lit on h
s feet a bullet went from the muzzle
q Billy's rifle straight for his enem.
q Tom fell from his horse. His friend
r galloped up and dismounted besid
t. him. Daisy in a frenzy rode on. an
q Billy followed her.
1t was supposed that Tom Swartol
3 was MORALLY wounded. Billy kne'
e better. He had put the ball where
} would do the most damage withol
q killing his man. Tom recovered. bu
I. the sympathy of the best people of I'll
community vas with McElligott. an
5. his enemy was universally condemne'
E. Long before he was well enough to
+ out Billy had gone up another roun
q in the ladder Of a railroad man. al
e the two did not meet again.
II When it became known that til
:t little station agent had fought an
n nearly killed Tom Swartout the poop
of that region were filled with astol
g ishment.
/ "Why. he's nothing but a child" sal