The daily Alaskan., 1914-11-20
MY WOULD BE ASSASSIN
 By Nj. QUAD Copyright, 1914, by Associated Lit
 erary Press.

oming on hunting trip with old Bill Potts dozen men called to bid me 8 last goodby. They looked their pity and sorrow, and their hands fingered lovingly in mine. was rather skep- tical l didn't see why 1 should be pulled down by mountain lion, claw ed into mincemeat by a grizzly bear or buried under landslide, but they smiled feehiy and shook their heads in a solemn way. Only one telegram received out of eight or ten threw any light on the matter. and the light came too late, 1t read;
 If you are going hunting with old Bill Potts you'd better make your will and leave things easy for the widowed and fatherless." I liked old Bill. He was hale and hearty and good natured, and he could hack mule. cook good meal and shoot fuirly straight. He was smok- CT and q chewer, playing good game of cuchre. and I had every confidence that the pair of us would get along like brothers. We go: away in good style, and it was two full days, before anything happened 10 shake my con idgnce in Ein. Then as sat cleaning my fife he picked up the ax to cut some wood. He hadn't made six strokes before the ax flew of the han dle and almost shaved my hair as it 1 passed.
 Excuse me colonel" said old Bill as he held up the handle. "The aX has been loose for the last six months and ogter have bin fixed. I'll tend to 1t the first rainy day we have"
 But, nan, that was close call for me-" l said as felt my anger rising.
 '.YeS, colonel, but as long as no dam l age was done it's all right. I kinder thought 1t Was going 10 cut yer head off. but it rig a leetle and missed ye." I figured that 1t was pure accident and overlooked 1t. Next morning old Bill found the rra.l of a lion near our camp. and after breakfast We took 1t up and started out. l had Winches- ter. and he had double barreled shot gun loaded with huckshOt. He took the lead, and we had trNlled for half a mile when stumbled over stone and r,tchid forward Potts was about tweLty feet ahead of me, gun on his shoulder nnd passing over perfectly | open ground. As l went down both barrels of his gun were discharged, and my hair curled as the handful or shot shrieked over me and cut away half the branches of young pine.
 What is it? What were you shoot ing at?' shouted as l scrambled up, half expecting the lion had got In our rear and was stalking us.
 "Ye see, colonel" replied old Potts. with q sheepish look on his face, Il allus carry my gun on the full cock sos to save time, and I guess l must have bin tingerin' them hammers"
 You dolt! You idiot! You jackass" yelled at him as looked for club. If hadn't stumbled over that stone ] you'd have blown q hole through me as big as a barrel!'
 .'Yes. but ye stumbled, and, bein' as no harm was done. hope ye won't get | mad about 1t.
 1 told Potts that If ever caught him carrying his gun in that shape again I'd pump lead into his legs aud leave him to the wolves, and for the rest of the day the relations between us were strained. Under the influence of & good supper and pipe we got closer together, however, and by and by he went into the tent for the cards. He was fussing around for several min utes and 1 had just opened my mouth to ask him the cause of his delay when a bullet lifted the hat off my head and sent 1t ten feet behind me. made two jumps for powder and yelled to Potts, thinking had been fired on by renegade Indian, but when the maR came out with my self cooking revolver in his hand-I knew what had hap pened. ..'-
 You blunder head! You fool of a jackassr' l shouted as made up to him. But he backed of @0d protest ingly explained: .r -
 Don't get nervous, colonel. had never seen one of these self cookers and was just tryin' it. I might have pint ed f the other way, but I didn't think"
 No, you didn't, and the ball went through my hat! Potts, you are fooli Yor don't know enough to chew beansw
 What a fuss to raise over a leete accident, and nobody hurt at that". sail Potts ''W'aal, the fact of 1t tS Pm goin' to quit. The boys said ye was crank and a kicker and that f@ soon cut my job, hut ye talked smooth and give orders fur plenty of grub. ana was willin' to take chances. How sumever"-
 "Howsumever what? Howsumever-l sQu.nt eyed, dunderheaded Dothunter!'
 Next day we started the outfit for home Potts might have reconsidered his Signation, but wouldn't give him a chance. I couldn't stay up there alone. but 1t was death to stay with him. We made the Journey of fifty miles without word. When we. reached home paid him otr and said: