Strangely Saved From Death

A crowd of people wituessed a singularscsno here the other night, iu whieh f man 's life was sa ved af ter aa novel a fashiou as ever any writcr of fiction has 'evolved. Rafe Shaffer, a well known sporting man, was seated in a gambling : saloon talking to a friend, who had only lately come here from the east. 8haffer was telling his corupanion of a quarrel I that he had with another man abont town, whom he suspected of being ; aboufc to make an attempt on his life. As he was speaking the eastern man I suddenly interrupted him with the question, "Say, Shaffer, do you rememb'er i your old business as a telegraph operator?" Shaffer, who, it seenis, had followed ! this trade before going west, looked sur: prised, but answered that he did. "Well, you know, it's a very easy thing forgotten. Now, I will bet you can't teil me what I am going to tick out here on this table. " The eastern man then took a pencil from his pocket and began to tick off a message which, as he finished, caused 3hafler to spring hastily from his seat, drawing, as he did so, a revolver from his pocket, which he thrust almost in the face of a man who had been standing ia the door of the saloon, and who hac just covered him with his pistoL The two men glared at each other, and then Shaffer said oalmly: "Better put up your weapon, Smith, nnless you want to shoot it out with me here. I have got the drop on you as much as you on me. ' ' Smith hesitated and then replied that he would put up his pistol if Shaffer wouM and consented to leave the question between thern to the arbitration of mutual friends. Shaffer agreed to the arbitration plan, as it seems both men had their reasons for not letting the causo of tho bad blood between them be known to the public. Smith then left, aud Shaffer thanked his quiek witted friend for the services he had rendered him. The message the eastern man had rapped out was as follows: "If your enemy ia a dark complex - ioned man, with a hooked nose and a scar on the left cheek, he has just entered the saloon and has his hand on his pistol pooket. If you fear treachery from him, move quickly, or he'll have the drop on you. I am unarmed, so that I cannot draw for you. Draw now, as he has his pistol out, and unless you are as quick as lightning he will have you. " Shaffer's keen ear caught the words, and he acted at onoe on them, as haa been shown. His wheeling so suddenly about on Smith took that gentleman so by surprise that he was cotnpelled to