Show I 1 z I 1 AT TIIE THE BAILE 11 gerry en engineer glocer a at the aladdin wi wal I 1 P drunk runk he ile bad had been in that condit condition lon eci eve the grand opening of the gold liar liquor dispensary kaboos the auperin of the AlM aladin din group IV wait mad 1 ae the be state of mind oa on the part of the I 1 old man also dated from the grand 0 aforesaid ahme jhc e conditions rt resulted pent fr mr gedrys retirement from froni his po position mitlon as engineer end and left him fr freeto cf to exchange his time even unto the lait las c cent ent foi for the doubtful oblivion producer produce dispensed at the gold bar ord and other institutions of its kind of which there were several everal in camp the old man hesitated before letting gerry go it la is usually easy enough tc to find plenty cf of men to thump a drill ci or dump a car but good engineers arc are not nl ways available BO so barnes reasons reasoned 41 and pleaded with the erring gerry and tried every possible way to get him to sober up and eo go back to work but without bucce w gerry would promise to go on shift lie would promise anything and back up his word with much profanity and an au occa flow of maudlin tears but when the whistle blew for his shift he would ba be too drunk to lie on the ground without bold hold ingoe ing oil once indeed A barnes got him to bed and slept him for several hours and gerry started for the mine that evening I 1 with a lunch pall and quite an assortment of good resolutions but the seductive gold bar lay almost almot in his path ho he fell and the next day lay the old man drove to town to find flad another engineer the new newen engineer neer was r ather out of tin the usual order I 1 have hae often wondered lw bove it happened that dames barnes took him on for the old man mail always insisted that th it a mine was as no place for boya boys much less au an engine room and the tho newcomer was certainly not a man he ile could not have been more than eighteen to judge from appearances and was small for his age dut but be could handle an engine with the best of them tiles iles at it like liboa a veteran he lie I 1 remarked the old man as he lie watched the new engineer on his big arrival handling the engine as though he had made it blib himself self and barnes rode down the gulch to camp actually whistling in in I 1 bis his satisfaction satisfaction at having found u competent corn engineer iho who did not indulge in any habits likely to incapacitate him for duty next morning rice the assayer who had ha 1 been over near the gila for several days clays on business bubi noss for the company comp my returned the vew engineer and myself mi self were sitting at a rather late bre breakfast breiL aLfast fast when the assayer en the dining room the latter came ov er and shook bands hands with me and I 1 in the new arrival rice hands with him in bis his f frink rank way glancing at tit the engineer rather keenly the latter beefed embarrassed and acted strangely I 1 thought though I 1 paid no particular attention te 11 tion to the fact rt at the tune time when afterward I 1 bad oc cison cason to think of it I 1 remembered that mice rice was unusually bl bi lent that morning for some reison reason 1 the be new engineer eai soon became the most 0 popular man in the camp lie ile was BO so pleasant and obliging and withal bo feogin gen tle tie manly aud and ulce nice in liis ways that every ei cry body cottoned to him straight off maybe it was partly because hoaas he was never profane and had no bad lla habits bits but despite this never preached that we are liked him at first and then we liked him because he lie was tt is white to eliat thatis is about abou the most expressive adjective we could apply to him and Iff milly fly as we vre called him liis his name was milton lidyard seemed in return to like all the boys in his hi quiet unyemon way though it was wit quite plain plait that ho lie took a particular liking to rice this in itself was not surprising every body liked ilice rice he ile was big and baud haud gonie some and had a deep bass ba ss voice and a I 1 jo lal hearty way about him More moreover civer lie could hoot shoot s qu quicker iker and straighter than antono any one else in camp could and did drink m noe no ore e than any other one man in the tile whole v hole til district strict without showing it and anti vas always air ays ready to help the weaker side in 11 a row albeit even I 1 dilly was not riot moie more gentle dut there was something abo about tit billys admiration for rice that t from the feelings feell nga the rest of us entertained forli for him lm when the engineer was ait oit shift he invariably around the ass as st 11 tec or if rice was rot there at a S saloon IT on or anywhere elso the big assayer happened ed to be generally at a faloon i inores nores the tile atty when itice mally 11 seemed e e ed to bang upon hia his words and when w hen h ho e ino ed about mally eyes would follow him iu 10 boch such a queer quee wa way y it was evident that itice hice did n not j like to have the little en sincer haug han about him so closely it ft mad madl him nervous although be lie neier never was otherwise than kind to and friendly with the little chip chap ry by jove old man it juit just ghea gives me tin the Ild geta he said to ine ono day clay a as wo we tit ant chatting in my domce to have the little CUBS cuss tio tag ine around to I 1 wl lmh 11 11 he like me quite ro well no I 1 don doni elther but d n it all it makes a man ulan feel owed ci 11 li ho i laughed and I 1 noticed tint that biot meet mine then for tile first times lace I 1 had known liliu will I 1 wondered if there could hate have been 11 aily anything thing in tint that old story that was clr ctr when w hen ho he ran for the coulty clerk ship five years i firs before at that time there I 1 was a it rumor started no doubt by the tile op position to the effect that he was wasa a fugi tivo from justice on oil account of a young woman roman he had betrayed hut but had gained no crecence cre lence and wits speedily sight of it beamed impossible impo abble that thata it man mail as frank and honest as arthur itice hice could line have anything iu in his hn past to bs ashal asli ined ned of no so it wai wah not long before the story wits w as forgotten and I 1 after think I 1 ing it over 0 cr concluded that there was nothing BB haunting him and that his actions proceeded from that embarrass ment a big powerful manly man always feels xi when acu he Is made much of lets go oer over to the ballel b itle tonight suggested ilice rice at tit the breakfast t table one inor morning aing therell be plenty beer and I 1 lots of gila monsters to dance with come on colonel were getting rusty and need a little shaking up lip you can get jerry little cayuse and ill borrow barnes li rnea nag want to go and shake a foot melly he added noting the look in the lads eyes all right lets make inake up a crowd and go and pu put t on I 1 your best lillis and tuckers boys t two wb of old miles girls are just back from st louis arl we want to create an impresa lon flon f so that evening we pet off in high spirits rice milly jones and Alac mactavish Tavish two shift homes and myself on the way to the gila wa parsed through tv two other camps aud and were joined by a half halt dozen others when we reached miles tile dance was in fix full till progress we could hear the music of the violin and guitar the click of the cowboys high heeled boots and the nasal notes of the th caller off oil evidently from the expressions he used a cow band hand a long distance away I 1 wo we met with the usual bearty bearty vre welcome leome of the southwest and it was not long be fore inside taking a hand in tile fun full biilly and I 1 for awhile sat and watched the others and got no end of en boyr out atit in the corner nearest us rice with the grace natural to men born bouth 0 mason and dixons line was eay say ing ln pretty things to a big freckled rawboned gila monster with a pink dress and a magenta who responded to his 1 14 remarks with an occasional aw stamn roel met or Pl gway ivay bowl yo must think Is as bawn yi 11 6 mactavish with his broad ga gaelic elic brogue 11 1 ryn lynll lL talk to ialy mexican aj girl rl f 11 1 4 I 1 at N taji A 1 I v vb those VU elon ct rna ai i was aircey vet 7 and who could not anderst tand nd a werd w rl in paid said hut but mac mae never nev er xo so sw when hew he vv M doing boiu all till the talking and ard lite the youn young lady lad B s oft re hepaud bated S si I 1 s aftic e t wn A i and anti a glance from her dark M now and then ninde him hint perfectly hapa and quite confident that lo 10 was makii mald I 1 ii tj brilliant brill lint impression ihn then across the room there was i a ton t cowboy who vv ho wax was dreo ail am cd J up lip and tin SIC dmn d to feel it ile d trotters troi ON seersucker Beer sicker coat and vest vu tanda and a blue cotton shirt with a piper collar and 0 on fijut wis nn an artificial flower 10 lo pink in n color of r unknown and fly ly specked to a carmi damble degree hut but he h wa was s oh BO go proud of it cow asil then ho be would stroke it and rj readjust adjust it carefully and his satisfied satisH cd air nir clearly proved that he felt himself the best dressed ninn man iti in the roani fcc his partner wait was a tall thin girl with red hair worn in a pache knot a red dr docsa lt and a white sash presently between dances lu in came can e a couple of the miles boys with beer and lemonade hold ou 01 von foil lin hands shouted mose allies miles to the musicians wait till I 1 water these yere sl and he lie proceeded to let the heifers heffers hei fers refresh themselves according to preference an ferance informing the men rt ff you nil till wants watern erin go tew it its an I 1 sho aint coin goin V t bus alo fer for you cow bans halls pretty I 1 noticed that rice was paying considerable attention to one of the gila girl girls a i deity little thing father ral AA garden truck ci a few feir miles up the river lie danced half a dozen times in with her I 1 and did not leave her an instant tins this is is never the proper thing and is i not riot yowl good policy where girls ere are scarce and I 1 I 1 knew new it might make trou brou ble especially aa its tho the girl was w as understood to bo be as gool na engaged to harve who was one of the worst w arst men in the county when feeling disagreeable and lie seemed to be mcclin fickling disagreeable this evening arery avery few minutes he would return from the roon where the beer and whisky were w ere on tap and nd look on at the scene in the big living room and I 1 knew enough of him to believe belle e that he WAS likely to cause trouble pre presently gently I 1 went over aud and whispered awa ft warning ruing to rice ric I 1 I 1 ewt t lie only shook ills his lie head ad and laughed NE P ii he wont do antmin ant bin f not tonight any how all right im only going to dance with her this 1113 once more bechi ho whispered and I 1 left him half satisfied but still somewhat apprehensive of trouble it came the next dance lance ewt w is a qu quid adrill rillo and rice a und hit his partner we were re just tak bilins I 1 ng their places in the first setphen set when ilarae dragg bragg bis his face like a thundercloud thunder cloud strode out on the tile floor and touched the assayer on oil the aim arm As rice hice turned I 1 saw by hi his hit t eyes that he be too was affected by the liquor he had drunk drun and nad had bad doubtless been im polled by ita its influence to act as be had see yere mister man I 1 hissed bragg threateningly this tern yero foolas ben coln on long congh IA t loose 0 W that heifer nn tin give ph caw a white imite man a rices lyea eyes blazed he ile stepped back a couple of paces out of bearing hearing ot of the worn wom en and answered with quiet earnestness go to h b I 1 sirl girl id have you under stand that no white eyed cow puncher can ran bullyrag bully rig rV me im going to finish this dance and I 1 choose dut but if it you haie have anything to siy say s iy about it ill accod 1110 ditte you after thin quadrille in any way you like I 1 lirag driggs ggs eyes sparkled guns he naked asked eagerly yes go out and wait valt in the tile roid road by that white rock ill be out there when I 1 finish here when I 1 reach the cut off down dow n there begin shooting all right and awl bragg who was con the best shot in the county went quietly away the music struck up and the danco dance began as though nothing had happened indeed while every one knew that there hid had been trouble there was only one person besides the principals who had heard the conversation and who knew that the trouble was not yet presently he slipped from the room harve bragg pacing impatiently ab up and down the road waiting with six shooter in hand heird heard home some ono one coming from back toward the house lie ile turned at the white w hite rock and lial halted ted his fingers clutching nerv bously at the stock of his revolver hi ile con could id cco ceo a figure advancing in the gloom nearer nearer to the cut off left the main road INI ibbots rang out almost simul tane ou bously sly ciarro bragg felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder but kept pulling tle tl e trigger two more shots from each and bragg fell to the earth shot through the lungs but with su strength left to fire his three abols down in the load road we found them both 13 ipg juht just dying and milly poor little mhli with three wounds shot through a and I 1 through and gasping for breath rice and I 1 hini up upend anti earned carried him in and tl the others cared for bragg we laid laiti milly down on oil the bel bed in the misses miles ro room in he ile motioned me to go out and close taj door aul and I 1 went ent leaving rice alone with him will ten minutes liter later arthur rice with a drawn deathly look on his handsome face came cain e i ilo alia hall w hero I 1 was talking to one of the milen girls go to her he sn sold id at strangely rau gely it la Is ray my w wife ife and ahe is dead lead he took my arm arin and drew me from the house and down to where we e had left the horses tim tho clouds were gone and the moonlight made his livid fico face look fairly gh glattly attly we halted and faced each cach other 1 I lied he be wild 1 I lied eclie was not my wife except maybe in ly bo in the eyes of god I 1 deceived deach ed her ber betrayed betray iNI her und and bed fled like a coward I 1 have ha been horry but I 1 heard she aras dead and thought I 1 could make no amends il isery ury hr tier old ninn and say on the stone so everybody can ace ee it alke beloved wife of rice eliat A liy my name I 1 ant bear to stay goodby goodby dear old iroy boe god blem he ile thrust botre bills into in to my hand liand wills por for her leaped on his home slid ui d pvn s gone into the hills I 1 never siw him in again he ile went to central andrica arn Ann jett rica mid und wivi murdered by plundering natives native aywin later we buried burled alice as he lie had asked I 1 won voil der if the little woman knew how ma baoy ny cincere moil amira she had and rice we miss him too but maybe both are ha hallier now it IA 4 ketchum in tit argonaut |