The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-02

Didn't get a bean?'' / ventured. Andy
caught my arm,
Hell, yes. we went into the express,
he said We got a little bundle"
CHAPTER TX.
I didn't even know they had gone in-
to the express. L didn't know they had
taken a cent. / was so caught up in
a frenzy Of excitement and suspense.
/ hadn't an inkling Of An6y''s manou-
vers.
He had ordered the engineer out. Bob
had cornered the express messenger.
The two were as mild as lar1bs. They
did more than they were told. The mes
senger opened up the safe and handed
out the winnings.
/ asked no more. / wanted to feel
like an oldtimer. But ] went across
that bridge as though my feet were
winged. I didn't fall through the trestle
this time. The Orders didn't
about me and / never noticed whether
the water was black or, yellow. / was
filled with a thrill Of great achieve
ment.
A few shots had been fired in the
air, hut not a man had been hurt, not
a blow struck and here we were gall
Looping back with a bundle of Doodle in
or sliCkers. The whole job had taken
little more than half an hour, We struck
into the timber of u encatnpment well
before daylight. tD
Lot of Cheap Jewelry.
The boys Topped down on the grass
Jake and I stirred up a fire and put
OF a. bucket of coffee. ! was obsessed
with curiosity. l wanted to know what
we worth had ou got while. Iakn y t5, hsS S sea
talked. He didn't say one word about
the stick-up. He chewed on about old
times on the Red. Fork, about his kid
days, about every fool thing but the
holdup. l was bitten with eagerness.
Nobody else seemed worried about
the profits. They gulped down coffee
and. stripped off meat as though eating
we're the one business OF life. I began
to fear that the reckoning would be
postponed until the next day. Andy
stretched himself, yawned and leisurely
pointed to the horses.
Bill; go over to my saddle bag" he
said, at last, "We might as well split
this now" rAt
/ started up, knocking over the coffee
bucket j had an idea 1t would take
two men to carry the Doodle. Andy
grinned and rubbed his chin on his
shoulder. No kid opening a Christmas
package ever felt q happier SILVER OF
excitement than | when that bundle was
called for.
We were lying around tho fire. Its
flicker in the gray darkness caught the
faces OF the men in a rudy glow. There
r wv packages. Both were small
Andy took one, opened it and elnptle8
q lot of cheap jewelry into his hat.
Little blue and red stones flashed
gold necklaces .glintcd; ponderous
watches licked almost as loud AS
though the Jewels of an enchanted
treasure chest were sparkling in the
freight.
Details Given o. Henry.
Andy Jumped them into five piles
lopened the other package and counted
out $4,000 in currency. ! felt a chill OF
been closer TO my expectations.
10 a copper, the pile was divided:
| Each man got 81, 200 and a handful Of
trinkets. l. jammed thoss spoiis into
my pocket with a rapture no attorneys
fee had ever given me. / had earned
as much in half an hour Of gripping
excitement as q years labor as county
attorney had given me!
Years later, when / was in the OHIO
penitentiary and o, Henry. had been
released and was struggling Tor success
in New York. / wrote him the details
Of this holdup and added q lot Of incl
dents from other jobs. / wanted to
write a short story about 1t,
o. Henry was Bill Porter In those
days. When he left the penitentiary
he slammed the loor on his past. he
went to New York burning with the
shame Of his Imprisonment land deter
mined to hide his Identity behind the
name of O.. Henry. Billy Raider, a fell
low convict, and I were about the only
ones who knew MN as an ex-con Inc
three of US were pals in the pen. Raid
Ter was dependents typical lallblrd
he urged me to stick by Billy, to re:
mind him that two people in the world
believed In him.
Fifty Fifty on First Story.
In answer to my letter he sent me de-
tailed instructions. He told me JUS
how to write the 'Holdup," l did the
to him. He waved the o. Henry wand
over it, turned 1t into a real story and
sold 1t to E~verybody's. 1t was one OF
his first successes. We went 50-6O or
the profits.
BY the time that story was written
had learned that the drawbacks OF thu
game outweigh a thousand to one tn
thrills. Thai first stickup was pulled
off too suece.sfuiy. 1t made me cock
sure.
/ had been forced into outlawry b.
the unwarranted attack at the Arbeki
store. | knew the Southwest wei
enough to see that / could be railroad
ed to the penitentiary on the word o
the marshals, as scores had been be
fore. l went into the game unwillingl.
and was Immediately captivated by IL
intensity--its apparent security. Re
venge gave place to recklessness.
Not a rumor of the holdup reached
the ranch. We lay around for days
Andy went off on his own hook. Bill
slippered out a week later. Jake, Bol
and | went up to the ranch house. 4
month had passed. We were not sus
pected, We decided to pull off anothe
wad.
Get Horse Quick.
wanted to get the Santa Fe. Tha
was the charge in the handful my fla
Their had shown me. / was condemned OIL
J that score already. l might as we
] have the Doodle.
ranch house. Harliss had gone to town
! 1t was Very late. sft 80
Whats that p Jack started up. Til
s outlaw is never at peace.
Through the quiet, like heavy drum
beats pounding along the road, cam
!, the sound of a single galloping horse
We knew 1t must be a peeler. 1t wa
Frank. Y
L had not seen him since the news o
the trial came. The old, bonny glad
ness was gone from his face.
They've freed, them! You heard it2
= LING d SLAP HI LIE ihSSs HIS HdBBdEl
] look struck me. He leaned 'forwar
l and lowered his voice. NJ
Hush" he whispered. I've got tn
goods. Get to your horse, quick. TIL
!, lousy cutthroats have put up a dea
They'll. stop at nothing. They've 60
I a posse after you"
! Chapter ten will be found or
a nara Q