The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-10-20
FIR lAANCTS LYNDE
copyright by Charles Scr:bne:'s Sons

before anybody could stop him he was
down upon The StagingS, swinging him
self from bent to bent through Il storm
Of bullets coming, not from the com
miSsary but from the saloon shack
on the opposite bank-a whiStling
shower of lead that made every man
in the sheritf's part. duck TO cover.
How the volunteer prOcess-server
ever lived to get across the bridge OF
death no man might know. Thrice IN
the half-minute dash he was hit; yet
there was life enough left to carry him
stumbling across the last Of the stag
ing bents; to send him Keeling up the
runway at the end and across the
working yard to the door Of the coin
misSary. waving the folded papers like
an inadequate flag Of truce as he fell
on the doorstep.
After that, all things were curlousiy
hazy and underlined for him. There
was the tumult of fierce battle be-
ing waged over him; Il deafening rifle
fire and the spat-Spat of bullets pune
turing the sheet-iron walls of the com
misSary. In the midst of it he lost
his hold upon the realities, and when
he got 1t again the warlike ClamOr was
StilIpd and Starbuck was kneeling be-
side him, trying, apparently, to deprive
him of his clothes with the reckless
SiaShingS of q knife.
| Protesting feebly and trying to rise,
he saw the working yard filled with
armed men and the returning throng
of IabOrerS; saw Colonel Baldwin and
| Williams talking cXcitedly to the sher-
! 1T then he caught the eye of the engi-
neer and heckoned eagerly with his
one available hand.
"Hold still, until | can find out how
dead you are gritted the rough-and-
ready surgeon who was plying the
clotheS-ripping knife. But when Viii
liams came and bent down to listen
| Smith found voice, shrill and strident
and so little like his own that he
scarcely recognized it.
Call 'em out-Call the men out and
start the gate maChinery!" he painted
in the queer, whiStling voice which
was, and was not, his own. Possess
I-possession is nine points of the law
THAT'S what Judge Warner said: the
spiliWays, Bartlcy-Shut 'em quick. "
The men are on the job and the
machinery is starting right now sale
Williams gently. Don't You hear it?
And theh 10 Starbuck: For Heaven:
sake, do something for him, Billy
anything TO keep him with US until /
doctor can get here
Smith felt himself smiling fooliShly
Il don't need any doctor, BARLEY
: what l need is q new ego: then IL
stand some sha-SOme chance of find
! ing" he looked up appealingly a
Starbuck-"what is it that I'd stant
some chance of finding, Billy? L
can't seem to remember
Williams turned his face away ant
Starbuck frightened his benumbing griI
upon the severed artery in the bare'
arm from which he had cut the sleeve
Smith seemed to be going off again
but he suddenly opened his eyes an
pointed frantically with finger of tn
, one serviceable hand. Catch him
Catch him!" he shrilled. He's goin
to dy-dynamite the DAM"
Clinging to consciousness with
grip that not even the blood los
could break, Smith saw William
spring to his feet and give the alarm
: saw three or four of the sheriff's me
drop their weapons and hurl then
selves upon another man who was n!
ing to make his way unnOticed to tn