San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-06

reacn down with his gun and poke he
hat off my face. Or he might wait till
the other man comes back. We've 1Jt
TO make sure he gets off the horse"
he repeated earnestly; ave must scat
ter some things around for him to get
eff and look at"
The man nodded assent.
an lie down beside the ditch
| there" Skinner went on, pointing to
the side of the little clearing, and
you get in the bushes just behind me,
I've got a leather wallet in my hip
pocket. I'll spread that out besila
| the ditch as though somebody mighc
have been going through it. And Iva
| got some note paper in my pocket
He took from the pocket of his alpacN
jacket dozen sheets of memorandum
paper and the stub Of an editorial
pencil that made broad, black mark
things that he had hastily caught
up from the desk when news of the
murder came into the office. He ex1.
hibited them to his companion. aPE
fold over a sheet of this paper-see 8
so it looks like the back of q biz,
envelope, and I'll write my address one
| it. He'll want to see what's in it. v,
Writing rapidly on the folded sheet,
in large hand he pronounced the
words as he traced them "Thoma67
Morrison, Shelbyville, Indiana, Lane
County" while the man silently,
| looked on.
Finishing the rapid writing, Skinnsls
stepped excitedly down the road q fewls
feet to the beginning of the little clear-
ing and spoke breathlessly, for theirs
business demanded haste: He'll ride,
around this clump of bushes-see? ZIP
be lying in that narrow place betweerf
the bushes and the ditch, Just on thas
edge of the ditch. He'll have to get off
his horse to look these things over and,
he'll have to stay this side Of the
ditch. That'll bring him with his back
to the bushes when he bends oven
You'll be in the bushes"
The man surveyed the scene and
nodded. Having dismounted at the
spot to which Skinner pointed the
stopping horseman's back would be
only a foot from the bushes. A leap
and a blow Of the hammer would do
it easily.
Having surveyed the scene the
mans cat eyes turned to Skinner. He
took the automatic revolver from his
coat pocket, exhibiting it in his huge
palm. IF you try game you git
this through the head" he said, part
ing the hard line of his lips just
enough to emit sounds.
Sure J" said Skinner, as though that
were understood. He stepped forward
to ahe spot he had indicated, tossed
his open purse to the ground and laid
the decoy envelope near it; tnen
stretched himself on his back and
looked up at the man.
The man stepped over him and
thrust himself into the screen of
bushes, squatting. Skinner could see
him as he crouched, the automatic re-
volver in his left hand, carefully
leveled at the PROSTATE head; the
hammer grasped in his right hand.
Then Skinner, with his face toward
the bushes, put the cloth hat over his
head and cheek, spread his limbs as
though he lay sprawling from blow
and uttered loud groan. An instant
later he groaned again, louder yet,
and the grizzle-bearded horseman
shouted, Hello, therew
Twice again Skinner groaned and
again the horseman, nearer at hand
called, "Hello, therew .--- trs
Another groan, an interval Of si<
lence; then the voice asked, "Are you
hurt?" Evidently the rider had come
to the edge of the clearing, in view
of the PROSTATE body and paused there.
But all Skinner could see, out of one
eye under the hatbrim, was the little
space directly in front of his heads
the edge of the bushes and, through
the LEAKAGE bit of one knee Of the
crouchine man. His heart fairly
stopped beating and the hand that
hung over the ditch-side clutched into
the weeds. he gave a feeble moan
and heard a horses hoof sink squash]
lily into the wet ground. The rider
evidently was coming toward him and
in another second would dismount, or
else
SINNERS hand clutched tighter into
the weeds and he held his breath. Then
he heard a rustling and cracking Of
the thick bushes and he could see mo-
ton in those that were within his
little field of vision as though q
large object had been thrust against
them. With all the agility of which
he was capable, pulling himself by
the hand clutched into the weeds. he
rolled over into the ditch and as he
went over he heard the grizzle-bearded
man say, Come out Of thati"
When he sat up in the ditch the
horses foreQuarters were pressed into
the brush. The grizzle-bearded rider
was standing in the stirrups. the shot
gun at his shoulder aiming downward.
his finger on the trigger. Its uluzzle
was to feet above the head Of the
swarthy man who crouched there. To
him the sudden leap of the spurred
horse into the bushes had come like a
flash of lightning out Of clear sky.
A quarter of an hour later Skinner
was explaining in gleeful excitement:
"You see, his gasoline dial showed the
tank was empty--plain as the nose ON
your face. 1t must have been almost
empty when he drove up to the farm
house-and his life depending upon his
getaway. So | made up my mind be
couldn't read and when it came right
down 10 the pinch, Staked everything
on that"
With a forefinger he sffectiOnately
| tapped the sheet Of memorandum paper
which he had folded TO look like a
large envelope and superseded before
the swarthy mans eyes and then laid
on the ground. The writing on II,
arranged in the order of a naddreSs on
an envelope was: The Murderer.
Is in the bushes. At your left" and
in the lower left-hand corner. where
the name of a county Is often put.
Look Out" heavily UNDERSIGNED.
But say" he added 10 the grille
bearded man, Il lost ten years growth
while was lying taere waiting 20 see
whether you'd notice the envelope. or