The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
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the Mission of the Golden
Chimes. The gate was open and every
thing quiet and deserted, like it al
ways is
We made as fine parcel of moral
gents as you'd prefer to meet in day
light "Mit-and-a-half' Smith, so
called since Exhausted" Higgins
chewed of two fingers in stud game
at Needles, was left to guard the front
gate. "Scurvy" Thompson rode around
to the back. We six, leaving the
cayuses outside. rushed the building,
yelling and shooting, till we stampeded
Father Emilio with the others out into
the patio. and stood EN- up against the
'dobe walls, where Sammy the Scamp
kept watch, six-shooter in each hand.
don't wonder the sight of US repro
bates curdled their circulation, particu-
LARRY when they recognized Kink and
me
At sight of the Padre, Kink swells up
and begins to gloat
Thought you'd got rid of US, eh?
Dye mind the day we stood off your
little Colorado-Madura colored SOL
diers? I said we'd come back. You've
got our gold mine, all right, but we're
goin' to have these famous bells"
mo, no, Senor!" pleaded the old
man, dropping on to his knees. He
chartered and trembled and slid off
Sinto Spanish, begging and coaxing.
Blamed if l don't believe the bells
are silver from the way he ferments, -
says Coarse Gold" Rooney. Il didn't
take no stock in that; it sounded too
good to be true. I'iust come along be-
cause I lowed there ought to be some
rare opportunities in the way of can
dlesticks and break-a-brack."
"Sure, they're silver" I says, with
gold clappers; I've heard EN- ring"
A hold-up is one of the feasiblest
things there is when it works out ac-
cording to James and Younger. In FIVE
minutes we had gathered a pony-load
Of silver and gold plate, lamps, candle
sticks, and bric-a-brac that glittered in
the torchlight seductive as the smiles
Of Spanish girl.
Nov for the bells" says Kink.
l could see he didn't believe in the
old stoH, either-thought they was
just common pot-metal-but he'd hard
~ climbed aout of sight till he pumped
down from that tower shaking worse
than the priest
It's right" he chartered. 'It's right
There's three-all white and shiny and
beautifulw
"Kink, you're lisr!" Coarse Gold"
shoot him
Il amt! I'm an honest man Come
and look" He grabbed couple of
lariats and they Skinned up the tower
again, with Mystery" Jim at their
heels.
The voice of Coarse Gold" Rooney
dropped from the darkness overhead.
We'll. the lovely dove! I've spent
twenty years grabblin' in the hills for
that stuff, and here it hangs by the hun
dred-weight just pleadin' to be took.
Look out below
They lowered two bells to US, and
they were as beautiful as the day they
were cast, while the yelling and groan-
ing those captives set up was cau-
ton. -
There's another old he-feller up
there" Rooney complained, "the daddy
of EN- all, but it's too cussed big to get
away with. Amt that rotten luck? I
got the ctapper, though, and he swung
the yellow bar into the torchlight, most
as long as his arm. l could hear the
breath whistle into "Frenchy" and the
Scamp" like they were eating soup
they both knew gold when they saw it.
We lashed the bells on to the cayuses
and made up a pack of the gold clap
pers and the knick-knacks. Then as we
was about to go, Kink spoke up:
Hold on, fellers! l can't leave with
out offerin' some slight indignity to
Padre Emilio. Just for old times sake
even if it's no more'n to ask him to
waltz"
| reckon there's a bit of reverence
cached away somewhere in everybody,
and before he could draw l had him
covered
Hold on!'' says L. Were here for
plain, legitimate, church robbery, and
we amt prOmotin' no buck-and-wing
carnival You let the priest alone"
But twas him and the alcade that
short-changed us, and there amt no
harm in gettin' even"
That's all right" I says We're
gettin' even with him and the. whole
community by desecratin' their mission
under their noses-that's enough" i
Right for the Kid" says the other
boys. You'll be even enough if we
get away with this bullion"
Ii was hard to break him away. |
though, because he's a serious-rpinded. |
one-purposed feller, without much
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