The Pulaskian., 1915-02-19
AN OUTLAW ESCORT
By KING KELLEY.

NC---~~ round bend in the road.
 Hands upl" was the next command as a masked man stepped from be- hind a tree and advanced toward the wagon.
 It was not a commonplace remark. Six pairs of hands groped skyward. nor waited to be told a second time.
 Throw out the sack with the brass lock, Driverl" issued firm and cool from under the handkerchief on the robbers face.
 Now get out and line up"
 There had been big talk all morning in the two back seats about adven- lures with fierce wild animals and bad men, but no one lost a moments time in getting in line. Nor did they essay to produce any of the guns with which they were so plentifully supplied; the respective merits of which they had each so voeiferously argued
 June Cleveland was the only female occupant of the stage As she fas- tened her eyes on the hostile gun-bar- rel and watched the steady, deliberate movements of the man behind it. there came over her, in place of fear, an admiration she could not define.
 She was on the last ten of a ninety mile trip by stage from the railroad to Jackson, Wyoming. Besides endur-' ing the jolts and jars of the incommo- dious wagon for two days, she had put up with four very uninteresting men and grinning driver
 At the last stop rumor was current that the school that had been partially promised her at Jackson had employed another teacher, and was now in prog ress. So to the woes of long stage ride and the boasting talk of the elk hunters there was the added anxiety of position already filled.
 "You fellows shell out!" came the order; and they shelled. June and the driver offered their poeketbooks, but the robber declined with shake of his head One of the mighty hunters was ordered to rife the mail-sack, which he did with great alacrity, kneel- ing in the dust in complete humble ness.
 AS the highwayman was stufing the wads of bills into his pockets, a brown bear shambled out of the woods to- ward them The horses snorted, reared, jerked the driver to the ground and dashed madly down the hill. The wagon went over and crashed against a tree few rods away, and the free horses tore off down the mountain side.
 The men, on being given permission to retire, hurried away to gather up their hunting outfits and search for the horses The robber disappeared in the forest and June stood alone in the road. Tears of gratitude and despair blinded her eyes. She sat down by the mutilated mail-sack and tried to relieve her irritated mind.
 Some one touched her on the shoul- der. She looked up. The outlaw, now unmasked, stood beside her holding the reins of his saddle-horse. His face was young and firm and kind.
 You can ride my horse. We'll take cut through the woods. I can't go all the way, but will take you in sight of the town"
 June was only too glad to accept. She had been raised on a small ranch in the West, and did not share the common dread of outlaws.
 He led the way over a dim trail to the east for ways Then they turned north and descended the long slope toward the valley
 At an open parklike fiat on the moyntainside they came upon small bunch of horses. The outlaw conclud- ed he wanted to ride. June sat on powder and watched him rope.
 She had seen the science of the lar fat demonstrated many times, but this was the first man she had ever seen rope horse by the neck, then throw a half-hitch over it's nose with his own and the other animal on a swift run. This was the height of perfection, in her eyes
 He made a hackamore of the rope and slipped it over the horses head. Then he helped her to mount and leaped on to the bare back. After a few minutes bueking, they rode off side by side.
 This is rather an exciting life you lead, isn't it?" she asked lightly.
 More exciting than profitable he smiled
 You seem to have done very well today?'
 There is no such thing as winning at this game any more This is one game in which the winner loses. In this country, the day for making stake with six-shooter has gone nev- CT to return. The very best of them Ed Cassidy, Kid Curry, and many more of them have quit and gone away. If they couldn't make it win, others had better be careful
 T believe that you couldn't win at -4 t.. -t.- I |. -f-.rI