The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-03
A Gentleman of La Porte.
The First Appearance of One Who Be-
came q Justice OF the Peace.
bret Harte in Belgravia.]


He was also pioneer. A party who broke
through the SHOWS of 81 and came upon the
triangular little valley afterwards known as
La Porte found him the sole inhabitant. He
had subssted for three months on two biscuits
day and few inches of bacon, in a hut Of
bark and brushwood yet when the explorers
found him he was quite alert, hopeful and
gentlemanly. But / cheerfully make way
here for the terser narrative of Capt. Sykes,
commanding the prospective party: "we KEN
upon him, gentlemen, suddent-like, jest
abreast of a rock like thiA''-demonstratin
the distance-"ez near ez YOU be. He sees us
and he dives into his cabin and comes out agin
with a tall hat-a stovepipe, gentlemen,-and,
blank me, gloves! He was tall, thin Teller,
holler in the cheek-ez might be-and off color
in his face, ez was nat'ral, takin' in account
his starvation grub. But he lifted his hat to
us so, and SEE he: Happy to make your &C
quaintance, gentlemen! I'm afraid you ex-per.
fenced some difficulty in getting here. Take
Cigar And he pulls out fancy cigar case
with two real Havanas in it. Il wish there
was more, SEE he.
'Ye don't smoke yourself?' seq I.
very afterneo on seed him hangin' onto short
pipe like suckin baby onto bottle. L kept
these cigyars for any gentlemen that might
drop in.'
Il reckon ye see great deal O. the best So
ciety YER SEE Bill Parker, starin' at the hat
and gloves and winkin' at the boys.
"A few Indians occasionally SEE he.
Tniins!' SEE we.
Yes Very quiet, good fellows in their wav.
They have once or twice brought me game,
which l refused, as the poor fellows have had
pretty hard time of it themselves
Now, gentlemen, we was, ez you know,
rather quiet men-rather peaceable men; but
-hevln' been shot at three times by these var
good inJins, and Parker hisself havin' mat
ter o. three inches of his own skelp lying loose
in their hands an6 he walkin' round wearin'
green leaves on his head like a Roman statoo
1T did Kinder seem ez if this yer stranger was
playin' rather low down On the boys. Bill
Parker gets up and takes survey O. him and
sez he, peaceful-like:
'Ye say these yer Iniuns-these yer quiet
Iniuns-otfered yer game?'
They did!' SEE he.
And you refoos6d?'
L did,, SEE he.
'Must hev made 'em feel kinder bad-sorter
tortered their sensitive naturs?' seq Bill.
They really seemed quite disappointed
who you be?'
Excuse me- says the stranger; and darn my
skin! eff he didn't hist out keerd-case, and
handin, it over to Billy, seq, here's my kyard,'
BIZ read it out aloud, y: .Trott, Kentucky
It's pooty keerd,' SEE Bill,
I'm glad you like it,, says the stranger
L reckon the other fifty-one of the deck is as
BRd Bill. Oh ." JACKS and lei' bowers SEE
The stranger SEE nothin' but kinder draws
back from Bill, but Bill he up and sez:
'Wot is your little game, Mr.. j. Trott of
Kentucky?'
Idon't think quite understand you, SEE the
stranger, holler fire comm into his cheeks
like ez eft they was the bowl of pipe
'Wot's this yer kid glove business?-this tall
hat parading3-this yer circus foolin'?
Wot's 1t all about? Who are ye, anyway?
The stranger stands up, and sez he: 'Ez
don't quarrel with guests on my own land seq
SEE he.
With that he takes off his tall hat and makes
low bow, SO, and turns away-like this; but
Bill iites out of a student with his right foot
and drives his Ne. 10 boot clean through the
crown Of that tall hat like one o. them circus
hoops.
That's about ez fur sz remember. Gentle
men! tharwarn't but one man O. that hull
crowd ez could actooally swear what happened
next, and that man never told For kind o.
whlrlwlnd Just then took place in that valley.
1 dlsremember anythfn' but dust and bustlin'
Thar wasn't no yelling, thar wasn't no shoot
IN. 1t was one of them student things that
lett even six-shooter out in the cold When
KEN . III the chopparel-being oncomforta-
bic like from hevin' only half a shirt on-I
found nigh on three pounds of gravel and
stones IN my pockets and stiffness in my hair
looks up and sees Bill hangin' in the forks of
hickory saplin, 20 feet above me-
Cap, SEE he, in an enquirin' way, 'hez the
tornado passed?'
which,? SEE I.
This yer elemental disturbances it oyer?'
L reckon SEE l.
Because, seq he, 'afore this yer electrical
phenomenon took place he'd slight misun-
Outstanding with stranger, and I'd like to
apologizel
and goes into the shanty, and comes out, hand
finland with that stranger, smilin' like an in
FAINT. And that's the first time, reckon, we
know'd anything about the Gentleman of La
Porte"