Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-07-20

have any. l managed to get the shoot
ing-irOns away from them before we
had mixed very far"
you're just about the biggest. long
cared stiff-backed, stubborn wild ass
of the wallows that was ever let loose
in half-refOrmed gun country
grumbled the ex-cOwman. you're fix
ing to get yourself all killed up, Smith.
Haven't you sense enough to see that
these rustlers will rub you out in two
twitches of dead lambs tail if they've
made up their minds that you are the
High Line main guy and the only one?'
"Of course" said the wild ass easily.
eff they could lay me up for month
or two"
LAY up, nothing" retorted Star
buck. LAY you down, about six feet
underground, is what 1 meant"
"Pshaw!" exclaimed the one whose
fears ran in a far different channel
| from any that could be dug by mere
corporation violence. "This is Amer
lea, in the twentieth century. We don't
kill our business competitors nova
days."
Don't we?" snorted StarbucE. "That
will be all right too. Well suppose,
just for the sake of argument, that my
respected and respectable daddy-in-
law, or whatever other silEz-hatted old
money-bags happens to be paying
Crawford Stanton's. salary and commits
sion, wouldn't send out an order to
have you killed off Maybe Stanton,
himself, wouldn't stand for it If you'd
put 1t that barefaced. But daddy-in-
law, and Stanton, and all the others,
hire blacklegs and sharpers and gun
men and thugs. And every once in
while somebody takes a wink for nod
and bang! goes a gum"
"Well, what's the answer?" said
Pete Simms.'
"Tote an arsenal, yourself, and be
ready to shoot first and ask questions
afterward. That's the only way you
can live peaceably with such men as
Jake Boogerfield and Lanterby and
Simms."
Smith got out of his chair and took
a turn up and down the length of the
|
before Starbuck, he said: 81 did that,
Billy. I've been carrying a gun for a
week and more; not for these ditch
pirates, but for somebody else. The
other night, when l was out at Hill
crest, Corona happened to see it. I'm
not going to tell you what she said,
but when came back to town the next
! h.
drawer. And I hope I'm going to be
man enough not to wear it again."
Starbuck dropped the subject alb
ruptly and looked at his watch.
"You liked to have done it, pulling
me off up here" he remarked. "Tm due
to be at the train to meet Mrs. Billy,
and I've got just about three minutes.
So long"
Smith changed his street clothes
leisurely after Starbuek had gone, and
when he went downstairs stopped at
the desk to toss his room key to the
clerk.
The hotel register was lying open on
the counter, and from force of habit he
ran his eye down the list Of late ar
rivals. At the end Of the list, in
sprawling characters upon which the
ink was yet fresh, he read his SEN
tence, and for the first time in his life
knew the meaning Of panic fear The
newest entry was:
Josiah Rfchlander and daughter
Chicago"
Smith was not mfsled by the place
name. There was only one "Jesiah
Richlander" in the world for him, and
he knew that the Lawrenceville mag.
nate, in registering from Chicago, was
only following the example Of those
who, for good reasons or no reason
use the name of their latest stopping
place for registry address.