Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

492 had recovered his senses, and with them a knowledge of his plight, perceived the sher- iff’s intention, his rage burst all bounds. “You fool! You muddle-headed blun- derer!” he exclaimed, with a string of oaths. ‘““Take these cuffs off! You’ll lose your job for this trick. When I see Sorenson—” ‘When you see him you’ll see him, and that will be inside a cell,” was the cool re- joinder. ‘I didn’t know you were a dy- namiter and would-be murderer until to- night, but I saw you at work, and saw you shoot twice at Weir.” ‘You'll unlock these, I sdy, here and now!” And the raging voice went off in a further stream of biting curses. ‘“ Look at me; I’m Burkhardt. You’re crazy to talk of throwing me in jail, with my influence and—”’ “Your influence be damned!” was the imperturbable answer. ‘“ You'll have a long time in a penitentiary to see how much in- fluence you have, if you don’t swing first.” Burkhardt struggled fiercely for a mo- ment against the steel bands about his wrists-and the men who held him. No crook like this Weir shall ever send me behind bars, or any other man put me there. Wait till they find out you’ve double- crossed us for this engineer! Wait till I’m turned loose with a habeas corpus! You'll sweat blood for this night’s work, Mad- den!” The sheriff shook out the red handker- chief with which he expected to bind the prisoner’s mouth. “Tl wait for a long time if I wait for them to obtain the writ,” he remarked; “seeing that Gordon, in particular, is dead.” oF ‘“‘Dead! You’re a liar, you sneaking cur; you can’t bluff me! And when I’m loose, if I don’t fill you full of lead it will be because—”’ | But Burkhardt’s explanation was never finished on that point, for Madden whipped the rolled handkerchief over his mouth and quickly knotted it behind, shutting off the flow of seething, vituperative speech. If looks could slay, those he received from the prisener’s bleodshet, maddened eyes would Wait till Sorenson and Vorse -and . Senator Gordon learn what you’re trying! } ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. have dropped the sheriff in his tracks; as it was, they. fell harmless against the law officer’s person. ‘Things have changed sort of sudden, haven’t they, Burkhardt?” Madden stated sardonically. ‘ Never can tell what’s going to happen between supper and breakfast. Here I go out to serve a warrant on Weir, and, instead, I’m bringing you in for trying a low, I. W. W. trick. Surprising cards a fellow sometimes gets on the draw.” With which he went back to his own Car. Counting on quickness for the safe de- livery of his man in jail, Madden did not attempt to approach the court-house by a side street. On the contrary, he drove fast down the main way, with the other two cars following close, through the crowd of Mexicans drawn forth in wonder at the booming report of the explosion that had sounded from the dam. One could see that excitement was at a high pitch. With the rumors that all day had been in circulation, with later vague tales of the great debauch proceeding at the old ’dobe house half-way up the road to camp, with the thunder-clap that had burst from the base of the mountains com- ing on top of all—every man, woman, and child had run to the main street, where passing without pause - the men in the automobiles could see, by - Wagging tongues and gesticulating hands, that speculation was rife and curiosity afire. “The talk this evening when I sét out for your camp was that I expected to bring you in and hang you,’’ Madden said dryly to the engineer. ‘ Quite a crowd had come to town. Plain to see now that Burkhardt and his bunch had started the talk. I shouldn’t be surprised if there -had been some trouble had I arrested and locked you up. There are a few bad Mexicans around these parts that would do anything for money, and it’s evident from what’s hap- pened that Sorenson’s gang was ready to go the limit. What I’m trying to figure out is where these fellows Burkhardt had with him up yonder came from.” ‘“T can tell you. From across the line. I’ve seen plenty just like them down there,” Weir affirme |. “Just look at their hats NOO Co S Co mM