Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

504. ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE, word and put a hole through your black heart if you try any more tricks.” When his prisoner was mounted, he fastened his ankles together by another thong under the belly of the pony. Weir was taking no chances. Up into his own saddle then he swung himself. | No exultant curses now came from his captive’s lips. - . CHAPTER XXXII. A FINAL CHALLENGE. "THE hour was drawing near midnight when Weir and his prisoner entered the town. Most of the women and children of the crowd of Mexicans had gone to their homes, but men yet remained before the court-house and in the street, discussing and arguing the exciting events that had occurred that night. In some mysterious manner knowledge that Burkhardt and not Weir was the pris- oner in the jail, with news of Senator Gor- don’s suicide and Vorse’s death, had spread from mouth to mouth. Amazement and incredulity had been followed by an aroused feeling of anger, for to the Mexicans it ap- peared that the crushing blow dealt the leaders of the town was the arbitrary act of the man they believed a lawless gunman. Were not Weir’s foremen and engineers guarding the jail? Men who were strang- ers, not even citizens of the county? But though an undercurrent of feeling ran among the talking groups, gradually increasing as the time passed, yet was there no active desire on the part of all or any- thing like concerted movement to drive away the seeming invaders of the law. For any such attempt a strong leader was ‘necessary. There was none: Madden frowned upon them, saying only as he moved about that he was executing the law; Sorenson, the dominating figure of the town, and Burkhardt, Vorse, and Gordon’s friend, were strangely absent. The determined guard about the jail was in itself a deterrent to mob action. Meyers had brought twenty or more men from camp, armed and alert, who with those al- ready about the building constituted a force to make any crowd of Mexicans, however angry, think twice before seeking to rescue prisoners. But the wish and the spirit were not lacking. Employees of the plotters, men who had received favors from Sorenson or Vorse or Burkhardt, Mexicans of a natural- ly vicious and unruly temper, were all for rushing the jail. The great number of the people, however, peaceful and indolent, pre- ferred to content themselves with the satis- fying of their curigsity by talk instead of seeking a taste of blood. . And so, as a result of this divided opinion, the hostility for Weir had not expressed it- self in an effort to assail the keepers of the jail. When he was discovered to have re- turned to town, this feeling assumed a menacing form. He approached the court- house by the side street, Sorenson riding at his side, for it was his plan to lodge his prisoner in the jail with as much secrecy as possible. Nevertheless in this he was disappointed; men saw him arrive, assist his prisoner to alight, and climb the board fence about the yard; and drawn by the expectation of new events, the nearer groups hastened toward ‘him. - Weir impelled his man toward the jail. ‘“‘ Stand back,” he commanded the Mexi- cans. . The latter at first stared in astonishment at beholding the pair, one of whom was San Mateo’s foremost citizen, now sullenly advancing with wrists bound. Exclamation burst from their lips. A flash of hope filled Sorenson. ‘““To my rescue, friends!” he cried, be- ginning to struggle. Weir jerked him ahead fiercely and cast fiercer looks at the Mexicans. “This man is under arrest. And re- -member—I can still shoot straight,” he warned. Toward him came Madden running, who, in Weir’s disappearance earlier in the night, had guessed a pursuit of the cattleman, and had therefore returned to the jail. He placed himself at Sorenson’s right. “Whoever tries to take Sorenson from the hands of the law does so at his own peril!’ he exclaimed. ECoOnniclboooks (C(O) mM