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Show II THE HORSE I 1 : THIEVES j ! " By THEODORE L. BREWER ' Copyright by American Pre Ann. I i , elation, 1011. t X)icro nln't tho snmo clmnco for a $ ' lavtsly Ufo out yero," snld tho old plains- B, 14( man, "there tiso to wn. Theso ycro H j'1' 4 railroads ruin a country." K , I was to spend (ho nlelit In Joh Mil BBf " Jcr'a cabin, Wc were smoking our B ' "pipes nftor fiuppor, mid his wlfo was BBB -washing tlio dishes. I encouraged liliu BBl io talk about Ibo country ns It wiih m formerly. H 1 ""Them was times lion (lie men B i wan wild ns llio beasts. Ihery iiiiin BB r Vi -viim armed with a rlllo honked (o 111? ' Bj ,' -saddle, (wo revolvers In his belt mid BBJ ' likely a couplu inoro In his Hnddlcluigs. BBl Anyway Hint's Hie way I lined to go BBJ i .about. Ami I loll you wo had Homo BBJ J i "protly likely women about ycro In BBJ , them diijs They could all shoot, and BBl V , hool straight enough loo. And, better BBv lr limn thai, (hoy wasn't all day doln' It, BBl 5 One on 'cm I courted, too, for I wasn't BB married then, but so far as I could sco HBY ; hc hadn't no tiso for mo. BBl ' "The boss thieves was about an bad BBl ' stuff to deal with iih anything wo bad BBl out yero In (hem days. Tliero was BBJ -one gnng f 'om (hat I and somo of tho BBl rest of us tot nftcr and broko un. Wo BBJ hilled some, hung sonic, and somo of I- "cm got nway. I beam that them as sot nway said they'd pet oven with mo. They'd git mo nllvo and when they got mo thoy'd mnko mo sulTor a BBJ ilenth for every man of-thclr gnng I'd BBJ Allied. BBJ "And they got mo Hiiro enough. Ono BBJ I -nrtcrnoon I'd strayed nway from tho BBJ f ' settlement, crossed tho river ono of BBJ . "(ho forks of tho .Missouri by a ford BBJ and looked about for somo enrao for BBJ -supper. I had only my rlllo with mo, BBJ lint I considered that enough to deal BBJ -with any Indians ronmln' nboiil. I BBJ didn't enmo on to no game, nnd, feci In' BBJ kind of lazy, I laid down on tho ground BBJ "Tho breeze rustled the leaver of u BBJ ireo under which 1 was layln', and tho BBJ Mrd wns ii-slugln', and everything BBJ wns peaceful. That was what mado BBJ Ihu difference when tho sliootln' and BBJ tho Rcalpln' begun In them times. Wo BBJ , Jumped from one to t'other In n Jiffy. BBJ, Ono minute It was llxtcnlif to Hie BBJ ' Kurglln' o' water and tho Nlghlu' of tho BBJ breeze: tho nest no hearii a bullet BBJ alugln' or a waru hoop. BBJ , "Well, I fell asleep I was woke up BBJ up by n sliakc. nnd there, looking down BBJ Into my face, was 11111 Aiken, ono n' BJ tho boss thieves thai had said he'd do BJ me. He'd got my rifle, nnd I saw It BJ was all up with me. Hill's boss was BBJ ' lilppln' the grass So was mine. Three BBJ t other fellers como rldlu' up. They BBJ -, wns tho Jolllest lot at glttlu' me you BBJ ,' ever see, nnd they begun jit onct to BBJ' i. Jay plans for torturln' mo to death. BBJ, "They concluded to take me to their BBJ' camp. They fled a lariat around my BBJt J neck, and ono of 'em held an cud bc- BBJ ' fore me, and another held ono end be BBJ bind me, so that I shoro couldn't git BBJ ivny. Then they put mo on ny boss. BBJ To git to their camp (hey was obliged BBJl to go over the ford I'd como by. Two BBJ' -. of 'cm rodo ahead and two behind me. BBJ' When wo reached tho ford the first BBJ man went In up to his boss' belly. I BBJi i "was wonderln' If I couldn't find some BBJ way to drown. Hut I didn't hnvo much BBJ;, tlmo to think about It, for I'd scarce BBJ, i Sot Into tho water when (ho man BBJ, -who'd gouo In first pitched forward BBJ' Into tho drink. At tho samu I lino I BBJ i beard n crack nnd saw a bit o' siuoko BBJ , ' iloatlu' nway from (ho high bank on BBJ;' t'other side of tho river. Hut I could BBJ I see iiothlu' but tho smoko. BBJ "Tho second man, Beelii' tho ono BBJ ' . ahead killed nnd not bccln' what killed BBJ liiin, didn't know whnt to do. All of BBJ' us was in tho river, mid ciosslu' a BBJ' -stream Is tho wo'st possible placo for BBJ to bo attacked. Tho third boss thief BBJ' called on tho second (o go on, but lie- BBJl fore bo could do It there was another BBJ crack, nnd he dropped too. I was won BBJ" j lcrlu' If I wns to bo killed ruthor BBJ, liopln' I was when tho man behind mo BBJ give n yell, and ho went the snmo way BBJ Jis the others. BBJ' , "Ono Ideo by this tlmo must V got BBJ Into the foil ill i man's bead. I reckon BBJ lio thought somo ono was doln' all (bis BBl for mo nnd, not Itkln' (o give me a BBJ clmnco (o escape, concluded to shoot BBJ me. I turned Jlst In tlmo (o sea him BBJ imltln' his hand back to git bis re- BBJ volver when n red spot camo In his BBJ forehead and ho didn't git no pistol. BBJ' "Yero wns four men either dead or so BBJ near dead thoy couldn't do iiothlu'. BBJ i Two of 'em was golu' downstream BBJ ' , tinder tho water. Of courHO I didn't BBJ -wasto uo time. I spurred my boss nnd BBl utnrtcd across (ho ford. When I'd BBS climbed tho bank I looked for Hiein BBB on bad douo tho sliootln'. I didn't sco HBB; no ono. It wns as peaceful (here as BBB u April morula'. 1 listened, but I BBT' couldn't bear nothln' except a hreero BBJ , tdinkln' tho leaves of tho trees, Tho BBS grass was long, and I hunted about BBJ' In Ki "I'urty noon I camo to a gal lyln' as BBK! " If dead. Bho was tho ono I was tcllln' BBB you 'about a spell ago. A rlllo nnd a BBBj ' - caliber revolver laid by her. I got BBBI off my boss mid knelt down to do BBWJ M fiomepln to help ber when sho opened BBVj her eyes. Seelu me, sho put her Rrms BBJ i around ny neck, H "Sho was tho party as had killed four BBlii , v ' Aons thieves and had sawd mo. Hcln' BBB1.L ut tlmr, sho had Been 'cut and, know BBBJ , ,n' J Wfls u'8. '""1 soo back to git BBBJj v s weepons. After klllln' all fiur of BBBk ;-'m, like a gnl, (.be fainted." BBV j I . t "That's tho Ulud of girl I'milooklng BBV ', 4i for." remarked onthUBlaettcnHjr. BBB I & "You can't have that ono." said tho BB Y .'plainsman. "Sbo's In thar wnshln' BBft i aishcs. lleaSdes, she's an old woman BBV- .BflHk. viow." BffflMBlfllBlfllflVfllJBtaaMMK- |