River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1923-05-17


ing forward into a gallop as their
riders touched heels to TANKS. The
pinto was the quicker to get into his
stride Just past the center of the
bridge Sam saw Sandy's mount jump
like startled cat into the air. He
saw Sandy plant in his seat, marked
against the starry sky. Then came
squirt of red flame from the far
bank-to the Observation-Disclosures an
other-from the left. A bullet hummed
by him and his own horse slid stiff
legged, blowing the planlSs, hind feet
fiat from hoof-points to fetlocks as
the pony whirled away from the yawn-
ing gap in the bridge, where boards
had been pried away in the prepara-
tion of the ambush.
Helpless for the moment until he
got his bearings and his pony gained
solid footing, Sam automatically
whipped out his gun, cursing as he
saw Sandy slide from the saddle,
clutch at the rim Of the gap, drop
down to the bed of the creek, while
Pronto frantic at the loss of his mas
ter, leaped the opening and fled with
clatter of hoof and swinging stirrup
into the desert.
Sam, wild with rage at the thought
of Sandy shot, scrambling in bloody
sand below him, flung himself from
the roam as more bullets whined,
whipping into the planks. One scared
Str ha
| saddle tree as he vaulted off, slap
| ping the roam on the TANKS, yelling
Mt ii as it gathered, leaped the gap
and followed Pronto.
you id, cowardly, murderin'
pack of lousy coyotes!" swore Sam
mechanically, as he knelt ON the
edge of the gap and tried to pierce
the blackness, listening fearfully for
"A groan. He had not fired back.
| There was nothing to fire at but
| clumps of blurred growth
| He kneeled over the rim of the last
| plank. turned, caught with his hands,
| revolver thrust back into its holster,
| Swung, dropped. A hand closed about
his ankle pulled him down sprawllng
on the soft sand.
I'm @. X whispered Sandy. and
| Sans heart leaped. "Only plugged
| the rim of my hat. / faxed a fall to
/ fool EN-. Snake erlong down the
| crick bed. Here's where we git
even" Sam knew that ring in his
| partners voice, low though it was,
1 lnd Tn1y,a I'm ol
above the bridge were the stripped
trunks of cottonwoods, stranded in a
food. Peerlng through the boughs,
they saw STOPPING figures running
| along the bank. A man called from
the lower side of the bridge, shot
was fired harmlessly. The hunters
! in view raced back.
Think they saw u.s. whispered
Sandy. They'll hear from us, right
soon." He led the way back, crossing
to the town side beneath the bridge
keeping halfway up the bank, close
under the stringers of the bridge
crawling between bushes on his belly
Sam with him. Now they could see
TO gunner but occasionally they
caught whisper, the slight sound OF
moving brush.
Sandy found a stone imbedded in
the bank, loosened it, squatted on his
launches and passed it to Sam, TAX
| ing gun in each hand.
"Chuck it into that sunflower
! PATCH" he said with his mouth close
to Sans ear. "Then fire at the
! flashes" Sam pitched the stone
| through the darkness. 1t fell with a
rustic, chinked against a rock. In
stantly there came fusillade from
the opposite bank, four streaks of fire,
the bullets cutting through the dried
stalks, the marksmen evidently hunt
ing in couples.
+ Sandy, crouching, pulled triggers
| and the shots ratified out as if fired
from an automatic. Beside him,
Sans gun barked. Each fired three
times, Sandy ffinging six bullets with
| instructive aim while the bed Of the
creek echoed to the roar of the guns
and the air hung heavy with the reek
| of exploded gases. Then they rushed