Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-21


nentation In construction. The produc-
ton Of artificial stones Is one of the most
important OF the indirect results of the de-
velopment of geological science
INITIATING A NEWCOMER
How Valentine. Neb.. saluted the First
Drummer That Came in Town.
From the New York SUM-
1T was while was stationed at Fort Nj
obrara," Col George Barry began as he
lighted fresh cigar at the Lotus Club the
other night that the first commercial
traveler-drummers some people call them
made his appearance In Valentine. He was
a slim little fellow, and he seemed to have
given a good deal of care to his personal
adornment. Where he made his mistake
was in taking too serious a view Of himself
He dropped into Valentine on one of the
first trains that got through over the new
road. He had a couple of fancy yellow grips
that must have looked very pretty to him,
for he lugged them with him when he went
into Dutch Georges saloon to get a drink
His other accouterments were a very light
striped suit and jaunty little straw hat
which aroused the mirth of the cowboys.
Its surprising how little some fellows
can pick up in travelling around the earth.
to drop those yellow grips right In front of
Dutch Georges bar and call for a Manhat-
tan cocktail. Yes. sir. he wanted a Man
haitian cocktail, and he wanted II ID
quick, too.
You ought to have seen Dutch George
look at him. Then he winked a couple of
times at the row OF cowboys sitting along
the side OF the room and turned round and
began to mix lot Of things together for
dear life. The little drummer leaned one
arm on the bar and looked round at the row
OF cowboys without seeming to see the chap
that had edged up behind him. Just as
Dutch George finished mixing whatever IL
was he had fixed up for the drummer there
was pistol shot. and one of the boys sit
ting at the side of the room gave a yell and
fell out OF his chair in a heap on the floor
A big six-shooter fell to the floor beside the
little drummer and a little cloud of smoke
rose between the drummer and the bar
well. sir, you can believe ii or not tust
as you like. but am telling you that there
was row. Those cowboys yelled like the
devil and Svore that the drummer had shot
the fellow who had fallen out of the chair
Three or four Of them pulled their guns and
were for shooting the drummer right there
but one fellow proposed to lynch him. and
that proposition went through with a
whoop. Some Of them carried out the cow
boy who was supposed to have been shot
and Dutch George began looking for a rope
The drummer just gasped two or three
times and wilted down into a chair white
as ghost and scared almost to death. Once
or twice he tried to say something but all
he could get out was a whispered Why
gentlemen, I-why-what-I assure you l."
so they started to take the little chap
out to hang him. There wasn't a tree that
would serve in forty miles. and they were a
good deal puzzled as to how to get a salts
factory gallows on such short noticN They
kept talking II over before the drummer in
the coolest sort Of way, and tell you he
was scared. Just as they got to the door
OF the saloon there was a shout that the
sheriff was coming, and before any one
could say Jack rabbit the sheriff and an
other man were there with their six shoot
ers In their hands. demanding the prisoner
in the name Of the law. The little drummer
was so relieved that he could have Rugged
the sheriff. and he began to try to talk to
again. The sheriff told him to shut up IL
he wanted to get out alive, and started with
him for the door. But Just as soon as his
back was turned one Of the cowboys shout
ed:
Shoot him! Shoot him, Don't let him
get away like that
THE sheriff and his man swung round
and whipped out their six-shooters again
Keep back he shouted. IN shoot the first
galoot that touches this man so full Of holes
he won't need a grave
THE cowboys took the challenge and I'm
less than a quarter of a second more than
forty pistol shots were fired. 1t sounded
like an engagement of infantry. The room
was full OF smoke. Two or three of the
cowboys fell to the floor and the man who
was with the sheriff went down with a
groan. CRYING that he was done for. Some
how or other the sheriff got off all right.
and while the shooting was liveliest drag
ged his man out into the street. The little
drummer was near having a fit from fright,
and the sheriff had lost his hat. 1t was a
particularly fine sombrero, with a band
heavily ornamented with silver, and the
sheriff wouldn't have lost IL to save four-
teen men from being lynched. So he took
a ryT1vr 70 be-
and said:
Now. I'm going back there for nv hat
Don't you wiggle out Of this spot till come
back. If you do you're mighty liable to
ant
with that the sheriff left the drummer
standing there at the corner and went back
to the saloon. He hadn't any more than
opened the door before the shooting began
again, and what had been done before
wasn't marker to what II was that time
The little drummer listened to IL for a min
ute and then all Of a sudden seemed to re-
alize that he was alone and that the road
was before him. The next sixteenth of a
second he was on up the road like a quar-
ter horse. with never a thought of his two
fancy yellow grips.
He'd got about a hundred and fifty wards
away when the door Of the saloon opened.
and Dutch George and the sheriff and half
dozen cowboys jumped out into the street
with their guns in action. Well. the wav
Qrummpr'S
feet would beat a Kansas hail storm. And
the more they dropped the faster he ran
You can talk about your Salvatore and ali
the rest of them! If 1 had horse that
could run the way that little drummer foot>
ed 1t out of Valentine I'd bet there wouldn't
ahotner man get race. I'd win them all.
by CAD. sir. would. I'd break up the horse
racing business And when IL was all over
and the bullets wouldn't carry to the little
drummer any longer. the sheriff and the
cowboys including all the dead and in
jured: danced a Jig in front of the saloon
ana tnen went inside to drink the place dry,
ana, guess they pretty near did It, And
what dye suppose that ID fool was
Trying to sell? Ribbons. by CAD; yes, sir,
RIBBONS. Trying to sell ribbons In Valen-
tne. was It put up job? Yes. sir, II was
anu Cd well put up, too. for they
haven't seen him since"
Music and Insanity.
FROM the St. Louis obe-Democrat