Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-09-15
WHY HE LIKES DUDES
HOW A PUNY TENDERFOOT ASTON
lSHED A ROUGH WESTERNER.

Because He Had White Hands and Wore
Clean Collars He Was Dubbed "Mush
and Molasses'-He Showed What He
Was Made of by Saving Rangers Life.
We had stopped at a railroad station
on the Pecos river, and many of the
passengers were walking up and down
the long platform. Among them was
dudish young man who excited con-
siderable ridicule from the dozen rough
fellows hanging about. One of them
finally said something about "chawing
him up" when an old man in the gang
raised his hand and said:
"That's 'nough, boys; don't go any
further"
Whats it to your" demanded the
other.
"a heap, reckon! It'sso much to me
that I'll do leetle shootin on that fel-
lows account if needs be-"
The two men looked menacingly at
each other, and for twenty seconds I ex-
pected to see them draw and fire. Then
the younger one walked away, growing
as he went, leaving the field to the old
man.
"Would you have fought for the dude?"
/ asked when the strain had been re-
lieved.
"Sartin" he grimly answered.
".But you don't know him."
"No, and probably never shall, but
he sort o reminds me of leetle sar-
cumstance that happened seven or eight
years ago. l had a ranch up on the
Pecos plains, and dude came out from
New York city to visit a naybur O
mine. He was jest sich beanstalk as
this chap. He had soft hands, woman's
way of talSin, and l looked him over
and made up my mind that Texas
baby three years old could give him
pointers. Why, durn it, if he didn't
wear white shirts and collars and play
the pianner! / tried to be civil to him,
cause he was a stranger, but it bout
made me sick. l never looked at him
without thinkin o mush and 'lasses."
"Well?"
"Waal, arter he'd bin out thar bout
three months, Jim and me went out one
day to look upsome stray mustangs. The
fust thing we knew we got volley from
lot of Injuns who had broke loose from
the reservation. Jim was hit in the
shoulder, but fortunately carried off by
his hoss, who was fiier. l headed for
o sink | knowed of and reached it with
out scratch. Then, you see, my caper
was to stand 'em off till Jim could send
help. l had Winchester and plenty of
cartridges, and durin the fust hour /
wounded one cuss and killed another.
Then l got chunk o lead through this
right arm and begun to feel bit
narvous as to how it would turn out. l
ewiped bullet into another, and in re-
turn got this rake along the skull. 1t
wasn't ten minutes arter that befo' be-
| gun to feel powerful sick and weak, and
/ jest reckoned that my scalp was goin
to make an ornament on some red crit
ter's belt"
"But you still stood them Off"
"As well as able, but the end would
hev come in about fifteen minutes more.
The last three or four shots fired l was
SO blind I couldn't see rod. The reds
was shoutin to each other and maxim
ready to close in when l heard white
man yellin. l couldn't see what took
place, but / know how 1t was Jest the
same. That mush and 'lasses dude was
out on a hoss huntin jackass rabbits,
and Jim run across him and told him
how l was fixed and axed him to ride
fur help. What do ye think the burned
cuss did?'
"Rode for homer
"Not much! He rode fur me! He'd
never seen a war Injun in his life, and
Jim told him thar was full dozen AZ
ter me, but it made no difference He
comes mp on a dead run, yellin and
shootin, and I'll chaw my hat if he didn't
lay out two of the critters and kill q
pony afore they could git away. He
sailed right in so mighty hard that they
thought he had big crowd behind him.
That thar leetle dude with soft hands
and puny arms lifted me onto his hoss
and rode to my ranch and then heads q
crowd buck and runs them reds leven
miles and kills another.
"Why, durn me! he got two ponies
out Of that scrap, and he gathered up
] ahoiS ""hhPuiii, pOWo, diiCio,
hawks, knives and sich than any six of
us had collected in five years. When /
got about 1 helped him to box and ship
'em to some club i'll New York. Pears
to me it was sumthin like the Manhattan
club. Leastwise, it had 'tarnal longish
name, and the feller was member
"And you came to like himy
"Say! He kin hev all I've got in this
world any time he axes for it, / made
big mistake sizin him up. He could
beat any of us with the pistol, and the
feller who took hold of him for rassle
was throwed sky high before he could
bite his terbacker. He could run like 8
deer, outjump a kangaroo and We
couldn't find broncho who could buck
him off,"
"And that's why you interfered, is it?'
Exactly. Show me dude and III
back him. These boys hain't learned
ltTarapoa hot Iy,la an1 G