The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-07-16

GIVE me datw he said, touching II,
like a crazy man.
II can't afford to give you that.
Theodore"
I'D die for dat" he declared.
take this handkerchief instead !"
but. meanwhile. my eyes were OPEN
ing. Take this instead, Theodore" /
suggested.
"rd die for dat" he repeated, touch
ing the tie.
His voice and touch made me sick
and afraid. just as people In a lunatic
asylum make one afraid.
look out" murmured Tom at my
elbow.
And just then / noticed hiding In
some bushes of seven-year apple trees,
two faces had good reason to know.
had barely time to pull out the
commandments revolver from my
pocket. / knew 1t was to be either
the pockmarked genius. or the engi-
neer. But for the moment / was not
TO be sure which one I had hit. For,
as my gun went off, something heavy
came down on my head, and for the
time was shut off from whatever else
was going on.
(Which did / hit. Tom?" were my
first words as I came back to the
glory OF the world; but l didn't say
them for a long time, and. from what
Tom told me, it was wonder / ever
said them at all.
''There he is. sar," said Tom, point
ing to long. dark figure stretched
out near by. "Tm afraid he's not the
man you were looking for"
"Poor fellow !" said; it was George,
the engineer; 'I'm sorry-but saw
of the bush there. 1t was they or
me-"
"That no lie, sar. and If 1t hadn't
been for that suckin' fish's skin you
wouldn't be here now"
ut didn't save me from a pretty
good one on the head, Tom, did it?"
mo. sar. but that was just tiff
IL hadn't been for that knock on the
head, pulling you down just that min
ute, that thar pockmarked fellow
would have got you. AS 1t was, he
grazed your cheek and got one of his
own men killed by mistake-the very
fellow that hit you. There he is
over there"
"And who's that other, Tom?" I
asked, pointing to another dark figure
a few yards away.
That's the captain, sar."
"The captain? Oh, I'm sorry for
that. God knows I'm sorry for that"
"Yes, sar, he was one Of the finest
gentlemen I ever knowed was Cap
tain Tomlinson a brave man and
good navigator. And he'd taken a pow
erful fancy to you. for when you got
that crack on the head he picked up
your gun and began blazing away, with
words l should never have expected
from religious man. The others, ex-
cept our special friend"
Lets call him Tobias from now on.
Tom." interposed.
"Well, him, sar, kept his nerve. but
the others ran for the boats as IL the
devil was after them; but the cap
tain's gun was quicker, and only four
of them got to the Susan B. The other
two fell on their faces, as If some
thing had tripped them up, In couple
Of feet of water. But just then Tobias
hit the captain in the heart; ali! II
only he had one of those skins-but he
always laughed Off such things as SUI
perstitious.
There was only me and Tobias
then, and the dog, for the engineer
boy had gone on his knees to the SUI
san B. fellows at the first crack, and
begged them to take him away with
them. There was no one left but To-
bias and the dog and me, and l was
sure my end was not far off, for was
never much of a shot.
"As God is my witness, sar, / was
ready to die, and there was moment
when / thought that the time had
come; but Tobias suddenly walked
away to the top of the bluff and
called out to the Susan B., that was
Just running up her sails. AT his
word they put out boat for him, and
while he waited he came down the hill
toward me and the dog, that stood
growing over you; and for sure
thought 1t was the end. But he said:
Tell that fellow there that I'm not
going to kill defenseless man. He
might have killed me once but he
didn't. It's bound to be one of us
some day or other, but, despise me all
he likes-Tm not such carrion as he
thinks me; and IL he only likes to keep
out of my way I'm willing to keep out
Of his. Tell him when he wakes up
that as long as he gives up going after
what belongs to me--for 1t was my
grandfather's--he is safe. but the min
ute he sets his foot or hand on what
Is mine, it's either his life or mine
And then he turned away and was
rowed to the Susan r., and they soon
sailed away"
"With the black flag at the peak, I
suppose, Tom," said !. swell, that
xxrao N Gxxn m Uh NJ