Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1920-03-05

safe, whereas curly would go on and /
play Sans part until the proper time. I
The train almost slid to a halt from i
the pressure of the hard-jammed /
brakes. A volley of shots rang out. |
Curly slipped the mask over his face
and rose with revolver In each hand |
He had been sitting at the end of the
car. so that nobody noticed him until
his voice rang out with a crisp order.
"Hands upl Don't anybody mover
AN earthquake shock could not have
al kmed the passengers more. The
tSDbr was washed completely from the
faces OF most of them.
''Reach for the roof. Come, punch
a hole In the skyl" To do II thorough
", Curly flung couple of shots
through the ceiling. That was enough.
Hands went up without any argument,
most of them quivering as from an
Arkansas chill.
Presently Cranston herded the pas
sengers In from the forward coaches.
With them were most of the train
crew.
"we're cutting off the express car
Il. There we can blow open the safe
uninterrupted" Bad Bill explained.
"You herd on the passengers here
from the outside till you hear two
shots. then hump yourself forward and
hop on the express car"
Fine Curly was to stand out there
in the moonlight and let anybody in
the car that had the nerve pepper
away at him. If they did not attend
to the job of Kidding him, his false
friends would do II while he was run
ming forward to get aboard. Nothing
could have been simpler-if he had not
happened to have had inside informa-
ton of their intent.
He had to think quickly, for the
plans Of him and his friends had been
deranged. They had reckoned on the ex-
press car being rified on the spot. This
would have given Culllson time to
reach the scene Of action. Now they
would be too late. Unless Curly could
stop It, the holdup would 60 through
according to the program Of Soapy
and not Of his enemies.
The decision Of Flandrau was In
Simultaneous. He slid down beside the
track into the long grass. Whipping
up one of his guns, he fired. AS II In
answer to the first shot his revolver
cracked twice. Simultaneously, he let
out a cry of pain, wriggled back for a
dozen yards through the grass, and
crossed the track in the darkness. AS
he crouched down close to the wheels
of the sleeper some one came running
back on the other side.
whats up, Sam7 You hitf" he could
hear Blackwell whisper.
No answer came. The paroled con-
Wet was standing close to the car for
fear Of being hit himself and he dared
not move.
"Sam," he called again; then, Hes
sure got his"
That was all Curly wanted to know.
Softly he padded forward, keeping as
low as he could till he reached the
empty sleepers. A brakeman was just
uncoupling the express car when Curly
diyed underneath and nestled close to
the trucks.
From where he lay he could almost
have reached out and touched Soapy
standing by the car.
"What about the kid?" Stone asked
Blackwell as the latter came up.
'They got him. Didn't you hear hin
yelp"
Eyes, but did they put him out Of
business? See his body?"
Blackwell had no intention Of COINS
back into the fire zone and making
sure. For his part he was satisfied. 81
he lied
'Yep. Blew the top of his head off.
"Good," Soapy nodded. "That's ,
receipt in full for Mr.. Luck Cullson."
Before many minutes the engine be
gan to slow down. The wheels hat
hardly stopped moving when Curl!
crept out, plowed through the sand, VI
the rubble of little hill, and into {
draw where bunch of scrub oaks Of
fered cover.
A voice from In front called to him
Just then the moon appeared from be
hind drifting clouds.
"Oh. It's you, Sam. Everything al
right3"
Fright as the wheat. We're blow
ing open the safe now" Flandrau an
swered.
Moving closer, he saw that his ques
toner was the man in charge OF thu
horses. Though he knew the voice, HI
could not put a name to its owner
But this was not the point that frs
occupied his mind. There were onl!
four horses for FIVE riders. Curly knew
now that he had not been mistaken
Soapy had expected one of his allle'
to stay on the field of battle, had pre-
pared for 1t from the beginning. Tit
knowledge Of this froze any remors'
the young vaquero might have felt.
He pushed his revolver against thu
teeth of the horse wrangler.
"Don't move, you bandy-legget
maverick, or I'll fill your hide full o.
holes. And II you want to keep oil
living paddock that mouth Of yours"
Kp spite of his surprise the mai
SgRght the point at once. He turned
over his weapons without word
Curly unwound q rope from one o