Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-08-15

one Of the guards. miraculously ar
rived to aid him.
Thankful to have the attention of
the hidden rifeman fully occupied,
Dinsdale managed to draw his right
hand gun with his left hand. The fir
ing above and behind him grew vio-
lent, a whole magazine being dis
charged in string, and indicating
each man was trying to drive the other
from cover.
Dinsdale crouched low as he turned
a shoulder of a mighty rock and be-
held horse on the ground The poor
brute had done his best to save his
rider, but had fallen and broken his
leg. A gun blazed from cIump of
hazel and the lead left long smear
on the rock against which Dinsdale
was leaning.
Dinsdale frantically worked forward
behind bowlder and yelled:
"Give it up, Joe. I'll see you're taken
out Of the hills and get a square
shake"
you id traitor!" hoarsely cried
San Juan Joe.
"Give in," insisted Dinsdale. ''You
set Bandy Allen on to me SO / could
do your dirty work. You lied about
Roach. You knew Easy had it in for
me. It's even Stephen. must have
you, but I'll see you have square"
A bullet ricochetted and cut fur
row through the hair and brought
blood. II tried to help you, Joe" cried
Dinsdale; and he staggered from be-
hind the boulder.
San Juan Joe had correctly inter-
preted the desperate firing down the
gulley. He knew he must be climbing
the rocks and into the hills before
more reinforcements arrived AS he
beheld Dinsdale staggering and reel
ing, with one arm hanging helpless, he
raised savage shout and broke from
the bushes, shooting with both hands
Dinsdale went down on his knees
with red-hot iron through his chest
He called upon his strength for final
effort and fired twice with his left
hand. San Juan Joe came to a halt,
looked vastly surprised and went down
on his face. Dinsdale's strength de-
serted him. He knew he was hurt, but
was not greatly interested. He knew
he had killed San Juan Joe and was
sorry it had to be. He was also con-
scious of rattle of gravel and stones
and the sound of a heavy object crash
ing down the slope to halt just back
of him. He felt fingers thrust inside
his shirt to examine his wound, but
was wonderfully detached from all
concern about himself
The whole situation was very imper-
sonal to him. He heard an exclama-
ton and thought the voice was IA
miliar. Then strong arms lifted him
up until his head and shoulders were
propped against a rock. Ten feet from
him Iron Pyrites was sprawling on his
back, his questioning blue eyes staring
whimsically at the heavens.
"Are you the Peter Dinsdale men
TONED in this letter written to Wild
Bill Hickock, and which find in your
poeket?" asked voice.
1--WE were to work together" mum
bled Dinsdale "Wild Bill knew the
company was sending man. The let
ter was to identify me-"
He closed his eyes as a stabbing pain
suddenly reminded him he was yet
capable of suffering. There was the
salty taste of blood in his mouth.
well, I'll be shot~ softly exclaimed
the voice. con the wrong track from
the start. Thought you did the Oga-
lala job"
With an effort Dinsdale opened his
eyes. Scissors, still holding the letter
of Introduction, stood staring blankly
at the wounded man. Then he gently
said:
You're badly hurt. But / must
know more about this while you can
talk. You work for Patrick & Sauls-
bury?"
Dinsdale nodded his head.
"You were after road agents?"
Another nod. In deep disgust the
picture-man exclaimed:
"And I thought you did the Ogalala
job The greenbacks fooled me. San
Juan Joe rode out of the hills and
fetched you back with him."
Dinsdale managed to explain:
Patrick gave me five thousand
greenbacks. I was to nlav bad man
reckless stuff.-Get into confidence of
crooks up here. Joe thought / was
train-robber. Hated to get Joe. Py-
rites? What happenedT'
IT shot him. He was the leader.
Known as Number One. Brains of the
outfit. A bad man wherever he's been.
Beastly bad in Montana. Played pros
pector to perfection. Used to get ten
derfeet to go out with him. They al
ways got lost, or killed by Indians
Then he outgrew such small games and
worked big jobs. My helper, the little
French-Indian girl, who deals Twenty
one at times, heard stuff dropped by
Easy at Rapid City. She got Webb
to talk when he was drunk. She
guessed Pyrites ahead of me.