The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-12-15
WHY JIM DIDN'T SHOOT.

AANS 4ACbAA5CO w CA1N
as it was a wet day I was forced to
remain for the greater part of it cooped
up IN the little hotel. The house had
no other guest, and so for the want of
other company l went to the Office
and entered in conversation with the
landlord, a tall, sun bronzed, leathery-
featured man, past middle age, who,
l soon learned, had spent many years
IN the West, and who had seen some
rough, as we'll as interesting experin
ces, and who was chuck full Of remin-
iscences.
After we had talked for a couple of
hours on various subjects, my host
suddenly remarked:
I reckon, stranger, you've heard
tell of Jim Dixon, or more likely Big
jim as we allus called him"
"No, I think not" [ was compelled
to admit, though I realized from the
tone in which the question was asked
that it was a humiliating admission to
make.
"NeverY" the landlord repeated.
"Wall, that's strange. Thought
shorely ever body knowed bout Jim.
He was the formost man on the Dor
der. an he made a record that1l stand
a good many years. He was a great
man, jim was "a wonderful teller shore.
Tough! oh my, stranger, [ reckon he
was. He wasn't afeared of nOthin',
an [ guess the happiest times he ever
knOwed was when he was mixed up IN
a shootin' scrape. Thar's no tellin'
how many men Jim killed first an
last, for he was so reckless he'd just
pop 'em over at the crook Of q finger,
an didn't no more keer for it than
nothin' Twixt you an me, stranger,
l think Jim carried the shootin' bust
ness a Ieetle too fer. I like fer a man
to stand up fer his rights, and if a
teller needs drappin', why then drap
i'm; but there amt no call fer ge5tin'
too blamed promisc'us bout it, and
putin a hole through O chap just for
the fun Of it.
81 reckon, stranger, ever man what
jim made up his mind to kill caught
it, 'cept one, an that one, 1 guess, was
the last one he ever laid off to plant"
Jim caught it that time himself,
eh9" I suggested.
No he didn't" the landlord replied
in a tone of slight disgust. Marry
time, sir. Jim wasn't the man to be
planted pr~emachoorly, and the teller
that could drap i'm never lived"
How did it happen that he didn't
kill the man you speak of, then2" I
asked.
oval, sir, it was a quaire piece of
business, that was, an one O the most
techin' things I ever see. I never
knowed a Teller 80 broke up in all my
life as Jim was, an sir, it was nobody
but a little gal that done it-a little
bit O. shaver, bout six or seven years
old, I recken, an the poorest, peekedist
little thing I ever set eyes on.
"Want to hear bout it, ehi Wal,
the way of it was this:
"You see bout the time Oklahoma
was opened for settlement, Big Jim,
an me, an four other fellers was
herdin' on a range in Western Texas.
We'd been up in the territory herdin'
right smart, but the soldiers drove
us out with the rest of the cattle fel-
lers, you know, and so we laid down
on the border sOrter waitin' for devel-
opments.
"While we was in the territory we
picked out a valley what had bout
three thousand O. the best land an
richest grass 1 ever see anywher, an
we lowed as } on rs the country was
opened for settlement we'd come back
an take possession of it an make a
ranch of it in spite O. all creation.
oval, by an by the President issued
his proclamation, an then when the
day fer enterin' the territory come
round we moved in with I'll cattle an
took possession of the valley.
"'Now,' said I that night as we
squatted bout our camp fire, if none
O. those blamed settlers don't come
foolin' round yere to take up claims
in this valley we're fixed, fer this1l
make one O. the incest little ranches in
the country
Wal said Big Jim with an oath,
IF any settler wants to take a claim
yere, an thinks he can, jis' let him
try it. l low he'll find out monty
blamed loon that he undertook a most
miserable unhealthy job. The valleys