New Britain herald., 1929-06-07
Chapter 3t sTEN.TO.ONE" PETERSON


 husband! Nonsense! He was the best friend ever had!"
 ''He shot my husband, tell you!" Mrs. Lundy's bitter emphasis of the words struck me in the face like the blow of . fist and fell back into my chair. Some influence powerful enough to re-mold Andrews per- sonality. had come into his life. What right had I to deny the word of one whose tragic life witnessed to its truth?
 Do you know why Alex Peterson shot your husband. Mrs. Lundy?"
 II don't" she replied, in tho same bitter tone. If Joe deserved it, I didn't. Alex Peterson left him for dead. Joe responded to medical treatment and he was brought back to me several weeks later. l have had him-ever since. Thirty years"
 The tragedy in her face wruns my heart
 Did you see Alex Peterson when gently.
 Yes, saw him. Several times"
 Can you tell me anything about him as he was then?"
 She nodded slowly. "Yes, re- member him. He wasn't a man one forgot easily. He was fairly tall. supple as wire. and flat hipped. His face had something of the eagle in it-that lean, reckless. fighting look, you know. He always wore an expensive stetson trimmed with . silver buckle, white silk shirt. fine riding boots with silver spurs, and two revolvers mounted with gold. The revolvers were loaded with gold bullets. suppose those decorations would have been ridiculous on any one else: but somehow they seemed to fit him."
 Mrs. Lundy fell silent and re- spectsd her mood. What an extra ordinarily vivid personality Andrews must have been. What tragic event flor 1t must have been tragic-had transformed him into the Andrew Ogden l had known?
 Do you happen to know how he came to be called 'Ten-to One'?" ., Mrs. Lundy nodded. Yes I heard . good deal about him while I was down there. He made hi. fortune gambling in mining properties. He was m inveterats gambler-no chancs was too treat-an he'd risk every dollar hs possessed. When he came Ho Torridity-ia1le2,p [ .thipk 1t wae-he hadn't e1o in money to hts name, but he was dressed just n ! have described him. atetson hat with tts silver buckle, white silk aAtrt. thoss fantastic sold-mounted rsvolvers and that cartridge belt stuffed with gold bullets And not sio to hts name. Can you zee the man. Mr. Peebles?"
 "YeA yes" muttered tensely.
 His young brother. Jerry, came with him"
 "Jerry!" I cried. His brother. Yes. 60 on" So it was his brother.
 He swaEgered into my husbands s resort. Men were drinking at the bar and watching two scorpions h6httng in . coffee can. Scorpions, Mr. Peebles! And they were betting sa the result! Peterson treated the audience of this elevating spectacle to my husbands vile liquor; then he bet on the result of the fight. Bet his last dollar. Mr. Peebles-at ten to one. He bet on the smaller scorpion and it won. After that he was never known as anything else but Ten-to-One Peterson"
 He must have made money rapidly" put in sugxestivelv.
 Mrs. Lundy gave me her strange eyes again. Prosperity comes in Hoods sometimes-I am told" The bitter droop to her mouth touched me. Peterson staked out several claims and sold one of them well. After that. he plunged recklessly again and again-and he nearly al- ways won. His fortune and his reputation pyramided together. He became famous-or infamous-from one end Of Skull Valley to the other. But the Two Brothers mine nc gave it that name himself-was hh most recklessly extravaRant venture. He put everything he had into 1t. Everything. Mir. Peebles. The town had begun to bet on his Eambles and it waited breathlessly for Peterson to vindicate his judr- ment. It needn't have. He won. NothlnE could stop him. The Two hrothers paid handsomely. It paid after the other big mines had closed down. It paid until the town was abandoned two years later.
 Peterson became one Of the two wealthiest men in Torridity. The other vas my husband. Joe Lundy. Joe was a gambler. also. but he Rambled in human frailty. How I desptsed him. It Is dreadful to have 10 care for a man you despise. Mr Peeh'es! But l have got over that now"
 Her eyes closed as if she were trying to shut something out.
 T must tell you about my hus- band. Mrs Lundy went on, a lit- tie wearily. '1n his way he was a, striking then as Peterson. though you couldn't have imagined a more dfssfmilar pair. Joe was large and bulky. and taller than Peterson. but he was 70 stoop shouldered that he actually seemed shorter. His head was always thrust forward like lantern hung on a beam: his face was long and irregular and wax colored. He had bristling black eye hrows that gave him Satanic ex- pression he was very proud Of. His eyes were deep sunken and near sighted. and he wore pair Of old fashioned glasses with steel frames