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Mrs. Sawkins and the Bandit
By WILLIAM CHESTER ESTABROOK
ICoprrlilhtl90tIH' lIally Story Pub Co. )
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On the afternoon delivery or an
, . ' October day. the postman handed Mrs.
Sarah Sawlns ] a letter ] with an Ari-
zona postmar ) ; :
"Its from Jane Kllbr , I mow ] , she
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said , and opening it , read :
" and 1
"Dear Cousin Sarah-Kent :
have been wondering of late what had
, , become of you. \Vo haven't had more
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, " than hair n dozen letters from you
since your henry's death and I'm sure
" you''e forgotten to answer my ] ast ,
. -t ill" ( I'm going to put a return address on
j " I this so I'll know if you got it. If you
are alive and as well as we hope you
are , why can't you come down and
spend the winter with us ? It's pretty
"wild and woolly" In this part of the
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. . but I'm ' would en-
, l- ' territory , sure you
joy it immensely if j 'ou're willing to
put up with the inconveniences Ever-
thing's as "picturesque" as the railroad
folders trim . and there's scads of fun
down here , Sarah , that never gets into
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print.
L ' 'Vo'ro still up at our mine , peg-
I glng away. \Ve'ro working ten or
twelve greasers now , Jut I've plenty
help and won't need to look after anything -
thing except to mate ] you have a good
time. Kent's going to establish a lit-
tle stage line betwon here and CochiU ,
the station , so wo can get down occa-
r sian ally and see the train , if nothing
more. \Vo hope to have it going by
) the first of the month.
"By the way , do you know Sister
Lavina's Willie ? He's a runty , stoOpy
boy , with bad lungs-wo thought wo'd
be doing him a favor to have him come
" " - , down and drive stage for us. It will
keep him in the open , and I guess he
won't hurt the other fellow in a case
j . these holp-ups down
\ . \ ' of hold-up. Truly , -
l here are awfully exaggerated. But
1 if you are caught , keep your hands
; up and you're as safe as though you
4 were back In Yonkers. I've written
" that to some of our friends as a joke
"Now , Sarah , do arrange to come.
Can't you be here by the first ? It
would tickle us to death to have you
then for Cousin Alec's wife and her
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+ Surveyed her ample proportions.
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.Ii two daughters and an old.mald school
teacher cousin of Kent's are to ho here
at that time.
\Ve ship our are over the P. & L.
and Kent says he can get you transpor-
tation Immediately if you will let us
lmow. Honestly and truly now I shall
expect a letter telling me that you
will be here by the first.
"Yours as ever
"JANE KILBY. "
"P. S.-Kent says since 'OU'VO been
a widow now three long years , you
might be interested to know that Mr.
1'u11lver Billings of San Francisco ,
will be here about the first to see
about taking an option on our mine.
He's a very wealthy widower and
Kent thinks by having you on the
ground you might ho able to land the
sale for us , If nothing esc , lIo's such
a tease , isn't he-I mean Kent.
"J K , "
"P. S-Kent sends lode and asks ]
if you'ro as fat 3S ever. "
A look of romantic interest touched
Mrs. Sawlelns' face at the first post-
script , but It was succeeded by u resentful -
sentful flush at the second. She
smoothed the letter back into the envelope .
velope , and going to the hall glass
surveyed as much of her ample proportions -
portions as the mirror would accom-
modate.
"It I keep gainIng at this rate much
longer ] , " she soliloquized , "there won't
bo any use to think of Mr. Dulllver
Tillings or anybody else "
It may have been the result of her
soliloquy that hurried Mrs. Sawkins to
accept her cousin's very kind Invita-
tion , for hurry she did , even to the ex-
tent of goIng down town to mall her
answer.
About a fortnight later she received
the following short scrawl from Jane
Kilby :
!
"Dear Cousln-So : hurried ; delighted -
C'd to know you're coming ; have heard
from the others-will all be here
Kent sends transportation , which
gives you pent ] time to get here by
the first-am so busy.
"Hastily yours ,
"JANE. "
"P S-Kent has just come in to
tell me he must have double our pres-
ent force to get the mine In proper
shape for Billings' inspection. Maybe
I shall be too busy to meet you at the
station-tell the others the reason If
I'm not there. I'll have Willie explain
but he's so nervous and hashful. Two
of my squaws threaten to leave and if
they do It will be impossible for me
to come the thirty miles to Cochltl.
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"J
"P. S-An hour later. The squaws
have lett. Will trust you to Willie-
and the Lord. "
At eleven o'cloch : of November the
first , the westbound flyer took the siding .
ing at Cochitl to walt for the east-
hOllnd local , which was seven minutes
late. From one Pullman there step-
ped the generous figure of 1\Irs. Sarah
Sawldns , while from a car further to
the rear there alighted a party of four ,
consisting of a nervous little lady with
her two young daughters , and a tall ,
slender stern.faced woman who wore
glasses and carried a camera strapped
to a huge volume entitled "Tho Philosophy -
losoph of the Estufa , and Its Racial
Significancy Among the Tribes of the
Southwest. "
Doth Mrs. Sawldns and the party
intuitively made their way to a three
seated , canvas-topped carriage , presided .
ed over by a dangling youth of 18 ,
whose natural attitude seemed to be
n sort of compromise between a stupor
and a scare. He was capable , how-
ever , of telling the arrIvals that he
was their Cousin Willie and that he
was to drive them immediately to the
Kllb"s , thirty miles away.
There followed mutual introductions -
tlons and many expressions of disappointment -
pointment that the prospective guests
had not known of each others' pres-
enco on the train. At last they were
all comfortably seated except Mrs
Sawklns , and the stage left Cochitl.
The sudden accessIon of femininity
intensified the timid element in Cou-
sin \Vlllio's mal\Oup to such an extent
that he promptly forgot the eastbound
local , for which he had been told so
explicitly to walt. The road was very
steep and the team exceedingly slow.
They had just got beyond the confines
of the camp when at a sudden turn a
voice above them called out : "Stop !
Hold Up ! "
Cousin Willie was the first occupant
of the stage to nct. His hands flew
skyward with such force that they
threatened to go through the canvas
top. The others , even to the smallest
girl , hastily followed his example.
There came to them another command .
mand , delivered In a breathless , half-
articulate ] voice. Only one word of it
was at all intelligible and that was
"down. "
"He wants us to get out , I think , "
ventured Mrs. Sawkins , uncertainly.
At the suggestion they all scrambled
from their seats (0 the road where
they stood , It forlorn group with up
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stretched arms.
Thus ! : ! they waited the appearance
of the bandit , their hearts heating like
hammers , their minds confused by
this rude Initiation Into the custom ! : !
of territorial life. Suddenly , there
was a downpourlng of pebbles ! : ! and I
boulders , 11. smothered exclamation , .
and the next Instant a man was In't- : !
clpltated at their very feet in a most
undignified heap.
It wm then that Saruh Sawldns hall
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her InsplrutiQu. Like 1\ flash , her duty
to herself , to her hlIQICRY rl'aUres , to
the preservation of the law ] , was revealed -
'ealed to her. She sprung forward
with marvelous quickness ] for one so
large and sat upon the prostrate form ,
fully , freely ] and without reserve.
The man groaned , twitched as much
as he was able to twitch , and then lay
quiet except for an occasional convul-
sive attempt at breathng. ]
"Come ! " cried Mrs Sawdns ] , excitedly -
citellly to her astonished reatlves. ]
"Don't you see I've got him ? Come ! I"
But Fate had never thrown Mrs
Sawldns much among her relatives.
She did not mow ] how deeply ground-
ell is the Instinct of selfpreservatlon
In those loved ones who arc bound to
us by the strong ties of Idnshlp. She
realized it , however , when they start-
ed down the road , ed ] by their Cousin
Willie , who sped as an arrow shot
from the bow. For a moment she
gazed after them In astonishment and
hid lgnatlon.
A futile struggle ] beneath her
brought her mind back ] to her prisoner.
She bent slightly lu order to see
around her generous curves , and looker -
cd the bandit full In his upturned
face
" \Vhy-I t's an old man ! " she gasped
Involuntarll
There was a sudden kicking out of
hIs half-Imprisoned legs as if he felt
the Indignity of her remark. He sub-
sided Immediately he was compelled
to turn his attention to procuring
enough air to breathe.
What Mrs. Sawldns saw was a very
much tousled and mussed face of a
man of perhaps fifty 'ears. His white
side whiskers were plentifully besprinkled -
sprinkled with the dust and earth that
had accompanied his sensational entrance -
trance on the scene. His glasses had
slipped almost to the point of his nose ,
gIving his round face a most comical
touch. His wide blue eyes held a look
of fixed and immutable perplexity.
His mouth was screwed ? askew as if
to keep back the pain of the weight
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he was sustaining.
Sarah Sawldns was naturally a kind
woman and her heart softened a trifle
at sight of him. He made another ef-
fort to move and his lips worked
tremulously.
"If you want to talk I'll raise a bIt , "
she said , not undndl ] ' .
Ho nodded feebly.
"I'm a gentleman , " he , began , "and
I protest against such- "
Mrs. Sawldns settled her weight
upon him again with decision. I
"You shan't talk that way to me , " I
, she said coldly. "Il's bad enough to
hold up a stage and scare people to
death , without trying tQ fib out of It. "
"Dut , madam , " he begged feebly.
"Keep still , " she commanded , letting
herself relax ] to the fullest , "Don't add
falsehood to your list of crimes. "
There was silence for a moment and
a strange expression settled over the
face of the prIsoner.
"I'd like to leave a statement of
some sort , " ho moaned , feebly. '
A startled look came to Mrs. Saw-
Idns' e'es. She put her palms on the
ground and shifted some of her weight
to them.
"The fall Injured you ? " she asked
a trine more gentI
"That was mere play , " he sighed.
She looked ] down at him wIth growing .
ing misgiving. Isis face was certainly ]
not the lardened one of the crIminal.
But then , had she not read times with-
out number that the flower of our
manhood had been known to engage
In such nefarious business ? No for
once she would not permit the softness .
ness of her heart to conflict wIth her
plain duty.
"If 'ou'ro still hero when it's all
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over , " he groaned , "I'm going to ask
yell to get word to my friend , Kilby ,
who will probably look aCter-what's
left of mo atul- "
1\1rs Sawldns flirted spasmodically
to one side amid burst Into'tenrs 1'00
hand rose slowly and with much
dllllculty. With a weak ] pretense at
brushing his clothes , he wallwd stlmy
over to U rock and ant clown.
"If 'ou'li control yourself madam , "
he said , " 1'11 explain II1Y presence here
and then I shall expect your expuna- ]
tl < ) \ \ , which Is certainly duo lI1e. "
lie waited patiently for her sobs
to cense und began :
"My name is Hllllngs-Tull1ver DII-
lings or San Fl'I\nclsco I am down
here at the Invitation of Mr. Kilby to
look at life mine. I arrived just ali
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"Why-It's an old man I"
moment ago on the eastbound train. I
found the stage for Kilby's had already ] -
ready left , hut that hy rnnning downtime
the trail I could probably overtake
It. I called to the driver to stop. He
did , and I asked him to walt till I
got down. In coming over that wall
I slipped. You know the rest almost
-but not quite as well rS I. Now , "
und the twinkle in his blue eyes antici-
pated the slang , "It's np to you. "
When she had finished , they both
laughed. It was not the half.hearted
laughter that is used to cover an om
harassing situation. It began with tremendous -
mendous vigor nUll died out of sheer
exhaustion.
"If you can manage the team , I
think wo'd better be going , " she final-
ly suggested. "We may pick U11 some
of the other guests between here and
KlIb's. "
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Three months later 1\11' Kent Kilhy
and wIfe took a 10ngcherIshel1 trip
east.
" ' and Tull will keep
"I guess youand
everything going till wo get back , " ho
said to 1\1rs. Sarah Dllllngs at start-
ing.
ing.And
And Mrs. Billings glanced at her
husband and fetched a blush which ,
for a woman of her experience , was
rather a success.
Change of MInd.
The terrible child had reached the
conclusion , after days of anxious
thought , that the Ideal occupation In
life was that of a motorman , fancr-
free , debonair , regardless of things
generally and not controlled except by
the ding-ding ot the conductor's bell.
This thought was born of the summer
time nUll winter and boreal blasts
were not In the kid's mind at all. On
Sundaylie was walking with his
father along Broadway and the cold
wind was piercing through his heavy
topcoat to his tiny marrows.
"Sar , dad , " he broke out , 1'\0 been
thinking. "
"What about ? " he was aslwd.
"Tho motorman business. I was
thinking , as Emerson would say , 'it's
on the bum. ' Guess I'll be n conductor
when J grow up.-Brood ] gage. ]
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