第3章

"TharcomesadaywhenOldManEnrightheadsintotheRedLight，wherewe-allisdiscussin\'ofeepisodes，an\'hepacksaletterinhishand。

"\'Yere\'samatter，\'hesays，\'ofpublicconcern，an\'Iasksforafullexpressionofthecampforanswer。Yere\'sasharpbythenameofColonelWilliamGreeneSterett，whowritesmeashowhe\'ssufferin\'toletgoallholtsintheStatesan\'startapaperinWolfville。Itshallbe，hesays，aprogressifan\'enlightenedjournal，devotedtothemoral，mentalan\'materialupheavalofthisyerecommoonity，an\'heaimstolearnourviews。DoIhearanyremarksonthislitteratoor\'sprop\'sition？\'"Tellhimtocomea-

runnin\'，Enright，"saysJackMoore；"an\'drawitstrong。Ifthar\'sonewantwhichisslowlybutshorelycrowdin\'Wolfvilletothewall，it\'sadearthofliteratoor；yere\'sourchance，an\'weplaysitquickanhigh。"

"Iain\'tsogalaconfidentofallthis，"saysDanBoggs。"I\'msorto\'allowin\'thishamlet\'stoofeebleyetforapaper。Startin\'apaperinasmallcampthisa-wayislikegivin\'asix-shootertoaboy；mostlikelyheshootshimse\'f，ormebbybuststheneighbor，tharwith。"

"Oh，Idon\'tknow，\'saysDocPeets，who，Iwantstosay，isassuddenawhiteman，mental，asIeversees；"mynotionistobringhimalong。Themereideeofapaper\'lldoaheapforthetown。"

"I\'mentertainin\'sentimentssim\'lar，\'saysEnright；"an\'IguessI\'llwritethisColonelSterettthatwe\'llgohimonceifwelose。

I\'massistedtothisconcloosionbyhearin\'，thelasttimeI\'minTucson，thatRedDog，whichisourrival，isouttostartapaper，inwhicheventitbehoovesWolfvilletosplitevenwith\'emattheleast。"

"That\'swhatever!"saysMoore。"IfweallowsRedDogtoputitontousthata-waywemightjestaswelldissolveWolfvilleasacamp，an\'reepairtothewoodsinabody。"

"EnrightsendsColonelSterettword，an\'infourweekshecomespackininhislayoutan\'opensuphisgame。ColonelSterett，personal，isabroad，thick，fine-seemin\'gent，withasmooth，highfor\'ead，greyeyes，an\'along，honestfacelikeahoss。TheColonelhasafar-offlookinhiseyes，likehe\'sdreamin\'ofthingssublime，whichDocPeetssaysisthecommonlookoflit\'rarygentsthata-way。TexasThompson，however，allowshewitnessesthesamedistantexpressionintheeyesofafoogitivefromjestice。

"ColonelSterettmakesagoodimpression。Heevolveshisjournalan\'

namesittheCoyote，anameapplaudedbyusall。I\'llreadyouafewofthemearliestitems；whichI\'mabletogivetheseyerenoticesexact，asIpreservesafileoftheCoyotecomplete。Ishorelywouldn\'tbewithoutit；nonewhatever!

"MissFaroNell，Wolfville\'sbeautifulandaccomplishedsocietybelle，condescendedtogracethepostoflookoutlastnightforthegamepresidedoverbyoureminenttownsman，Mr。CherokeeHall。

"Ain\'titsweet？"saysFaroNell，whenshereadsit。"Ithinksit\'sjestlovely。Thedrinksisonme，barkeep。"Thenwegoeson:

"Mr。SamuelJohnsonEnright，anamesakeofthegreatlexicographer，andtheLycurgusofWolfville，paidavisittoTucsonlastweek。

"Anypersonpossessingleisureandastackofchipscanadventurethelatterunderconditionsabsolutelyequitablewiththatdistinguishedcourtieroffortune，Mr。CherokeeHall。

"IfMr。JohnMoore，ourefficientMarshal，willrefrainfrompinninghistargetsforpistolpracticetotheexteriorofourbuilding，wewillbowourgratitudewhennextwemeet。Thebulletsgorightthrough。

"WeweredistressedlastweektonotethatMr。JamesHamilton，thegentlemanlyandurbaneproprietorofWolfville\'stempleofterpsichoir(seead，inanothercolumn)hadchangedwhiskeysonus，andwasdispensingwhatseemedtoourthroatatinctureofthecommoncarpettackofcommerce。ItisourhopethatMr。H。，onseeingthis，willatoncerestorethestatuquoathisjustlypopularresort。

"ArecklessMexicanwasparadingthestreettheothernightcarryinginhishandamonkeywrench。Itwasdark，andMr。DanielBoggs，aleadingcitizenofWolfville，whomethim，mistakingthewrenchforapistolwhichtheMexicanwascarryingforsomevilepurpose，veryproperlyshothim。Mexicansarefartoocarelessthisway。

"TheO。K。RestaurawisoneofthefewsuperiorhostelriesoftheTerritory。Mrs。Rucker，itscharmingproprietress，isacookwhomightoutrivaleventhatcelebratedchef，nowdead，M。Soyer。Herpiesarepoems，herbreadanepic，andherbeansadream，Mrs。

Ruckerhascookedherwaytoeveryheart，andherfamedestablishmentisjustlyregardedasthebrightparticulargeminWolfville\'smunicipalcrown。

"ItisnotneededforustoremindourreadersthatWolfvillepossessesinthepersonofthatcelebratedpractitionerofmedicine，Mr。CadwalladerPeets，M。D。，ascientistwhosefameisworld-wideandwhoserenownhasreachedtofurthestlands。DoctorPortshasbeautifullymountedtheskullofthathorse-stealingignobility，BearCreel。Stanton，whorecentlysufferedthepunishmentduehismanycrimesatthehandsofourlocalvigilancecommittee，atribunalwhichunderthediscerningleadershipofPresidentEnright，neverfailsintheadministrationofjustice。DoctorPeetswillbegladtoexhibitthismementomoritoallwhocaretocall。DoctorPeets，whoiseminentasaphrenologist，aversthatsaidskullisremarkableforitsthickness，andthatitsconformationpointstothepossessionbyBearCreek，whileheworeit，ofthemostpowerfulnaturalinclinationstocrime。FromthesediscoveriesofDoctorPeets，thecommitteewhichsuspendedthisfelontothewindmillistobecongratulatedonactingjustintime。Itseemsplainfromthecontourofthisskullthatitwouldnothavebeenlong，hadnotthecommitteeintervened，beforeBearCreekwouldhaveaddedmurdertohorselarceny，andto-daythetownmightbemourningthedeathofavaluedcitizeninsteadoffelicitatingitselfoverthetaking-offofavillainwhoseverybumpsindictandconvicthimwitheveryfairandenlightenedintelligencethatisbroughttotheircontemplation。

"Ourrespectedfriendandsubscriber，Mr。DavidTutt，andhisbeautifulandaccomplishedlady，Mrs。DavidTutt，neeTucsonJennie，havereturnedfromtheirstayinSilverCity。Lastnightinhonoroftheircoming，andtoseetheirfriends，thisamiableandpopularpairgaveanAtHome。Therewaseveryformofrefreshment，andjoyandmerrimentwasunconfined。MissFaroDellwasadmittedlythebelleofthisfestiveoccasion，andDianawouldhaveenviedheras，radiantandhappy，sheledthegrandmarchleaningonthearmofMr。

CherokeeHall。ByrequestofMr。DanielBoggs，the\'LariatPolka\'

wasaddedtotheprogrammeofdances，aswasalsothe\'PocatelloReel\'attheinstanceofMr。TexasThompson。Astheballprogressed，andattheparticulardesireofthosepresent，Mr。BoggsandMr。

Thompsonentertainedthecompanywiththatdifficultandintricatedanceknownasthe\'MountainLionMazourka，\'accompanyingtheireffortswithspiritedvocalismsmeanttoimitatethedefiantscreamsofapantheronitsnativehills。Thesecries，aswellasthedanceitself，werehighlyrealistic，andMessrs。B。andT。weremadetherecipientsofmanycompliments。Mr。andMrs。Tuttaretobecongratulatedonthesuccessofthefunction；tofullydescribeitsmanyexcellentfeatureswouldexhaustencomium。

"Whichwereadstheforegoin\'withonmixedpleasure，an\'tharain\'tagentbutwho\'splumbconvincedthatanewspaper，thata-way，isthebulwarkofcivilizationsan\'corner-stoneofAmericaninstitootions，whichit\'sallowedtobebythevoicesofthemages。

"\'Thisyereimprint，theCoyote，\'saysJackMoore，\'isahowlin\'

triumph，an\'anygentdisposedcangoan\'makeaswellbetonitwitheverycertaintyofa-killin\'。Also，Iremembersyereafteraboutthembullets。\'

"Meanwhile，likeIstatesprior，RedDoghasitseditor，whowhirlslooseapaperwhichhecallstheStingin\'Lizard。TheRedDogsheetain\'tamarkertoColonelSterett\'sCoyote，an\'it\'stheyooniversalideeinWolfville，afterca\'mlycomparin\'thetwopapers，thatColonelSterettasaeditorcansimplybackthatRedDogpersonplumbofftheground。

"Itain\'tnotimebeforeColonelSterettan\'theRedDogeditortakestocirklin\'fortrouble，an\'thefrightfulnamestheyappliestoeachotherintheirrespectifjournals，an\'theaccoosationsan\'

themepithetstheyhurls，wouldshorecurdlethebloodofagrizzlyb\'ar。

"An\'asiftocomplicatethesityooationforthatonhappysportwho\'sgettin\'outtheRedDogStingin\'Lizard，hebeginstohavetroublelocal。Thar\'sachuck-shopatRedDog——it\'saplumblowj\'int；Ineverknowsittohaveanygrubbetterthanbeans，saltpigan\'airtights，——whichiscalledtheAbeLincolnHouse，an\'iskeptbyapartynamedPeteBland。WhichthisyereBlandalsoownsagoat，thesamebein\'agiftofaMexicanwho\'sgotintheholetoBlandan\'squar\'saccountsthata-way。

"Thisgoatisjestasimple-minded，every-day，commonkindofagoat；buthe\'smightythoroughinhisway，allersonthehustle，an\'

ifheeveroverlooksaplay，noonedon\'tknowit。Oneday，whentheRedDogeditorisprintin\'offhispapers，upcomesthegoat，an\'

diskyardin\'ofthetin-canwhichhe\'schewin\'，hebeginsdebauchin\'

ofhimse\'fwiththisyereeditionoftheStingin\'Lizard。It\'smightysoonwhentheeditordiscoversitan\'laysforthegoatpermiscus；hegoestochunkin\'ofhimupawholelot。Thegoat\'sgamean\'declar\'shimse\'f，an\'tharstartsaaltercationwiththeeditoran\'thegoat，ofwhichthar\'snotellin\'thewind-up，an\'

whichendsonlywhenthisyereBlandcutsin，an\'thegoat\'sdrugBorne。Thepaperisstoppedan\'theeditorputsinthis:

"Ourpressesarestoppedto-daytosaythatiftheweak-mindedpersonwhomaintainsthelarge，blackgoatwhichinfestsourstreets，doesnotkillthebeast，wewill。To-day，whileengagedinworkingoffourmammotheditionoutbackofourbuilding，thethievishcreatureapproachedunnoticedandconsumedseventeencopiesoftheStingin\'Lizard。

"WhichthisyereBlandgetsincensedatthis，an\'putsituptheeditorcan\'teatwithhimnomore。Butbettercounselsmoothsitover，an\'atlastthisBlandforgivestheeditor，an\'allisforgot。

Thegoat，however，neverdoes；an\'hestampshisfootan\'prowls\'roundforafracaseverytinehiman\'thateditormeets。

"AllthisyeretimeColonelSterettan\'thissameRedDogeditormaintainsthemhostilities。Thewaytheylamslooseateachotherintheirpapersisaterror。IallersreckonsColonelSterettgetsaheapthebestofthisyeremane-chewin\'；we-allsoregardsit，an\'

sodoeshe，an\'hekeepshisendupwithgreatsperitan\'voylence。

"Theseyoreink-riotsdon\'tgoonmore\'ntwomonths，however，whenColonelSterettdecidesthattheo\'casioncallsforsomethin\'moreexplicit。Ashesays，\'Patienceceasestobetrumps，\'an\'sohesaddlesupawholelotan\'ridesovertoRedDog，personal。ColonelSterettdon\'timpartthemplansofhistonoone；hesimplydescendsonhisfoe，solean\'alone，likethatgamean\'chivalrousgentofbellletterswhichheshorelyis；an\'，son，ColonelSterettmakesaexampleofthatslander-mongerin\'RedDogeditor。

"It\'saboutthelastdrinktimeinthemornin\'，an\'apasselofthemRedDogsportsisconvenedinfrontoftheTubofBloods\'loon，whenthey-allhearsacrashan\'looksup，an\'thar\'stheireditora-

soarin\'outofhissecond-storywindow。Ofcourse，inasecondorso，hehitstheground，an\'themRedDogfolksgoesovertogettherightsofthisyerephenomenon。Heain\'thurtsobutwhathegetsupan\'limps\'round，an\'hetells\'emit\'stheWolfvilleeditordoesit。NexttimetheStingin\'Lizardcomesout，wereadsaboutit:

"Thegasconadingreptilewhoisresponsiblefortheslimylifeofthatprurientsheet，theCoyote，paidusasneakingvisitSaturday。

Ifhehadgivenusnoticeofhisintentions，wewouldhavepreparedourselvesandtornhisleproushidefromhisdehauchedandwhiskey-

poisonedframe，andpollutedourfencewithit，buthedidnot。Truetohislow，currishnature，hecreptuponusunawares。Ourbackwastowardhimasheentered，perceivingwhichthecowardlypoltroonseizedusandthrewusthroughourownwindow。Havingaccomplishedhisfiendishwork，themiscreantleft，justlyfearingourwrath。TheStingingLizard\'sexposureofthisscoundrelasadrunkard，embezzler，wife-beater，jail-bird，thief，andgeneralall-roundblacklegpromptedthisoutrage。Nevermind，thecreaturewillhearfromus。

"\'Whichthisnewspaperbusinessisshorelygettin\'somebilious，nottosayhectic，awholelot，\'saysDanBoggs，aswereadsthis。\'I

wonderiftheseyerefolksmeansfight？\'

"\'Why，\'saysEnright，\'Idon\'tknowasthey\'dfightnoneifwe-alllets\'emalone，butIdon\'tseehowwecan。ThissortofracketgoesonforyearsintheEast，butWolfvillecan\'tstandit。SechtalkasthismeansbloodinArizona，an\'weinsistsonthemtraditionsthata-waybein\'respected。Besides，weowessomethin\'toColonelSterett。\'

"SoEnrightan\'Cherokeehuntsupoureditoran\'askshimwhateverheaimstodo，an\'tellshimhe\'sarousedpublicsentimentstosechheightsthar\'llbeapop\'lardisapp\'intmentifhedon\'tchallengetheRedDogeditoran\'beefhim。ColonelSterettallowshe\'scrazytodoit，an\'thattheWolfvillepubliccangamblehe\'llgothedistance。SoCherokeean\'JackMooreputsontheirgunsan\'goesovertoRedDogtofixtimean\'place。TheRedDogeditorsayshe\'swith\'em，an\'theyshakesdiceforplace，an\'Cherokeean\'Moorewins。

"\'Whichasevidenceofgoodfaith，\'saysCherokee，\'wepicksRedDog。Wepullsthisthingoffontheverysceneofthevict\'ryofColonelSterettwhenhehurlsyoureditorthroughhiswindowthattime。Iholdsthesametobeamightyproperscheme。\'

"\'You-allneedn\'tbetimidnonetocome，\'saystheRedDogsports。

\'Yougetsasquar\'dealfromastraightdeck；youcangambleonthat。\'

"\'Oh，weain\'tapprehensifnone，\'saysCherokeean\'Jack；\'youcanshorelylookforus。\'

"Well，theday\'scome，an\'allWolfvillean\'RedDogturnsouttoseethetrouble。JackMoorean\'CherokeeHallrepresentsforoureditor，an\'abraceofRedDogpeopleshowsdownfortheStingin\'

Lizardman。Topreventaccidents，Enrightan\'theRedDogchiefmakeseverygentbutthemInames，leavetheirweeponssome\'erselse，whereforetharain\'taguninwhatyou-allmightcallthehandsofthepop\'laces。

"Buttharcomesainterruption。Jestasthemdooelistsgetsplaced，thar\'sastoopendouscommotion，an\'chargin\'throughthecrowdcomesthatabandonedgoat。Thepresenceofsomanyfolksseemslikeitmakeshimonusualhostile。Withoutwaitin\'tocatchhisbreatheven，helaysfortheRedDogeditor，who，seein\'himcomin\'，bangsawaywithhis\'45an\'misses。Thegoathitsthatauthorinthetailofhiscoat，an\'overhegoes；buthekeepsonslammin\'awaywiththe\'45jestthesame。

"Whichnacherallyeverybodyscattersfurcoveratthefirstshot，\'causetheeditorain\'tcarin\'wherehep\'ints，an\'inasecondnobody\'sinsightbutthemtwojournalistsan\'thatgoat。I\'llsayrightyere，son，ColonelSterettan\'hisfelloweditoran\'thegoatwagestheawfullestbattlewhichIeverbeholds。Whichyoushorelyoughterheardtheirexpressions。Eachof\'emletsgoeveryloadhe\'sgot，butthegoatdon\'tgethitonct。

"Whenwe-allcountstwelveshots——sixapiece——wegoesoutan\'

subdoosthegoatbythepowerofnumbers。Ofcourse，thedooel\'sended。TheRedDogfolksborriesawagonan\'takesawaytheirman，who\'ssufferedaheap；an\'Peets，hestaysovertharan\'fusses\'roundallnightsavin\'ofhim。Thegoat\'sallrightan\'goesbacktotheAbeLincolnHouse，wherethisyerePeteBlandisonreasonableenoughtobackthatshockinconductofhis\'n。

"Whichit\'sthelastoftheRedDogStingin\'Lizard。Thateditorallowshewon\'tstay，an\'Bland，stilladherin\'tohisgoat，allowshewon\'tfeedhimnoneifhedoes。ThenextissueoftheStingin\'

Lizardcontainsthis:

"WebidadieutoRedDog。WewillhereafterpublishapaperinTucson；andifwehavebeenweakandmendaciousenoughtospeakinfavorofapartyofthenameofBland，whomisconductsalowbeanerywhichinsultsanhonourablemanbystealinghisname——werefertothatfeed-troughcalledtheAbeLincolnHouse——wewillcorrectourselvesinitscolumns。Thispersonharboursavilegoat，forwhosedeathwewillpay5，andgivebesidesalife-longsubscriptiontoournewpaper。Lastweekthismadanimalmadeanunprovokedassaultuponusandaprofessionalbrother，andbeat，butted，wounded，bruisedandill-

treatedusuntilwesufferinourwholeperson。Wegivenoticeaswedepart，thatundernocircumstanceswillwereturnuntilthisgoatisextinct。

"Followin\'theonexpectedan\'thrillin\'finishofColonelSterett\'sdooelwiththeRedDogeditor，an\'fromwhichColonelSterettemergesonscathed，an\'leavin\'Peetswithhisnewpatient，weallreturnsinabodytoWolfville。AfterrefreshmentsintheRedLight，Enrightgiveshisviews。

"\'Ondoubted，\'observesEnright，\'ourgent，ColonelSterett，conductshimse\'finthempainfulscenesbetweenhiman\'thegoatan\'thatRedDogeditorinamannertocommandrespects，an\'hereturnswithhonorsfromthemperils。Ther\'snomoretobedone。Theaffaircloseswithoutastainonthe\'scutcheonofWolfville，orthefairfameofColonelSterett；whichlastmaycontinyootopromulgatehisvalyooablepaper，shoreofourconfidencean\'upheldbyouresteem。

Itisnotincumbentonhimtofurtherpursoothisaffair。

Hisnamean\'honorissatisfied；besides，nogentcanaffordtherecognitionsandprivilegesofthedooellotoapartywho\'ssunksolowastohavehostiledifferenceswithagoat，an\'whopersistspubliclyinfollowin\'emtobitteranvoylentconcloosions。ThisRedDogeditor\'sdoneputhimselfoutsidethepaleofanyhigh-speritedgent\'sconsiderationbythemactions，an\'canclaimnofurthernotice。Gents，inthenameofWolfville，Itenderscongrat\'lationstoColonelSterettonthewayinwhichhemeetsthedangersofhisp\'sition，an\'thesooperbfashion!!!whichheplacesbeforeusoneofthegreatestjournalsofourtimes。Gents，wedrinkstoColonelWilliamGreeneSterettan\'theCoyote。\'"

CHAPTERVII。

CherokeeHallPlaysPoker。

"NacherallyI\'mnotmuchofasport，"remarkedtheOldCattleman，ashelaiddownapaperwhichtoldaMonteCarlostoryofafortunelostandwon。"WhichI\'mnotremorselessenoughtobeacleanstraingambler。Ofcourse，akyardsharpcanmakebenevolencesan\'lavishdustontheneedyontheside，butwhenitgetstoagameformoney，hecan\'taffordnoruthfulnessthata-way，tryin\'nottohurtthesorepeople。Hemustplayhissystemthrough，an\'withnomoreconsciencethancows，nomatterwho\'srundowninthestampede。"Forwhichcauses，bein\'plumbtenderan\'sympathetic，I\'mshorenogoodwithkyards；an\'wheneverIdalliestharwith，itisondertheheadofamoosements。"DoIregyardgamblin\'asimmoral？No；Idon\'treckonnonenowIdo。Thisbein\'whatyou——allchurchsharpscallsmoralissomewhatamatterofhealth，an\'likewisethewayyoufeels。Sickfolksusualisaheapmoremoralthanwhentheirhealth\'sthatexcellentit\'stantalizin\'。"Speakin\'ofmorals，I

recallspeoplewhowouldscornkyards，butwho\'dadmiretobuyawidow\'ssteersforfourdollarsan\'saw\'emoffag\'inforforty。

They\'dtakefourhundreddollarsifsomeparty，locoedtoadegreewhichpermitssaidoutrage，wouldturnup。Therightorwrong，whatyoucallsthemoralityofgatherin\'steersforfourdollarsan\'

plunderin\'peoplewith\'ematfortydollars，wouldn\'tbother\'emabit。Whichthequestionwiththeseyerewolvesissimply:\'HowlittlecanIpayan\'howmuchcanIget？\'An\'yet，asIsays，sechpartiesmightylikelyholdsthemse\'fsmoraltoadegreewhichismountainous，an\'wouldn\'ttakeatwistatfaro-bank，orpickupapokerhand，more\'nthey\'dminglewitht\'rant\'lersan\'stingin\'

lizards。An\'someoftheirmoralsportsissoonlib\'ral!Itellsyou，son，I\'vemetupwith\'emwho\'sthatstingythatiftheyownedalake，theywouldn\'tgiveaduckadrink。

"\'Gamblin\'isimmoralthata-way，\'saystheseyeresports。

"An\'yetIdon\'tseenosechheinousdifferencebetweensearchin\'agentforhisrollwithsteersatfortydollars——thesamestandin\'

youinfour——an\'layinforhimbyraisin\'theanteforthelimitbeforethedraw。Mightylikelythar\'sareasonwhyone\'smoralan\'

theother\'sblackan\'bad，butIadmitsonblushin\'lythattheonearthin\'tharofisshoretoomanyfordim-eyedfolkslikeme。Theystrikesmeaheapsim\'lar；onlythekyardsharpgoesoutag\'instchanceswhichthesteersharpescapescomplete。

"IreckonsCherokeeHallan\'mediscusseshowwronggamblin\'ishundredsoftimesonleesuredays；wefrequenttalksofitimmoderate。Cherokee\'sviewsan\'mineissidean\'side，mostly，although，makin\'hislivin\'turnin\'kyards，ofcoursehe\'smorequalifiedtospeakthanme。

"\'WhichIshorefindsnothin\'wronginfarobank，\'saysCherokee。

\'Thar\'stimes，however，whensomesportwho\'slocoedbybadluck，orthinkshe\'swrongedgetsdiffusivewithhisgun。Atsechepocksthisdevicehasitsburdens，Iconcedes。ButIdon\'tperceivenoimmorality；nonewhatever。\'

"Yes，nowyouasksthequestion，IdoesinformyouawhilebackofthisCherokeeHallbein\'pronetocharity。Heneverismuchofatalker，butinhiswayhe\'samightygregar\'ousgent。Aboutsomethingshe\'sgameashornets，Cherokeeis；buthisnervefailshimwhenitcomestoseein\'otherpeoplesuffer。Hecanstandbadluckhimse\'f，an\'neverturnaha\'r；butnooneelse\'sbadluck。

"Itain\'tonceaweek，butit\'severyday，whenthisyeregray-eyedsportisrobbin\'hisrollforsomebodywho\'ssettin\'inag\'instdisaster。Fact；Cherokee\'saheapweakthata-way。

"Ofcourse，turnin\'faro，Cherokeeknowswhohasmoneyan\'whoneedsit；keepstab，sotospeak，onthefluctooationsofthecamp\'sfinancescloser\'nanybody。Therichesan\'thepovertyofWolfvilleissorto\'exposin\'itse\'f\'roundonderhisnose；it\'saopenbooktohim；an\'theknowledgeofwho\'sflat，orwho\'sflush，isthrustontohimcontinyoous。AsIsays，bein\'somesentimentalaboutthemhardshipsofothers，theinformationcostsCherokeehardontoadiurnalstackortwo。

"\'Whichyou\'retooimpulsiveawholelot，\'Iarguesonctwhenaprofligatehe\'sstaked，an\'whoreportshimse\'fasjumpin\'sidewaysforgrubprevious，goescareerin\'overtothedancehallwiththemalmshe\'swrung，an\'proceedsonadebauch。\'Yououghternotallowthemorneryfolkstodoyou。Ifyou\'dcultivatethehabitoflettin\'

everygentgoa-foottillhecanbuyahoss，you\'dcleanupforaheapmoreattheendoftheweek。Nowthisingratewhosehandyoustiffensain\'tbuyin\'nothin\'butnose-painttharwith。\'

"\'Whichthesameplantsnoregretswithme，\'saysCherokee，allcarelessan\'indifferent。\'Ifthispersonissufferin\'forwhiskeyworse\'nhe\'ssufferin\'forbread，lethimloosewiththewhiskey。

Themoney\'shis。WhenIgivesagentastake，thar\'snothin\'heldback。Idon\'tgoplayin\'thedespotastohowheblowsit。IfthisyerepartyIrelieveswantswhiskeyan\'isbuyin\'whiskey，I

approveshisplay。IfI\'veaweaknessatall，it\'sforseein\'folksfetterlessan\'free。\'

"Whileholdin\'Cherokee\'sviewserroneous，sofarasheseekstoapply\'emtopauperstankin\'upondonations，stillIallowsit\'sdealin\'farowhichhassp\'iledhim；an\'asyoucan\'tmakenogentovernew，Iquitsan\'don\'tbuckhisnotionsaboutdispensin\'

charitynomore。"Thar\'stimeswhenthisyereCherokeeHallcaromsonagentwho\'shigh-strungthata-way，an\'won\'ttakenodonations；

whichthisyeresportmaybeplentyneedytothep\'intofperishin\'，too。That\'sstraight；thar\'snacherswhichisthatreluctantaboutaid，theysimplydiesstandin\'beforethey\'lleverask。

"OnceortwicewhenCherokeecrossesupwithoneoftheseyeresensitifsouls，an\'who\'sindistress，heneversaysawordaboutgivin\'himanythin\'；heturnsfoxyan\'capshimintoalittlepoker。

An\'inthecourseofanhour——forhehastogoslowan\'cunnin\'，sohedon\'tarousethevictimtosuspicionsthathe\'sbein\'played——

Cherokee\'lldisarrangethingssohelosesasmallstaketohim。Whenhe\'sgotthisdistressedgent\'sfinancesreehabilitatedsome，heshovesoutan\'quits。

"\'An\'youcanputitflatdown，\'remarksCherokee，who\'ssooperstitious，\'Ineverlosesnothin\'norquitsbehindontheseyerebenevolences。WhichIoftobservesthatProvidencecomesbackofmyboxbeforeevertheweek\'sout，an\'makesgood。\'

"\'IonceknowsasportinLaredo，\'saysTexasThompson，towhomCherokeeistalkin\'，\'an\'issorto\'intimatewithhim。He\'sholdin\'

tosomethin\'likeyoursystem，too，an\'playsitrightalong。

Wheneverluck\'sag\'inhimtoap\'intwherehe\'slosthalfhisroll，hebreaksthelasthalfintwoan\'givesoneparttosomecharityracket。hetellsmehimse\'fhe\'sbeenaddictedtothisschemesolongit\'sgottobeaappetite，an\'thatheneverfailstowinhimse\'foutentheholewithwhat\'sleft。Youbet!Ibelievesit；I

seesthishold-updoit。\'

"Iain\'tnoneshoretharain\'tsomebottomtothembluffswhichCherokeean\'TexasputsupaboutProvidencestockin\'adeckyourway，an\'makin\'goodthemgifts。Atleast，thar\'stimeswhenitlookslikeitaheap。An\'whatI\'llnowrelateshowsit。

"OnetimeCherokeehasitsunkdeepinhisbosomtohe\'pagentnamedEllistosomethin\'likeayellowstack，sohecanpullhisfreightforhome。He\'scomespraddlin\'intotheWestfullofhope，an\'allowin\'he\'sgoin\'togetrichinaday。An\'nowwhenhefindshowtheWestisswiftan\'hardtobeat，he\'shomesicktodeath。

"ButEllisain\'tgotthedinero。NowCherokeelikeshim——forEllisisamightydecentformofshorthorn——an\'concloodes，allbyhimse\'f，he\'llstandinonEllis\'destiniesan\'fix\'emupalot。

Bein\'asEllisisaeasymavericktowound，Cherokeedecidesit\'sbettertolethimthinkhewinsthestuff，an\'notlaceratehimbynogiftsdirect。Anotherthing，thisyereEllistenderfootisplumbcontrary；he\'sshorecontrarytothenotchofbein\'cap\'bleofdeclinin\'almsabsoloote。

"TomakecertainEllisisgotridof，an\'headedhomewardhappy，CherokeepullsonalittlepokerwithEllis；an\'hetakesinDanBoggsontheplay，makin\'herthree-handed，thata-wayforablind。

Danisinformedoftheobjectsofthemeetin\'，an\'ain\'tallowin\'tomore\'nplayadummyhandtharin。

"ThisyereEllismakesatangleatfirst，wantintoplayfaro-bank；

butCherokee，whocan\'tcontrolnofarogamelikehecanpoker，says\'No；\'he\'sdeadwearyoffaro，turnin\'itdayan\'dark；rightthenheisoutforalittlestretchatpokerasmererelief。AlsoDanobjectsstrenyoous。

"\'WhichIdon\'thavenoluckatfaro-bank，\'saysDan。\'Idoesnothin\'butloseforamonth；I\'mmadesullenbyit。TheonlybetI

standstowinatfaro，forplumbfourweeks，isahundreddollarswhichIputsonacasequeen，coppered，overinTucsontheotherday。An\'Ilosethat。I\'mahoss-thiefif，exacklyasthequeeniscomin\'myway，thatlocoedTucsonmarshaldon\'ttakeaslamatagentwithhissix-shooteran\'miss；an\'thebullet，whichisdodgin\'

an\'meanderin\'downtheroom，crossesthelayoutbetweenthedealeran\'me，an\'takesthetopchipoffmybet。An\'withitgoesthecopper。BeforeIcanrestorethemconditions，thequeenfallstolose；an\'nothavin\'nocopperonmybet，ofcourse，I\'mimpoverishedforthathundredasaforesaid。Youknowstheroole——

everybetgoesasitlays。SaidstatooteisfullyinforceinTucson；an\'declinin\'toallowanythin\'forwildshootin\'bythatfoolmarshal，themoutcastscorralsmychips。"HoweverdoIknowthar\'sanaccident？"saysthedealer，asherakesinthatqueenbet，whileI\'mexpoundin\'whyitshouldbecomin\'tome。"Mebbyshe\'sanaccident，an\'mebbyag\'inthathom\'cidewho\'sbustin\'\'roundyerewithhisgun，isinleaguewithyou-all，an\'shootsthatcopperoffdesignful，thinkin\'thequeen\'scomin\'theotherway。Ifaccidentsisallowedtocontrolinfaro-bank，thehousewouldneverwinachip。"So，\'concloodesDan，\'theygetsawaywithmyhundred，invokin\'strictroolesontome。WhileIcan\'tsaytheyain\'tright，Imakesupmymindmyluck\'stoorankforfaro，an\'registersvowsnottoputapesoonanotherlayoutforayear。Asthetimelimitain\'tup，Ican\'tbuckfaro-banknone；butifyouan\'Ellis，Cherokee，cantol\'ratealittledraw，I\'myouronmurmurin\'dupe。\'

"AsIrelatesprior，theplayistoletElliswinahome-stakean\'

quit。Atlasttheybegins，Ellisseein\'thar\'snochanceforfaro-

bank。Danplaysbutlittle；usual，hemerelypicksuphiskyards，cussesalot，an\'passesout。Nowan\'then，whenit\'shisante，orCherokeestaysoutforthelooksofthething，Dangoestothefrontan\'sweetensEllisforahandfulofchips。

"Littlebylittle，bylayin\'downgoodhands，breakin\'pa\'rsbeforeadraw，an\'gen\'rallycarryin\'ontail-firstan\'scand\'lous，Cherokeean\'Danisgettin\'afewlayersoffatonEllis\'ribs。Buttheyhastolaylowtodoit。Oh!he\'dkickoverthetableinasecondifheevensmellstheplay。

"Nowyere\'swhereProvidencemakesitsdeboo。Ithappenswhilethesecharitiesisproceedin\'，aavariciousgent——astrangerwithinourgates，heis——afterregyardin\'thegameawhile，takestodeemin\'iteasy。Theavariciousgentwantsin；an\'asEllis，who\'saheapelatedathisluckan\'isalreadytalkin\'ofthekillin\'he\'smakin\'，says\'Yes，\'an\'asDanan\'Cherokeecan\'tsay\'No\'withoutbein\'onp\'lite，theavariciousgentbuttsin。ItalldisturbsCherokee，who\'sanervoussharp；an\'whenheseeshowgreedytheavariciousgentisforwhathedeemstobeashorething，heconcloodestodrophimplentyhard。"It\'sfour-handpokernow，an\'

thegamewagsonforadozenhands。Danisinhardluck；Cherokeeonhispartgetsdrivenouteachhand；an\'Ellisan\'theavariciousgentisdoin\'whatlittlewinnin\'sbein\'done，between\'em。It\'sevidentbythistime，too，theavariciousgent\'slayin\'forCherokee。ThisoninstructedpersonlooksonCherokeeasbothimbecilean\'onluckytoboot。

"Theavariciousgentgetsactionsuddenerthanhethinks。It\'sajackpot。ShegoesbyEllisan\'Dan；thenCherokeebreaksherforthelimit，twobloochips，theparvaluewhereofistendollars。

"\'Youbreaksforten？\'saystheavariciousgent，who\'sonCherokee\'sleftan\'hasthelastsay；\'well，Iseesthebreakan\'liftsitthelimit。\'An\'theavariciousgentputsupfourbloos。Ellisan\'Dan，holdin\'nothin\'an\'gettin\'crafty，ducks。

"Whentheavariciousgentputsuphisfourbloobeans，Cherokeedoessomethin\'nooneeverseeshimdobefore。Hegetsquer\'lousan\'

complainin\'，an\'beginstofussalotoverhisbadluck。

"\'Whatdidyou-allcomeinfor？\'hesaystotheavariciousgent，aspeevishasasickinfant。\'Youseesmesettin\'yereinthemuddiestofluck；can\'tyoua-beartoletmewinapot？Youain\'tgotnohandtocomeinonneither，an\'I\'llbetonit。Youjestnacherallystacksin，relyin\'onbluffin\'me，orout-luckin\'meonthedraw。

Well，youcan\'tbluff；I\'llseethisyerethrough，\'saysCherokee，puttin\'uptwomoresky-coloredbeansan\'actin\'likehe\'sgettin\'

heated，\'ifittakesmylastchip。AsIdo，however，jesttoonmaskyouan\'showmyfriends，asIsays，thatyouain\'tgotathing，I\'llwageryoutwoontheside，rightnow，thatthepa\'rofjacksI

breakson，isbiggerthanthehandonwhichyoucomesinan\'makesthattwo-buttontilt。\'Ashesaysthis，Cherokeeregyardstheavariciousgentlikehe\'splumbdisgusted。

"Itturnsout，whenCherokeemakesthisyerelongan\'fretfulbreak，theavariciousgent\'sholdin\'abraceofkings。He\'sdelightedwithCherokee\'suproar，an\'thinkshowsoft，an\'whatacaseofopen-

work，heis。

"\'YouofferstwobloosIcan\'tbeatapa\'rofjacks？\'saystheavariciousgent。Whichhe\'splumbwolf，an\'outforeverydropofblood!

"\'That\'swhatIsays，\'repliesCherokee，somesullen。

"`Igoesyou，\'saystheavariciousgent，showin\'apa\'rofkings。

"\'Tharyoube，\'snarlsCherokee，withahowllikeasore-headdog，a-chuckin\'theavariciousgentacoupleofchips；\'tharyougoag\'in!Ican\'tbeatnothin\'；whichIcouldn\'tbeatadrum!"Theavariciousgentc\'llectsthemtwoazurebones；afterwhichhediskyardsthree，drawin\'tohistwokings，an\'setsbacktowinthemainpot。Heshoreconcloodesit\'saredletterround-upforhim。

"`IreckonsnowthatIknowswhatyouhas，\'saysCherokee，displayin\'aaceinafoolishway，\'Iupholdsthisyereaceonthesidean\'asksfortwokyards。\'

"Theavariciousgentaddsathirdkingtohislistan\'feelslikesunnyweather。Cherokeepicksuphishandafterthedraw，an\'theavariciousgent，who\'sviewin\'himsharp，notesthathelooksaheapmorbid。

"AllatonceCherokeebracesupmightysavage，likehe\'suglyan\'

desp\'rateabouthisbadluck。

"\'Ifthisyerelimitwasanysizeatall，abloodedgentmightstandsomeshow。WhichI\'dbluffyououtenyourmoccasinsifIwasn\'treepressedbyalimitwhereofachildshouldbeashamed。Ishoredon\'tknowhowImislaysmyse\'f-respecttosechapitchastogosettin\'intotheseyerepaltryplays。\'

"\'Whichyouseeyerealot!\'saystheavariciousgent，shakin\'withdelight，an\'lookin\'atthemthreecrownedheadsheholds；\'don\'thowlallnightaboutawrongwhat\'ssoeasytorectify。Weremovesthelimits，an\'youcanspreadyourpinionsan\'soartoanyaltitoodeyouplease。\'

"Cherokeelooksathimhatefulasamurderer；heseemslikehe\'sbein\'goaded。Then，likehe\'smadeuphismindtodierightyere，Cherokeeturnsinwithoutnomorewordsan\'betsfivehundreddollars。ItmakesEllis，who\'snewan\'plumbpoorthata-way，sorto\'drawalongbreath。

"\'Whichyou\'llclimbsomeforthispotifyougetsit，\'saysCherokee，afterhismoney\'sup；an\'histonesisshoreresentful。

"Theavariciousgentthinksit\'sabluff。Hedeemsthemthreekingsgood。Cherokeemostlikelydon\'tbetterbythedraw。Ifhedoes，it\'snothin\'worsethanacesup，oratriangleofjacks。That\'sthewaythissordidsportlinesupCherokee\'shand。"\'Merelytoshowyoutheerrorofyourways，\'heremarks，\'an\'toteachyoutoleada\'happieran\'abetterlife，Iseesyourfivehundredan\'raisesherbackthesame。\'An\'theavariciousgentcountsoffathousanddollars。\'Thar，\'hesayswhenit\'sup，\'nowgoasfarasyoulike。

Makeitaceilin\'playifthesperitmovesyou。\'

"\'Iseesitan\'liftsherforfivehundredmore，\'retortsCherokee。

An\'heshoveshisdusttothecenter。"Cherokee\'speevishnessisgone，an\'hisfault-findin\'isover。He\'sturnedasconfidentan\'

easyasaoldshoe。

"Itstrikestheavariciousgentasalarmin\'，thisquickswitchinthewayCherokeefeels。It\'scl\'ar，asonelooksinhisface，thatthemtrioofkingsain\'tnosechmonstrositiesastheywas。Heain\'thalfsoshoretheywins。Afterlookin\'awhilehesays，an\'histonesshowshe\'splumbdoobious:

"\'Thatlastraiseover-sizesme。\'

"`That\'sit!\'groansCherokee，likehiscontemptforallmankindiscomin\'back。\'BythetimeIgetsadecenthandeverysportatthetable\'sbroke。WhatshowdoIhave!However，Ipinchesdowntomeetyourpoverty。Putupwhatstuffyouhas。\'

"Theavariciousgentslowlygetsuphislastpeso；he\'soutonalimb，an\'hesomehowbeginstofeelit。Whenthemoney\'sup，Cherokeethrowsdownthreeacesan\'apa\'rofnines，an\'rakesthedust。

"\'Nexttime，\'saysCherokee，\'don\'tcomefomentin\'\'roundpokergameswhichisstrangerstoyoucomplete。Moreover，don\'tletagenttalkyouintofal\'ciestouchin\'hishand。WhichI\'mtheproudproprietorofthemthreeaceswhenIbreaksthepot。You-alllosethistime；butifyou\'llonlypastethemdogmasIgivesyouinyoursombrero，an\'read\'emoverfromtimetotime，you\'llnoticetheyflowsaprofit。Wethree，\'concloodesCherokee，turnin\'ag\'intoDanan\'Ellis，\'willnowresoomeourwrong-doin\'atthep\'intwherethisyereformerplootocratinterrupts。AbenignProvidencehasfixedmeplentystrong。Wherefore，ifeitherofyousportsshouldtapmeforahandfulofhundreds，themveinsofminewillstandthedrain。Dan，it\'syourdeal。\'"

CHAPTERVIII

TheTreacheryofCurlyBen"ere!youblackboy，Tom!"andtheOldCattleman\'svoiceroseloudlyashecommandedtheapproachofthatbuoyantservitor，whosupervisedhismaster\'sdestinies，andperformedinthetriangularroleofvalet，guardianandfriend。"Yere，you；gotothebarkeepofthistavernan\'tellhimtoframemeupapitcherofthatpeachbrandyan\'honeythewayIshowshimhow。An\'whenhe\'sgotherorganized，bringitouttouswithtwoglassesbythefire。You-allain\'tfilin\'noobjectionstoadrink，beyou？"Thislastwastome。

"Asforme，personal，"hecontinued，"youcanputdownabetI\'masdryasacoveredbridge。"Ireadilyassentedtopeachandhoney。I

wouldagreetorawwhiskeyifitwereneededtoappeasehimandpermitmetoremaininhisgraces。

"Thar\'sonething，oneredeemin\'thingImightsay，abouttheEast，"

hewenton，whenthepeachandhoneyappeared，"an\'thesameclaimsmyrespectsentire；that\'sitsnose-paint。WhichweshorelysuffersintheSouthwestfrombeveragesofthemostornerykind。"

"There\'sawordI\'vewantedtoaskyouaboutmorethanonce，"I

said。"Whatdoyoumeanby\'ornery，\'andwheredoyougetit？"

"WheredoIgetit？"heresponded，withatingeofscorn。"WheredoIropeontoanyword？Ijestnacherallyreachesoutan\'acquiresitawholelot，likeIdotherestofthelanguageIemploys。Asforwhatitmeans，Iwouldhaveallowedthatanygentwhoescapesbein\'

asweak-mindedasThompson\'scolt——an\'thatcayouseisthatimbecileheusedtoswimarivertogetadrink——wouldhesitatewithshametoasksechquestions。

"\'Ornery\'isawordthemeanin\'whereofisgoin\'todependaheaponwhatyoubrandswithit。"Thiswassaidlikeanoracle。"Also，thesamemeansmoreorlessaccordin\'towhoallputsthewordinplay。

Iremembersamightydecentsortofsport，oldCapeWillinghamitis；an\'yetDanBoggsisforeverreferrin\'tooldCapeas\'ornery。\'

An\'IreckonDanthinksheis。WhichthetroublewithCape，fromDan\'sstandpoint，isthis:Capeisoneoftheseyerepreciseparties，acc\'rateastoallhedoes，an\'plentypartic\'larabouthislooks。AnOsagebuck，paintin\'foradance，wouldn\'tworrymoreoverhisfeachers，an\'thewaytheochershouldbestreakedon。

"NowthisyereCapeisshyaneye，whereanApachepokesitoutwithalance，backinCochise\'stime；an\'，asheregyardshiscountenanceasseemin\'overrocky，bein\'redoocedtooneeyeasIrelates，hesendsEastan\'getsaglasseye。Thisain\'twhereCape\'stechnical\'tiesabouthislookstrailsin，however；an\'，ifhehadpausedtharinhisrehabilitations，Boggsallersputituphe\'da-

foundnofault。ButCapenoticesthatabouttenthdrinktimehisshore-enougheyebeginsfortoshowupbloodshot，an\'isabadmatefortheglasseye，thesamebein\'onaffectedbydrink。SowhatdoesCapedobuthaveabloodshoteyemade，an\'takestopackin\'thesameonhispersonconstant。AsCapedrinkshisfortydropsallcommodious，hesorto\'keepstabsonhimse\'finthelookin\'glassbackofthebar；an\'whenthegoodeyecommencestoturnredwiththemlibationshe\'scountin\'intothecorral，heupsan\'shiftshisbresh；digsoutthewhiteeyean\'plantsthedrunkeneyeintheplace。

"Shore!noneofuscaresexceptDanBoggs；butDanfeelsittothatextent，it\'sallColonelSterettan\'DocPeetsan\'OldManEnrightcando，addedtoDan\'sbein\'bynacheraborngentthata-way，tokeepDanfrommentionin\'ittooldCape。

"\'Agentwhocomesfromagoodfam\'ly，likeyou-all，\'saysOldManEnrighttoDan，sorto\'soothin\'ofhim，\'oughterberemovedabovemakin\'commentsonporeoldCapeshiftin\'hisoptics。Troo!it\'saweakness，butwhereisthesportwhohasn\'tweaknesseslikewise。

Whichyou-allisamightysighttoonesideofbein\'perfectyourse\'f，Dan，an\'yetwedon\'tgo\'roundbreakin\'theinformationoffinyoueverytinicyoumakesaqueerplay。An\'youmustb\'arwithCape，an\'themcapricesofhis。\'"\'Iain\'tdenyin\'nothin\'，\'

declar\'sDan。\'I\'mthelastlonghorninWolfvilletoberevilin\'oldCape，an\'refoosin\'himhisplainAmericanrighttogopirootin\'

\'roundamonghiseyesassuitshistaste。ButI\'mamightynervousmanthata-way，an\'Capeknows，oroughterknow，how，asIstates，I\'mnacherallyallonstrung，an\'thathiscarryin\'sonwiththemeyesgivesmethefantods。Onderallthecircumstances，Iclaimshisconductisornery，an\'notwhatainvalidlikemehasarighttoexpect。\'

"No；Danneversaysnothin\'toCape；ordoesanythin\'\'cepttalktoEnrightan\'therestofusabouthowhecan\'tstandCapeshiftin\'

themeyes。An\'itain\'taffectationonthepartofDan；heshorelyfeelsthemshifts。Manyatime，whenit\'sgotoberedeyetimewithCape，an\'asthelatterisscroop\'louslymakin\'saidtransfers，haveIbeheldDanariseinsilentagony，an\'gotobitehunksoutenapineshelfthatisbuiltontheRedLightwall。

"\'WhichthatorneryCape，\'saysDan，ashepicksthesplintersfromhismouthaftersechexercises，\'woulddrivemeaslocoedasacoyoteifIdon\'ttakerefoogeinsomesechplaylikethat。\'

"But，asIsu\'gestsaboutthisterm\'ornery；\'itdependsalotonwhousesit，an\'whatfor。NowDanneverreferstooldCapeexceptas\'ornery；\'whileEnrightan\'therestofusseesnothin\'fromsodatohockinCape，doorin\'themfewmonthshemingleswithus，whichmeritssechobloquys。

"No；orneryisawordthatmeanswhatitsaysan\'isshoredeescriptif。Coyotesisornery，sheepisornery；an\'themlow-flunghoomanswhoherdssheepisornery，speshul。Ofcourse，thetermhasmisapplications；asanextremecase，I\'veevenheardign\'ranttenderfeetwhoalloodestothewholeWestas\'ornery。\'Butthemfolksistoodebasedan\'toodarkenedtodemandcomments。"

"YouareveryloyaltotheWest，"Iremarked。

"WhichIshorelyoughterbe，"retortedtheoldgentleman。"TheWesthasbeensomeloyaltome。Troo!itstandstoreasonthatapartyfreshfromtheEast，wherethehornshasbeenknockedoffeneverythin\'fortwoorthreehundredyears，an\'conditionsgenialisassoftasagoose-ha\'rpillow，isgoin\'tonoticesometurgidchangeswhenhelandsinArizona。Butashorthorn，thata-way，shouldreservehisjedgmenttillhegetsacquainted，orgetslynched，orotherwiseexperiencestheWestinitstroocolors。WhileArizona，forspeciment，don\'tgoupan\'putherarmsabouttheneckofeverytoweristthatcomeschargin\'intocamp，herfailuretoperformsaidritesarisesratherfromdignitythanhauteur。Arizonadon\'tputondog；butshehasherse\'f-respectin\'ways，an\'standsapathandontowerists。

"IfIwascalledontolayoutasystemtoguideatenderfootwhoisconsiderin\'onmakin\'Arizonahishome-camp，I\'dadvisehimtomakehisdeboointhatterritoryinasperitofca\'man\'silentse\'f-

reliance。SechagentmightresideinWolfville，saythreemonths。

Hemightmeethercitizens，buckherfaro-banks，drinkhernose-

paint，shakeahilarioushoofinherhurdygurdies，askforhisletters，orchangeinwhateversumsseemsmeettohimattheNewYorkStoreforshirts。Also，hemightcomebuttin\'alongintotheO。

K。Restaurawthreetimesadaywiththebalanceoftheband，an\'

MissisRuckerwouldshorelyturnhergrub-gameforhim，forthelimitifhesopleased。Butstill，mostlikelyeverygentincampwouldmaintaindoorin\'hisnovitiateadecentdistancewiththisyerestranger；theywouldn\'tonbucklean\'bedrunkwithhimfreean\'

sociallike，an\'withthebridleoff，likepardswhohascrossedtheplainstogetheran\'seenextremes。Allthis，withachillontoit，atenderfootwouldfindhimse\'fag\'instforthefirstfewmonthsinWolfville。

"An\'yet，mysteertohimwouldbenottogetdiscouraged。Thecamp\'ssizin\'himup；that\'sall。Ifheperseveres，ca\'man\'

c\'llectedlikeIstates，alongthetrailofhisdestiny，he\'llshorecomewinneronthedeal。Attheendofthreemonths，ormebbyinonusualcasesfourmonths，jestasthisyeremaverickisgoin\'intothedancehall，ormebbytheRedLight，somegentwillchunkhimoneinthebackwithhisshetfistan\'say，\'Howbeyou？Youdouble-

dealin\'，cattle-stealin\'，foogitivesonofamurdererin\'hoss-thief，howbeyou？\'

"Now，rightthariswharthisyereshorthornwantstomaintainhispresenceofmind。Hedon\'twanttogomakin\'novainplaysforhissix-shooter，orindulgeinnosourranikabooretorts。Thatgentlikeshim。WithWolfvillesocialconditions，thisyeregreetin\'iswhatyousportswhocomesfromthefarNo\'thcalls\'thebeginnin\'ofthethaw。Theiceisbreakin\'up；an\'ifourcandidatesetsinhissaddlesteadyan\'withwisdomatthisback-thumpin\'，name-callin\'

epock，an\'don\'ttaketomillin\'\'roundfortrouble，intwominuteshiman\'thatgregar\'ousgentwho\'saccostedhimisdrinkin\'an\'

fraternizin\'togetherliketwostagehold-upsinastrangecamp。TheWestain\'tornery；she\'ssimplyreservedawholelot。

"Mightylikelynow，"continuedmyfriend，followingaprofoundpausewhichwascomfortablyfilledwithpeachandhoney；"it\'smightylikelynow，comin\'downtofolks，thatthemostornerypartyIeverknowsisCurlyBen。ThisyereBeniskilled，final；clownedbyoldCaptainMoon。Thar\'sastrangecircumstanceattendin\'，asthepaperssay，theobliterationofthisCurlyBen，an\'itmakesaheapofanimpressiononmeatthetime。Itshowshowtheinstincttodothings，thatabentisallerscarryin\'\'roundinhismind，getssorto\'locatedinhisnervesmebby，an\'he\'lldo\'emwithouthisintellectsridin\'herdontheplay——do\'emlikeCurlyBendoes，afterhislightisoutcomplete。

"ThisyereiswhatI\'mtrailin\'upto:WhenCaptainMoonfetchesCurlyBenthattime，Curlyisplayin\'kyards。He\'sjestdealin\'，when，onbeknowntohim，MooncomesInjunin\'upfromther\'arsurreptitious，an\'drillsCurlyBenthroughthehead；an\'thebulletbein\'a\'45Colt\'s——forMoonain\'ttoyin\'withCurlyan\'meansbusiness——goesplumbthroughan\'emergesfromonderCurlyBen\'soffeye。Forthatmatter，itbreaksthearmofapartywho\'splayin\'

opp\'sitetoCurly，an\'whoisskinnin\'hispasteboardsatthetime，thinkin\'nothin\'ofwar。Whichthequeerpartisthis:Curly，asI

states——an\'heneverknowswhathitshim，an\'isasdeadasSantaAnnainamoment——isdealin\'thekyards。He\'sgotthedeckinhishands。An\'yet，whenthepublicpicksCurlyoffthefloor，he\'spulledhistwoguns，an\'hasgotonecocked。Nowwhatdoyou——alldeemofthatfortheworkin\'ofaleft-overimpulsewhenagentisdead？

"But，asIremarksyeretofore，CurlyBenisthemostornerypersonI

everovertakes，an\'thefeelin\'softhecampisinnowiselaidwastewhenMoonaddshimtothelistthattimeintheRedLightbar。It\'sthisa-way:

"It\'saboutamonthbefore，whenCaptainMoonan\'hisnephy，withtwo8-muleteamsandfourbigthree-an\'-a-halfBainwagons，twoleadan\'twotrailtheybe，comesfreightin\'outofSilverCitywiththeireyesonWolfville。It\'sthefourthnightout，an\'they\'recampednearaInjunagency。Aboutmidnightahalfdozenofthebuckscomesscoutin\'\'roundtheircamp，allowin\'toamoralcertaintythey\'llseewhat\'sloosean\'littleenoughfor\'emtopull。Theaboriginesmakestheerrorofgoin\'upthewindfromMoon\'smules，whichisgrazin\'aboutwithhobbleson，an\'themsagaciousanamilesactooallyhasfits。It\'safact，ifyouwanttoseeamulegoplumbintotheairan\'remain，jestlethimgetagood，ample，onmistakablesmellofaInjun!Itsimplyonhingeshisreason；heain\'tnomoreresponsiblethanacimmaronsheep。No，itain\'tthatthesavageisouttodoanythingoncommontothemule；it\'smerelyoneofthemule\'silloosions，asI\'vetoldyouoncebefore。Jestthesame，ifthemInjunsiscomin\'tobraidhistailan\'braidittight，thatmulecouldn\'tfeelmorefrantic。

"Whentheseyerefaithfulmulestakestosurgin\'aboutthesceneontwofeet，Moon\'snephygrabsaWinchesteran\'pumpsaloadorsointothedarknessforgen\'ralresults。An\'hehasaheapofluck。HeshorelystopsoneofthemApachesinhislopin\'up，an\'downthelandforgoodan\'all。

"InlessthannotimethewholetribeisdownonCaptainMoonan\'

hisnephy，demandin\'blood。Thar\'splentyofsomesortsofwisdomaboutasavage，an\'theseyereApachesain\'trunnin\'rightinonMoonan\'hisrelatifneither。TheywasperfeeklyfamiliarwiththeaccoomulationofcartridgesinaWinchester，an\'tharforegoesaboutthestirrin\'upofMoonan\'thatnepbyplumbwary。

"Moonan\'theboygoesinbetweenthewagons，blazin\'an\'bangin\'

awayatwhatevermovesormakesanoise；an\'asthey\'vebeenallthroughsechfestivalsbefore，theyregyardstheirfinalchancestobeasgoodasanevenbreak，orbetter。

"WhilethemApachesisdodgin\'aboutamongtherocks，an\'howlin\'

contempt，an\'passin\'resolootionsofrevengetouchin\'thetwoMoons，theInjunagentcomestroopin\'along。Heseekstoround-uphissavagesan\'herd\'embacktotheagency。TheApaches，ontheirside，isdemandin\'thecaptureofthenephyMoonforsp\'ilin\'oneoftheiryoungmen。

"TheagentisaprairiedogjestoutfromtheEast，an\'don\'tknowhalfasmuchaboutwhat\'sgoin\'oninsideofaApacheasahornedtoad。Hecomesdowntotheaigeofhostil\'ties，asyou-allmightcallit，an\'makesMoonan\'hisWinchesterworkin\'nephyaspeech。

Headdresses\'emawholelotontheenormityofdownin\'Apacheswhogoesprowlin\'aboutan\'scarin\'upyourmulesatmidnight，inwhatthisyerewitlessagentcallsa\'motifofchildishcur\'osity，\'an\'

hewindsupthepowwowwithdemandin\'thesurrenderofthe\'hom\'cide。\'

"\'Surrendernothin\'!\'saysCaptainMoon。\'YoutellyourInjunstolineoutfortheircamp；an\'don\'tyouyourse\'fgettoozealousneitheran\'cometooclost，orasshoreasIcastsmyfirstvoteforMattyVanBuren，I\'llplugyouplumbcenter。\'

"Butthenephy，hethinksdifferent。InspiteofCaptainMoon\'sprotests，hegiveshimse\'fuptotheagentonthepromiseofprotection。

"\'You\'regone，lad，\'saysMoon，whenthenephyinsistsonyieldin\'；

\'youwon\'tlastaslongasapintofwhiskeyinafive-handpokergame。\'