下载辰思小说免费APP
"\'Thisyeremeetin\'，\'saysEnright，meanwhilebeatin\'withthebuttofhissix-shooteronthepoker-table，\'issomesuddenan\'
permiscus；buttheobjectsiseasyan\'plain。We-allsconvenesourse\'fstoconsiderthephysicalconditionofthispartyfromYallerhouse，whichreportsaysislocoedan\'can\'ttalknoneforhimself。Tomakethisinquiryasuccess，we-allsoughterseethisYallerhousegent；an\'astharisfewerofhimthanofus，Iapp\'intsJackMoore，DanBoggs，an\'ShortCreekDave，acommittee，ofthree，tobringhimbeforeusinabody。Pendin\'thereturnofthecommitteethemeetin\'willtakeadrinkwiththechair。\'
"Inaboutnotimebackcomestheoutfit，packin\'theYallerhousemanalleasyenoughinablanket，an\'spreadshimoutonthefloor。Helookssorterred\'roundinspots，likesomethin\'sbeenstingin\'ofhim，butit\'sevident，asBoggssays，he\'slocoed。Helaysthar，rollin\'hiseyesan\'carryin\'ontohimse\'f，buthedon\'taddressthechairoroffertotakenopartinthemeetin\'。Enrightquaffshisdrinkallslowan\'dignified，an\'gazesattheYallerhousemanonthefloor。
"\'Well，gents，\'saysEnrightatlast，settin\'downhisglass，an\'
givin\'thepoker-tablealittletapwithhisgun，\'yere\'stheparty，an\'thequestionisnow:"What\'shegot？"DoIhearanyremarks？\'
"\'Bein\'inthelines，MisterPres\'dent，\'saysBoggs，\'ofpreviousassertion，an\'forthepurposeofbringin\'thequestionsquar\'
beforethishouse，InowmovesyouthisyereYallerhousepartyhasthesmallpox。Iain\'taimin\'hereinatplayin\'itlowonTutt，an\'
su\'geststhatthechair，inputtin\'thequestion，alsoinformsthemeetin\'astothemwagers；whichthemoneytharofisnowinthewar-
bagsofthebarkeep。Ibelievesingivin\'everygentallnecessarylightwhereintomakeuphismind；an\'，asIsays，toopenthegamealllogical，Iag\'inmovesthisYallerhousemanhasthesmallpox。\'
"\'Yotambien，\'yellsaMexicanovernearthedoor。
"\'PutthatGreaserout!\'shoutsEnright，atthesametimebangin\'
thetable。\'Thisain\'tnointernationalincidentatall，an\'nothin\'
buttheclean-strainAmericanwolfiseligibletohowl。\'
"TheGreasergoesoutonhissaddle-coloredhead，an\'EnrightputsBoggs\'smotion。
"\'Everygent，\'saysEnright，\'infavorofthisYallerhousemanhavin\'thesmallpox，say"Aye"；contrary"No。"\'
"Everybodyshouts\'Aye!\'
"\'Whichthe"Ayes"hasitunanimous，\'saysEnright。\'TheYallerhousepartyhasthesmallpox，an\'thenextchickenontheparliamentaryroostisthequestion:"Whateveristobedonetomakethisyeremaladyasuccess？"Istharanysu\'gestions？\'
"\'MisterPres\'dent，\'saysTexasThompson，risin\'inhisplace，\'I\'vedonetooknohandintheseproceedin\'ssofar，throughignoranceofthepurposesofthisyereconvocation。Saidpurposesbein\'nowforthefirsttimelinedoutallrightinmymind，an\'thequestionbein\'，"What\'stobedonewithourcaptive？"Iasksyourindulgence。
Myfirstideeisthatourdootyan\'ourpathisplain；thesamebein\'simplytotakealariatan\'hangthisYallerhousepersontothedance-hallwindmill；butthiscourse，onsecondthought，seemsprematooran\'theoffspringsofnacheralimpulse。Still，somethin\'
mustbedone；an\'whilemymindisbynomeanscl\'ar，Isu\'gestsweturnthegentovertoJackMoore，whichisthemarshalhereof，torideherdonhimtillfurtherorders；an\'Imakesamotiontothateffect。\'
"\'Secondsthemotion!\'saysShortCreekDave。
"\'Youdon\'thavetoputthatmotion，MisterPres\'dent，\'saysJack；
\'I\'vebeencirelin\'theideesomemyse\'f，an\'Ireckonsit\'smydootytotakechargeofthisYallerhousegent。Youcanbetanythin\'
whichgetssawedontomeasmydootygoes，an\'don\'tmakenodoubtaboutit。Yere\'showItrailsoutonthis:Ifitain\'tmydootytotakecareofthisperson，whosedootyisit？\'Tain\'tnobody\'s。
TharforeIplaysthehand。\'
"\'Whichthesamebein\'eminentsatisfactory，\'saysDaveTutt，risin\'，asifhethinksofsomethin\'speshul，\'InowinquireswhetherthisyereishelddecisiveofthembetsImakeswithBoggs。
Iholdin\'，meanwhile，contraryviewsemphatic。\'
"\'Thisbein\'aquestionofpriv\'lege，\'saysEnright，\'thechairwillanswerit。Theseproceedin\'sdecidesyourbetswithBoggs，an\'thebarkeeppaysBoggsthedinero。Thisisagov\'mentofthepeople，forthepeople，bythepeople，an\'foundedonavoxpopulibluff。Thevoiceofthemajoritygoes。YoutharforeloseyourbetstoBoggs；
drinksonBoggs，ofcourse。Tharisanothermatter，\'continuesEnright，\'abetweoverlooks。Takin\'careofthisYallerhousegentwillcostastackortwo，an\'meansmustbeprovided。Itharforemakesasanorderthatyereafterthar\'stobearakeontens-uporbetter，showed，tomakeafundtobackthisplay；saidraketogoontilMisterMoorereportssaidYallerhousegentassafeorceasedtobe。\'
"JacktakesthisYallerhousepartyovertothecalaboosean\'layshimawayonsomeblankets。Thecalabooseisdry，an\'whatyou-allsmightcall，commodious。It\'saslam-upcamp；yesindeed!NeverhasbutSteveStevensoninit。PutsSteveinonenightwhenhe\'sdead-
drunk。Thecalabooseisnewthen，an\'we-allsisthatproudan\'
anxioustotryitan\'putittosomeuse，wecouldn\'tresist，soinStevegoes。
"AboutfourhourslaterStevecomesbackuptotheRedLight，hotter\'naburntboot。Seemslikehecomesto，an\'isthatoutragedan\'indignantaboutbein\'corralledthata-way，hebuststhecorneroutenthecalaboosean\'issuesforthawholelottofindwhodoesit。
"WhenhecomesintotheRedLighthereviveshimse\'fwithadrink，an\'theninquireswhetherit\'shumorous，ordowemeanit？Seein\'
howspeshullowStevetakesit，we-allsallowsit\'sajoke；an\'
Steve，whileheevidentfeelssomefretted，concloodstoletitgoatthat。
"ButonaccountoftheholethroughwhichSteveemerges，an\'whichhemakesliberalan\'big，thecalabooseisamightycommodiousplace。SoJackbedsdowntheYallerhousemanallrightan\'startsintobringin\'himthrough。Therestofusdon\'tcrowd\'roundnonetowatchtheplay，don\'thoveroveritthata-way，\'causeweain\'taimin\'toacquirenothin\'ourse\'fs。
"Jackhasaheapoftroublean\'worry。Neverseesnosmallpoxdoyou？Folkslocoedmostusual，——cleanoffupintheairan\'pitchin\'
ontheirropes。OfcoursetheYallerhousegenthasallheneeds。
Thatrakeontens-upthemdayswouldhavetookcareofafam\'ly。ButhekeepsJackherdin\'himallthetime。Otherwise，notbein\'
watched，an\'crazythata-way，he\'sliabletocomestampedin\'overtotheRedLight，orsome\'erselse，anytime，an\'skeerusupsome。
"\'He\'saworld-beater，\'saysJackoneday，whenhecomesoverforadrink。\'He\'sshorelyfourkingsan\'anace。Youcan\'tridehimwithbuckin\'-strapsan\'aSpanishbit。It\'sgotsonow——hisdiseasebein\'
atacrisislike——thatIsimplyhastobewiththisYallerhousepartydayan\'night。He\'dshorelylaywastethiscampifIdidn\'t。\'
"AtlasttheYallerhousepartyan\'Jacksomehowbeatsthesmallpox，butYallerhousecomesoutshyaneye。ThesmallpoxgougesitoutoneofthemtimeswhenJackain\'tlookin\'outhisgamesharp。It\'shispistoleye，too；whichmakeshimfeelthelossmorekeen，an\'
createsgeneralsympathy。TheYallerhousemangetssomemoroseoverit，whichain\'t，afterall，onnacheral。Agentain\'tgotsomanyeyeshecanaffordtogoshortoneoneverylittlegameheplays。SohefindsfaultwithJackalot，an\'allowsifhehashimbackintheStateshe\'dsuehimforneglectofdooty。
"\'Which，Ishorelylikesthat!\'saysJacktotheYallerhouseparty，gettin\'peevishoverhisfault-findin\'。\'Don\'tyouknowit\'smerelyowin\'tothemercyofhellan\'mywatchfulcare，you-allain\'tbustin\'yourharp-stringsan\'raisin\'allrounddiscordamongtheheavenlyhostsonhighrightnow，insteadofbein\'safean\'wellyereinWolfville？Youdon\'tactlikeagentwhosaveyswhenhemakesawinnin\'。S\'poseyoubeaneyeout；you\'restilllookin\'atthingsterrestrialwiththeother。Youtalksofgrossneglectofdooty!Nowletmeinformyouofsomethin\':Youcomepesterin\'\'roundmesomemorean\'I\'llbendagunoveryourhead。\'
"\'Whichifitain\'tmysix-shootereyewhich\'sout，\'saystheYallerhouseparty，mightyugly，\'doyouknowwhatI\'ddo？Well，thisyerewouldbethebasisofafirst-classgun-play。Youcangambletharwouldn\'tbenojim-crowmarshalgopirootin\'\'round，losin\'noeyeofminean\'gettin\'awaywithit，an\'thentalkofbendin\'gunsonme；nonewhatever。\'
"ButitallpreysonJack。An\'a-seein\'ofthisYallerhousegent\'roundcampa-lookin\'athiminafault-findin\'wayoutenhisoneeyesorteraggravatesJacklikeit\'sanightmare。
"\'Iwouldn\'tminditsomuch，\'saysJacktome，confidential，\'ifthisYallerhousegentquitsalaigoranarmbehind，\'causeinwhicheventwepieceshimoutwithwood，easy。Butabouteyes，it\'sdifferent。Aneyeoutisaneyeout；an\'thatsettlesit。\'
"OnedayJackcan\'tb\'aritnolonger，an\'，resolvin\'toendit，hewalksuptotheYallerhousepartyintheRedLight，allbriskan\'
brief。
"\'It\'saroughdealonaone-eyedgent，\'saysJack，\'an\'Ishoreaskspardonan\'statesregretsinadvance。Butthingshasgottoashow-down。I\'mslowlybecomin\'onfitforpublicdooty。Nowyere\'sanoffer，an\'youcanhaveeitherend。You-allcangetahossan\'ahundreddollarsofme，an\'pullyourfreight；oryoucanfixyourse\'fwithagunan\'haveamightystirrin\'an\'eventfultimewithmerightyere。Asanoutcomeofthelast，thepublicwillhaveoneofustoplant，an\'mebbyavacancytofillinthepostofkettle-tender。Whichisit，an\'whatdoyousay？\'
"\'Whatforahossisshe？\'askedtheYallerhouseparty。
"\'Whichshe\'sapinto，\'saysJack；\'asexcellentapaintponyaseverisroped。\'
"\'Doesthisyerethreatyou-allmakesincloodeasaddlean\'spurs？\'
askstheYallerhouseparty。
"\'Itshorelydoes，\'repliesJack。\'Isitago？\'
"\'Well，\'saystheYallerhouseman，afterponderin\'ituponewayan\'
downtheother，\'thisideeofsettlin\'foreyesforahossan\'ahundreddollarsisfarfrombein\'usualwithme。IfIhasmyeyeag\'in，I\'dshorelystayan\'shootitout，an\'admiretobepresent。
Butnowsechthoughtsisvanity。Soroundupyourmoneyan\'yourponyattheRedLightinfifteenminutesbythewatch，an\'assoonasIgetsabottlefilledI\'mreadytogo。Ishorelyshouldnotregretleavin\'an\'outfitwhichputsfolksinjailforbein\'sick，an\'connivesbyrecklessan\'criminalneglectofdootyattheirbein\'blindedforlife。\'"
CHAPTERXIII。
JACKSUPONEIGHTS。
"No；youcanhazardyourwealthalot，thar\'snosooperstitionlurkin\'\'roundinmeormyenvirons；nonewhatever。Iattachesnoimportancetowhatyou-allcallsomens。"
Somebodyhadundertakenadisquisitionondreams，andattemptedtociteinstanceswherethefuturehadbeenindicatedinthesehazyvisionsofoursleep。ThishadservedtoturntheOldCattleman\'strainofthoughtupontheweird。
"Thar\'ssigns，ofcourse，towhichI\'dshorelybow，nottosaypayabsorbin\'heed。IfsomegentwithwhomIchoosestodiffertouchin\'
somematterthat\'saheaprelevantatthetime，upsan\'reachesforhisgunabrupt，itfillsmefullofpreemonitionsthatthenearfutureismightyliabletobecomeloadedwithleadan\'interestforme。Nowthar\'sanomenIdon\'tdiscount。ButafterallIain\'tconsentin\'tocallthemapprehensionsofminethefrootofnosooperstition，neither。I\'mmerelychary；that\'sall。
"It\'sCherokeeHallwhoiswhatIonhesitatin\'lydescribesassooperstitious。Cherokeeisafflictedbymoresignsan\'omensincarryin\'onhisbusinessthananalmanac。It\'sawaykyardsharpsgetsinto，Ireckons；sortergrowsoutentheirtrade。LeastwiseI
nevercreepsupononeyetwhoain\'tbein\'guidedbyallsortsofmiraclesan\'warnin\'sthata-way。An\'sometimesitdoeslookliketheyacquiresap\'interthatcomesto\'emonstraightlines。As\'llustratin\'thisyerelast，itreturnstomesomevividhowCherokeean\'Boggsgetstoprophesyin\'oneday，an\'howtheycallsofftheplaybetween\'emsoplumbc\'rrectthata-way，it\'smorethanamazin\'；it\'ssinister。
"It\'sahotAugustday，thisoccasionIhasinmind，an\'whilenotpossessin\'oneofthemheat-gaugestosayackerate，I\'mallowin\'
it\'sridin\'hardonsechweatherasthis。Abandofusisatthepost-officea-wrastlin\'ourletters，whenintrailsCherokeeHalllookin\'somemoody，an\'setshimse\'fdownonabox。
"\'Whichyou-allnodoubtallowsyou\'lltakesomemissivesyourse\'fthismornin\'，\'saysDocPeets，a-noticin\'ofhisgloom，an\'aimin\'
top\'inthisideesupsomeothertrail。Doc，himse\'f，isfeelin\'
somegala。\'PassoverthemdocumentsforCherokeeHall，an\'don\'tholdoutnothin\'ontous。We-allsis\'waytoopeevishtostandanyoffishulgaietiesto-day。\'
"\'Thar\'snooneweak-minded\'noughtowritetomenone，\'saysCherokee。`WhichIremarksthisyerephenomenonwithpleasure。Mail-
bagspacksmoregriefthanjoy，an\'Iain\'thonin\'fornohandinthegamewhatever。It\'sfifteenyearssinceIbuysastamporgetsaletter，an\'allthirsttharforisassuagedcomplete。\'
"\'Fifteenyearsisshorealongtime，\'saysEnright，sortertohimse\'f，an\'thenwe-allshopsintoourlettersag\'in。FinallyCherokeebreaksinoncemore。
"`Iain\'taimin\'toinvestWolfvilleinnosooperstitiousfears，\'
saysCherokee，\'an\'ImerelychroniclesasacurrenteventhowIwassettin\'intoalittlepokerlastnight，an\'threetimesstraightI
picksup"thehandthedeadmanheld，"jacksuponeights，an\'itwinseverytime。\'
"`Wholosetoit？\'asksDanBoggs。
"\'Why，\'saysCherokee，\'it\'severytimethatoldlonghornascomesinfromTucsonbacksometwoweeksago。\'
"\'Thatsettlesit，\'saysBoggs，mightydecided。\'Youcanbetyoursaddlean\'throwtheponyin，Deathisfixin\'hissightsforhimrightnow。It\'sshorelyawarnin\'，an\'I\'mplumbgladitain\'tnoneoftheboys；that\'sall。\'
"YouseethisyerestrangerwhoCherokeealloodsatcomesoverfromTucsonalittlewhilebefore。Hehaslongwhiteha\'ran\'beard，an\'，jedgin\'fromtheringsonhishorns，he\'smebbya-comin\'sixty。Heseemslikehe\'splentyofmoney，an\'wetakesithe\'sallright。Hisleavin\'Tucsonshowshehassense，sowecasheshiminathisfigger。Ofcoursewe-allsneveraskshisnamenone，asaskin\'namesan\'lookin\'atthebrandsonaponyisspeshulroodeintheWest，an\'showsyourbringin\'up；butheallowshe\'scalled\'OldBillGentry\'totheboys，an\'hean\'FaroNell\'spartic\'larfriendly。
"\'Talkin\'tohim，\'saysNell，\'islikelayin\'intheshade。Heknowseverythin\'，too；allaboutbooksan\'thingsallovertheworld。Hewasa-tellin\'me，too，ashowhehadadaughterlikemethatdied\'waybacksome\'ersaboutwhenIwasayearlin\'。Hefeelsaheapbadaboutityet，an\'Igetssosorryforhim；sooldan\'
white-ha\'red。\'
"\'An\'youcangamble，\'saysDaveTutt，\'ifNelllikeshim，he\'sallright。\'
"\'IfNelllikeshim，thatmakeshimallright，\'saysCherokee。
"We-allsisstilltalkin\'an\'readinoverourmailinthepost-
office，whenallatoncewehearsJackMooreoutside。
"\'What\'sthisyereliteratoorasaffrontsmyeyes，pastedontotheoutsideofUncleSam\'swickeyup？\'saysJack，mightytruculent。We。
allsgoesout，an\'thar，shore-\'nough，isanoticeofferin\'fifteenhundreddollarsrewardforsomesharpwho\'sbeena-standin\'upthestageovertowardsPrescott。
"\'Whoevertacksthisup？Iwonder，\'saysEnright。`Itneverisyeretenminutesago。\'
"\'Well，jestyou-allhover\'roundan\'watchthegloryofitscomin\'
down，\'saysJack，a-cuttin\'ofitloosewithhisbowie，an\'tearin\'
itup。\'Iyerewithfurnishestheinformationcold，thiscampofWolfvilleknowsitsbusinessan\'don\'thavetobenotifiedofnothin\'。Thisyereoutfithasavig\'lancecommitteeallreg\'lar，whichI\'mkettle-tendertharfor，an\'whenitcomesnacheraltoannouncesomenoticetothepublic，you-allswillperceivemea-
pervadin\'ofthesceneryonahossan\'promulgatin\'ofsaidnoticevivervoce。AmIright，Enright？\'
"\'Rightaspreachin\'，Jack，\'saysEnright。\'Youspeakstroothlikearunnin\'brook。\'
"\'Butwhoeversticksthatnotice？——that\'stheinformationIpantsfor，\'saysBoggs，pickin\'upan\'readin\'ofthepiece。"\'IreckonsI
poststhatnoticesomemyse\'f，\'saysabig，squar\'-builtgentwe-
allsdon\'tknow，an\'whocomesintheothermornin\'withOldMonteonthestage。Ashesaysthishe\'ssa\'nterin\'aboutthesuburbsofthecrowd，listenin\'tothetalk。
"\'Well，don\'tdoitnomore，partner，\'saysJack，mightygrave。\'AsacommoonityWolfville\'snodoubt\'waywrong，butwe-allshasourpridesan\'ourownpecooliarlittlenotions，thata-way，aboutwhatlooksgood；so，afternow，don\'talterthelandscapenone\'roundyeretillyouc\'lectsourviews。\'
"\'I\'mofferin\'evenmoney，postin\'noticesdon\'thurtthisyerecampalittlebit，\'saysthestranger。
"\'Comin\'righttocases，\'saysEnright，\'itdon\'thurtnone，butitgratesawholelot。Theideeofamerestrangera-strollin\'inan\'
a-pastin\'upofnotices，likehe\'sstandin\'apathandonwhatheknowsan\'wenotinit，isaheaponpleasant。Sodon\'tdoitnomore。\'
"\'WhichIdon\'taimtodoitnomore，\'saysthesquar\'-builtgent，\'butIstillclingstomyideethatnoticesain\'tnoset-backtothiscamp。\'
"\'Thesamebein\'ameretheery，\'saysDocPeets，\'personaltoyourse\'f，Iholdsitwouldbeonp\'litetodiscussit；solet\'sallwheelondercoverforadrink。\'
"Atthiswe-allslinesupontheRedLightbaran\'nacherallydrinksendsthetalk，astheyallersought。
"Alongtowardssundownwe-allsgetssomecooler，an\'bysecond-drinktimeintheevenin\'everyoneismovin\'about，an\'，asithappens，quiteabandisintheRedLight；somedrinkin\'an\'exchangin\'ofviews，an\'somebuckin\'thevariousgameswhichisgoin\'wideopenall\'round。Cherokee\'ssettin\'behindhisbox，an\'FaroNellisupathisshoulderonthelookoutstool。Thegame\'sgoin\'plentylivelywhenalongcomesOldGentry。Cherokeetakesaglanceathiman\'
seemsworriedalittle，reflectin\'，nodoubt，ofthem\'handsthedeadmanheld，\'buthegoesondealin\'withoutaword。
"\'Where\'syou-alldonebeenallday？\'saysNelltotheoldman。\'I
ain\'tseenyounonewhateversinceyesterday。\'
"\'Why，Igetstiredan\'doneupalot，settinag\'instCherokeelastnight，\'saystheoldman，\'an\'soIprowlsdowninmyblanketsan\'
sleepssometillaboutanhourago。\'
"Theoldmanbuysastackofbluesan\'sets\'emontheten。It\'sjestthenincomesthesquar\'-builtgent，who\'sbeenpostin\'ofthenoticeformer，an\'p\'intsasix-shooteratGentryan\'says"\'Putyourhandsup!put\'emupquickorI\'lldrillyou!Oldasyoube，Idon\'ttakenochances。\'
"\'AtthefirstwordNellcomesoffherstoollikeasmalllandslide，whileCherokeebringsagunintoplayontheinstant。Theoldman\'supevenwiththeproceedin\'s，too；an\'standsthar，hisguninhishand，hiseyesa-glitterin\'an\'hiswhitebearda-curlin\'likeacat\'s。He\'scleanstrain。
"\'Letmegetawordin，gents，\'saysCherokee，plentyca\'m，\'an\'
don\'tnoonesetinhisstackon。lesshe\'sgotahand。Idoesbusinessyeremyway，an\'I\'mduetodownthefirsthold-upwhoshootsacrossanylayoutofmine。Don\'tmakenomistake，orthenextcensus\'llbeshy，shore。\'
"\'Whatbeyou-allsaimin\'tocel\'brateanyhow？\'saysJackMoore，gettin\'thesquar\'-builtgent\'sgunwhileBoggscorralsGentry\'s。\'
Who\'sWolfvilleentertainin\'yere，I\'dlikefortoknow？\'
"\'I\'maWells-Fargodetective，\'saysthesquar\'-builtgent，\'an\'
thisyere，\'p\'intin\'toOldGentry，\'isJimYates，thebiggesthold-
upan\'stage-robberbetweenhellan\'\'Frisco。Thatoldtarrapin\'llstopastagelikeayoung-onewouldaclock，merelytoseewhat\'sintoit。He\'sthepartyI\'mpastin\'upthenoticeforthismornin。"
"\'He\'saliar!\'saystheoldman，a-gettin\'ugliereveryminute。
`Giveusoursix-shootersanthrowusloose，an\'ifIdon\'tlancetheroofofhislyin\'mouthwiththefrontsightofmygun，I\'llcashinforahold-uporwhateverelseyou-allssays。\'
"\'Whatdoyousay，Enright？\'saysJack。\'Let\'sgive\'emtheirjewelryan\'let\'emlope。I\'vegotmoneyassaystheWells-Fargobill-pastercan\'ttakethisold\'Cimmaronalittlebit。\'
"\'WhichItrailsin，\'saysBoggs，\'withafewchipsonthesamekyard。\'
"\'No，\'saysEnright，\'ifthisyereparty\'srustlin\'themails，we-
allscan\'tcallhishandtooquick。Wolfville\'sastraightcampan\'
don\'tbacknocrim\'nalplays；nonewhatever。\'
"Enrighttharuponcallsameetin\'oftheStranglers，an\'we-allslinesoutfortheNewYorkStoretotalkitover。Beforewedonepow-wowstwominutesupcomesOldMonte，withthestage，alldustan\'cuss-words，an\'allowshe\'sbeenstoodupoutbythecowspringssixhoursbefore，an\'isbehindthemail-bagan\'theAdamsCompany\'sboxonthedeal。We-allslooksatOldManGentry，an\'heshorelyseemstocrippledown。"\'Gentry，\'saysPeets，afterOldMontetellshisadventures，\'IhearsyoutellNellyouwassleepin\'allday。
S\'poseyoutakesthisyerecommitteetoyourbudweran\'exhibitstoushowitlookssome。\'
"\'Theturn\'sag\'inme，\'saystheoldman，\'an\'Ilose。I\'llcutitshortforyou-alls。Iholdsupthatstagethisafternoonmyse\'f。\'
"\'Thisyere\'sstraightgoods，Itakesit，\'saysEnright，\'an\'ourdootyisplain。Goovertothecorralan\'getalariat，Jack。\'
"\'Don\'tletEnrighthangtheoldman，Cherokee，\'saysNell，beginnin\'toweepawholelot。\'Pleasedon\'tlet\'emhanghim。\'
"\'Thisholdin\'agunonyourfriendsain\'tnopicnic，\'whispersCherokeetoNell，an\'flushin\'upan\'thenturnin\'pale，\'butyourwordgoeswithme，Nell。\'ThenCherokeethinksaminute。\'Now，thisyereisthewaywedoes，\'hesaysatlast。\'I\'llmake\'emalongtalk。You-allrunovertothecorralan\'bringthebesthossyouseessaddled。I\'llbetalkin\'whenyoucomesback，an\'youcreepupan\'whispertotheoldmantomakeajumpfortheponywhileI
coversthedealwithmysix-shooter。It\'splayin\'itlowonEnrightan\'DocPeetsan\'therest，butI\'lldoitforyou，Nell。Itallcomesfromthemjacksuponeights。\'
"Withthis，CherokeetellsNell\'good-by，\'an\'squar\'shimse\'f。Hebeginstotalk，an\'Nellmakesaquietlittlebreakforthecorral。
"Butnohossiseverneeded。Cherokeedon\'ttalkaminutewhenOldGentrycomesbuckin\'offenhischairina\'plepticfit。A\'plepticfitispermiscusan\'tryin\'，an\'whenOldGentrygetsthroughan\'
comestohimse\'f，he\'scampedjestthissideofthedeadline。Hecanonlywhisper。
"\'Comeyere，\'sayshe，motionin\'toCherokee。\'Thar\'sastackofblueswhereIsets\'emonthetenopen，whichyouain\'tturnedfornoneyet:TakeallIhasbesidesan\'putwithit。Ifitlose，it\'syours；ifitwin，giveittothelittlegirl。\'
"ThisisallOldGentrysays，an\'hecashesintheverynextsecondonthelist。
"Enrightgoesthrough\'em，an\'thar\'sovertwothousanddollarsinhiswar-bags；an\'，obeyin\'themlastbehests，we-allsgoesovertotheRedLightan\'putsitonthetenalongofthestackofblues。
It\'soverthelimit，butCherokeeproceedswiththedeal，an\'whenitcomesI\'mblessedifthetenain\'tloseran\'Cherokeegetsitall。
"\'ButIwon\'twinnoneag\'inadeadman；saysCherokee。An\'hegivesittoNell，whoain\'tsooperstitious。
"\'Doyou-allsb\'arinmind，\'saysBoggs，aswetakesadrinklater，\'howIforeseesthisyererackettheminuteIhearsCherokeea-
tellin\'abouthis"Jacksuponeights"——the"handthedeadmanholds？"\'"
CHAPTERXIV。
THERIVALDANCE-HALLS。
Itwassweetandcoolaftertherain，andtheOldCattlemanandI，movedbyanadmirationfortheopenairwhichwasmutual，foundourselvestogetherontheporch。
Asinpartrecompenseforhisreminiscencesoftheseveraldaysbefore，Iregaledmyoldfriendwiththehistoryofabank-failure，thedetailsaswellasthecausesofwhichwerejustthenforcingthemselvesuponmeintheguiseofbusiness。
"Thefactis，"Isaid，asIcametotheendofmystory，"thefactis，thetruecauseofthisbank\'sdownfallwasarivalry——whatonemightcallabusinessfeud——whichgrewintobeingbetweenitandasimilarinstitutionwhichhadopenedasitsneighbor。Inthecompetitionwhichfellouttheyfairlycuteachother\'sthroat。Theybothfailed。"
"An\'Itakesit，"remarkedtheOldCattlemanincomment，"oneoftheseyeretradedooelsthata-waygoesonvindictivean\'
remorseless，sameasifit\'sapersonalfightbetweencow-folksovercattle。"
"Quiteright，"Isaid。"Moneyisoftenmorecruelthanmen；andabusinessvendettaisfrequentlymeremurderwithouttheincidentofblood。Idon\'tsupposethelifeofyourArizonatownwouldshowthesetradewars。ItwouldtakeEastern——thatis，older——conditions，toprovokeandcarryoneon。"
"No，"repliedtheoldgentleman，withanairofretrospection，"I
don\'trecallnothin\'ofthesortinWolfville。We\'retoomuchinahuddle，anyway；tharain\'troomfornosechfracas，nohow。Nowthenearestwe-allscomestoanythin\'ofthekindiswhenthenewdance-
hallstartsthattime。
"WhichIreckons，"continuedtheOldCattle。man，ashebeganarrangingasmoke，"whichInowreckonsthisyereistheonlycatyclismintradeWolfvillesuffers；theonlytimeitcomestowhatyou-allEasternsportswouldcallashowdownincommerce。Ofcoursethar\'sthelaundrywar，butthat\'sbetweenfemalesan\'don\'tcount。
Females——whileit\'snosorterdoubtthey\'sthenoblestan\'mostexhilaratin\'workoftheirRedeemer——isnervousthata-way，an\'dueanytimetolettheirha\'rdowntheirbacks，emitascreech，an\'
clawan\'layforeachotherforluck。An\'，asIsays，ifyouconfinesthefestivitiestothemfemalesengaged，an\'preventsthemenstandin\'inontheplay，it\'sshoretowindupinsobsan\'
forgiveness，an\'tharforeitdon\'tgo。
"AsIsays，whatInowrelatesistheonlyindustrialtroubleI
recallsinWolfville。Iallersremembersit，\'cause，bein\'ashowI
knowsthepartywho\'stheaggravatin\'causetharof，itmortifiesmethewayhejumpsintocampan\'carrieson。
"WhenIseeshimfirstisagesbefore，whenIfreightswitheightmulesovertheOldFortBascometrailfromVegastothePanhandle。
Thissharp——whichhe\'satenderfootatthetime，butplumbwolfbynacher-trailsuptomeintheEarlyRoseSalooninVegasoneday，an\'allowshe\'dliketomakeadealan\'goprojectin\'overintothePanhandlecountrywithmeforatrip。"Freightin\'thata-waythreeweeksaloneonthetrailissomeharrowin\'tothesperitsofagentwholovescompanylikeme，soIagrees，an\'nodelaytoit。
"WhichI\'myeretomentionIregretslaterI\'mthateasyItakesthispersonalong。Notthatheturnshostile，buthe\'sallershavin\'
adventures，an\'thingskeepshappenin\'tohim；an\'final，Ithinkshe\'sshorelydeadan\'gonecomplete——thesame，asIafterwardlearns，bein\'error；an\'，takin\'ituponetrailan\'downanother，thattripbreaksmeoffenfoolin\'withshorthornscomplete，an\'I
don\'tgonear\'emforyears，more\'nifthey\'sstingin\'lizards。
"Whateverdoesthisyeremaverickdotome？Well，nothin\'muchtomepersonal；buthekeepsa-breedin\'ofeventswhichpestersme。
"We\'reoutaboutfourdayswhenthemmishapsbegins。IcampsoveronesunontheConchatorestmymules。I\'mloadedsomeheavywithsixthousandpoundsinthelead，an\'mebbyfourthousandpoundsinthetrailwagon；an\'Istopsadaytogivemystockachancetorollan\'breathean\'braceup。Myoff-wheelmule——areg\'larshave-tail——
isbadmed\'cine。Whichhe\'snotonlyeagertokicktoweristsan\'
othershetakesanotionag\'inst；buthe\'slikewisewhatyou-allscallsakleptomaniac，an\'isouttostealan\'sim\'larlow-downplays。
"Iwarnsthisyeretenderfoot——hisname\'sSmith，butIpullsonhimwhenconversin\'as\'Colonel\'——Iwarnsthisshorthornnottofuss\'roundmyJerrymule，bein\'，asIstates，amulewhosemoodisornery。
"\'Don\'tgonearhim，Colonel，\'saysI；\'an\'partic\'lardon\'tgocrowdin\'\'roundtogetnor\'arviewsofhim。You-allhasnoideeoftheradiusofthatmule；whatyoumightcallhissweep。Youneverwilltillhe\'skickedyouonceortwice，an\'theinformationain\'tworthnosechprice。SoIdon\'treckonI\'dfoolwithhim，nonewhatever。
"\'An\'speshul，Colonel，\'Igoeson，forIshoreaimstodomydootybyhim，\'don\'tlaynothin\'\'roundloosewherethisyereJerrymulecangrabitoff。I\'mthelastfreighteronthePlainstogoslanderin\'an\'detractin\'ofaporehe\'plessmuleonlessit\'sstraight；butifyou-alltakestoleavin\'keepsakesan\'mementoeslayin\'aboutcasooalan\'carelessthata-way，Jerry\'lleat\'em；an\'
thefirstyousaveysyourkeepsakesiswithinJerry\'sinterior，an\'
tharyoube。
"\'Thefactis，stranger，thisJerrymule\'sathief，\'Isays。\'Ifhe\'sahuman，Jerrywouldbelynched。Butotherwisehe\'sasincere，earnestmule；anuphillorataquicksandcrossin\'Jerrygoesintohiscollarlikealion；soIforgiveshimbein\'athiefan\'allowsit\'sapeccadillo。"
"\'Well，youbet!\'saysthistenderfootColonel，\'thisyereJerrybetternotcomenopeccadillosonme。\'
"\'Ifyou-allmaintainsabouttwentyfeet，\'Ireplies，\'betweenJerry\'shind-Hocksan\'you；an\'ifyoukeepsyourbric-a-bracinyourwar-bags，youan\'Jerry\'llgetalonglikelambs。Now，Iwarnsyou，an\'that\'sgottodo。IfJerryan\'yougetstangledupyereafteryou-allain\'tgoin\'toharbornorevengesag\'inhim，normakenoranikabooplaystogeteven。\'
"AsIstates，I\'mcampedontheConcha，an`theColonel，who\'sallersouttotryexperimentsan\'newdeals，putsituphe\'llgodowntotheriveran\'takeaswim。Tharuponhelinesoutforthewater。
"Jerry\'shangin\'aboutcamp——forhe\'ssorterapetmule——allowin\'
mebbyIsubmitsaham-rindorsomesechdelicacytohimtochewon；
an\'hehearstheColonelsu\'gesthe\'llswimsome。SowhentheColonelp\'intsfortheConcha，Jerrysa\'ntersalongafter，figgerin\'，mightylikely，ashowhe\'llpassthehoura-watchin\'theColonelswim。
"I\'mbusyonflapjacksatthetime——whichflapjacksisshoregoodfood——an\'Idon\'tobservenothln\'ofJerrynortheColonelneither。
They\'sawayhalfanhourwhenIoverhearsejac\'lations，thoughI
can\'tmakeoutnowords。Idon\'thavetogetcaughtinnolandslidetotumbletoagame，an\'I\'mawareatoncethatJerryan\'theColonelhasgottheirdestiniesmixed。
"Nacherally，Igoesovertotheheldofstrife，aimin\'tosaveJerry，orsavetheColonel，whicheverhastheotherdown。WhenI
burstsonthescene，theColonelstartsforme，splutterin\'an\'
makin\'noisesan\'p\'intin\'atJerry，whostandstharwithanairofinnocence。TheColonel\'supperliphangsdownqueer，likeanant-
eater\'s，an\'hecan\'ttalk。It\'sallmightyamazin\'。
"\'What\'sallthistoomultabout？\'Isays。
"Theshortoftheriotisthis:TheColonelgoesinforaswim，an\'
helaysouthisfalseteeththata-wayonastone。Whenhecomesforhisteeththey\'sshorelygone，an\'tharstandsJerryputtin\'itonhe\'sasleep。ThemteethisfiledawayinJerry。
"WhichtheColonelraves\'roundfrightful，an\'wantstokillJerryan\'amputatehim，an\'scoutfortheteeth。ButIwon\'thaveit。I\'mgoin\'toneedJerrydownfurtheronthequicksandfordsoftheCanadian；an\'，asIexplains，themteethisawreckbynow，an\'nogoodifheget\'s\'emag\'in；Jerrymunchin\'ofhisfoodpowerful。
"AfterawhileIroundsuptheColonelan\'herdshimbacktocamp。
Jerryhasshoresawedoffasoreafflictiononthattenderfootwhenhetakesinthemteeth；Icanseethat。Hisliphangslikeablacksmith\'sapron，an\'hecan\'ttalkalittlebit；jestmakessignsormotions，likehe\'sInjunordeef。
"It\'smebbytwoweekslaterwhenJerrygetsanothershotattheColonel。It\'stheevenin\'afterthenightJerrysneaksintocamp，soft-footasacoyote，nosesopenthegrub-box，an\'eatsfivebottlesofwhiskey；allwehas。We\'vepitchedcamp，an\'I\'vehobbledthisJerrymulean\'hismate——theotherwheeler——an\'throwed\'emloose，an\'isbusyhobblin\'mynigh-swingmule，whentroublebeginsfomentin\'betweenmytenderfootan\'Jerry。
"Thefactisit\'sdonefomented。ThisColonel，bein\'someheatedaboutthatwhiskey，an\'plumbsoreonJerryonaccountofthemteeth，allowstohimse\'fhe\'lltakeatrace-chainan\'warpJerryonceforluck。
"Ifthisyeretenderfoothadbeenfreewithme，an\'invitedmeintohisconfidencetouchin\'hisdesigns，I\'dtookalariatan\'ropedan\'
throwedJerryforhim，an\'tiedthefelondown，an\'lettheColonelwallophimanhourorso:buttheColonel\'sfullofvarietythata-
way，ormebbyhethinksI\'llsidewithJerry。Anyhow，heselectsatrace-chain，an\'，withoutsayin\'aword，dancesallcautioustowardshisprey。WhichthisisrelaxationforJerry。
[drawingofJerrykickingtheColonelwithcaption:"Thathe\'plessshorthornstopsbothheels。]
"WhilethatColoneltenderfootisarodaway，Jerryturnshistailsomesuddeninhisdirection，an\'thenextinstantthathe\'plessshorthornstopsbothheelssome\'ersaboutthesecondbuttonofhisshirt。Thatsettlesit；theColonel\'saninvalidimmediate。I
shorelyhasatimewithhimthatnight。
"Thenextdayhecan\'twalk，an\'hecan\'trideinthewagon\'causeofthejolts。Italltouchesmyheart，an\'atlastIupsan\'makeahammockoutenaNavajoblanket，whichisgoodan\'strong，an\'swingstheColoneltothereachofthetrailwagon。
"It\'smostlyagoodscheme。Wheretheground\'sleveltheColonelcomesonallright；butnowan\'then，whenawheelslumpsintoarut，theColonelcan\'the\'pnonebutsmitethegroundwherehe\'sthelowest，an\'italldrawsgroansan\'lamentsfromhimaheap。
"Onetime，whentheColonel\'sagonymakeshimgroanspeshulstrong，IseesJerrybathiseyeslikeheenjoysit；an\'thenJerrymentionssomethin\'tohismateoverthechain。We\'retrottin\'alongthetrailatthetime，an\'，bein\'he\'sthenigh-wheeler——whichisthesaddle-
muleofateam——I\'mridin\'Jerry\'scompadre，an\'whenInoteshowJerryisthatjoyousaboutitIreachesacrossan\'beltshimsomeabruptbetweenthey\'earswiththebuttofashot-filledblack-
snake。ItratherletsthewheyoutenJerry\'sglee，an\'hedon\'tgetsomuchblissfromthattenderfoot\'smisfortunesashedid。
"ItgoesalongallrightontilIswingsdowntothecrossin\'oftheCanadian。It\'saboutfourth-drinktimeintheafternoon，an\'I\'mallowin\'tofordtheCanadianthatevenin\'an\'campont\'otherside。
Theriverishighan\'rapidfromrainsome\'ersbackonitsheadwaters，an\'it\'swidean\'ugly。Itain\'tmore\'nfourfootdeep，butthebottomisquicksand，an\'thatfalse，ifIletsmywagonsstoptensecondsanywherebetweenbankan\'bank，I\'mgoin\'tobeshywagonsattheclose。I\'llbeluckyifIwinoutthemules。It\'sshoreahard，swiftcrossin\'。
"Iswingsdown，asIsays，totheriver\'saigewithmymindfilledupabouttherushI\'vegottomake。It\'sgothroughontherunorbogdown。FirstIsettlesinmysaddle，givestheoutfittheword，an\'then，pourin\'thewhipintothetwoleaders，Isendsthewholeeightintothewateronthejump。Theriverisrunnin\'likeascaredwolf，an\'thelittleleadmuleshardlytouchesbottom。
"Asthetrailwagontakesthewater，an\'thetwoleadersisplumbintothey\'ears，ahowldevelopstother\'ar。It\'smyporetenderfootinhishammockonderthetrailwagon。Heshrieksasthewatergetstohim；an\'itallhitsmelikeabullet，forIplumboverlookshim，thinkin\'ofthatquicksandcrossin\'。
"It\'sshoretoolatenow；I\'min，an\'Ican\'tstop。Tomakethingsmorecomplex，asthewatercutsoffthetenderfoot\'syelllikepuffin\'outacandle，alittleoldblackmule，whichismyoff-
p\'inter，loseshisfeetan\'goesdown。Ipourstheleatherintotheteamtheharder，an\'theotherssoarsintotheircollarsan\'drugmyblackp\'interwith\'em；onlyhe\'sonderwater。OfcourseIallowsboththeblackp\'interan\'theColonel\'sshorelyduetodrownawholelot。
"Wegetsacross，thesevenothermulesan\'me；an\'thesecondhe\'sskatedoutonthesandonhisside，thedrownedmulegetsupan\'
singsastriumphantasIeverhears。Swimmin\'ondertheriverdon\'twearonhimabit。
"ThenIgoesscoutin\'fortheColonel，buthe\'svanishedcomplete。
Nacherally，Itakeshimforadead-an\'-gonegent；an\'figgersifsomeeddyorcounter-currentdon\'tgethim，orhedon\'tgoagroundonnosand-bar，hisfellow-menwillfishhimoutsome\'ersbetweenmean\'NewOrleans，an\'planthiman\'holdservicesoverhim。
"Bein\'asIcan\'tbeofnousewhereit\'saclean-sweepplaylikethis，IdismissestheColonelfrommymind。Afterhobblin\'an\'
throwin\'loosemyteam，Ilugsoutthegrub-boxallsorrowfulan\'
goesintocamp。
"WhichIshouldallershaveplayedtheColonelfordead，ifitain\'tthatyearslaterheonedaycomeswanderin\'intoWolfville。Heain\'ttendernow；he\'sashardasmoss-agates，an\'asworthless。
"Irenewsmyacquaintancewithhim，an\'hetellshowhegetsoutentheCanadianthatday；butbeyondthatweconsoomesadrinkortwotogether，Iratherpasseshimup。Thar\'saheapabouthimIdon\'ttaketo。
"TheColonellays\'roundWolfvillemebbyit\'saweek，peerin\'an\'
spyin\'about。Hesayshe\'slookin\'foranopenin\'。An\'Ireckonsheis，forattheendofaweekheslapsupajointoutentent-clothan\'fence-boards，an\'opensadance-hallsquar\'ag\'instJimHamilton\'swhichisalreadythar。
"Thisyerealoneislikelytobroodan\'hatchtrouble；but，asiftakin\'astraightheaderintoHamilton\'sgameain\'tenough，thisColonelofminedon\'tgetnopianer；don\'tround-upnomusicofhisown；butstandspatan\'pullsoffreels，an\'quadrilles，an\'green-
corndancestoHamilton\'smusicgoin\'onnextdoor。
"I\'mthroughtheLincolnCountywar，an\'hasbeenromancin\'aboutthefrontierforyears；butInevertracksuponnosechoutrageinmylifeasthisdisgracefulColonelopenin\'ahurdy-gurdyag\'inHamilton\'s，an\'maverickin\'hismusicthata-way，an\'dancin\'
tharunto。
"It\'sthesecondnight，an\'Hamiltonconcloodshe\'llseeaboutitsome。HecomesintotheColonel\'sjoint，ca\'man\'considerate，an\'
givesitoutthar\'sgoin\'tobetroubleiftheColoneldon\'tclosehisgameorplayinhisownfiddlers。
"\'Whichifyou-alldon\'tcloseyourgameorhuntoutyourownmusic，\'saysHamilton，\'I\'mmightylikelytogetmysix-shooteran\'
closeitforyou。\'
"\'Seeyere，\'saysmyColonel——whichhe\'sshorebeenlearnin\'sinceI
partswithhimontheCanadian——\'thefirsthold-upwhocomesfoolin\'
\'roundtobreakupabaileofmine，I\'llshorelymakehimhardtofind。Whatbusinessyougotfillin\'upmyplacewithyourmelodies？
Yourollsyourtunesinyerelikeyouownstheranch；an\'thenyoucomescurvin\'overan\'talksofagun-play\'cause，insteadoflayin\'
foryouforthatyoudisturbsmypeacewiththemharmonies，I\'mthatgood-nacheredIyieldsthep\'intan\'dancesto\'em。You-allpullyourfreight，\'saystheColonel，\'orI\'llfillyoufulloflead。\'
"ThisargumentoftheColonel\'sdazzlesHamiltontothatdegreehedon\'tknowwhetherhe\'sgotthehighhandornot。Hethinksaminute，an\'thenp\'intsovertotheRedLightforEnrightan\'DocPeets。Asheleavestherivaldance-hall，theColonel，who\'scallin\'
offhisdances，turnstothequadrille，whichispausinpendin\'thedispoote，an\'shouts:
"\'YoubetIknowsmybusiness!Righthandtoyourpartner；grandrightan\'left!\'
"WhenHamiltonturnsawaythey\'sshoremakin\'thingsrockan\'
tremble；an\'alltothestrainsof\'TheArkansawTraveller，\'whichisbein\'evolvednextdooratHamilton\'sexpense。
"Whichsomethin\'sgoin\'topop；saysHamilton，mightyuglytoEnrightan\'therestofus，ashepoursadrinkintohisneck。\'I
allowsintheinterestsofpeacethatIcantersoveran\'seesyou-
allsfirst。Iain\'touttoshakeupWolfville，norgiveRedDogachancetocriticiseusnoneasadisorderlycamp；butIasksyougents，ascitizensan\'membersofthevig\'lancecommittee，whetherI\'mtostandan\'letthisyeresharpround-upmymusictoholdhisrevelsby，an\'putitallovermenightly？\'
"\'Idon\'tseenodifference，\'saysDanBoggs，\'betweenthisconvicta-stealin\'ofHamilton\'smusic，thanifhegoesan\'standsupOldMontean\'thestage。\'
"\'Thesamebein\'myideeexact，\'saysTexasThompson。\'Yere\'sHamiltoncaterin\'tothiscampwithadance-hall。It\'sapublicgoodthing。Ifagent\'smorose，an\'hiswhiskey\'sslowplacin\'itse\'f，hegoesovertoHamilton\'shurdy-gurdyan\'findsrelaxationan\'relief。
Nowyerecomesthisstranger——an\'Imakesitfiftydollarsevenhe\'sfromMassachusetts——an\'whatdoeshedo？Neverantesnorsticksinawhitechip，butpurloinsHamilton\'sstrains，an\'pullsoffhisdancestharby。It\'splumbwrong，an\'whatthispartyneedsishangin\'。\'
"\'Oh，Idon\'tknow，\'saysCherokeeHall，who\'sinonthetalk。
\'Hamilton\'sallright，an\'asquar\'man。Allhewantsisjestice。
Now，whileIdeemstheconductofthisstrangerlowan\'ornery；
still，comin\'downtotheturn，he\'sonhistrailallright。Asthissharpsays:WhogivesHamiltonanylicensetogofillin\'hishurdy-
gurdyfullofdance-music？S\'posethisgentwouldcomecaperin\'overan\'setinastackag\'inHamiltonforoverloadin\'hisjointwithpianeran\'fiddlenoiseswithouthisconsent；an\'puttin\'ituphe\'souttodragthecampifHamiltondon\'tcease？TheonlywayHamiltongets\'roundthatkindofcomplaintis，hedon\'townthemwalsesan\'
quadrillesaftertheyfetchesloosefromhisfiddle；thattheyain\'thisquadrillesnomore，an\'he\'snotresponsibleaftertheystampedesoffintospace。\'
"\'That\'sstraight，\'saysDaveTutt，\'you-allscan\'trunnobrandonmelodies。Agentcan\'townnomusicafterhecutsitloosethata-
way。Theminuteitleavesthebosomsofhisfiddles，that\'swhereheletsgo。Afterthatitbelongstoanygenttodanceby，cryby，setby，orfightby，ashedeemsmeetan\'pleasantatthetime。\'
"\'Whatdoyou-allssay？\'saysHamiltontoEnrightan\'Peets。\'Doesthisyerepieceofoppressiononaleadin\'citizen，perpetratedbyarankoutsider，go？Ishorewaitsforyourreplywithimpatience，forIeetchestogobackan\'shootupthisnewhurdy-gurdyfromnowtillsun-up。\'
"EnrighttakesDocPeetsdownbytheendofthebar——an\'thar\'snodoubtaboutit，thatPeetsisthewisestlonghornwestoftheMissoury——an\'theyhasadeepconsultation。We-allsiswaitin\'。someinterested，toseewhattheysays。It\'sshoreafinep\'intthisColonel\'smakin\'tojestifyan\'backhisgame。
"\'Getamoveonyou，Enright!\'atlastsaysDanBoggs，whoisahasty，eagerman，wholikesaction；\'getamoveonyou，youan\'
Peets，an\'settlethis。You\'requeerin\'thekyardsan\'delayin\'theplay。\'
"\'Well，gents，\'saysEnrightatlast，comin\'backwherewe-allsisbythedoor，\'Peetsan\'meseesnoneeddecidin\'onthemquestionsaboutwhoownsatuneaftersaidtunehasbeenplayed。Buttharisasubject，thata-way，whichrequiresconsideration；an\'whichmostlikelysolvesthisdance-halldeadlock。Inalltrademattersinagrowin\'camplikeWolfville，it\'sbettertopreserveaequilibrium。
It\'sag\'inpublicinteresttohavetwoorthreedance-halls，ortwoorthreesaloons，allinabunchthata-way。It\'sbettertheybespraddled\'roundwideapart，whichismoreconvenient。SoPeetsan\'
meproposesasarooleforthisyerecampthattwohurdy-gurdiesbeforbidtobecarriedonwithinfivehundredfeetofeachother。Asitlookslikenobodyobjects，weconcloodsit\'sadopted。Nacherally，thelasthurdy-gurdyuphastomove，whichdisposesofthisyeretrouble。\'
"\'BeforeIendswhatIhastosay，\'goesonEnright，\'Iwantstothankourtownsman，MisterHamilton，forconsultin\'oftheStranglerspriortoakillin\'。Itshowshe\'salaw-abidin\'gentan\'
acredittothecamp。An\'mightylikelyheprolongshisstayonearth。Ifhe\'dprancedinan\'skelpedthismaraudin\'stranger，I
don\'treckonwecouldavoidswingin\'himattheendofalariatwithoutmakin\'adangerouspreceedent。Asitis，hisrivalwillberoutedan\'hislifemadesereenasyeretofore。\'
"\'Astotheexecutionofthisnewroole，\'concloodsEnright，\'weleavesthattoJackMoore。Hewillwaitonthispartyan\'explaintheplay。Hemustupstakesan\'movehiscamp；an\'ifhecallsonanothershindigafterhe\'swarned，we-allstakesourponiesan\'ourropesan\'yankshisoutfitupbytheroots。Agentofhisenterprise，however，willcometoadeadhalt；an\'hispersecutionsofHamiltonwillcease。\'
"\'An\'you-allcallsthisyereafreeAmericanoutfit!\'saysmyColonel，mightyscornful，whenJackMoorenotifieshim。\'IfIdon\'tlineoutfort\'otherendofcampyou-allsisallowin\'toropemyjointan\'pullitdown!Well，thatletsmeout；Iquitsyou。I\'dbeshorelydegradedtoputinmytimewithanysechlow-flungpasselofsports。You-allmaygobackan\'tellyourfolksthatasyouleavesyouhearsmegivethecalltomyguests，"Allpromenadetothebar"；
an\'thedancin\'isdone。To-morrowIdepartsforRedDogtobeginlifeanew。Wolfvilleistooslowacampforanygentwithanyswiftnesstohim。\'"
CHAPTERXV。
SLIMJIM\'SSISTER。
"Whichthar\'sfolksinthiscaravansaryIdon\'tlikenone，"remarkedtheOldCattleman，asIjoinedhimoneafternoononthelawn。Histonewasasofonehalfsullen，halfhurt，andashejerkedhisthumbtowardthehotelbehindus，itwasagesturefullofscorn。
"Thar\'sfolksthar，takin\'\'emupan\'down，horns，hide，tallow，an\'
beef，whoain\'tworthheatin\'arunnin\'-irontobrand。"
"What\'sthetrouble？"Iinquired，asIorganizedforcomfortwithmybackagainsttheelm-treewhichshadowedus。
"Notroubleatall，"repliedmyoldfriendsourly，"leastwisenothin\'poignant。It\'sthatyoothfulpartyintheblacksurtootwhocomespesterin\'meamomentagoabouttheWestbein\'，ashesays，aroodean\'irreligiousoutfit。"
"He\'sayoungpreacher，"Iexplained。"Possiblyhewasmovedbyananxietytouchingyoursoul\'swelfare。"
"Well，ifhe\'souttosavesouls，"retortedtheoldgentleman，"heoughterwhirlabiggerloop。No，no，hewon\'tdo，"hecontinued，shakinghisheadwithanairofmournfulyetresentfuldecision，"thisyeregent\'stoonarrow；whichhisheadisbuilttoomuchtheshapeofaquail-trap。Hemaydotochasejack-rabbitsan\'sech，buthe\'sasizetoosmallforgamelikeme。Savesouls，saysyou!Why，ifthatonp\'liteyoungpersonwastomeetasoullikeminecomin\'upthetrail，he\'dshorelyomitwhattodoentire；he\'dbethatstampeded。He\'dbesomehardtolocate，Itakesit，afterhemeetsupwithasoullikemineawholelot。"
TheOldCattlemanmadethisproclamationrathertohimselfthanme，butIcoulddetectanairofpride。Thenhewenton:
"\'ThisyereWestyouemanatesfrom，\'saysthisyoungpreacher-sharptomethata-way，\'thisyereWestyouhailsfromisroode，an\'don\'tyieldnonetoreligiousinflooences。\'
"\'Well，\'Isaysbacktohim，fillin\'mypipeatthesametime，\'I
reckonsyoushorelycanc\'llectmorewithagunthanacontreebutionboxintheWest，ifthat\'swhatyou-allisaimin\'at。Butifyoufiggerswedon\'tmakeourownlittlereligiousbreaksoutinArizona，stranger，youfiggersaheapwrong。YououghterhaveheardShortCreekDavethattimewhenheturns\'vangelistan\'prancesintothewarehousebackoftheNewYorkStore，an\'showsWolfvilleshe\'sshoreh\'ar-hungan\'breeze-shakenoverhellthata-way。ShortCreekhasthecampallspraddledoutbeforeheturnshisdeal-boxupan\'
closeshisgame。\'
"\'ButthisyereShortCreekDave，\'heremonstratestome，\'ain\'tnoreg\'larlicenseddivine。Heain\'tworkin\'inconjunctionswithnoshore\'nough\'sociation，Itakesit。ThisShortCreekpersonismostlikelyoneofthemirrelevantexhortin\'folks，an\'thatmakesadifference。Hedon\'tbelongtonoreg\'lardenom\'nation。\'
"\'That\'stroo，too，\'Isays。\'ShortCreekain\'tworkin\'withnoreg\'larreligiousround-up；he\'ssorterrunnin\'afloatin\'outfit，criss-crossin\'therange，prowlin\'formavericksan\'straysonhisowngame。Butwhatofthat？He\'sshorelytyin\'\'emdownan\'brandin\'
\'emrightalong。\'
"\'Oh，Idon\'tdispootenonetheefficacyofyourfriend\'sworkthata-way，\'repliestheyoungpreacher-sharp，\'butit\'sirreg\'lar；it\'splumboutofline。Nowwhatyou-allsneedsintheWestisrealchurches，sameaswe-allshasintheEast。\'
"`Iain\'tnoneshoreofthat。\'Isays，\'an\'I\'mgettin\'alittlewarmonderthecollarsomewiththemfrillsheputson；\'Iain\'tnoneshore。TheEastneedn\'tdeemitse\'ftheonlykinginthedeck；
nonewhatever。TheWestcanaffordtheusualroolesan\'letallbetsgoastheylays，an\'stillgetupwinneronthedeal。Itakesityou-allsnevernotestheWestsendin\'Eastforhe\'p？\'
"\'Butthatain\'ttheidee，\'heurges。\'Churchesthata-wayistherightthing。Theymoldsacommoonity，churchesdoes。Youb\'arswitnessyourse\'fthatwherechurchesexiststhecommoonityisthemostorderlyan\'fullerofquietoodan\'peace。\'
"\'NotnecessarilyIdon\'t，\'Irepliesback，forI\'mgoin\'toplaymyhandoutifitgetsmylastchip，\'notnecessarily。WhatIb\'arswitnesstoisthatwherethecommoonityisthemostorderlythata-
wayan\'fullerofquietoodan\'peace，thechurchesexists。\'
"\'WhichI\'mshorelysomeafraid，\'hesays，——an\'hislooksshowshe\'sgettin\'ahorrorofme，——\'youbelongstoaperversegeneration。You-
allisvainofyourownevil-doin\'。LookatthemmurdersthatreddenstheWest，an\'thensityerean\'tellmeitdon\'tneednoinflooences。\'
"\'Themain\'tmurders，\'Ianswers；them\'skillin\'s。An\'asforinflooenccs，ifyou-alldon\'treckonthepresenceofavig\'lancecommitteeinacampdon\'tcauseagenttopausean\'pondernonebeforehepullshisgun，youdwellsinignorance。However，I\'myeretoadmit，Idon\'tdiscernnosechsin-encrustedplayinakillin\'
whenthepartiesbreaksevenatthestart，an\'bothgentsisworkin\'
tothesameendunanimous。Itdoessomefolksaheapofgoodtokill\'emalot。\'
"It\'satthisp\'inttheyoungpreacher-sharppullshisfreight，an\'
Iobserves，bythewayhestacksmeupwithhiseyesthata-way，heallowsmebbyI\'mlocoed。"
TheOldCattlemansaidnomoreforamoment，butpuffedathiscobpipeinthoughtandsilence。Ihadnonotionofinvolvingmyselfinanycombatofmoralsortheology，soIdidnotinvadehismood。AtlastIsuggestedinahalf-toneofinoffensivesympathythattheWestwasnodoubtmuchmisunderstood。
