Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16
COWBOY philosol

| 1T amt In what Mort Willis does" said
the oracle; ut jest hain't down on the cards
fer i'm Z win. Ye see the books say tibet
it's the early bird t gifts tn first worm !;
but in tibet game two can't win, an take
1t he's the early worm''
This explanation appealed to the whimsi-
| cal side Of cowboy nature. and as that side
Ii well developed. the name and reputation
stuck to Mort even after he had by strength
and perseverance. wrenched a few crumbs
| Of success from the clenched hand of Fate
He was managing the Half Moon ranch,
| to get capital to stock one Of his own, when
the niece Of his next neighbor on the south,
Floyd Pendieton, at the Bar Q. came out to
| visit her uncle.
Miss Eula Pendleton had the unique-and
| as she found later-rather uncomfortable
position Of the only girl in Harter county.
Its ten eligible bachelors were signing for
| her and dying for her before she crossed
the state lire. AS none of the enterprising
SWANS saw any individual profit in standing
back to see the others make the running,
the Pendleton parlor of an evening soon
came to look like jury room with an OBJ
stinately hung 1ury-Miss Euia serving as
| the sherin who. apparently, held the recall
citrants in durance vile.
When the young woman was pleased to
attend a roundup, or to ride to any gather
Ing she never went with less than a cor
porafs guard: a crowd more like a sheriffs
posse usually surrounded her while there,
and accompanied her home.
Such being the state Of things, 1t is no
wonder that the report that the Early
Worm. otherwise Mort Willis. had been
seen all alone. except for the presence Of
the two ponies and a steer at the south Of
the Bar corral giving Miss Eula lessons
in roping, awakened scornful mirth
That's Just It," said the storekeeper at
Prairie City. who was bald. fat and fifty.
and hadn't roped a steer for ten years, but
who was one OF Miss Pendleton's most de-
voted and obtuse suitors. That's just Mort
Willis! Runnin' over there because he lives
near and tryin' to keep the young lady all
to himself Posters her to death, of course,
and hasn't sense enough to take friend or
two along to take the cuss of the situation
when he gets left. They talk about Mort
Willis luck; but tell you there's more in
his lack of common. ordinary horse sense
than there is in his luck. Look at i'm now,
fixin' to git left ag'in by settin up to court
girl that hez her pick of Harter county,
girl that can have the pick an choice of
men Of means. with ranches an'-an' stores,
an sich.''
As no more OF these lessons were heard Of
after the first, and as Mort never presented
himself In the Pendleton parlor of evenings
when the solemn gatherings were held nor
attempted to join Miss Eula's little court
at any OF the roundups or excursions il
came to be an accepted opinion that with
his usual luck, he had gotten his "vamose''
even sooner than might have been looked
for.
Miss Pendleton carried herself as one used
to homage. and made use, mercilessly. OF
ner SWANS, FRET Somers, surnamed Pref
ty because he was ugly enough to scare
team OF Texas ponies into running away
spent week up in the breaks OF the Cana
dian hunting; letting all the boys get ahead
OF him while he was gone, as he bitterly
realized when he came home with the noun
tain lions skin she had expressed a wish
for.
The storekeeper had his eye out to buy
her an old rosary, such she fancied, from
some or his Mexican customers. The boys
brought her 80 many polished steer horns,
deer SHOOT ink stands and such like. that
she might have set up a store for the sale
OF Texas curiosities when she went home.
had she felt so disposed.
Prairie City, the county seat OF Harter
county, consisted at this time Of a name
and three buildings. The main one q mod
est 'dobe structure with a frame porch con-
tained the store, post office. and in the back
room, which was also the storekeeper's bed
room, liquors We're dispensed with the Urim-
Tive aid OF a tin cup.
This store was the gathering place for the
gay and gallant element OF Harter County
One evening about three months after Miss
Eula Pendleton's arrival. its circle of loun-
gers was electrified by an announcement
from the storekeeper.
He had felt of late that he vas falling be-
hind the younger men in the race and he
spoke in personally aggrieved tone, as
though the entire matter might have been
arranged to compass his defeat
DO you know, gentlemen he said, that
Miss Eula's goin' to leave US! She's agoin'
home next week"
WELL" said a tall. thin man who claimed
to hail from Indiana, and was suspected
of having been a lawyer back In the east,
Il say that Is the fault Of this crowd. all
and severally."
Don't see how you make that CO."
growled Pref Somers, from where he lay on
the counter. She's had her pick Of Harter
county and none OF Harter county DON'T
suit her-that's all see in it,
Now really" said the Indiana man ar
gumentatively. do you think she has had
her pick? I'm not q marrying man my
SELF ut was believed that he had left a
to me that you gentlemen fell over each
other and stepped on each other, and nat
urally stood in each others light in trying
70 please the lady Camdidly. have any Of
There was a somewhat blank silence.
An, said the Indiana man. Il thought
as mucn. I-thOught-as-much!
You see. each one of you has been SO
afraid that some one else would get ahead
OF him that you've done more at trying to
defeat each other than at advancing your
cause"
Looks So" said the storekeeper detected
ly.
'Tt might be, now" said the Indiana man
insinuatingly. that II the lady was asked
she'd settle here"
The company looked furtiyely at one
another. as though each one were covertly
calculating the chances Of being the first to
slip away and get chance to put this mo-
mentous question unhindered.
The Indiana man laughed. NO" he said.
you're all in one boat now You're all
watching each other and nobody's going to
get the chance to go out to the Bar 8
alone"
1.-The best thing for this yer crowd t'do."
said old Hank Pearsall from n back seat
where ne had been quietly smoking rs to
come long 18th me in body up to the Bar
G. Most oil the available matrimonial ttr,-
Der o. Harter countys hver I'm well
quainted 18th the lady an I'll engage { ask
her. free an confidenshull. IL there's emmy
thing In the lot she can make out with"
1--WE really ought To go over To say good
bye" said the storekeeper anxiously "You
hovs can come in my room here and fix
yourselves I'D"
II the storekaaper favored the plan he
ca use ne thought n might helm him tn sis
rose Of n curious drift If gents furnish
ings" on his shelves which seemed 70 have
accumulated there some time during the