The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1894-02-24
THE EARLY WORM
He Found an Early Bird to Catch
Him.

receiving fa1lure
RI he did everything he ought. just
9 his friends and advisers would ha
wished, and some unexpected circur
e stance deprived him of his reward. s
proverbial did the excellence OF h
! deserts and the poorness of his luck b
, come that some cowboy philosophs
finally accounted for in this way:
1T amt in what Mort Willis does,
said the oracle; ut jest hain't down o
the cards for i'm to win. Ye see, tn
books say thet it's the early bird
gifts tn first worm but In tibet gam
two can't win. an take it he's tn
early worm"
| This explanation appealed to tn
whimsical side of cowboy nature, and
as that side is well developed, the nam,
and reputation stuck to Mort even afte
he had, by strength and perseverance
wrenched few crumbs of success from
the clenched hand OF fate.
He was managing the Half Moor
ranch. to get capital to stock one of his
own, when the niece of his next neigh.
Dor on the south, Floyd Pendleton. at
the Bar 6, came out to visit her uncle.
Miss Eula Pendleton had the unique.
and as she found later, rather uncom
Portable position OF the only girl in
Harter county. Its ten eligible bache-
lors were signing for Der and dying for
her before she crossed the state line.
AS none of the enterprising SWANS saw
any individual profit in standing back
to See the Others making the running,
the Pendleton parlor Of an evening soon
came to look like jury room with an
obstinately hung jury-Miss Eula serv-
ing as the sheriff who, apparently, held
the recalcitrants in durance vile.
When the young woman was pleased
to attend roundup, or to ride to any
gathering, she never went with less than
a corporal's guard. crowd more like
a sheriff's posse usually surrounded her
while there, and accompanied her home.
Such being the state of things, it 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 steer,
1t the south of Bar corral, giving
Miss Eula lessons in roping, awakening
'cornful mirth
hats just it, !" said the storekeeper |
It Prairie City, who was bald, fat and |
lfty, and hadn't roped steer for ten
ears, but who was one of Miss Pendle-
on's most devoted and obtuse visitors.
That's just Mort Willis! Runnin' over
here because he lives near, and irwin
0 keep the young lady all to himself.
'esters her to death, of course, and
asn't sense enough to take 4 friend or
wo along to take the crss off the situa-
ION when he gets left They talk
bout Mort Willis luck; but tell you
nat there's more in his lack of COM
ION, ordinary horse sense than there is
his luck. Look at i'm now, fixin' to .
e left again by settin' up to court girl
lat hez her pick of Hnrter county. :
ri that can have the pick an choice +
men OF means, with ranches, an +
I stores, an sich!' =
AS no more OF these lessons were heard 1
!, after the hrst, and as Mort never O
'esented himself in the Pendleton par
r of evenings when the solemn gath v
ings were held, nor attempted to join G.
ISIS Eula's little court at any OF the u
und-ups or excursions, it came to be k
accepted opinion that, with his ii
ual luck. he had got his 'vamose" is
Ell sooner than might have been il
,ked for. II
Miss Pendleton carried herself as one CT
ed to homage, and made use merci- SC
sly of her SWANS Pret Somers, sur OF
med Pretty" because he was ugly h,
ough to scare team of Texas ponies tr
o running away, spent 4 week up in III
, breaks of the Canadian hunting, dr.
ting all the boys get ahead of him or
lie he was gone, as he bitterly real ha
1 when he came home with the TO
untaiu lions skin she had expressed u
'ish for III
he storekeeper had his eye out to fe,
: her an old rosary, such as she
cied, from some of his Mexican Gus fe,
lers- The boys brought her SO many at
shed steer horns, deer's hoof ink DR.,
ads and such like, that she might co,
e set up store for the sale of Texas ne,
osities, when she went home, had do,
felt SO disposed. no,
rairie City, the county seat of Har- 6
lie and three buildings The main ala
modest adobe structure with me
lie porch, contained the store, post the
e, and in the back room, which 1nu
also the storekeeper's bedroom, cep
DIS were dispensed with the print Il
aid of tin cup. was
lis store was the gathering place suit
the gay and gallant element of any
er county. One evening, about it, c
months after Miss Eula Pendle- dow
arrival, its circle of loungers was Sc
rited by an announcement from Euli
torekeeper. He had felt of late said
he was falling behind the younger COM
in the race, and he spoke in per- alre;
ly aggrieved tone, us though the mar
e matter might have been ar De
I'd to compass his defeat tend
Al 4