The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-09-05
THE LAST CHANCE.
Why Bess Did Not Leave Drum
mond and Dad"

Two runcn1nen sat on the porch oil
the Last Chance" tavern, and blinked
painfully at the scorched prairie
stretching for miles in front of them.
Sometimes when the reflection became
o great they would raise their eyes
beyond to the dirty red clay and brown
grass Of the side hills and occasionally
with Il greater effort still further to the
very tops of the Rockies, where the
snow %glistened defiantly in the midday
SUE; the same sun which, hours before,
had driven all living things on the
prairie below to shelter.
1t would be difficult to say exactly
why this particular tavern was known
rs the Last Chance" 1t is true it was
the last chance where n could drink
On leaving the town, but it might with
equal propriety have been called the
First Chance" for Drummond at this
time could boast of but one tavern 1t
may have been because the proprietor,
Mr.. Briggs. had once owned n tavern
on the outskirts of Helena which really
deserved the title, and no doubt now
when he occasionally gazed at the sign
board stretching across the road with
Last Chance" in large black letters on
a dirty background it served to remind
him of the day when he had once been
a city man and sat at the head of his
W faro table where large sums of
money were won and lost. Indeed, this
same table had been the cause of his
present rather humble abode. The
difficulty occurred on a Sunday night
many years previous, when the game
was very heavy and the cards were
paying a very small percentage to the
house. Suddenly there was a great
change-the house began to win, some
of the players thought too frequently.
First there were only grumblings, then
some accusations, followed quickly by
curses and n few shots. No n was
seriously hurt, and Mr.. Briggs was al
lowed to leave his house with no bodily
injury, but a shattered reputation. He
never came back to the original Last
Chance" for he left Helena that same
evening, not ever waiting for the mid
night coach.
MI. Briggs was swinging his stock
inged feet from his chair at the end of
the bar, when q small cloud Of dust
rose from the road that1ed to the hills
and attracted his attention. After a
long yawn, followed by a longer proc
ess of stretching himself, he shufied
TO the door. The two gentlemen, who
already occupied the porch, neither
spoke nor looked up at the newcomer.
Why should they? The shuttle was
Briggs own, even more distinctive |
than his open red shirt and his heavy |
gray beard. |
1t was Briggs who finally broke the
silence: ut seems to me that man
must be pretty hard up for somethin'
to do to ride across the prairie the hot
test day of the year-or for ten years |
guess"
Porch is good enough for me" said
n of his companions, a large, blue
eyed individual.
at may be-" said the third member
of the group, that some ones sick and's
sending after the doctor; but then every.
body knows there's been no doctor in
Drummond for a year. Maybe" he
added, that miner Royd has got worse,
and is sending for q priest; not that
Royd nor anyone else ever heard of a
priest in Drummond; but perhaps he
thinks he ought to make a last bluff,
and is seDdin' some one on chance"
Briggs gazed at the increasing cloud
of dust and then at the hot, red trail.
well" he said, there may be men on
hills what'n ride to town on a day
like this in the hone of findin, a nr;est
but thew never nut mn at this bouse as
remember"
Their snaculat;ons c,ms 70 nm and
- \ L. ~ r.o.ho1 a.. -
and thew ali RECOGNIZED the grav mar
- rounr m;no- whom a. "a
,.ned tha p;iar;m ON b;s .ry ..
rom Tho e.st Tho 49,
had clung to him ever since.
II was now three wears since this bov
a tber called him. h.d first stopned At