Nebraska Newspapers

    . C. L, WILLIAMS.
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VOL. IX. ' NORTH PLATTE, MMASMilRife DECEMBER 20, 1893.
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I -Great Clearing Sale !
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. NO.-50.
FOR CASH ONLY.
BIO
.Worth- of
Goods,
Such as Clothing for Men,
Boys and Children, Gents'
Furnishing Goods, Hats,
Caps, Boots and Shoes,
Will be Sold at
3 -i
Nothing will be reserved in this sale. Eveiy-
thing goes: AQOyBtCASHONIrfe 2 4C
is your time to buy goods according ro the times,
Mode! : Clothing ; House,
3a,s: Einstein., ropxietor-
North Platte National' Ba7nlc.
NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
-TO
aid up Capital.
cBTo.OOO.
ZJJ
1
C. T. IDUIXGS,
A. T. STBEITZ,
UIRECTOKS:
O. M. CARTER,
M. C. LINDSAY,
ii. OTTEX,
D. W. BAKER.
, ir.OUERST,
A. D. RUCK WORTH-
A-irbusinees intrusted to us handled promptly, carefully, and at lowest rates.
O F IDDING
LUMBER,
; COAL,
Order by telephone from Newton's Book Store.
, Dr. N. McOABE, Prop. J. E. BUSH, Manager.
NORTH PLATTE PHARMACY,
Successor to J. Q. Tbacker.
ISTOHTH: PLATTE,
NEBRASKA.
WE AIM TO HANDLE THE BEST GRADE OF GOODS,
3ELITHEM AT REASONABLE PRICES, AND WARRANT
EVERYTHING AS REPRESENTED.
orders from the country and along the line of. the Union
Pacific Railway Solicited.
BY J". BROEKEE,
Merchant Tailor,
OIj U -A. 3NT U 3Et A TJI3 H.SFAIHUH.
LARGE STOCK OF PIEOE GOODS.
' embracing all the new designs, kept on band and made to order.
PERFECT FIT GUARANTEED.
PRICES LOWER THAN EVER BEFORE
Spruce Street, between Fifth and Sixth.
THE CASINO BILLIARD HALL
J. E. GRACE, Proprietor.
SUPERIOR BILLIARD and POOL TABLES.
Bar Stocked with the Finest of Liquors.
A QUIET AND ORDERLY RESORT
Where gentlemen will receive courteous treatment at all times and
where thej will always be welcome. Our billiard and pool hall
ii not surpassed in the city and lovers of these gaqies can
be accommodated at all times.
i 1
CHAPTER I.
The sun was just going down, a hiss
ing globe of fire and torment. Already,
the lower limb was in contact with the
jagged backbone of the mountain chain
that rimmed tho desert with purple
and gold.. Out on the barren, hard
baked flatin front of tho corral, just
where, it had been unhitched when the
paymaster and; his safe wero dumped
soon after dawn, a weathcrbeaten am
bnlancowas -throwing unbroken a mile
long shadow toward tho distant Chris-
tobal. Tho gateway to the east through
the Santa Maria, sharply notched in the
gleaming range, stood a day's march
awav a dav's march now only made
by night, for this was Arizona, and
from the rising of the sun to the going
down of tho same anywhere south of
that curdling mud bath, the Gila, the
only human beings impervious to the
fierceness of its rays were the Apaches.
"And they," growled the paymaster
as ne petulantly snapped tnolockor
his little safe, "they're no more human
than bo many hyenas. "
A big man physically waB the cus
todian "and disbiirser of government
greenbacks so big that,, as ho stepped
forth through the aperture in tho hot
adobe wall, ho ducked his head to
avert unwilling contact wth upper
;edge. Green' glass goggles, "a broad
brimmed straw hat, a pongee shirt,
loose tronsers of brown linen and dust
colored canvas shoes made up the outer
man of a personality as distinctly un
military as it was ponderous. Slow and
labored in movement, the major was
correspondingly sluggish in speech.
Ho sauntered out into tho glare of the
evening sunshine and became slowly
conscious of a desire to swear at what
he saw ; that, though in a minute or two
the day god would "douso his glim"
behind the black horizon, no prepara
tion whatever had been made for a
start. There Btood tho ambulance, ev
ery bolt and link and tire hot as a stove
lid, but not a mule in sight.
Turning to his left, he strolled along
toward a gap in the adobe Avail and
entered the dusty interior of the corral.
One of tho four quadrupeds drowsing
under tho brnsh shelter languidly turned
an inquiring eye and interrogative ear
in his 'direction and conveyed, ,afer
tho manner of the mule, a suggestion
as to'supper. A Mexican boy, sprawl
ing in the shado of a bale of govern
ment hay and clad in cotton shirt and
trtmsors well high as brown as the skin
that peeped througl. occasional gapsH
glanced up at him with languid inter
est an instant, and then resumed the
more- agreeable contemplation ' of tho
writhings of- an impaled tarantula.
Under another section of the shed two
placid little burros wero dreamily
blinking at vacancy, their grizzled fronts
xpressive of that ineffable.peace found
only in tho faces of saints and donkeys.
In the middle of tho inclosuro a rude
windlass coiled with ropo stood stretch
ing forth a decrepid lever arm. The
whippletree, dangling from tho end
over tho beaten circular track, seemed
cracked with heat and age. Tho stout
rope that stretched tantly from tho coil
passed over a wooden wheel and dis
appeared through a broad framed aper
ture into the bowels of the earth.
Close at hand in the shade of a brush
covered "leanto" hung three or four
huge, ollas, earthen water jars, swathed
in gunnysack and blanket. Beyond
them, warped out of all possibility of
future usefulness, stood what had onco
been tho running gear of a California
backboard. Behind it dangled from,
dusty pegs portions of leather harness,
which all the neatsfoot oil of tho mil
itary pharmacopoeia could never again
restore to softness or pliability. A
newer edition of tho same class of ve
hicle was covered 03' a canvas ' paulin.
A huge stack of barley bags was piled
at the far end of tho corral, guarded
from depredation (quadrupedal) by a
barrier of wooden slats, mostly down,
and by a tattered biped, very sound
asleep.
"Where '8 tho sergeant?" queried tho
paymaster slowly, addressing no one
in -.particular, but looking plaintively
around him.
Still leaning a brown chin on a near
ly black hand, and stirring up his
spider with the forked stick he held
in tho other paw, the boy simply tilted
his head toward the dark opening un
der the farther end of tho shed, an
aperture that seemed to lead to noth
ing but blackness beyond.
"What's ho doing?''
"No sa-a-abe," drawled tho boy,
never lifting his handsomo eyes from
the joys betore him.
"Why hasn't he harnessed up?"
A shrug of the shoulders was tho only
reply.
"Hey?"
"No sa-a-abe," slowly as before.
' What's your name ? ' '
"Jose."
"Well, here, Jose, you go and tell
him I want him."
The boy slowly pulled himself to
gether and found his feet; started re
luctantly to obey; glanced back at his
captive, now scuttling off for freedom ;
turned again; scotched him with his
forked stick, and then with a -vicious
"huh!" drove the struggling aranoina
into the sandy soil. This done, he
lounged off toward the dark corner in
the wall of the ranch and dove out of
sight.
Presently there slowly issued from
this recess a 6turdy form in dusty bluo
blouse, the sleeves of which were dec
orated with chevrons in far faded yel
low. Under the shabby slouch hat a
round, sunbli6tered, freckled face, bris
tling with a week old beard,peered forth
at the staff official with an expression
half of languid tolerance, half of mild
irritation. In most perfunctory fash
ion the soldier just touched the hat rim
with his forefinger, then, dropped the
hand into a convenient pocket. It was
plain that he felt but faint respect for
the staff rank and station of tho man
in goggles and authority.
"Sergeant Feeny, I thought I told
you I wanted everything ready to start
at run set."
"You did. sir, and then you umdid
it," was the prompt and sturdy-reply:1'
The paymaster stood irresolpte. -Through
the shading spectacles of green
his eyes seemed devoid of any espiee- -sion.
His attitude remained un
changed, thumbs in-tho loWcut-.pockejta:
of his wido flapping trousers, shoulder-'
"meek and drooping.
" w-e-11, ne nnaiiy arawiea,. "yp
understood I wanted to get on to Camn '
Stoneman by sunrise, didn't -yon?J
Diem t my ciera, Air. uawesvtell you? -V
"He did, yes, sir, and yon don't want
to get there no more than I do, major..
But I told you flatfootedif you let Don
ovan and. those other men go back on
the trail they'd find some excuse to s,top
at Ceralvo's, and, d n 'em, they've
done it."
"Don't you s'pose they'll be -along:
presently?"
"S'pose?" and the sun blistered face
of the cavalryman seemed to grow a
shado redder as he echoed almost con
temptuously tho word of his superior.
"S'pose? Why, major, look herelt
And the short, swart trooper took three
quick strides, then pointed through tfee
western gap in .the adobe wall to the'
gilded edgo of the range where the suri
had just slipped froni view. "It's l4
milo, to that rdgeyit'Bjip.ninui
since 1 got ine last wigwag 01 in
nal flag at the pass. They hadn't
through then. What chance, is there of
their getting here in time to light out
at dark? You did tell me to have ev
erything ready to start, and
undid it by sending half the escort
back. You've been here in hell's half
acre three days, and I've- been here
three years. You have never been
through Canyon Diablo; I have been
through a dozen times and never yet
without a fight or a mighty good
chance of one. Now, you may think
it's fun to run your head into an am
buscade, but I don't. You can get 'em
too easy without trying here. I'm an
old soldier, major, and too free spoken
perhaps, but I mean no disrespect, only
I wis"h to God you'd listen to me next
time."
"You wouldn't have had me leave
those women in the lurch back at the
crossing, would you?" queried the pay
master half apologetically.
"Why, I don't believe that-story at
all," flatly answered Feeny; "it's some
d d nlant that fellow Donovan's J'vou,, so
springing on you a mere excuse 10
ride back go they could drink and
WM at that moment lying
Jiaae. bunk within the
the fate that bad im-
lunvtoseek Arizona in March of
health." He was indeed of little
count, " as the paymaster well knew.
I After a moment's painful thought the
wottm rose uowiy to ins lips :
Well, perhaps you know best, so
we stay till tomorrow nieht, or at
least until they get back. "
One could almost hear the whisper
-in the deep recess of the retaining wall
sibilant, gasping. Some one cjouch-
liaig still farther back in tho black
iepths of the interior did hear.
Marial"
Bnt.when a moment later tho propri
etor of this roadsido ranch, this arti
ficial oasiB in a land of desolation,
strolled into the' big bare room where
half a dozen troopers were dozing or
gambling it was with an air of confi-
pdential joviality that he whispered to
Pthe qorporal in charge:
Our fren, the major, he nftuse me
reelLyou aguardiente mescal, but wait
' "Oh, d n it, Moreno, we'll be half
Ijway to Stoneman by that time," in
gferrupted the trooper quito savagely.
jTWho-s to know where wo got the
fituff ? We'll make em believe Dono
van's squad brought it in from Cer
Jalvo's. Givo me a drink now anyhow,
you infernal greaser; I'm all burnt out
Mwith such a day aa this. We've got to
-start, tne moment they get back, and
Jhere won't be any time then."
g,"Hush, caballero; they como not to
night. You will rest here." a
g-" Why, how in blazes do you know?"
4 V Softly! 1 know not I know
.noting ; yet, mira ! 1 know. They talk
long in the corral the major and that
of a sergeant for him I snap my
ger. Jjook your And iuoreno
ve a flip indicative of combined de-
ce and'-disdain.
i t you count on his not finding
oreao-. , it's all easy enough so
tho major's concerned, but that
ckguard Feeny's different, I tell
you. He'd hear tho gurgle of tho
spigot if ho were 10 miles across the
then you"4?a on a ere to bust things before
yen coma servo out gill a n
.-hnb ! 4He's beenkeen enough to put
thafftjMlM -singing Yankee on guard
ovEjwr'liquor. How are you going
tojPSl.it aayhow?"
7jr an answer the Mexican placed
the-forefingcr of his left hand upon his
lipjTand with that of tho right hand
pfited significantly to tho hard beaten
,eaijhen floor.
"Ah, I have a mine," he whispered.
"You will not betray, eh? Shu-u!
Hush ! Ho comes now. ' '
The gruff voico of Sergeant Feeny
broke up tho colloquy.
'"Corporal Murphy, tako what men
you-have here and groom at once. Feed
andT water too. Moreno, I want sup
peri cooked for eight in 30 minutes.
Drpp.thosa cards now, you men. You.
efovld have been sleeping as I told
" tl x t. .1 r 1. a
ua iu uu ii'auy iui wurs iu-
The soldier just touched the hat rim with
his forefinger.
gamble with those thugs at Ceralvo's.
They've just been paid off and had no
chance for any fun at all beforo they
wero ordered out on this escort duty.
That money's been, burning in their
pockets now for three wholo nights,
and they just can't stand it so long as a
drop of liquor's to be had by hard rid
ing. No soldier is happy till he's dead
broke, major leastwise uono I ever
sec." -
. "What makes 3011 doubt the story,
sergeant? It came straight enough."
"It came too d d straight, sir;
that's just tho trouble. It came straight
from Chihuahua Pete's monte mill.
It's only a hook to draw 'cm back, and
they played it on you because they saw
you were new to the countr, and they
knew I was asleep; and now, unless
Lieutenant, Drummond should happen
in with his troop, there's no help for
it but to wait for tomorrow night and
no certainty of getting away then."
"Well, if Mr. Drummond were here,
don't you suppose he'd have gone or
sent back to protect those people?"
"Oh, he'd have gone certainly
that's his business, but it isn't yours,
major. You've got government money
there enough to buy up every rumhole
south of the Gila. You're expected to
pay at Stoneman, Grant and Goodwin
and Crittenden and Bowie, where they
haven't had a cent since last Christmas
and here it is tho middle 0 May. You
ought to have pushed through with all
rfpeed, to none of these jayhawkers
could get wind of your going, let alone
tho Apaches. Every hour you halt
is clar gain to them, and here you've
simply got to stay 24 hours all along
of a cock and bull story about some
stageload of frightened women 15 miles
back at Gila Bend. It's a plant, ma
jor; that's what I believe."
Old Plummer kicked the toe of his
shoe into the sandy soil and hung a
reflective head. "I wish you hadn't
shut your eyes," he dnriled at length.
"I wouldn't, sir, if 1 hadn't thought
you'd keep yours open. You slept all
night, sir, you and Mr. Dawes, while
I rode alongside with finger on trigger
every minute."
Absorbed in their gloomy conversa
tion, neither man noticed that the wood
en shutter in the adobe wall close at
hand had been noiselessly opened from
within, just an inch or two. Neither
knew, neither could see that behind it, in
the gathering darkness of the short sum
mer evening, s shadowy form was
crouching.
"Then you think we must stay here,
do you?" queried the paymaster.
"Think? I know it. Why, the range
ahead is alive with Apaches, and we
can't stand 'em off with only half a
dozen men. Your clerk's no 'count,
major."
Old Plummer stood irresolute. His
clerks a consumptive and broken down
mgwi
'fyire
jeaia?il
we don't go tonight, ser-
t "Who says that?" demanded Feeny
quickly, whirling upon his subordi
nates. The corporal looked embarrassed
and turned to Moreno for support.
Moreno, profoundly calm, was as profoundly-
bbli vi ous.
"Moreno there." began Murphy,
finding himself compelled to speak.
"I?" gravely, courteously protested
ho Mexican, with deprecatory shrug
t? his shoulders and upward lift of ej-e-brow.
"I? What know I? I do but
say tho Corporal Donovan is not come.
How know I yon go not out tonight?"
- "Neither you nor tho likes of you
knows," was Feeny's stern retort.
"We go when we will and no questions
asked. As for 3-011, Murphy, 3ou be
ready, and it's mo you'll ask, not any
outsider, when wo go. I've had enough
to swear at today without you fellows
playing off on me. Go or no go, no
liquor, mind you. The first man 1
catch drinking I'll tie by the thumbs
to the back of tho ambulance, and he'll
foot it to Stoneman."
No words were wasted in remon
strance or reply. These wero indeed
days of the empire'"in Arizona
r'B soon after the great war of the re
bellion, when men drank, and swore
and. fought and gambled in the rough
life of their exile, but obeyed, and
obeyed without question, tho officers
appointed over thein. These were the
days when veteran sergeants like Feeny
men who had served under St. George
Cooke and Sumner and Harney on the
wide frontier before the war, who had
ridden with, the starry guidons in many
a wild, whirling charge under Sheridan
and Merritt and Custer in tho valley of
Virginia held almost despotic powers
among the troopers who spent that en
listment In the isolation of Arizona.
Rare were the cases when they abused
their privilege. Stern was their rule,
rude their speech, but bj officers and
men alike they were trusted and re
spected. As for Feeny, there wero not lucking
those who declared him spoiled. Twice
that day had tho paymaster been on
the point of rebuking his apparent in
difference. Twice had he withhold his
censure, knowing, after all, Feeny to ba
in tho right and himself in the wrong.
And now in tho gathering shades of
night, as he stood in silence watching
tho brisk piocess of grooming, and
noted how thorough and businesslike,
even though sharp and stern, was Fee
ny, the paymaster was wishing he had
not ventured to disregard tho caution
of so skilled a veteran.
And yet the paymaster, having a hu
man heart in his breast, had been sorely
tried, for the appeal that came for help
was one he could not well resist. Pass
ing Ceralvo's at midnight and pushing
relentlessly ahead instead of halting
there as the men had hoped, the party
was challenged in tho Mexican tongue.
"Queviene?"
To which unlooked for and uncalled
for demand the leading trooper, scorn
ing greaser interference in American
territory, promp'tly answered:
"Go.toh 1!"
All the same ho heard the click of
lock and was prompt to draw his own
Colt, as did likewise tho little squad
riding ahead of the creaking ainbu- !
lance. The two leaders of the mules
whirled instantly about and became
tangled up with the wheel team, and
the paymaster was nitched out of a
dream into a doubled up mass on the
opposite seat. To his startled questions
the driver could only make reply that
ho didn't know what was the matter;
the sergeant had gone ahead to see.
Presently Feeny shouted "Forward!"
and on they went againj and not until
Ceratve's was a.mile behind could the
major, learn the, cause of the detention.
Some of Ceralvo's people," answered
Feeny; "d n their impudence!,
They thought to stop us and turn us in
there by stories of Indian raids just
below us three prospectors murdered
24 miles this side of .the Sonora line.
Cochises' people never camo this far
west of the Chiricahua range. - It's
white cutthroats maybe, and we'll need
our whole command.
And yet in the glaring sunshine of
that May morning, after they had un
saddled at Moreno's, and the sergeant,
wearied with the vigils of two succes
sive nights, had gone to sleep in the
coolest shade he could find, there came
riding across the sunbaked, cactus
dotted plain at the west a young man
who had the features of the American
and the grave, courteous bearing of the
Mexican.
"My name is Harvey," said he.
"My sisters, who have been in San
Francisco at school, are with me on
the way to visit our parents in Tucson.
Father was to have met us at the Bend
with relays of mules. We have waited
48 hours and can wait no longer. For
God's sake let half a dozen of your men
ride out and escort them down here.
There is no doubt in the world the
Apaches are in the mountains on both
sides, and I'm trembling for fear they've
already found our camp. None of my
party dared make the ride, so I had to
come." .
What was Plummer to do ? He didn't
want to rouso the sergeant. This wasn't
going back to Ceralvo's, but riding
northward to tho rescue of imperiled
beauty. He simply couldn't refuse,
especially when Donovan and others
were eager to go. From Mr. Harvey
he learned that his father had married
into an old Spanish Mexican family at
Havana, had been induced by them to
tako charge of certain business in Mat
amoras, and that long afterward he
had removed to Guaymas and thence
to Tucson. Tho children had been ed
ucated at San Francisco, and the sis
ters, now 17 and 13 years of ago re
spectively, wero soon to go to Cuba to
visit.relatives of their mother, but were
determined once more to see tie quaint
old home at Tucson beforo so doing;
henco this journey under his charge.
The story seemed straight enough.
Plummer had never 'et been to Tucson,
but at Drum Barracks and Wilmington
he had often heard of the Harveys, and
Donovan swore ho knew them all by
sight, cspeciallj" the old man.
The matter was settled beforo Plum
mer really knew whether to take the
responsibility or not, and the cavalry
corporal with five men rodo back into
the fiery heat of the Arizona day and
was miles away toward the Gila before
Feeny woke to a realizing sense of what
had happened. Then he came out and
blasphemed. There in that wretched
little green safo wero locked up thou
sands enough of dollars to tempt all
tho outlawry of the Occident to any
deed of desperation that might lead to
the capture of the booty, and with Don
ovan and. his party away Feeny .saw het
had but half a dozen men for defense. (
At his interposition the major had at 1
least done ono thing warned Moreno
not to sell a drop of his fiorj" mescal to
any one of tho men, and when the
Mexican expressed entire willingness to
acquiesce Feeny's suspicions were
redoubled and he picked out Trooper
Latham, a New Englander whom some
strange and untoward fate had led into
the ranks, and stationed him in the
bullet .scarred barroom, of tho ranch,
with strict orders to allow not a drop
to bo drawn or served to any one with
out tho sanction of Sergeant Feeny or
his superior officer, the major. Even
the humiliation of this proceeding had
in no wise disturbed Moreno's suavity.
"All I possess is at your feet," he had
said to the major, with Ca3tilian grace
and gravity, "Tako or withhold it as
you will."
"Infernal old hypocrite!" swore Fee
ny, between his strong, set teeth. "1
believe he'd like nothiug better than to
pet the escort drunk and turn us over
Dag and baggage to the Morales gang."
Thrice during the hot afternoon had
Feony suited the premises and striven
to find what number and manner of
men Moreno might have in concealment
there. Questioning was of little use.
Moreno was ready to answer to any
thing and was never known to halt at
a lie. Old Miguel, the half breed, who
did odd jobs about the well and the
corral, expressed profound' ignorance
both of tho situation and Feeny's Eng
lish. The Mexican boy had but one
answer to all queries, "No sa-a-abe."
Other occupants there were, but these
even Feen3-'s senso of duty could not
prompt him to disturb. Somewhere
in the depths of tho domestic portion
of the ranch, where the brush on the
flat roof was piled most heavily and
the walls wero jealously thick, all
scouting parties or escorts well knew
that Moreno's wife and daughter were
hidden from prying eyes, and rumor
had it that often there wero more than
two feminino occupants; that theso
were sometimes joined by three or four
others wives or sweethearts of out
lawed men who rode with Pasqual Mo
rales and all Arizona knew that Pas
qual Morales had little moro Mexican
blood in his veins than had Feeny
himself. Ho was an Americano, a
cursed gringo for whom long years ago
tho sheriffs of California and Novada
had chased in vain, who had sought
refuge and a mate in Sonora and whoso
swarthy features found no difficulty in
masquerading under a Mexican name
when the language of love had made
him familiar with the Mexican tongue.
Slow to action, slow of speech as was
the paymaster, ho was not slow to see
that Sergeant Feeny was anxious and
ill at ease, and if a veteran trooper,
whom his captain had pronounced the
coolest, pluckiest and most reliable man
in the regiment, could be so disturbed
over the indications, it was high time
to take precaution. What was tho
threatened danger? Apaches? They
would never assault
guard of soldiers,
might do in the canyons in tho range
beyond. Outlaws ? They had not been
heard of for months. Ho had inquired
into all this at Yuma, at tho stage sta
tions,, by mail of the commanding
officers at Lowell and Bowie and
Grant. Not for six months had a stage
been "held up" or a buckboard
"jumped" south of the turbid Gila.
True, there was rumor of riot and law
lessness among tho miners at Castle
Dome and the customary shooting scrape
at Ehrenberg and La Paz, but these
were river towns, far behind him now
as he looked back over the desert trail
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tho ranch with its
whatsoever they
and' aloft into the star studded, cloud
less sky.
Nothing rould be moro placid, noth
ing less prophetic of peril or ambush
than this exquisite summer night.
Somewhere within tho forbidden region
of Moreno's harem a guitar was begin
ning to tinkle softly. That was all
very well, but then a woman's voice,
anything but soft, took up a strange,
monotonous refrain. Line after line,
verse after verse, it ran, harsh, ghange
less. He could not distinguish the
words he did not wish to; the music
was bad enough in all conscience, what
soever it. might become when sung by
youth or beauty. As it fell from the
lips of Senora Moreno the air was a
succession of vocal nasal disharmonies,
high pitched, strident, nerve racking.
Unable to listen after the third repe
tition, Plummer slowly retired from
the corral and once more appeared at
the front, just in time for a sensation.
Two troopers, two of the men who had
ridden back with Donovan, came lurch
ing into the lighted space before the
main entrance. At sight of the pay
master one o'f them stiffened up and
with preternatural gravity of mien ex
ecuted the salute. The other, with an en
velope in htehanuyreeledoutof the sad
dle, failed to catch his balance, plunged
heavily into the sand and lay there.
Corporal Murphy sprang eagerly for
ward, the first man to reach him, and
turned the prostrato trooper over on his
back.
"What'sthe matter?" queriedPlum
mer. "Is he sick?"
"Sick, is it?" was tho quick retort,
as the corporal sniffed at the tainted
breath of the sufferer. "Be the pow
ers, I only wish. I had half his dis
ayse." And then came Feeny, glaring, wrath
ful. "Como down off tho top of that
horse, Mullan," ho ordered, fiercely.
"How how'4 j'o get here? Which
way'd ye come? Where's the rest?"
With tho ponderous dignity of in
ebriety, .Mullan slowly pointed up the
desert under the spot where the pole
star glowed in the northern skies.
"Sarsh'nt," he hiccoughed, "we're
wo'retoo late; 'Paches got there
first."
"Hwat! hwat!" thundered Feeny.
"D'ye mean there were women that
'it wasn't a plant?"
"Fack."
"Hware's 3'our dispatches, you
drunken lout? How dare you dhrink
when there was fight ahead? Hware's
your dispatches? and may heaven blast
the souls of 3'ou both!"
"Here, sergeant, said Murphy,
wrenching the soiled envelope from the
loose grasp of the prostrate trooper.
"It's to 3'ou, sir," said Feeny, with
one glance at the sprawling superscrip
tion. "In God's name read and let us
know what devil's work's abroad to
night." Even Plnmmer's pudgy fingers trem
bled as ho tore open the dingy packet
Old Moreno came forth with a light,
his white teeth gleaming, his black
eyes flashing from one to another of
the group. Holding the penciled
page close to the lantern, the paymaster
read aloud :
"Camp burned. One jnan killed;
others scattered; mules and buckboard
gone. For God's sake help in tho pur
suit. Strike for Baton Pass. The In
dians have run away my poor sisters.
"Edward Harvey."
Tho major dropped the paper, fairly
stunned with dismay. Feeny sprang
forward, picked it up, and eagerly
icrutinized the page. Mullan, standing
insteadily at the head of his wearied
and dejected horse, was looking om
with glassy ayes, his lips vainly striv
ing to frame further particulars. Leav
ing their supper unfinished, the other
men of the little squad had come tum
bling out intcf the summer night. No
one paid other heed to the trooper
sprawling in the sand. Already in
deep, drunken slumber, ho was breath
ing stertoronsly. Feeny's eyes seemed
fastened to tho letter. Lino by line,
word by word, again and again he
spelled it through. Suddenly he leaped
forward and clutched Mullan at the
throat, shaking him violently.
"Answer now. Hware'd you get
your liquor? Didn't this fellow give
it to you?"
"On my honor no, sarsh'nt, 'pon
my 'on"
"Oh, to h 1 with your honor and you
with it! Hware'd you get it if it
wasn't from him? Shure you've not
been near Ceralvo's?"
"No, sarsh'nt, no Ceralvo's. We
mot couple gen'l'mcn perfec' gen'l'
men, ranchers; they were going after
the Indians. They gave us jus o-one
drink 'piece. Jus' five minutes go. ' '
"How far away was this? Hware
were they? Answer or, d n you,
I'll shako tho truth out of you I" shouted
Feenj, suiting action to word. "Spake
beforo you, too, are lying like that
other hog. Did you over see the camp?
Did you ever get to the crossing at all?
Douso a dipper of water over him, you
Latham, quick. Wake up, I say, Mul
lan. For tho love of God, major, I be
lieve they're both drugged. I believe
it's all a d d lie. I believe ita
only a skamo to get you to send out the
rest of your escort, so they can tackle
you alone. Kick him, Murphy, kick
him; throt him round: don't let him
get to sleep. Answer me, you scoun
drel!" he "fairly yelledfor Mullan's fieaa
was drooping on his breast and every
lurch promised to land him on his face.
Twice his knees doubled up like a foot
rule and the stout little sergeant had to
jerk him to his feet.
"Search 'em both. See if they've a
flask be tone 'cm, Latham. Answer
me, Mullan, did you see the burned
camp? Did you see the dead man?
Did Oh, murtherl Now he's gone 1
There's never a word to be got out of
either of them this night. But don't
you believe that letthert major. Djgn't
Holding the penciled page dote to tk$
lantern, the pavmatler read aland.
you trust a word of it; it's false asaelL
It's only a plan to rob ye of your es
cort first and your life and mosey later.
That's it, men. douse them, kick theta,
xnurther them both if you like the
curs! and they'd drink when thej
knowed every man was needed." AnA
adding force to his words Feeay drove
a furious kick at the luckless Mulla.
"Do you mean there is bo truth ia
this? Do you mean you thiakit all a
fraud, a trick?" at last queried the
major. "Why, it seems incredible!"
' ' I say just what I mean, major. It's
a plot to rob you. I mean the gacf
has gathered for that very purpose. 1
mean that every story told us about
the Apaches west or south of here or
between us and the Gila is a bloody
lie. The guard at the signal statioa,
hadn't seen or heard of them. They
laughed at me when I told them what
they tried to make us believe at Ceral
to's. 'Twas there they wanted to have
you stop, for there you'd have no chanoe
at all. Shure, do you suppose if the
Apaches were out if this story was
true they wouldn't have keard it and
investigated it by this time, and the
beacon fire would have been bla-dmg at
the Picacho?"
Then Murphy turned and ran around
the corner of the corral to a point where
he could see the dim outline of the
range against the western sky. The .
next moment his voice rose upon the
night air, vibrant, thrilling:
"Look! God be good to us, nujeri
It's no lie. The signal fire's blazinf
at the peak."
j . to bk cosenxvn. I
Mr. J. P. Blaize, an extensive
real estate dealer in Des Moines,
Iowa, narrowly escaped one of the
severest attacks of pneumonia while
in the northern part of that state
during a recent blizzard, says the
Saturday Review. Mr. Blaize had
occasion to drive several miles dur
ing the storm and was so thoroughly
chilled that he could not get warm,
and inside of an hour after his re
turn he was threatened with a
severe case of pneumonia or lung
fever. Mr. Blaize sent to the near
est drug store and got a bottle of
Chamberlain's Cough .Remedy, of
which he had often heard, and took
a number of large doses. He says
the effect was wonderful and in a
short time he was breathing quite
easily. He kept on taking the
medicine and the next day was able
to come to Des Moines. M. Blaize
regards his cure as simply wonder
ful. For sale by A. F. Streitz and
North Platte Pharmacv.
In the case of. Mrs. Wilson o
Custer countv, alleged to be insane,
the Broken Bow Republican thinks
the witnesses who appeared against
her were nearer bereft of reason
than the one they want sent to the
asvlnm.
Sintr a song of sixpence,
Pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds
I'aked in a pie;
When the p?e was opened
And the birds began to sing:
Buy a bottle of Hnller's cough syrup
It's just the proper thing.
For Mile by F. II. Longley.
The cause of the failure of the
Rushville bank of which Lew May
is president was the beginning of a
suit by the bank to recover from
the estate of the late cashier $ 10.000
owed by him to the concern. The
depositors heariug of this became
frightened and made a run, soon
cleaning out the cash in the vaults.
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