THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 394, 20 May 1910, Page 6

THE STORYTELLER.

TRUE *u HIS TRUST Jack Wilson jumped lightly off his pony, threw the rein over a post, and walked into the Express ojlice of jcauiwood, in the Black Hills of Dakota. "Any mails for the North, boss?" he asked, cheerily. -Mr. Sheppard, the manager, rose from his desk. He was a sharp-featured man; young, hut with a wrinkled face, that told of late hours, and tne tense anxiety of the gaming-table. He nodded to the young mail-rider. "There's something more than usuaiiy valuable to-day, Wilson," he said, taking a 'package from 'his desk. "This contains ten thousand dollars' worth of bills for the branch of Deadwood Bank, at North Fork." •'sick gave a whistle. "Why, it ought' to be sent under an escort, sir," he exclaimed. "You are surely not afraid, Wilson?" "Not at all," said Jack, flushing. "But for the safety of tile money " "An ■ escort would be known to he carrying treasure, and would be attacked. But you will carry them unknown to anyone." "Ah, this consignment is secret, then ?" "Except to you and me.' "That alters 'the ease." "Remain here for an hour, Wilson, and then start." "For what am I to wait?" asked Jack, surprised. "Because T tell you to,' answered the manager, frowning. Jack bit his lip, and made no further remark. Mr. Sheppard quitted the express office and the young messenger charted with the clerks until the hour had expired. Then he carefully stowed away the package of oins in his saddle-bags, mounted his mustang, and rode out to Deadwood. He 'took the northern road thraugh the gulch, followed it for three miles, land then turned into a rough bridle-path that wound among the hills to the north-east. This trail led, through the recesses of the Black Hill, to North Fork —a town so called because it lay near the north fork of the Shavenne river. As he entered upon this lonely tract Jack Wilson looked to his revolvers and unslung his Winchester rifle from his hack. There was >a chance of robbers here, and he d-- not mean to be caught napping, if he could help it, with ten thousand dollars in this saddle-bags. Jack had an .uneasy feeling. The ■manager's behaviour toad been strange, and had made an impression upon him. He had never liked Sheppard much, and he .had often wondered where the manager found the money to pay his gambling debts, which, as many people in Deadwood knew, were vcry'heavy. A couple of months /before, Bob Turner, one of Jack's chums, had been sent to Digger's Gulch with ia large sum of money, which, 'he was supposed to carry secretly, but he 'bad been shot on the road and robbed of every dollar. People wondered how the road-agents knew that Turner carried money with him, contrary to the custom of the express riders, and Mr. Sheppard opined that Bab had let it out in some saloon before he started. Jack had a suspicion, which was that the manager knew' more about the matter than he aught, but, in the absence of any kind of evidence, he said 'nothing of what he suspected'. Now he ■was sent upon the same kind of mission, with a still larger sum. "I'll be careful," Jack said to himself. "If Sheppard is playing a .gam-game, he shan't take me intrf'camp:so' easily." With this resolve, he turned aside from the trail, and rode out upon the unmarked hills. He knew the ground well, and he knew that he could find his wav to North Fork without following; the regular trail, at the cost 01 a few hours' delay t It was worth: jbhat to avoid an ambush, if one was laid for him on the route, for he suspected that Sheppard had made him wait in the office just to get ahead of him.. His suspicions were not ill-founded. A clatter of hoofs hehind caught his ear, and, turning his head, he saw three horsemen dash after him at full speed. "Thank God I left the trial!" he muttered. "If I had ridden on, they would have riddled me from behind the rocks,, before I could fire a shot." He put spurs to his mustang. But a shot rang out behind; it did not hit Jack, hut struck the left hind-leg of the pony. The poor brute gave a whinny of pain and dropped like a log. Jack landed on his feet, and in a moment detached the saddle-bag from the wounded horse, and continued on foot. The three horsemen spurred on, never doubting that they would run down uie dismounted messenger. But Jack had no intention of pitting his sped against that of mounted men. He was running for a refuge. A steeply sloping gulchside, strewn with boulders, was close at tend. In a, minute he was at the top of the slope, .sheltered behind a big square rock. He placed the saddle-bags, containing the wealth for which human lives were now to be risked, upon the ground beside him, and took his Winchester in his hands. The three horsemen 'halted abruptly, as a bullet whizzed by within an inch of one of them. "Cover," said one, who seemed to be the leader. Jack thought he knew the outline ot this man's form, but he could not see his face, which was masked. The other two were not masked; they were common border ruffians, with bearded and 'brutal faces. Hastily dismounting, the three men took cover among the rocks, and opened fire upon Jack, but he was well sheltered, and their fire had no effect. Naturally, they hesitated to charge up the steep slope in the face of Jack Wilson and his repeating rifle. "Wilson," called out the masked man, sharply.

"Here I am," Jack called back, in a defiant tone. "Surrender to us your saddle-bags and what is in them, and we will spare your life." Jack was almost sure he knew the voice, though the speaker tried to disguise it by an assumed huskiness. "You're a liar!" answered Jack. "You would break your word if I trusted yon." "Do you refuse?" "Yes. The money was entrusted to me, and I'll be true to my trust/' "We'll rush you, by thunder!" Jack knew that, if a rush were made, he could bowl O'ver one, perhaps two, ot tho robbers, but would then most likely receive a bullet. <• "Take one step towards me," he cried, "and I will burn the bills." "\ r ou hound, you dare not." "Try me and see." Jack took cut a box of matches. "You may murder me, you scoundrels," he cried, "but it shall not 'benefit you. You shall never touch a cent of the money." The three robbers cursed furiously, and the masked robber, forgetting caution in his rage at being battled, let out a string of oaths in his natural voice. And then Jack kneiw for certain that the express company's Deadwood manager was a traitor. It was Sheppard who was leading this attack against him. "The villain, I'll expose him in Deadwood,' muttered Jack. When the masked man spoke to Jack again, his voice was trembling with passion, iwihich he vainly tried to suppress. "Wilson, if you don't surrender tne notes to us we'll remain here and besiege you, and starve you into submission." "You shall never, I say, touch the hotes. H you inree nave not ridden away in ten minutes, I will set fire to them," said Jack, firmly. "We won't go, but if you burn them, we'll roast you alive," the masked man cried (hoarsely. "I have warned you," Jack replied, calmly. "If I can't save the money entrusted to me, I will at least prevent it from falling into your hands." The ten minutes elapsed, but the robbers did not stir. "Are you going?" called out Jack. "No," yelled the masked man. "Then the notes shall burn." "Rush him, boys, before he can do it." The three men sprang up. Jack's rifle cracked, and one of them fell upon his face with an awful cry, shot through the head. Jack expected a death-grapple, but it did not come. The fatal shot "rattled" the other two, who sank into cover again, cursing madly. The man Jack had dropped lay in tun oiew of the young messenger, writhing in the throes of death. It was not a pleasant sight, but u.ie exipress-rider was too accustomed to the ways of the Wild West to be much affected by it. "Any more coming on?" shouted Jack, defiantly. A torrent of curses was the only reply. "Very well; now I'll start the. flareup.'.' Jack ihad in his saddle-bags a couple of newspapers; he took them out, tore them, and lit them. The robbers saw the smoke and flames, and heard the crackling of the, burning paper, and never doubted for a moment that the bills were being burned. Made desperate by the thought 01 losing their plunder thus, they leaped up and dashed forward. But Jack was. quite ready for them. His Winchester rang sharply, and one of them reeled back, severely wounded. The masked man funked again, retreating to cover. When the newspapers had been reduced to ashes, Jack called out: "It's over now; you can clear out; you've nothing to stay for. I'm read)' for you; waltz up." "Oh, 111 have revenge for this!" hissed the masked man. But this the masked man declined to do. He helped ins wounded comrade to his horse, mounted his own, and the pair rode away, leading the steed of the dead robber. Jack and the man he had killed remained the soie tenants- of the gulch. : Jack waited some time, and when he was sure that the coast was clear, left his cover, and, with the precious bags slung over his shoulder, set out on foot for North Fork. lie passed his wounded mustang, still moaning on the ground where it had fallen, and stopped a minute to put it out of its pain with a rifle-ball. Then on to North Fork with swinging strides he went. He reached the town at sunset, footsore and weary, delivered the treasure at the bank, and borrowed a horse to ride back to Deadwood. Owing to the loss of time, he did not reach the Queen 4jity 01 the West until midnight. In the Express Office at Deadwood, a pale-faced man was pacing; with irregular strides. It was Sheppard, awaiting the return of Jack Wilson. "I'll ruin him," he muttered, again and again. 'l'll cast ridicule upon the story of the robbers, and accuse him ot stealing the money. That shall be my revenge. By why is he so late ?" A ringing of hoofs sounded in the street. "Ah! here he is." Jack Wilson sauntered into the office. "Y'ou are late," said the manager, harshly. "I am sorry, sir, but I was delayed upon the road." "Did you deliver the bills safely ai North Fork?" . "Yes, sir!" The calm reply made aheppard fairly jump. "You did?" "Yes, sir; here's the receipt." .Sheppard looked at it, then at Jack, and saw the mocking smile that curled the young man's lips. He saw that Wilson knew the part he had played; Jack meant him to see it. "To-morrow," said Jack, "I shall relate my adventure upon the road to all Deadwood. You have the night before -vou, sir."

And he turned and walked out of the office. The manager, white as a sheet, stood still, gazing after mm. The next morning Deadwood discovered that Mr. Sheppard .had absconded. It was soon made known that, to settle his "ambling losses, he had embezzled a large .sum; Jack guessed that he had intended to replace the abstracted cash, by killing the messenger and appropriating the ten thousand dollars he carried" But Jack's lucky escape left him no means of obtaining the required sum; discovery was imminent, and this, with the knowledge that Jack meant to expose him, caused his hurried flight. He made for' Canada, but the detectives ran him down, and arrested him in Bismarck City. He was tried, and sentenced to a lontr term of imprisonment. He deserved worse. Jack, when his adventure became known, was praised by everyone for the courage and cunning strategy he had shown; and the express company rewarded him with live Hundred dollars, and promoted him to the post left vacant by the rascally Sheppard, so that Jack lost nothing by being true to his trust.