The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-05-06

of us. If you say fight, it's fight,
but you haven't got a ghost of a
chance. And you're doing nobody any
harm In letting us take sick man
out of the fight uptown tonight. I'm
going out over this bridge and COM
ing back, myself, over this bridge
inside two hours. I'll give you my
word, I'm coming back"
He had talked only long enough
to allow Pardaloe to crawl back over
Tracy and out of the hind end Of the
wagon. Selwood told the guards,
frankly, just who he was-they
laughed at his claim to his identity;
he offered to show them the sick
man in the wagOn-it was all in vain.
He talked loud for a few minutes
and irritated the guards; touched his
horse enough with the spur to keep
his feet shuffling, and Scott, trying
to quiet his horses, kept them stamp
ing and champing on the bridge
planks. But all the while Selwood
was making the noises, and all the
while the guards stood their ground.
his eyes were searching the circle OF
darkness to his right, where his eye.
long practiced, followed hulklng OBJ
ject Sinking slowly and noiselessly
forward.
Creeping like huge cat from be-
hind the wagon on to the bridge;
pausing for loud words or the i'm
patience of the horses feet; advanc-
ing. step by step, at the champing of
their bits and the straining at their
harness, Pardaloe crouched in readi-
ness behind the nearer guard waiting
only for Selwood to act.
tits foolishness, boys, to keep polk
ing shotguns into me-" protested
Selwood. ut would be better for you
and better for me If you'd stand
back. And any man that calls HIM
self a friend of mine ought to be
over TO THE LEFT by this time. If
I'm shot / FALL TO THE RIGHT.
Mani" he exclaimed, addressing the
guard on his left hand, you're so
close 1 can smell the powder in your
cartridge. Well, If we can't cross, we
can't. 1t looks to me as If YOU'RE
READY. And I'm ready. Got"
With a lurch, sudden as thought,
Selwood jerked his horse to the right
and throwing his lines, keeled from
the saddle to the bridge floor. AS he
did so, the toe of his left boot caught
the barrel of the shotgun on that 81 lie
with a blow that kicked the gun into
the guards stomach. One barrel ex-
ploded; the charge went into the air.
In falling, Selwood, striking up with
his hand the barrel of the second
shotgun, threw himself bodily on the
right-hand guard. The two men
clinched to the ground, and the gam
bier pulling, in the struggle, the re-
volver from the breast harness,
brought the butt down twice on the
fighting guards head. Pardaloe, who
had placed himself. as directed, be-
hind the left guard, butted him vio-
lently from behind, above the knees,
grabbed both ankles, and as the
guards shotgun went off, threw him
with a grunt backward clear over his
own head. The man struck Sprawling
on the plank floor, and Pardaloe was
on top of him before he knew what
had happened. Selw0od's horse
reared and plunged at the discharge
of the gun, but, fortunately, hit no
one under foot The struggle of the
surprised guards was quickly over
neither had a chance against men
practiced in encounter.
Selwood was first to speak "Throw
me a piece of rope, Bob" he said,
astride his man.
"Don't waste no rope on these
BIRDS" growled Pardaloe, dump 'em
into the river!" He was really pick
ing up his yelling victim to follow his
own advice when Selwood interviewed.
"Hold the man-and tie him." said
Selwood, sternly, meantime trusting
his own victim. 1--WE may have visi-
tors any minute-work fast"
Scott, and Pardaloe with much
grumbling, carried the crestfallen
guards, tied and roughly gagged, well
into the bushes at the left Of the
roadway. "Sorry to gag you this way,
boys" explained Selwood, leaving
them, "but I'll be back by twelve
o'clock and turn you loose, If you
don't have better luck. Next time,
stand back out of reach, as I advised
you to. Don't expect to stick your
shotguns into mans ribs and not
get kicked"
ITO BE CONTINUEDO