Show A TRAGEDY ON HE PLA N Killed by Lightning After Bebt kin k-in a Blasphemer iI i I The average cowboy said a cajtle dealer last night at the St James H < tel does not bother himself about religion The creeds and isms that worry civili ation are as a sealed book to i the rattler who is distinctly a fatalist I He relieves that when the time comes for hin1 to go over the range nothing can stand death off and no matter That danger he faces previous to that limvj tio deadly harm can come The areh destroyer of the boys is lightning Jjiore cowboys meet death from this source hn from nny other j One night when a party at nsjn ore driving a herd across the staked pisins we had hardly mode camp when a fierce storm accompajied by terrific thunder and lightning settled overhead I The crashes of thund fairly shook the earth and the lightuing seemejl to dance from the tips of the cattles bprns ou see when the cattle become wet the steam arising from them forns n body of superheated air thatriseti upward up-ward 200 or 300 feetgjln the absentee of a trte mountain or any better conductor i con-ductor the lightning runs dowi this column of heate l air It is then almost sure to be attracted by the steeljguns and trappings carried by the cowcoy Well that wild night the wholegang was kept busy preventing a stanfpedt One of the party was Woods as good a man as ever straddled a broncho Jim had a premonition that his enA was near at hand All day he had been talking about his old mother bsick in the east and the girl he used ito j go with Well when the storm broke I Jim went about his work with a white face and a listless manner Iii the gang and stationed next to Jim vas a young Texan loudmouthed andy bla5 oheinous Every time a loud peal of thunder sounded and the lightning flashed unusually bright the young bravado raised his clenched fist jto the sky and uttered a volley of oaths Go on yer ole pelter ye cant hit us Were thunderproof we air As quick as thought Jim pulled up alongside the sacrilegious scamp and pulling a sixshooter shoved it into the blasphemers face His face was as white as chalk as he screeched i Git around on the other sle ye miserable skunk er Ill shoot yejfnll of lead Ye cant include me in none of yer defis My times comin soon enu without speshully invitin it I Now stampede I The Texan fairly flew and not a second too soon for the flash of lightning light-ning and the thunder crash thjit followed fol-lowed took the soul of Jim Wood along with it One of the boys hurried the soot and found Jim and his pony still mid dead Kansas City Times 1 |