The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-04-08

laugh at this exposure of lean hand.
heard the voice of the strange ruffiar
who had besought "some gentleman ,
to play with him yelp out, ssFour kings
That pot is mine.'' The low-voiced gen
tleman he was playing with said, "Holc
on! have four aces, The money il
mine!" With an oath, the ruffiar
pushed back his chair and walked to the
bar. He swallowed a full glass of whisky
and then fercely glared over the room
Filling his glass again, he stood glarine
around. Seeing me writing in corner
he put the glass on the counter
and strobe over to me. Standing in
front of me, he was about to speak,
when | rose up, looked him squarely in
the face, and asked, "What do you
want?" Our eyes met He looked at
me for an instant and said, Nothing,
l thought knew you" He walked back
to the counter, and L, looking over
the room, saw half dozen revolvers
disappear under the tables, and the
miners that handled them smiled to
me. now took curious interest in
the ruffian. He stood, glass in hand, at
the bar waiting for something-stand-
ing and waiting, thought, as many a
time | have stood by deer lick {" You
are watching for game, my friend,''
said to myself. 1 watch him. The
door opens, and the furious wind, driv-
ing, the snow before it, rushed in,i and
in the midst of the snowy shroud stood
Van Thusen. He stood stamping his
feet and shaking the snow from his
clothing. A dozen men called out,
+" How are you, Vanp What luck fish
ing?" Some poker player called out,
"Four of kind Take a drink for
me, Van" With a nod and smile the
handsome fellow stepped up to the bar.
AS he asked for his liquor the ruf1ian,
with vile oath, threw his untasted
whisky into Van Thusen's face. In
stantly the gambling ceased. Every
one turned on his stool and watched
| Van Thusen. l saw many revolvers
drawn and silently cooked. A great
silence settled over the room. Standing
erect, Van Thusen drew white hand.
kerchief from his pocket and wiped the
liquor from his face. Then, ask
ing for water, he bathed his burn
ing eyes: Drying them, he replaced
his handkerchief in his pocket, and
looked at the man who had SO outrage
ously insulted him. He looked into the
muzzle of six-shooter-looked beyond
it into the cowardly eyes of the brute
who held it. I saw Van Thusen gather
himself and heard him say, in low,
Gle ar voice: " 1t may miss fire.' TAX
ing the chance, a bright, heavy loaded
knife flashed out from the back of his
neck and with forward stride he
struck tremendous downward blow.
The sharp report of an exploding cap
and the body of the ruffian, with four
ribs cut off and a split heart, falling
dead, showed that Van Thusen had sue
cessfully taken the risk of a damp
charge or dirty nipple. Washing off
the blood from his knife in glass of
water, Van coolly remarked, "That
man was coward. Now l will have
my whisky" He drank it and walked
over to me. Of course, Ispoke my ad-
miration of the courage he had shown.
I" l am not aware that l have shown
any, he quietly remarked, but added,
with flush that no ones unless it were
a drunken friend, could insult him with
out killing him or getting killed, and
then said softly: "Frank, have never
insulted man in my life.'' While we
were talking some men carried the dead
man into back room. Some one
cleaned the floor and the gambling was
resumed.
Mentioning that I had to cross the
Bitter Root Mountains and 90 to the
head waters of the Big Blackfoot River
as soon as the storm broke, Van Thusen
said he would 60 with me. He wanted
to go to the Sun River Valley, and to 90
by the way of the Cadotte Pass, SO the
trip up the Blackfoot River would not
be out of his way. Next morning the
storm was over, and we rode eastward
over the Bitter Root Mountains, and in
few days were camped ON the head
waters of the Big Blackfoot. One night
we lay under our blankets on a tiny
branch of the river, far up in the mount
aims. l was just dropping to sleep
when the unearthly cries of panther,
so like the screams of distressed
woman that for an instant I was de-
ceiyed, woke me thoroughly. We Law
awake, listening to the cries. when Ed
asked me if l had ever seen grizzly
bear.
Les, nave seen the brute, and
don't admire his physical or moral char
acteristics. i
Ed lay quiet for few minutes and
then said softly. "That animal is the |
only thing on earth l fear" He stop
ped; then with little nervous laugh !
said '' Don't laugh at me and will |
tell you something" Without waiting
for me to reply he began:
"Once | was on my way for the
Kootenay Pass. l found man alone |
in little log hut, lying sick on his bed.
stopped to nurse him. That man had
shot at a grizzly bear with an old muz-
rife. He had missed a
deadly shot. The bear rushed for him.
He endeavored to climb tree, and
thought he was far enough upto be safe
when the huge beast rose and struck
one blow at him, fairly tearing the calf
OF his leg into strings, but not knock
ing him out of his crotch. Once safely
In the tree, the man outsat the bear, or
the bear got tired or sick from his
wound; at any rate the animal went
away, and the man descended and
rrawled to his little hunting. lodge and
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