Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, July 09, 1902, Image 1
ISSUED SEKI-VEEKL^
l. m. grist & sons. publishers. I % J'amilj |leirspaper: Jfor the promotion of the political, Social, gjriiultarsl, and (Tomroeticial interests of the jgeogh. m5ecbnDts*NCI!'
established 1855. YORKVILLE, S. C? WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1902. . NO. 55.
_ _ ,
WHEN BOYS
BY JOHN H.
Author of "Helen's Ba
ington.
Copyright, 1901, by John Habberton.
CHAPTER XIV.
FRIENDLY CANTEEN.
WO Johnnies got into
the boat, putting two
of us. still bound, in
the stern, and crossed
the rlver* tlien onc
' I Co^isBDv/ brought the boat back
and took over the remainder
of the party,
IVwV^SsI^ first stowing our carbines
In the bow under the legs of a
man who held a double barreled gun
ready for use. When all had crossed,
the boat was hauled up into the bushes
Just as we had found It on the other
side. Then we were marched about
half a mile from the river to a big log
hut
"Now, boys," said my old acquaint?
? ???-~?11 .w?1?A ?rti? f aa! o a mn/ih of
ftllL'tf, v> L* II UittlXC JVU ICVl UO UIUX.U m?
home as we can without bein' unsafe.
We'll ouloose one of you at a time, so
you can stretch your arms an' eat, an'
we'll send word to our camp soon ea
we can for somebody to come an' take
you 'long to Richmond."
"We're In no hurry to get there, I'm
sure," said 1.
He looked at me sharply a moment
aud replied:
"Mebbe they ain't as well fixed thar
as you uus at Fort Monroe, where they
tuck us wheu we got ketched, but
they'll do the b?st they cau for you.
Besides, you'll be exchanged 'fore long.
Just as we was."
It was real kind of him to say this,
and 1 told him so. but my heart grew
heavier and heavier. What would father
and mother think? Who would
write them about my disappearance? ;
What would the writer say? Could
there be any possible way of getting
word home from Richmond? I asked
uiy old acquaintance this question aud
told him I was afraid my disappear
ance would kill my parents unless they
knew what had happened.
"That's so, my friend," said he. "Just
you write a scrap to some friend of
yours In your camp, an' I'll see It
reaches him iu a week. Nuthin' else, ,
though, mind, except that you're cap- ,
tlll-Ofl "
"How will yon got It there?' I asked, (
with natural curiosity. (
"Ask me uo questions, an' I'll tell you
no lies." said he. "You give me coffee
one time, don't you remember? Well,
that's enough."
As it happened that just then was my
turn to be unbound. 1 got 6ome letters
out of my breast pocket and found a
blank half sheet of paper, on which 1
penciled:
Dear Hamilton?We were captured by the enemy.
Tell my father not to worry. Our captor*
say we'll be exchanged pretty soon.
Jack Frost.
My old acquaintance looked over my
shoulder while I wrote. When I had
finished, be said:
"Put in a little more. Say 'The man
that I gave coffee to when he was
ketched is the man that's got me, an'
he says I'll be well treated or his name J
ain't Clay Hlllyard.' That ought to make
'em feel easier to home, oughtn't It?"
"I'm sure it would if they knew
you," said I. "I wrote them a long
letter after that scout in which you
were captured, about how you fixed
fried bacon and boecake for us that
night and how you showed me how to
parch corn in bacon fat I wrote bow
awfully hungry I was on that trip, too,
and my mother wrote back that she'd
pray for you every night of her life
for being kind to her boy "
"Sho! You git out! Is that so,
fSleL ftp
j?i. I
"All I want, you midt"
though?" said my particular Johnny,
with a sheepish look. "Well, mothers
Is all alike, I s'pose." Then he and one
of his party began to prepare a meal
of bacon and hoeeake. for it was uow
nearly dark.
The aroma of the cooking diverted
my thoughts from the situation, for we
had started uear noon and In such
haste tliot we liad forgotten *o bring
our haversacks. The Johnnies evidently
intended to feed us, for tliey were
preparing an immense quantity of
food.
"Say. sarge," remarked my friend to
the large, quiet man who seemed to be
the leader of the party, "these boys
cayn't oat with their arms tied. S'pose
we tie their legs Instead. They'll be
safe ag'in rtinniif away, an' they'll be
tuore comfortable."
The sergeant muttered assent. The
change was made, and then, as we sat
WERE MEN.
A.BBERTON.
? _
bies," "George Wash
,77 JUtC.
on a long, low bench against one wall,
we were bountifully fed. We chatted
freely, our captor8 being quite willjng
to converse, and the conversation ran
as entirely to farming methods as if
there was no war or other special subject
of interest Two or three hours
after dark the sergeant said to us:
"Now. gentlemen, any of you that
tries to get away Ml be shot like a dog,
but if you behave yourselves you can
6leep as comfortable as if you was at
home. Just lie down on the floor where
you are whenever you like, or sit up,
but keep to that side of the room. We'll
keep to this side. If you even put your
hands to your feet you'll be shot, so
don't do It."
I said something to the effect that
we weren't fools. Meanwhile my
friend and the third man dropped upon
the floor, with their guns and our carbines.
while the sergeant sat down
upou a box in front of the fire, cocked
a double barreled shotgun and kept his
eyes upon us. Conversation languished
after that. It is hard to talk to a
man whom you know is ready to take
your life on sufficient provocation. We
exchanged remarks occasionally with
one another, but they weren't at all
hilarious. I was just dropping asleep,
still sitting on the bench, when Brainard
whispered:
"Any water in your canteen. Jack?"
I hadn't thought before of the captain's
canteen of whisky. Would it be
safe to tell Charley in the hearing of
the guard that the canteen across ray
shoulder was full of whisky? Suppose
the Johnnies should learn of It, drink
it and get fighting raad and kill us? I
answered Brainard, "No."
Then, remembering some jar inscriptions
that he and I had spelled out together
in our village drug store and
perstiaded the druggist to translate, 1
continued, trusting the sergeant did
not understand Latin. "Spiritus frumenti."
The surprise that gleamed through
Brainard's eyes would have startled
the sergeant had be seen it. Before 1
dropped asleep again the guard was
changed by the sergeant rousing the
man of the three who seemed to
amount to least. He was a thin, rather
feeble looking fellow, with a stupid
face, the lower half of which had been
left unfinished soon after it was begun.
He threw fresh wood on the tire
so as to keep the room alight, then he
sat down with the gun and yawned so
fearfully that I feared he might fall
asleep with his hand on the trigger and
rouse the house, perhaps to our serious
injury. Finally, however, be got entirely
awake, and then he seemed to
feel dismal amid so much silence, so he
tried to chat with us. He was a poor
talker, but Brainard helped him along
to the best of his ability. They drawled
along for an hour, and under the
soothing iutiueuce of their monotones,
the snoring of the sergeant and the
wheezing of the other Johnny 1 began
to drop asleep again just as the guard
was explaiuing a lot of bad feelings he
had from time to time.
"I could cure you. I think, if you
wouldn't get me into trouble," said
Braiuard.
"Ef you've got any medicine of any
kind, stranger." said the guard, "fo'
the Lawd's sake, gimme some. 1 don't
keer what It is. I know it'll do me
good some way."
"Wouldn't whisky be the very best
medicine you could have?" Brainard
asked.
The man's face looked like a beatified
saint In a fourteenth century picture
as he placed a hand on his waist and
murmured "Oh!"
"If 1 find you some right here without
stirring, will you promise to leave
me a little of it?" asked Brainard.
"Of co'se 1 will." said the guard softly.
"But how? Sho! Quit your foolin'."
"I'm not fooling." said Brainard.
"You promise, too. not to wake your
friends to help drink it all? I don't believe
in whisky except for sickness,
and your friends don't look or act as
If they had any bad feelings."
"Stronger." said the guard hoarsely.
"I'd promise anything, exeep' to De a
Yank or to lot vou git out. fo' one drink
of whisky."
"All right." said Rralnard. taking the
captain's canteen from mv nock, drawing
the cork and holding it out to the
guard.
What Rruinard was up to I could
not imagine, and I closed my eyes as
the guard stepped toward him. I feared
Charley had some desperate idea of
seizing the man's gun as lie passed
the canteen. In such case discretion
would he the hotter part of valor?for
the rest of us. But there was no scene.
The guard quickly resumed his seat,
and out of a mere slit of my eye I
could see he had Ids gun ready for us
with one hand while ho raised the canteeu
to his mouth with the other.
"All 1 want, you said?" he whispered
after he had ascertained that it
really was whisky.
"All you want." was the reply, "so
you leave me a little In case of sickuoss."
IIow that canteen did purple for a
full minute! Wbeu the drinker was
compelled to stop for breath, he held
the canteen in front of him with a
"you have saved my life" expression of
countenance that was really touchinp.
Then lie began again and drank for a
full minute longer, it seemed to me.
As ho breathed a long sigh or content
ho placed the canteen at his feet and
said:
"Stranger, you're a gentleman. Nobody
ever done me so much good befo\"
"I'm glad to have been of service,"
said Brainard. "My friend here helped
your friend there to a good drink of
coffee about three months ago, and I'm
glad to be about even with him."
"You're a gentleman. I say it again,
an' I'll say it always."
Evidently whisky really was the
medicine he needed, for he began to be
quite happy, though quiet Then he
fixed his eye on something on the floor,
lie appeared to go into a brown study.
Fiually lie closed his eyes and loosened
his grasp on his gun, which fell softly
across his knees. 1 looked toward
Brainard to wink, but to ray horror I
saw him loosening the strap at his feet
and motioning tne to do likewise. Then
he rose softly, took the guard's gun,
handed it to me and proceeded to tie
the fellow's feet
Then 1 understood what Charley was
up to. and, although I was so frightened
that I was afraid 1 would drop the
gun. 1 covered the sergeant and my
rebel friend with it. I wasn't going to
be outdone In appearance of bravery
by any five foot ex-student of theology
alive, even If he happened to be my,
particular friend. Nevertheless as I
stood there with that gun I devoutly
prayed that the slumbers of the re(fumbout
Johnnies might continue to be
very sweet.
Meanwhile Brainard carefully unbound
the two other men of our own
party. I wondered why he didn't wake
them and tell them to loosen themselves.
but I offered no suggestions. I
don't believe I could have spoken had
I tried. With the belts taken from our
boys Brainard softly bound, or hobbled.
the feet of the sleeping graycoats.
Then he cut the sliug strap from our
captain's canteen aud bound their
hands also. They became somewhat
restive uuder this operation, and the
sergeant suddenly opened his eyes.
The fire that shot from those eyes
when the sergeant saw me with his
guu at a point made me tremble, and
when he strained at his bonds I recalled
the story of Samson.
"We're awfully sorry, sergeant," said
Brainard. "that It had to be done, but
duty is duty, you know."
The sergeant was speechless. Perhaps
'twas just as well, for 1 learned
afterward that he was a member of the 1
church. lie did. however, arouse my
old acquaintance by nudging liim witb
his tied feet, but when that matter of
fact fellow grasped the situation be
ejaculated. "Well. I'll be ?."
Charley took one of our boys and
went out of the hut. They came back 1
in about half an hour and said they
had the boat ready. In the interval my
old acquaintance ltad exclaimed about
once in live minutes and each time apparently
after profound thought, "Well,
I'll be ?."
I finally told him 1 hoped not, and it
wasn't his fault we bad turned the
tables on him.
"Jest tell me how you done It all,"
said he. "an* I won't ask no more."
"We didu't do it." said I, thinking to
get off a practical temperance lecture
that might be repeated after the war.
"We didn't do it: whisky did it." Then
I nodded suggestively toward the
guard who had wanted medicine.
"Whisky?" exclaimed the questioner,
with u wide eyed look. "An' you didn't
offer me a toothful?" Then he looked
reproachfully and remarked, "I
wouldn't liev thought it of you."
This made me feel so bad that I
hastened to say:
"I didn't do it. I never thought of
the whisky. 'Twas given to me to use
in case we got a soaking. I wouldn't
have thought of it again. I haven't
tasted whisky three times in my life."
The poor fellow looked at me search
lugiy unu unaiiy sum: i vc gui iu
b'lieve you. I do b'lieve you. But, say,
wlmr was you brung up?"
"Score oue for the uorth," said I to
myself, as I shortly answered, "York
state."
"Now. gentlemen," said Brainard,
"we'd better move before any of your
friends drop along and upset our plans.
Two of us will first take the sergeant
and the firearms across the river."
As the sergeant didn't demur Brainard
loosened his feet and took him
down to the skiff, the other boys staggering
under all the weapons except
the gun. which I held. In about 15
minutes one came back with the boat,
and the remainder of us crossed, the
disembarkation being covered in the
starlight by Brainard aud a Confederate
double barreled gun.
Then we sat. or stood, on that river
batik until dawn began to break. Brainard
having whispered to me that it
would not be safe to approach camp in
the dark. We did not dare to make a
fire, and as we had not worn our overcoats
when we started the morning before
we were chilled to the bone. I suggested
we should try to warm ourselves
with single sips of the whisky, if
any was left, but Brainard objected,
paying it was no time for experiments.
As for the Johnnies, they dropped upou
the ground and slept as peacefully as if
nothing unusual had occurred.
At the first streak of dawn Brainard
ordered the prisoners Into the boat,
two of tbelli in the stern and one in the
bow. while lie sat amidships and rowed.
first cautioning our two boys to
keep along the bank abreast of him and
fire on any prisoner who chanced to
change his position. lie suggested that
I. being the commander of the expedition.
should hurry on in advance and
report, so that the prisoners should not
be fired at on suspicion that they were
coming on a business errand.
1 acted upon his suggestion, and as I
hurried along it occurred to me that although
I officially was In command
Hrainard had been doing all the planning
and work. Why hadn't 1 instead
of he thought to get that stupid fellow
drunk and thus prepare the way for
our escape. Instead of accepting our
fate and dropping untjuestionlngly to
sleep? Braiuard's bead had been alert, ;
mine In a daze. That was the only difference,
but It was enough to make me
feel uncomfortable. Still, "honor to j
whom honor Is due." I would see to It
that Charley got full credit I could be
glad, too, that the man who had been
smarter than I was my dearest friend.
I entered the camp without being
fired at, and the captain was as glad to c
see me and bear the story as If I bad
been his owu son. I told everybody
the new9, got them all on the river
bank as a reception committee and got e
Hamilton to propose "three cheers for (
Brainard." Charley himself loosed the
bonds of the Johnnies as our boys
crowded around. My own special John- ,
ny no sooner found bis hands free than
be whispered something to Brainard.
"Yes: certainly. Thank you for reminding
me." Then he shook the captain's
canteen Inquiringly and handed
it to the prisoner, who swallowed some
of its contents and passed the remainder
to the sergeant, saying as he pointed
Indignantly to the third prisoner:
"Don't leave none for him, durn himP'
"You've done handsomely, corporal,"
said the captain to Brainard.
" 'Twasn't 1, captain," Charley replied,
with a salute; " 'twas your whisky
that did the business."
There was at least one duty of the
expedition remaining in which Brainard
shouldn't get ahead of me. I took
those prisoners under guard down to
the brush hut where our company cook
had been installed and I provided them
with a big breakfast To my delight.
they enjoyed our white bread
and cold corned beef as heartily as I
had enjoyed their bacon and corn bread
three months before. As to coffee, they
nearly emptied the half kettle that had
been standing since our own boys had
been served half an hour before. When
he could drink no more, my own special
prisoner caressed the place where
he had put the coffee, gazed contemplatively
at the kettle and remarked:
"There's always some good luck can
be dug out of trouble ef you'll look at
it right. Here I am a prisoner agMn;
but. on t'other hand. I'll have genuine,
sure 'nough coffee twice a day till I'm
exchanged ag'in. Dm-m-mi"
TO BE CONTINUED. ?
MAN A RATHER I'OOR LOT. e
Rome of Hit Faculties Compared 1
Wltli Those of Other Animals. i
"Man Is a vain sort of an animal at c
all .times," observed a thoughtful clti- t
zen, "and in his process of naming and i
classifying things around him be has
attempted to leave '-eminders of him- t
self in every possible place, and he has r
generally succeeded, for one's eyes t
may not escape falling on something
named after some of his attributes, b
But when we come to think of it. when f
we come to look nature squarely in the a
face, man is not the only thing in the t
land which can lay claim to highly de- s
veloped senses.
"Take the human eye. Uuquestlou- d
ably the little bundle of nerves In the a
eye, which make visualization possible t
and which present the mind with pho- t
tographic refinements which no art has j
yet equaled, is one of the physiological \
marvels and opens up an endless field
for speculation in the realm "of psychol- d
ogy, that unsolved riddle of science in i
whose presence even the giants have \
cowered and skulked in hopeless Ignorance.
Yet this eye, discerning with r
so much delicacy when the picture Is t
no farther than the wall of one's room j,
?this eye with Its circumscribed lim- s
its would be looked upon with dignified f
scorn by yon soaring eagle If he only d
knew how much farther he could see
than a human being. i
"Take the human ear. We may not a
hear so well us the rats and mice that f
burrow under the palaces in which we t
live or the squirrel that capers yonder e
in the forest and countless other thiugs t
one might mention. We may differen- t
tiate with greater accuracy and trace t
refinements In sound which these lower
creatures may not trace, but when i;
It comes to the matter of catching the r
sound at long range their ears seem to
have been more perfectly coustructed. r
"It is conceded that no human voice v
has ever been heard which could equal c
in sweetness of tone the lays which j
one may hear in the orchard. No hu- a
man being ever sang more sweetly n
than Pattl, but she never sang so
Bweetly as the meadow lark when lie v
pours his gurgling love song out on a
the summer air or the oriole when he t
shades his silvered octave from the r
bending bough.
"What device for measuring water r
pressure has man invented which will j
compare with the nerves which string a
the sides of the fish? It is a sense j
which Is not represented In the human e
category. Man must resort to artificialities
in order to learn the air pres- j,
sure and the degree of heat or cold, j
But It is different with the fish, for heig
can always tell just what the water
pressure is. and he knows how much he t
can stand, and he acts accordingly. t
"Take the olfactory nerves. Man Is t
all right when it comes to attar of roses, r
violet perfumeries and this and that t
sort, but you may pick out the measli- s
est old hound in the swamps of Missis- r
sippi, and If he knew how much su- d
perior his sense of smell Is to man's?
well, he wouldn't want to be caught In n
a man's company. ^
' vTo tor,, iint fimnlnir mr ntvn creed n
A 411A1 uvc I uumu^, "V v.. ? j
down. I nm just relating a few things r
which ought to make us all natural iov- i
ers of the many deserving beauties
that we wot not of in these hurrying t
times, and among them may be counted h
the things mentioned. Prove it? Prove v
nothing. I am just telling you."?New ^
Orleans Times-Democrat.
' s
Man can run about ten miles an hour P
and Jump about 23 feet at his best, s
The horse can trot a mile in two mln? v
utes and gallop one in one, while the a
greyhound, hare and ostrich are all
faster even than this. a
jJUiscrUanrous grading.
DANGER WAS WHAT HE LIKED.
in Ensrllahman'a Proneu In Rons'
and Tumble Fight*.
Three were talking together along af
er midnight, with pipes and weak groj
>n the side, and the talk had rangei
>ver pretty much all the field of though
hus far explored by mankind. At las
t came to the spinning of yarns.
"One of the most interesting chaps
sver met," said the man with quee
>yes, "was an Englishman named Tip
itock.
"He was a very tall man, who lookei
aller because he was so slender, and ai
le seldom took he trouble to stand ui
itraight, you got the Idea that ne was i
veakling and hollow-chested, but hi
vasn't. His mild blue eyes and boyisl
nustache gave you the same notion
;oo, when you looked at them, but hi
:ould look blue blazes, all right, whei
le was stirred up, and when he forgo
lis lisp, as he did on occasions, yoi
lidn't think any more about how sof
ind silky the fringe was that hid hii
ips.
"It was not so very queer that hi
ihould know all about horses and dogs
ind understand every game of chanci
hat was ever played, or that he shoul<
>e able to pick the winner in any ordl
lary race by looking over the horses
:'ve noticed that a good many younge
ions of British families who live outsldi
>f England, are gifted at such things
3ut I think it was queer that he didn'
jo in for horses regularly, instead o
Hinting a little once in awhile.
"After I came to know him better
hough, I came to understand that th<
inly thing ne lived for was excitement
ind that all ordinary things had ceasei
o excite him. Even gambling, he said
lad become tiresome to him, because hi
eally didn't care whether he had uv<
iollars or fifty thousand in his pocket
"The only thing that seemed to givi
llm any real interest in life was to ge
n danger, and he had curious theoriei
ibout that. I asked him, once, after !
lad come to understand him, why hi
lidn't go in for ballooning or handling
lynamite, or something of that sort
nit he said they did not present th<
iort of danger he enjoyed.
" 'You go up In a balloon,' he explain
id, 'and there is no real danger unlesi
t comes from your own carelessness
The thing is scientifically correct, ant
f you don't blunder somehow, yot
ome down all right and the dangei
hat comes from stupidity is unlnterest
ng.
" 'And pretty much the same thing Ii
rue of dynamite. There are practicallj
10 accidents from that, excepting those
hat result from carelessness.
" What I like is to get into some situ
Ltlon In which I am liable to be con
ronted with some totally unexpectec
tnd unexpectable peril, in which I have
o rely on my own skill or wit foi
afety.'
"I told him I didn't understand the
listlnction very well, and he laughet
tnd said he wasn't sure he understooc
t himself, but he knew that some
hings attracted and some didn't
Imong the things that he enjoyed mos
vas fighting.
"I remember the day they hanged i
lozen or so of Molly Maguires at once
n Pennsylvania, I was in Pottsville
vhere they swung up four of them.
"To a stranger there was something
nysterious In the air, and it was noi
intil a day or two afterward that ]
earned that the community had beet
o terrorized that everybody had ex
eected a rescue of the condemned mur
lerers, up to the very last moment.
"Tipstock was there. We went moon
ng around, with no definite purpose
pparently, but greatly interested in th<
jossibillty of a disturbance. 1 naa Deei
rying to sell goods the day before th<
xecution, but had given it up, as no
?ody would talk business, and he and '
alked a lot that night, as we smokec
ogether on the hotel steps.
"I didn't see him again until two day;
ater, when I was up in one of th<
nountain villages in the district. Th<
.eneral storekeeper was an old custoner
of mine, and he had just told me ]
ras a fool to have come into a villag<
if miners just then, for they were havng
a wake over two of the Mollies, anc
.ny stranger who came into town was
lable to be done up.
"Just then Tipstock came sauntering
ip the main street of the village. Ii
nybody could ever be accused of rubterlng,
the charge could have beer
naintained against him.
"The noise of the keening of the wonen
in the cottage where the two dear
Tollies were, attracted him, naturally
.nd he stopped at the gate and looker
n. Then he opened the gate and walkd
up toward the door.
"'Good God!' exclaimed he store:eeper,
who had been looking at him as
had from some little distance. 'If h<
;oes in there they'll kill him sure.'
"It seemed likely enough to me thai
hey would and I shouted to him al
he top of my voice. He heard me anc
urned his head, and at the same monent
a heavy club that had beer
hrown from the corner of the house
truck him a glancing blow on the ternile
that was sufficient to knock hiir
lown.
"Before he could rise, half a dozer
nen had rushed from the door and were
;icking and beating him with sticks
^he sight was too much for me, and ]
ushed toward the melee, but as I rar
saw one of the crowd fall.
"Tipstock had caught him by the leg
hrown him off his balance and grabbed
dm as he fell In such a fashion that he
ras using him as a sort of shield foi
lis own body.
"Then I saw him struggle to his feet,
till gripping the man whom he had
lulled down, while the others, all strugling
to get at him, were interfering
fith one another. Then I saw a most
mazing thing.
"Standing with his long legs well
part Tipstock braced himself, and
grasping the other man by the should- th
ers he swung him around In the air, as ca
; he might have swung a heavy stick, ot
and knocked all he others down. Then w<
he threw the man he was holding bang
h up against the side of the cottage, a T1
dozen feet away, so violently that the ne
fellow fell stunned to the ground. us
"When I came up Tlpstock was lnj
dustrlously knocking down five or six W1
men who were trying to get up and I lo<
never saw anybody who seemed to be dli
enjoying himself more, though his face T1
j was Dieeaing ana nis ciotnes were ium. mi
" 'Come on, now,' I called to him; of
r
'we'll have to run for our lives.'
" 'All right,' he said coolly. 'I'd like a ca
j little more of this, but I suppose there'll a
be a dozen more of 'em at us in a min- so
ute.' kn
" 'More like a hundred,' I said. 'The so:
whole village is turning out.' sel
"And it was. I never saw so many
people come out of a small house as dli
g seemed to be coming from that cottage ev
1 all at once, and as we looked back to- th;
t ward the road we saw men running to
l ward us from both directions. an
t "On one side only was there a chance thi
a of escape, and that was directly down 0f
a steep bluff to the right of the cottage. ^
As we looked over the edge of the bluff tj,;
, it seemed as if we could jump clear of m)
j all obstruction to the valley a thousand
j feet below, so precipitous was the de- ^
. 8cen*- an
'" 'Come on,' said Tipstock, as he he
^ rushed over the edge with me a close
; second. mj
"The way we ran and tumbled, and ^
^ rolled, and scrambled through under- ^
f brush, and jumped and fell down that &n
mountain-side was like a nightmare, hu
but when I turned on him, after it ,
j was all over, and cursed his folly, he .
laughed lightly and said he wouldn't j
j have missed it for a thousand dollars. w{
"I haven't heard anything about him he
s for a year or more, but somehow I nave ^
s a notion he was in St Pierre when it ng
was destroyed. I can imagine him
? poking his nose over the crater oh Mont
t Pelee at the very moment of the great
5 eruption.
I "He wasn't what you would call a th
i quarrelsome man. That is, I never saw Qt,
5 him begin a fight, but he would get ot]
, into one more joyously and promptly ^
i than anybody else I ever saw if there g(j
was an opening for him. ^
"I remember one instance in which
3 he deliberately butted Into a game of do
. tnree-cara monie mai a party oi greao- , ,
1 ers were playing In Texas, near the sa
i border. It was an ugly crowd that we ca
r were In, and he and I had been watch- j
* lng the greasers swindling two or three
tenderfeet, till Tlpstock got uneasy. ,
3 "They were playing the game, ask- ^
f lng the bystanders to bet on the ace,
J and then substituting some other card g&
for the ace, so that when they threw go]
" down the three there wouldn't be any ,
ace on the board to pick. ^
' "The tenderfeet were betting ten and Wf
i twenty at a time, till they had lost 8a)
r maybe two or three hundred and I was t
wishing something would happen, ,
i though I learned long ago never to in- gVj
' terfere with anything that goes on in ta)
| a gambling house. I don't like fighting jfl<
; as well as Tlpstock does. ^
' "The big greaser had thrown the ,
cards and one of the tenderfeet was de,
just about to bet, when Tlpstock put at
J In a word. ne
" 'I'll bet you a hundred I can pick
' the ace,' he said, and the tenderfoot ,
drew back. 8lz
| "I looked at Tlpstock in amazement, gt{
f for I knew; that he knew, as well as I ca
j did, that there was no ace on the board tlo
but he never winked. .
"The dealer looked up in surprise, &n
but, though I fancy he scented trouble, hJl
. he was game, and as Tlpstock laid thj
down his money he covered it. kJ]
'' ?UU ? r\y% on
u "men npsiUCK Willi u mvuvu no
i quick as a cat's, flashed a heavy bowle "
? knife from his sleeve and drove it down ^
. through the middle card, deep down Qn
[ into the table. frc
1 " 'That's the ace,' he said coolly, and
with a second motion equally quick he
j flipped the other two cards face up. th(
; "Of course neither of them was the ,
i ace, and the Mexican could not declare
- that the middle one was not without erj
i exposing the fact that the whole game th(
i was a swindle, so he cursed a little, but |
made no remonstrance when Tlpstock an
1 picked up the money and put it In his th]
i pocket. .
"He did, however, lay his hand on the _Vl
; middle card, so that Tlpstock could get en(
f his knife up without pulling the card
- up with it, but again Tlpstock out- ga,
? wltted him. Seizing the knife with his
right hand he pretended to find diffl- loc
culty in withdrawing it, and put his ln
1 left hand down beside It as If to brace
himself for a strong pull. pol
I "Then as he pulled the knife out with
one hand the other slipped, pushing the .
?? ooMa on/i QAlxIn? tHP i
grciwci a uiibcio ?oiuv, u?u -"w??0 ?? na
" card he threw that face up on the ta- wc
' ble. It was a trey, and every man In
5 the room?there were a dozen or so e(j
looking on?saw what the game had bei
: been.
' "What happened afterward I can't an
1 say, for as I said, I don t enjoy fighting,
and the door was open, but half an stc
1 hour afterward Tipstock came into the
' room where he and I slept, looking as rej
happy as a clam and as placid.
1 " 'Was it much of a fight?' I asked rjg
him as he was pulling off his boots.
" 'Pretty well,' he said, indifferently, set
'Two of the cowboys got cut some, but clu
see
j all the grfeasers are dead. I broke that jn
( game up very nicely.' And I never wr
heard him speak of the occurrence r|s
. clu
again. the
I "I saw him join a poker game once Wa
, on a steamboat on the lower Missis.
sippi, for no other reason in the world,
I am satisfied, excepting that he ^is
thought it would end in a fight and he wa
i wanted to be in that. He and I were
6X1
. pretty Intimate at one time, and as my
; business kept me traveling all over the
. country he used to go with me fre- wii
quently, just for amusement.
1 "We were on the way from Vicks- ab(
I burg to New Orleans, and I could see Yoi
at TlpstocK was getting uneasy Deuse
nothing had happened in the way
an accident or a disturbance since
; left New York.
"He didn't say anything about It.
lat wasn't his way. But he seemed
rvous and walked about more than
ual.
"Soon after we left Vlcksburg there
is a poker game started in the sain,
and when I had finished my afternner
cigar I strolled In to look on.
lere were three or four others standS
around behind the players and one
these was Tipstock.
'He didn't say anything, but as I
me up I saw his eyes gleaming In
way that showed me he had fousd
mething at last to Interest him, so I
lew that the game was unusual in
me way, and I became interesed myIf
'At first I saw nothing out of the orlary.
Two of the five players were
ldently professional gamblers, but
at was to be expected.
'You could tell them by their looks,
d it was a foregone conclusion that
ey were playing together with an idea
doing up tne other three, but as I
)ked the others over, I got the notion
at maybe they wouldn't get all the
jney.
'One man was a yap from back in
e country somewhere, who looked
d acted as If he wouldn't be safe till
got back home. A second was a big
eezy fellow who might have been a
iner or a cowboy, Judging from his
yle, but who, as I afterward learned,
pt a store in one of the river towns
id was on his way to New Orleans to
y goods.
'The third man was a puzzle. He
iked like an actor, but he had noth5
whatever to say, and I Judged he
isn't. Tipstock told me later, that
too, was a professional gambler,
ough he wasn't in with the two partrs.
'They were playing table stakes and
d started with a hundred apiece, so
was a stiff game from the start. It
ight have been expected that with
ree professionals in the game the
tiers wouldn't last any time, but the
tier two had luck enough to get a
.v good hands, and as they both play
well, whether by accident or not,
ey were both ahead at the end of half
hour, though they had both been
wn to the last chip once or twice.
'The two partners started the seew
two or three times, but didn't
tch a stayer either time, and I was
king for some fancy dealing when
pstock spoke up suddenly.
' 'I wouldn't mind taking a hand if
ere is no objection,' h? said and as
ere wasn't any, he bought chips and
t In. Then I felt certain there'd be
methlng doing soon.
'It was soon, too, for on about the
Ird round after Tlpstock came in it
is the actor-looking chap's deal (they
Id his name was Somers), and Tip>ck
made a break at him.
4T* ? Io/ilr_nnf on/1 If hail hPf^TI
XI woo a jacn~|a/ii m ><u ?
eetened - till there was $42 on the
ble, for they were playing five-dollar
ik-pots and the white chips were a
liar.
'Tipstock sat under the guns, to the
aler's left and passed without looking
his cards. The countryman sat
xt, and he parsed and so did the next
in, who was one of the two partners.
'The storekeeper opened it for the
;e of the pot, and the other partner
lyed. Then the dealer looked at his
rds carefully, and after some hesitan
came in.
'That brought it to Tipstock again,
d he lifted his cards. I stood behind
ii, and he held them purposely so
at I could see them. They were three
ags and an ace and a trey, but to
r surprise he only glanced at them
relessly and threw them down. I noed
though, that he didn't throw them
the discard pile, but squarely in
int of himself.
'The opener took one card, the next
in three, and the dealer two. Then
i next man dropped and Somers
Ised it $40.
'It was a curious sort of bet, considng
the size of the pot and it puzzled
i storekeeper for fair, but finally he
lied it, showing down queens up with
ace on the side. Somers showed
-ee tens and took the pot.
'Then TIpstock turned his own hand
er, and said with a drawl; 'I knew
ough to stay out that time.'
'It was a most surprising thing to
V, for, of course, his three kings
ide the best hand showing. They all
iked at him and the storekeeper said
a sort of bewildered way.
' 'Why, man you'd have won the
t.'
'But Tipstock grinned.
' 'Oh, no, I wouldn't,' he said. 'I'd
ve made an ace full, and the dealer
?uld have caught his fourth ten.'
id he grabbed up the deck and showthat
the next card that would have
en dealt was a ten-spot.
'As he did it, Somers drew a gun
d flred point blank at his face across
i table, but quick as he was Tipick
was quicker. Ducking his head
e a flash, he dodged the bullet, and
iching out with both his long arms
grabbed Somers's right wrist with
i left hand and his throat with his
I knew how strong he was, for I had
;n him use a full-grown man for a
lb, but I was a little bit surprised to
> how absolutely helpless Somers was
his grip. He twisted the gambler's
1st till the pistol dropped, and then,
ing, he fairly lifted him from his
lir and shook him for a moment and
:n threw him violently against the
11.
Dazed and half-stunned, Someru
uggled to his feet, and for a moment
hought he would renew the fight, but
weapon was gone, and Tipstock was
iting for him altogether too eagerly.
He saw he was beaten, as well as
>osed, and without a word he sneakaway
to his stateroom.
Then Tipstock ordered a bottle of
le, cashed in his chips and went out
deck for a smoke. That was his
y. He never had anything to say
nit a fight after it was over."?New
rk Sun.