Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-06-17
A Sociable Tenderfoot.

drummer.
"Quiet and unostentatiousi Good
gracious! Really mean that?" said
the pale man with the scar on his
chin.
"Yes. Ispeak merely from nay own
observation and experience"
"Then you were never in Abilene,
in Western Texas, we're you"
"Naw."
Thought not"
"Why did you thought mott"
Because there ! met gang of
Texans who were so ostentatious OBJ
trusive that it's wonder I'm not in
a land that is fairer than this. Tell
you how it was. l was on the road
with the Wages of SIM We played
one night at Abilene. 1t was very
small place then. The theatre was
over livery stable. There were half
dozen saloohs in the place, and not
much else. Most of the people who
made up the audience came in there
from the prairie. The majority of
them were cowboys and teamsters.
Many of them without coats-all car
ried revolvers and wore great jangling
spurs. They were noisy and made
audible comment on the actors and
acting.
After the performance l went
across the street to the principal saloon
to get drink. 1t was a long, mar
row room, with counter running its
full length. When I entered, the
counter was lined with cowboys. All
we're drinking and talking loudly. l
walked to the further end of the bar
and ordered modest snifter. While
drinking it 1 realized that the eyes of
every cowboy in the place were direct
ed toward me. The loud talking SUBJ
sided.
"'Bet you five dollars Jim, you
can't shoot hole in it without hurt
in him.
"Jim amt drunk enough to miss
a mark as big as that
"'Betcher life l ain't,' said Jim, a
short, light-haired man. I'll go ye,
Tobe.'
"'But the fellow might kick
"'Oh, blast his kickin.'
"I know, but-but 'twould be more
perlite to git his consent
81 knew they were talking about
me, and / wasn't very comfortable.
| started toward the door. The brig
and, whom they called Jim, stepped
out in front of me and said:
.Pardner, you're one O them actor
fellers, amt youi Well you're a
daisy, you are. You gave us good
show, an now we want you to be So
ciable.'
81 explained that ! would like very
much to be sociable."
"'Kerrect ye are. Cause the ten
derfoot what can be sociable an isn't
sociable must he made sociable. Now
sing us song
81 explained that / couldn't sing
that my role was the heavy william.
William, eh Horse-thievin' an
burglaries, l reckon, said Jim. We'll
that goes with us, but you just sing us
Way Down on the Swanee River.
Tune up
"He held pistol under my nose SO
close that could smell the grease on
the cartridge. Another pirate in
leather leggings put his six.shooter to
my ear and said: Now proceed to
warble.'
"'Toot, said Jim, and l footed. I
know as little about singing as I do
about the internal economy of saw
mill, but l gave them the Swanee
River and got an encore.
"'Now give us Otheller,' said Jim.
"But OtheIlo isn't song.
T'Doesn't make - bit O. differ
ence 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 IL o'clock at night, stopped
in front of 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 a lamp, and lis
tened to me while l repeated the
Othello speech.
"Uncle Billy had demijohn, and
set 'em up. Then my escort took me
to the midnight train, and as I got on
board each shook me by the hand
and stated that l was the sociablest
tenderfoot' they had met in years.