Roanoke Rapids herald., 1923-10-05
Five Thousand
Dollars

By MORRIS SCHULTZ


1
&c. 1873. Western Newspaper Union)
T YING on his bed In the cabin,
Hank Winton listened to the
whispered voices In the next room.
Three days before, Hank, wounded
In the arm, had ridden up to the cabin
No questions were asked Of him-that
Is not the mountain way. But Hank
suspected that his identity was known
And the five thousand dollars placed
upon his head would mean a fortune
to this poor. ignorant young couple
struggling along with their few noun
tain sheep on the poor range.
Five thousand dollars Hank had
shot the sheriff. who tried to intercept
him after his escape from the peniten-
dary. The sheriff had recovered,
crippled for life. Twenty years faced
him.
Five thousand dollars! He had
never been worth a quarter Of that
sum. II he had had five thousand dol
lars years before Molly would not have
divorced him. Molly and her husband
were happy, but very poor; and there
was the kid-Hank's own kid, brought
MP in ignorance that his father was
alive
Hank would have given his liberty
to have let the boy have his chance in
the world. Molly would see to that
r.
The startling thought that flashed
through his brain dissolved as he
heard that stealthy whispering through
the wall again.
He must get on at dawn. And, plan
ming this, he fell asleep from exhaus-
ton.
Next morning his host said, with a
shifty glance at him:
II guess I got to go into town this
mornin' to have that sheep medicine
sent out. You stay here with the wife,
old-timer. Shore. everything will be
all right. That wound you got chasin'
Hank Winton will soon heal in this
hyar mountain air. You're good fer
az long as you stay, oldtimer."
Hank thanked him briefly. He knew
why the man, was going into town. 1t
was the result of his talk with his
wife the night before. They meant to
do the right thing, but five thousand
dollars
And there was baby coming. Five
thousand dollarsl Why, he, Hank,
would have sold his best friend to give
i've thousand dollars to Tom!
Again that startling thought flashed
through his mind.
He watched his host ride off. The
woman went into the kitchen and
made 4 pretense of peeling potatoes.
Hank watched her through the open
door. She was crying.
Suddenly she turned and came to
him. you saddle the pinto and ride
away before my man gifts back she
said.
Hank smiled. 1t was a winsome
smile; the desperate was still young
man; he had not lost all his boyish-
ness.
81 reckon you know"
"Shore, we both know, and I reckon
you know why my mans rid into town.
There's time to git away yet. That
pinto Of yours can go fast. Eff it
wasn't for-for the baby" She put
can't do it now," she said. you take
the pinto. He'll understand"
IL got a kid of my own" said
Hank.
She looked at him with slow under
standing. That shore is tough" She
said.
And l was thinlkin'. what's the
sense Of goin' on bein' an outlaw when
I'm bound to git caught sooner or Ia
teri If was to take my medicine I
guess I'd be out In thirteen years or
%, with a trade, and-and there's that
hid of mine. twenty-five hundred would
Jest about set him right with the world.
And l guess It would Jest about set
you right"
"You-you meanT
"Shore that's what mean. Twen-
ty>dve hundreds q mighty big lot Of
money and. I guess I could trust
you
1Ou Duuulo lAlAS pkuIO1 SAc udSleu
out.
"Well, l guess not" said Hank.
Besides, ! amt we'll enough to ride
yet"
Two hours later the galloping horse
men converged about the shack. Hank
was ridden down and covered.
"WsN. I guess we got you to rights
Hank" remarked the deputy.
Guess so," Hank answered.
The man who had sold him came uI
to the little group. Satisfied that's
himf" he asked.
"Shore that's him." they answered
curtly. They moved away from him
Hank laughed.
That's all right, old-timer," he said
"Dont hold 1t against him. I was
aimin' to surrender, and we thought
We might as we'll divide up that there
reward between us. Twenty-Five hun
dred each shore is a lot Of money.
Fair Exchange No Robbery.
l.