The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1922-02-03
The Girl, a Horse and a Doc
BY FRAncls LlnDE


down through that hole Axes us a.
plenty. Sufferin' Methusalehi what
all is the folks down yonder at Trio
pia a-dreamin' about, to let all this
bangin' and whangln' 60 on up here
without comm up to find out what's
maxim itY,
The Atr0pia that remembered was
80 nearly m0ribund that didn't won
der Il wasn't making any stir In our
behalf; So when few pattering rifle
shots which seemed to originate on
the great bench below began to sift
In among the bomb echoes, i took 1t
that Fullerton had divided his force
and was trying to rattle us two ways
at oncer As for that, however, the
bigger bombardment kept us from
Specializing very curiously upon any
thing else. Two more Of the giant
crackers had fallen to the right Of us,
one of them into the wreck of the
blacksmith shop. 70 send up spout
Ing volcano Of scrap which fell see.
ond or so later In a thunderous rain;
and then.
For a fitting Instant 1t seemed as II
II must drop squarely In front Of the
iron shield under which we we're
Jammed--ln which case even the un-
dertaker wouldn't have been needed
not any Whatsoever as Daddy Hiram
would hive said. But at the critical
point In Its flight the hurting thing
Wfialad,t t1a fon ~ tha h.tat o., 49,.
and its downward course was defect
ed the needed halrs-breadth, causing
It to come down beyond the machln-
cry, and not on our side Of things.
Nevertheless, we were covering in an
ticipation Of a blast which would most
likely heave the entire machinery ag-
gregation over bodily upon us when
the explosion came.
We saw the belching column of
flame ana gas going skyward beyond
the machinery barrier, taking a full
half of the roof with 1t, as II the blast
had come from the mouth or d gigan-
tic cannon. We were dazed and deaf
ened by the shock, and half cholSed
by the rumes. but neither or us was
so fur gone as not to hear distinctly a
prolonged and rumbling crash like the
thunder OF a small Niagara, coming
after the smash
THE shaft /" shrllled Daddy Hiram,
In thin, choked voice; at went OFF
down in the shaft And, say -
what-alls that we're a-listenin to
now r.
If there had been a dozen of the
bombs raining down don't believe
the threat OF them would have kept
us from bursting out Of our dodge-hole
to go ana see what had happened in
the mine shaft. But before we could
determine anything more than that
the mouth OF the shaft was complete
ly hidden under a mass of wreckage,
and that the mysterious Niagara roar,
dwlndled somewhat, but yet hollowly
audible, was still going on under the
concealing mass Of broken timbers
and sheet-iron, there was masterful
interruption. Shots, yelis, shoutings
and hot curses told us that fierce
battle or some kind was staging itself
just outside Of our wrecked fortress;
whereupon Daddy Hiram pegan paw
Ing his way to the door, Yelling like a
man suaaenly gone deity.
"rnat there's old Ike Beasley--
iad-pIame his old hide!" ne chlttered
"There amt nary mother man In the
TimaEyonis at can cuss like that
He's come with a posse, and they're
layln' out Charley Bullerton's crowd r.
There was fine little tableau
spreading itself out for us when we
had clambered ever the wreckage and