Wichita eagle., 1889-02-28

y
muscular for his age, standing beside him.
"Come with me, Sam" said Willie.
When the two were away from the crowd
Willie stopped, and, facing his cousin, he
asked: Now, Sam, can you shoot .
pistolp'
"Yes. 1 have practiced some at targets IN
the city,
'Then you must fight John JONES'
'But, Willie, it is dangerous"
mo, it amt" cried Willie, stamping his
foot angrily. 'sJcnes is coward and
know it If you accept the challenge ten to
one he will refuse to fight. If you funk,
he'll horsewhip you sure enough the first
time he meets you-'
"But what will Melissa sayl"
''She is Western Texas girl and win
think all the world of you for taking your
part like man,
After some more talk Willie persuaded
Coodledodger to accept the challenge, and
Willie volunteered to act as second.
Accordingly Willie sought out Jones and
astonished him by declaring the fight on,
and asked him who he would refer him to to
make the arran gements for the duel
To say that Jones was surprised is only
putting it mildly; in fact the fellow was so
staggered that he had not a word to say, but
started to walk away without giving Willie
an answer.
"Say, JONES'" cried Willie, sit is fight or
sneak, sure enough" But Jones seemed
not to hear as he moved further and further
away.
'sHere, you fellows" shouted Willie to q
knot of men whowere standing a little ways
OFF, ''come over this way and be a witness
that John Jones refuses to fight"
This had the desired effect, for Jones
turned fercely upon Willie and Kissed out
between his teeth: 'You shall pay for
this"
Half dozen young fellows came over to
see what was the matter, and to these Willie
stated what had TRANSFERRED
Jones, when he saw that he was caught in
his own net, tried to look as happy as hun
CRY man is at the sound of rafting dishes
when the table is being set, answering
loudly that he hungered for blood, and was
glad to have chance to appease his appe-
tite with dainty morsels from refined city
dandy.
Jones had no trouble to find second to
act with Willie and make ready for the
battle. So at break of day Jones and his
friend stole away from the sleepy crowd
that was hanging around the Coodledodger
place and made their way toward the prairie
through the narrow belt of timber that
frlnged the course of Jones' creek.
When they arrived at the place of meet
ing they found CoOdledodger and Willie al
ready there in waiting. The place selected
for the fight was in a small shaped cove
of prairie that formed into the edge of the
timber. A gully from the creek came up to
the lower point of the cave, where 1t forked,
one branch running on each side of the
cove, close to the timber line, and on into
the prairie. Where the two arms of the
gully were about forty steps apart was the
place selected for the duel.
The combatants looked at each other
fercely as the seconds made known to
them that every thing was in readiness,
and they were marched, each man pistol in
hand. TO where short stake was driven
into the ground. Here the duelllsts were
placed back to back and told to walk fifteen
steps straight ahead, and then turn and
make ready to fire when the signal was
given.
"Now, forward, marchr' commanded
Willie, in ringing tones.
Zone, two, three" and so on counted the
seconds until they stopped at fifteen. Jones
and Coodledodger kept as even step as
though drilling for prize, and both seconds
shouted Haiti" at the same moment, as if
in one voice, but the two principals walked
on and on-sixteen, seventeen, eighteen,
nineteen, twenty, and they disappeared in
the gully.
Willie and Jones' friend stood amazed,
each looking after his man, thinking he
would show Up presently above the edge of
the gully. Two or three minutes passed,
still there was no sign. The seconds looked
at each other, when Willie exclaimed: "ru
be dog gonedr'
just at that moment a cry Of horror
reached their ears. The sound came from
the lower part of the cove, and thither they
sped as fast as their feet could carry them.
When they came to where the gully
forked and looked down in the bottom Of it,
startling scene met their eyes. There was
a pool of water in the bottom of the gully.
In this pool lay Jones on his back and
Coodledodger was sitting astride of him,
holding him down by his long hair, one
hand on each side of his head. Every time
Jones made an attempt to rise Coodledodger
would force his head under water, and when
he ceased to struggle would let it come to
the surface again.
Almost simultaneously with the two sec
onds crowd of people came rushing upon
the scene. Judge Coodledodger and Miss
Melissa with them. Roars of laughter went
up from the crowd when they saw what
had happened, and even Miss Melissa
clapped her hands in glee when she saw
that her lover was safe and the upper dog
in the fight. The combatants were parted,
and Jones SUNK away by himself, vowing
vengeance against the whole world, while
Coodledodger was brought home in tri-
umph, the hero of the hour.
This happened years ago, but to this day
Coodledodger maintains that he was not
running away from the fight Zones
friends say he did when he so suddenly ran
against his rival in the bottom of the gully,
knocking him into the water-hole, but that
he was playing off joke. How or where
the joke comes in he can not exactly ex-
plain, however.-Petsr Podger, IN Ga.reston
Ners.