The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-25

lopin' up TO the door, armed TO the teeth,
and lookin as though they'd eaten up two
or three traders afore breakfast.
"They jumped on their horses, an
lesviI' one Of their gang outside TO look
"'Good mornin', Rentlemen,' y ],
pleasant like, jest as II / thought they'd
come 70 trade, but all the same i was
layin' fur them all the while. II was q
warm day in October, an i had nothin'
on but my flannel shirt, trousers. boots,
an hat, but l had a big navy six-shooter,
band, right in front, whar l could grab it
In a second.
"'Good mornin'. Mr.. Akers,' seq Joshua
Fletcher, speakin' up fur h lot Of 'em,
we've come down on q little business,
an we may ms well git at IL fust as last
"At this put up, my hand slowly an
looked at the boy, but he understood the
signal, an slippin' outside, softly locked
the door on them sneaked down to the
bottoms, takin' the ponies with him.
"wal,' Sc. I, what's the business yer
KEN about?"
ave hear you're sellin' ammunition to
the I~njuns,' seq he.
"'What II / am p seq /.
".It's agin the law sec he.
"sWho made that law p ser I.
"'We did, seq he, AN ye know'd thai
as well as anybody, We sneakin' old var
mint, afore i told ye.'
"'What IL l told We ! didn't 60 much on
yer right TO make the laws fer ms?
"We'd jest chuck yer stuff in the river
an'give We ten minutes to saddle a cay
use an start fur the states SEE he.
What II 1 wouldn't scare worth SOU
aJest hang ye cp to dry in the cotton
wood down thar on the bottoms ser he
quite calm like.
"'Wal, now gentlemen, we kinder on
derstand each other seq /. AM We ma.
as well git right down to bufiness. IL
stop sellin' ammunition to the Injuns ]
may a well quit tradin'. IL ! won
stop we mean to set me afoot right here
an IL l resift yell hang me in the cotton
woods. Now, gentlemen, a man as ha
worked hard the best ear of his life
tryin' TO git suthin' together fur his ole
days might about as well be hanged as Sc
afoot.'
".All right seq he, 'hangin' it is ant
he made q step toward me.
".All right seq 1, Just q second. !
don't want to be an angel right OF but !
amt going up alone. Lift that trap dool
an yell see n dozen kegs o. powder I'm thu
cellar, all of EN- with their heads ont
Look at these three here, an with that
tipped over n full key that stood by me
an let the powder scatter all over thu
counter an on the loose floor of fiattenet
holes. All this was quicker'n / kin tell "
but as the powder scattered over the Hoo
! saw saw some Of 'em tryin' TO git out
I'd had a box of matches in my left hant
all the time | was speakin', an as soon a,
I'd upset the powder, l pulled out n mattel
an offered to strike il on the bottom o.
the box.
"Would We believe il, stranger! ever,
one o. them ours threw up his hands wheI
/ offered to light the match.
LAY down yer weapons SEE l., an the!
shelled out their knives N shootin' IRON
as fast as they could lay them on tn
fioor.
"'Now,' ser 1, 'swar, every of yez
that yen never try this same on Dav'
Akers no more, nor lay fur him, nor mo
lest him, nor set others again him.
II swore every one of them separate
an then they gathered up their knives an
shooters an skinned out, an We kin be
thar want no more trouble O sellin
ammunition to the Injuns arter that.
~"Stranger, smoke another cigar al
| then we'll turn in.N