The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-04-24
A SOciable Tenderfoot.

r. .LsE ASAtSA AOOS .L"
81 have always found Texans quiet
and unostentatious people," said the
drummer.
.Quiet and unostentatiousp Good
gracious! Really mean thatp" said
the pale man with the scar on his
chin.
Eyes, l speak merely from my own
observation and experience"
"Then you were lever in Abiline in
Western Texas, wereyoup"
NAV"
Thought not"
why did you thought notP"
because there / met q gang of
Texans who were SO ostentatiouslY OBJ
trusive that it's a wonder I'm not now
in q land that is fairer than this. Tell
you how it a was on the road
with The Wages of Sim We played
n night at Abiline. 1t was a very
small place then. The theatre was
over a livery stable. There were half
a dozen saloons in the place and not
much else. Most of the people who
made up the audience came in from
the prairie. The majority of them
were cowboys and transfers. Many
of them without COASTAL carried re-
volvers and woreg great jangling spurs.
They were noisy and made audible
comment on the actors and acting.
AFTER the performance l went
across che street to the principal sa-
loon to get a drink. 1t was a long
narrow room with a counter running
its full length. When l entered, the
counter was lined with cowboys. All
were drinking and talking loudly. I
walked to the farthest end of the bar
and ordered a modest snifter. While
drinking it 1 realized that the eye of
every cowboy il the place were di-
rected toward me. The loud talking
subsidized.
".Bet you SIS, Jim, you can't shoot
a holc in it without hurtin' him.
"'Jim amt drunk enough to miss a
mark as big as that
/" .Betcher life / amt said Jim, a
short light-haired man. .Tl go We
Tobe.'
".But the Teller might kick
"'Oh, blast his kickin'.'
90 know, but-but 'twould be more
perlite to git his consent
81 knew they were talking about
me, and / wasn't very comfortable.
l started toward the door. The bri-
gand, whom they called Jim, stepped
out in front of me and said:-
"Pardner, you're n o. them actor
~fellers, amt youp Well you're a daisy,
you are. You gave us a good show
an now we want to be %sociable,"
II explained that I would like very
much to be sociable.
"Kerrect We are. Cause the tender
foot what car be sociable an isn't
sociable must be made sociable. Now
sing us a song"
II explained that l couldn't sing;
that my role was the heavy villain.
"Villain, ehP Horse-thievin' an bur-
glaries l reckon said Jim. Well that
goes with US, but you just sing us
Way down on the Swanee River.
Tune up"
"He held a pistol under my nose so
close that l could smell the grease on
the cartridge. Another pirate in
leather leggins put his six shooter to
my a and said: ''Now proceed to
warble."
"Toot," said Jim, and I footed, I
know Is little about singing as I do
about the internal economy Of a saw
mill, but ] gave them the Swanee River
and got an encore.
Now give us Otheller,' said Jim.
'tBut Othello isn't a song.
Doesn't make a dam bit O. diff
ference; give her to US just as she is
without any frills.'
81 gave them the Farewell-the.
Plumed troops speech from Othello.
.'Uncle Billy's got to hear that,
said some one. Yes Uncle Billy's got
to hear it, said they all, and they
marched me down the struggling
street at II o'clock at night, stopped
in front of a shanty, kicked in the door,
woke up Uncle Billy who sat on the
side of his bed and in the dark, for
he couldn't find q lamp-listened to
me while 1 repeated the Othelle
speech.
Unclo Billy had a demijohn and SCI
'em up. Then my escort took me te
the midnight train, and as got OF
board, each shook me by the HAND
and stated that I was 1.-THE sociables
tenderfoot'' they had met in years
Texas Stf1ings.