Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-01-13

He Demonstrates the Superiority of
Physical Courage.
Virginia New Enterpris

Virginia New Enterprise.
I'm a roarin' ripsnorter from hOOral
camp, and can't be stepped on" remarked
a thick-set white-eyed man, with lower
jaw like the catcher OF a locomotive as
he staggered into c. street saloon and
thumped the bar with his fist till the glasses
jingled.
The barkeeper caught whiskey bottle
that was just tumbling off the bar and told
him that he needn't make so much noise
about it, as nobody wanted to step on him.
'You bet they don't, young feller. I'm an
Angel from Paradise valley, and bad one,
too; and when flop my wings there's a tor
nado loose. Give me some O. yer meanest
whiskey, and whole lot of it-somethin'
that tastes like bumble-bee stings picked in
vitrol'
While the barkeeper was hunting around
for some ftlsil oil and rubbing glass with a
red pepper, a group around the stove survey
ed the stranger curiously. A thin gentle
man with bulging forehead and dyspeptic
look said to the others: Now, there's an
illustration OF what | was saying. A bully
is always coward That fellow would have
no moral courage whatever if he were put to
the test If he were challenged to fight
without cause he could not attain the sub
lime height of moral heroism to refuse. He
would be afraid of being called coward.
But mind you, he would never brag and
bully unless he thought he had the advan-
tage You see he is Il stout man and pre-
sumes upon his physical superiority to most
to bully and blackguard them. Now Bill
here is stronger than that blowhard,
but you never see him in fight. He's quiet;
but get him started and he would be lion
aroused. He's got moral courage"
The "Bill" referred to was tall, powerful
ly built man, with steel-gray eyes and firm
ly set mouth, He said nothing in response
to the compliment paid him, but quietly
watched the Angel from Paradise. The lat
ter drank his whiskey and smashed the glass
on the bar. What in - do yer mean by
givin' a gentleman such stuff as that? Did l
ask yer for rinsins, yer chicken-livered
whelp? I've got a graveyard full of rOosters
that played that racket on me. I've got a
good mind to fan the air with your corpse"
'Now, get out of this" said the barkecper,
becoming angry.
"Git out o. nothin' Gimme a drink, and
all you starved buns around the strive, come
up here and have q drink with thorough
bred high-stepper for once, Just to say ye've
drank in decent company. It'll be an honor
to tell yer children about it some day, if such
an ori,ery lot O. cusses own any children.
Now waltz up lively and take yer medicine"
Don't care for anything; thank ysu,'
said the dyspeptic philosopher, quietly.
Eyer don't? Well, l tell yer to take
suthin. l hold the age in this game, and
when chip everybody comes in. Ante up
to the bar, now, and look pleasant. Great |
Scott! Yer need suthin' in yer belly to bal |.
ance that swelled head O yourn. Come up,
the rest O you BUNS"
Nobody stirred, but all looked at the dys-
peptic, who quietly said: I'VE will not
drink with YOU
No? It'd be cheaper for YOU to crawl |
into prospect hole and pull a tombstone
over yer head. kin lick this whole town
from hell to breakfast, and believe I'll start
in on this deadfall. Look out for hurri-
cane when swoop. Whoop! Pm comm"
In about two minutes the beyel-headed
admrer OF moral courage was a dilapidated
piece of bric-a-brac, the big man called Bill
was sopping cold water on his eye in the
back room and the rest of the crowd scatter
ed about the place in various stages OF dis
while the Angel from Paradise
was standing On billiard table, and shout
ing: "Whar's the rest O yer population?
TrOt out yer cohorts and fetch on the mob.
I'm IN Angel from Paradise and holy ter
'or when l flop my wings. l swallered a
;yclme for breakfast and a powder mill for
uncl, and l haven't began to cough yet.
Whar's the populace of this broken-down
chicken ranch? I'm not myself tonight and
want eyerciSp y