Show A TRAGIC ROMANCE A desperado IV how were scattered far nd wide the man who told the story between the puffs of his cigar was from texas says the kansas city times alcy life was a tragic romance he began lay allison was a ado he lived in the red river country in the panhandle trigger finger was busiest in the early his record was twenty one he boasted of it twenty one dead men whose graves were scattered from dodge city to santa fei myself saw him kill bill chunk a bad man who shot people just for the fun of seeing them fall the two men had no cause for quarrel they were the prize killers of the same section of the country it was a spirit of rivalry which made them swear to shoot each other on sight their friends bet on the result of their first chance rencontre the met one night at a crossroad cross road inn in new mexico and sat down at tables opposite each other with their drawn six shooters resting on their laps beneath their napkins A plate of oysters on the shell had just been set before chunk when he dropped his hand in careless fashion and sent a ball at acison beneath the table quick as a leap of lightning aloisous Alli sous gun replied aminy red spot between chunks eyes marked where the bullet entered the dead man rolled over on the table and was still with his face downward in the dish of oysters allison was a large cattle owner lie went on a drive to kansas city once and while here fell in love married and took the woman to his home in the west to live A child was born to them a child whose face was as beautiful as the face of cherub but whose poor little body was horribly deformed allison loved the child with the great love of his passionate nature in the babes misshapen and twisted form his superstitious mind red a meaning as significant as that of the message which the divine hand wrote on the palace walls of the king of old in ISa bylon god he thought had visited a curse upon him for hib sins he quit his wild ways ho drank no more no man ever after the birth of his child fell before his deadly pistol he was completely changed in the new life which followed he devoted himself with absorbing energy to his business interests he became rich in time ten thousand cattle on the besas ranges bore his brand afew year ago he was driving from his ranch on a heavy road wagon to town the heavy wheel q jolted down into a deep rut allison was pitched headforemost to the ground his neck was broken the team bogged jogged en into the distance and left him lying there dead and alone upon the prairie |