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

RECKON you're with US,
They had a coy camp hidden there
in the lap Of the mountains. An old
wagon sheet, stretched between two
poles, rooted the kitchen. Bill was
making biscuits in the flour sack. shut
fling un Just enough dough and not
/ was Wing on the floor at the fire.
/ looked UP. A man on horseback in
the level at the edge of the, creek had
refined in and sat staring at me.
ANDY nodded to him. He came over,
1T was Bob, the fourth man OF the
S@ IT'S o. X" he said. "she stops
CHAPTER EIGHT
"She rolls in at. 1l;25. Wen get the
old man to dump her.
And II 1t amt there, we'll have TO
take up a collection from the passen-
gers
ing in the biscuits and coolly doping
out the medicine"
/ was getting soft in the backbone.
l hadn't figured to jump right into a
train robbery. Here were four men de-
libeFately planning to stick up, an ex-
press car as leisurely as q batch OF
Wall street brokers hashing. out a le-
gitimate steal. Little quivering arrows
Of nervousness went Spricking through
me, felt, that l had cast in my lot
with Andy and his gang too hastily.
The darkness fretted me. l began cast.
ing about for an alibi.
Broke | asked. Il have some money.
I've got 1927. It's yours"
Andy flipped his fingers. Nobody else
paid the slightest attention to the offer.
Five men were better than four. l
was committed. The M. X. T. was
due to be robbed at 11:25 on the fol-
lowing night Just as she chugged across
Of the ,Muskogee. The crossing was
about 40 miles from the Spike s ranch.
Anxious to Start Scrap.
Toward morning we turned in. I.
was the only one who didn't sleep,
Andy told me afterward that green
shands always feel tie yellow streak The
first time. When the light came sneak
ing through the clouds ]. began to feel
better. The oppression of the night
is an uncanny thing to a. man beset
with fearful 'ndecisions.
There wasn't another word said about
| the holdup. we lolled about and let
| the horses take their pease until the
late afternoon. Il was anxious to be
| on the road ITO have the suspense over
TO start the scrap and be- done with II.
We mounted about,sS O'Clock in the
| afternoon and made sanead at an amir
able trot, stopping now and then ITO
rest, We wanted to Keep the horses
| cool for the return. III was. coal dark
when we rode into a clump OF timber
tied ,one of the horses to a cottonwood
| tree, and threw the other brides over
his saddle horn. 1t all helps the geta-
way.
As soon as we climbed down through
the brush, tie terror or the night be-
/ fora a fhnI1cnnd 81 tIyfnAOr intensified
jabbed through me. The branch Of
every tree rustled with alarms. ex-
pected n moment to see marshals
step from behind the trunks or angry
citizens to swoop down on us, The
I,earest house was five miles distant
old pump man. But the dry sticks
crac Sled like a festive bonfire. | want
ed TO caution them to pick their way,
Felt Whole Responsibility.
/ felt as though the entire gresponsi-
bility rested on my shoulders. 1t oc-
Cured to me that the whole affair
had been bungled. They had not
planned IT. out enough. ~
Suppose the old man won't stop the
train?" the question popped out. Andy
laughed in my ear. raI
Then they'll have TO get a new man
at the bump house" he confided.
This put a crimp in me. had shot
men without any particular grudge, but
to murder in cold blood al a matter Of
husiness-Id have given anything or
Gods green earth to be off the job,
Who's got a match?' Jake chirped
as merrily as though he sat in his owr
dir'ng room.
For Gods sake, you're not going tc
strike a match here, are your Ever
the hoarse whisper seemed to boom
through the silence. Jake struck the
match, covering the light with his coat
He took out his watch. 1t was JUS
1I;10. Fifteen minutes and the trair
would roll in.
Footing Lost on Trestle.
The massive iron bridge all bu
crashed to pieces as I put a light foo
on its beams. The tall girders heavet
together, In a panic, l lost my footing
t and half slipped through the trestle
Andy snooped his hand down ant
grabbed me up as though I were {
f Kitten.
Our plan was to stop the train on tn,
middle Of the bridge to prevent tn,
passengers from getting out. We woulC
! stall these cars on the ~trestle; the ex
/ press would halt at the tank, We coult
, rifle It and make a getaway before an!
alarm could be sent.
Andy gave the orders.
bob, go bring the old man down ant
, drag a red light along.
VI 4 Jake, you and Bin get on that sid,
Al and | will take the right. We nee
. all the men tonight. The express !
l sure to be guarded
{As Bob sauntered off. l wondered |
! would ever see him again; he cam
back, chuggfng the old man In the bacl
. with his six shooter and ribbing him a
"rDon't fall on his gun, Bub, or some
! one. will do a slow walk tomorrow,
: The old fellow was chattering with fear
I'll "Be easy, lad; be easy, be easy" h
= kept repeating like a. magpie. Il ain
: a4Eoing to kick a ruous; be easv."
Locomotive Takes Water.
suddenly there came a rumbling an,
Y a singing of the rails, Andy and
I Topped to our sides. A light like
! great eve flashed through the timber
( The engine chugged vicfously, heaved
5 whistled for the tank and stopped.
Stopped of its own accord for waite
! before It even got to the bridge! l go
! ringy from head to foot and was rollin
y in the grass when a shot banged GU
' and a man swinging a ilght Jumped OF
the train. 1t was the conductor. H
: dashed right past me. | never though
: to stop him. Andy ran past and firet
came. too, then n began runnin
y and screaming up and down the track.
A I'm and Jake were FIRING ana hollerln
i OH the other side like an army Q
|, maniacs,
keep it up; that's it Andy yelle
to me.
q started TO the steps. / fired In the ali
They ducked, The fun was getting he
. and furious. / was as happy as
drunkard.
Il And then the engine began to heay
e and the train pulled out. | was afrai
a of nothing. | wanted to run after
and kick 1t goodbye, | felt like be-
lowing. I wanted everyone to know
i had stuck up a train and done 1t won
derfully.
The hush seemed to swallow us VI
Out OF the darkness l could feel And
and Bob coming toward us. They didn
IS say a word We started back quietly.
1 began to wonder what 1t was all abou