The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-16
WHY HE LIKES DUDES
HOW A pUNY TENDERFoor ASTON
y tsHED A ROUGH WEsTERNER.

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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:
"Thats 'nough, boys; don't go any
| further
Whats it to your demanded the
| other.
"a heap, Ireckonl It's 80 much to me
that I'll do leetle shootin on that fell
lows account if needs be-"
The two men looked menacingly at
each other, and for twenty seconds 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 dude7,
/ asked when the strain had been re-
lieved.
"Sartinr' he grimly answered.
"But yop don't know him."
sNo, and probably never shall, but
he sort O. reminds me of leetle sar-
cumstance that happened seven or eight
years ago. l had ranch up on the
Pecoe plains, and dude came out from
New York city to visit naybur O.
mime. He was Jest SIGH beanstalk as
this chap. He had soft hands, a woman's
way of talkin, and 1 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 piannerl I tried to be civil to him,
cause he was stranger, but 1t bout
made me sick. I never looked at him
without thinkin q 1nush and 1asses.o
"Well2"
"waal. AFTER he'd bin out thar bout
three months, Jim and me went out one
day to look up some stray mustangs. The
fust thing we knew we got volley from
a lot Of Injuns who had broke loose from
the reservation Jim was hit in the
shoulder, but fortunately carried off by
his boss, who was flier. headed for
sink knowed of and reached it with
out scratch. Then, you see, my caper
was to stand 'em off till Jim could send
help. had Winchester and plenty of
cartridges, and durin the fust hour |
wounded one cuss and killed another.
Then | got chunk q lead through this
right arm and begun to feel a bit
narvous as 10 how it would turn out.
swiped bullet into another, and in re-
turn got this rake along the skull. It
wasn't ten minutes arter that befo' be-
gun to feel powerful sick and weak, and
jest reckoned that my scalp was gofn
to make an ornament on some red crit
ter's belt"
"But you still stood them OFF,
GAS well rs able, but the end would
hev come In about fifteen minutes more.
The last three or four shots I fired was
80 blind couldn't see rod. The reds
was shoutin to each other and maxim
ready to close in when heard white
man yellin. l couldn't see what took
place, but I know how it was Jest the
same. That mush and 'lasses dude was
out on boss 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 q war Injun in his life, and
Jim told him thar was q full dozen ar
ter me, but it made no difference. He
comes up on dead run, yellin and
shootin, and I'll chaw my hat if he didn't
lay out two of the critters and kill
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 boss
and rode to my ranch and then heads g
crowd back and runs them reds 1even
miles and kills another.
"Why. durn mel he got two ponies
out of that scrap, and he gathered up
moro wampum, bows, arrers, toma~
hawks, knives and SIGH than any six of
us had collected in five years. When
got atout I 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 Teller was member"
land you came to like himf'
"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
Teller who took hold Of him for a rassle
was throwed sky high before he could
bite his terbacker. He could run like a
deer, outjump kangaroo and we
couldn't find n broncho who could buck
him off,"
And that's why you interfered. is it,"
Exactly. Show me dude and I'll
back him. These boys haint learned
the difference between dude and q
fule yit, but hev and don't want no
better chaps behind me In q ninch th,n