Jesse James' Desperate Game; Or, The Robbery of the Ste. Genevieve BankWard, William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio))
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Jesse James' Desperate Game; Or, The Robbery of the Ste. Genevieve Bank
Ward, William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio))
James, Jesse, 1847-1882 -- Fiction; Western stories
"You mean the stuff's been doped?" asked Clell and Cole, almost in the
same breath as they inspected the spot their leader indicated on the
stopper and realized its significance.
"You're on. A--ah! I thought so. Taste of it and then tell me what you
think."
During the brief interval following the discovery that the bottle had
been tampered with, the bandit-chieftain had hurriedly pulled off the
wires, yanked out the cork and raised the snout to his lips.
"It's sure got a peculiar flavour," declared the eldest of the Younger
brothers as he passed the bottle to his companion. "Tastes bitter."
As soon as the wine had touched Clell's tongue, he confirmed their
suspicions.
"I was knocked out once with 'peter' drops and I'd know the taste of
the poison any time. You can stake your bottom dollar that there's a
liberal dose of chloral in that bottle."
"That's all I want to know," chuckled Jesse. "Old money bags, you've
got yourself into a mess that'll make you open your purse-strings
before you see the end of it.
"Cole, go up to the square and get a lawyer. I'm going to have Rozier
arrested if there's anything in the law against trying to drug a
person."
Too amazed at the purpose of their chief to speak, the outlaws glanced
at one another and then at him, their lips puckered as though they
would whistle.
"It's nothing to get so stirred up about," continued the famous
desperado, noting the effect his words produced. "If it is a crime,
I'll swear out the warrant. We'll turn these bottles over to the police
through the lawyer and while the Springs are convulsed with the arrest
of the banker, we'll slip out unnoticed. There's evidence enough in
these bottles to convict him without our presence and, from the crowd
who heard Dillaby say he sent the stuff, witnesses can be found who
will establish the connection between the 'fly mug,' the wine and both
young and old Rozier."
Elated at the prospect, the eldest of the Younger brothers picked up
his hat and hurried from the tent to summon a member of the legal
profession.
But he never reached his destination!
As he wound in and out among the side streets, the whistle of the
noonday train rang loud and shrill. Slowing up that he might not run
into the crowd of arrivals, he so timed his gait that he reached the
intersecting road just as the last of them seemed to have passed.
At the corner of the two streets, on the side on which he was walking,
a hedge obstructed his view, however. Yet as he had seen no one cross
the road, he deemed it safe for him to increase his pace.
Scarce three feet away from the sidewalk up which he intended to turn
was he, when suddenly a black-garbed young woman, struggling along with
a heavy satchel, appeared from behind the hedge.
Hearing the sound of footsteps so close to her, she turned her head
toward them to see who was coming.
As Cole beheld the rosy-cheeked face he with difficulty suppressed an
exclamation.
He knew the girl!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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