The Washington times., 1915-12-29
continued from Yesterday)

's'rhe shooting lasted all morning
our men were getting near the end of
their bullets and their strength: and
Slim Bob the head of the outlaws
was firing at the saloon door-that
near was he-when he heard shot
from a different direction and we saw
'sNm Bob duck and dodge away,
sinking alongside a high wood fence;
and at the same time one of the three
men that was carrying big timber
that they were going to use to batter
in the saloon door, dropped dead in
his tracks.
Away off in the road at the edge
Of the town we saw galloping horses.
and then men scrambling OF horses
backs and running toward us. They
was the men back from the mines!
They fired as they ran and the out
laws turned tail. trying to escape
all except a few-'Slim Bob was one
of em. l saw Mr.. Travis make for
him and then 1 made up my mind I'd
80 downstairs and call Mr.. Travis to
come straight up to his poor, uncon-
scious wife.
ON the table was Mrs. Travis open
grip, just as I'd left it when the baby
was born. 1t had a lot of soft. white,
woolly things in it. So laid the baby
on them when / ran downstairs-it was
safer than the bed. 1t was safer than
the bed-I thought it was safer than the
bed" she repeated incoherently.
Shghtly. Don't forget any of it now
YOU mustn't; do you hear? You
mustn't! You left Off where you went
downstairs"
And when 1 was going out of the
room," continued the old woman, talk
Borden must a heard her Jim's voice
downstairs. cause she kinda tried to
pull up out of the chair and then when
l was halfway down the steps 1 heard
shot and something falling
Downstairs. in the barroom It was
all shouting men, with women crying
on their shoulders and little children
hanging frightened to their mothers.
And l heard big Jim Borden asking
Jake about his missus and then
jumping up the steps three at time
with a look like the smile of heaven on
his stone-cut face.
But in all the crowd couldn't see
MI. Travis, and I began to be afraid.
So laying unconscious in bed upstairs
and the baby. So, when no one was
looking, ] ran out on the street-and
there I found him-Mr. Travis-shot
through the heart!"
My father! Ny own poor father.
who never even held me in his arms"
murmured June. her eyes filing with
tears.
II don't know how long was there
beside him on my knees" the nurse
went on. wiptnR her eyes. "I remember
while was there l heard some one come
out. heavy, on the porch Sof the road
house and kind of stagger across the
road. He must "a passed close, because
It seemed to me l heard the weak. little
wall OF a newborn child. But 1 didn't
notice much just then.
lust wandered back into the saloon
ike | was in nightmare. and stumbled
up the steps. falling over my skirts and
picking myself up. until I got into the
bedroom. There. in the middle of the
bedroom. hanging over the table. with
her eyes CLASSY staring and her chin
dropped, was Jim Borden's wlfe-dead!
over in the bed laid Mrs. Travis, still
unconscious. with baby beside her"
June slipped again to her knees beside
Mary. her eyes fixed on the old woman's
face. her hands so tightly clasped that
the knuckles were white and livid.
1T was hours before ] got the strength
to get up from the chair again. 1t was
only when l remembered how queer 1t
was that the baby in the grip didn't cry
that | jumped up sudden and went TO
get It. II was gone! The grip was
empty. There was nothing but the dent
it's little body had made in the soft.
wOolly things-and over on the bed was
the other one-Jim Borden's-a girl It
was, and ours had been boy"
Her voice broke of with sudden dry
EurRle in her throat. AS June shrank
away from her a dawninR horror in her
eyes she stretched out two worn. trem-
bling hands in an effort to draw the girl
back.
You see. II must have been like this:
Jim Borden had leaped into that room
with his heart all bursting with love anS
pride, and he found his wife dead before
him, lying near the baby in the grip.
and. looking over he saw the other Wom-
an on the bed with her baby beside her.
He took the baby he thought was his
own and went awav-where. no one
knew-and l never found out-till too
late"
For a moment there was silence
more compelling than sound. Suddenly.
hnginE her arms wide, June cried hys-
terically:
What does II mean? Don't stop
there. Go on! 30 on! What are YOU
trying to make ne belleve:"
did as / thought best at the time"