St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-29

, The boy, besides being timber, had
tough black hair. and it was not in fear,
but with cold blue eye, that he looked
at the old gentleman. The trouble had
been that his own revolver had some
how hitched. so that he could not pull ii
from the holster at the necessary mo-
ment.
Tried to draw on me, did yer?" said
the old gentleman ''Step higher! Stsp.
now, or I'll crack open yer kneepans,ye
robins egg"
Thinks he's having bad time" re-
marked Ephraim. wonder how he'd
like to have been that man the lnjuns
had sport with?"
weren't his ear funny?" said one
who had helped bury the man.
"Ear?" said Ephraim. You boys
ought to have been along when found
him, and seen the way they'd fixed up
his mouth" Ephraim explained the
details simply, and the listeners shiv-
cred. But Ephraim was humorist.
wonder how it feels" he continued
''to have''-
Here the boy sickened at his comments
and the loud laughter. Yet few hours
earlier these same halfdrunken testers
had laid the man 10 rest with decent
humanity. The boy was taking his
first dose of Arizona. By no means
everybody was looking at his Jig. They
had seen tenderfeet SO often. There
was d Mexican game of cards; there was
the concertina; and over in the corner
sat Specimen Jones, with his back to
the company, singing to himself. Moth
ing had been said or done that enter
tanned him In the least. He had seen
everything quite often. -
Higher! skip higher, you elegant
calf" remarked the old gentleman to
the tenderfoot. "High-yerr and he
placidly fired a fourth shot that scraped
! the boys foot at the ankle and threw
earth over the clock, SO that you could
not tell the minute from the hour hand.
Drink to me only with thine eyesP'
sang Specimen Jones, softly. They did
not care much for his songs in Arizona.
These lyrics were all. or nearly all. that
he retained of the days when he was
twenty, although he was but twenty
six now.
the concertina played "Matamoras."
Jones continued his lyric. when two
Mexicans leaped at each other, and the
concertina stopped with aquack.
Quit it," said Ephriam from behind
the bar, covering the two with his
weapon. 81 don't want any greasers
scrapping round here tonight. We've
just cleaned up"
1t had been cards, but the MeXicans
made peace, to the regret of Specimen
Jones. He had looked around with
some hopes OF a crisis, and now for the
| first time he noticed the boy.
BLAMED if he amt neat" he said.
| But interest faded from his eye. and ne
| turned again to the wall. "'Lieb Vat
| erland magst ruhig sein.'" he melodi
ously observed. His repertory was
wide and refined. When he sang he
was always grammatical.
"Ye kin stop. lad," said the old gen.
| tIeman, not unkindly, and he showed his
| pistol into his belt
| The boy ceased. He had been think
ing matters over. Being 1.-the and
strong, he was not tired nor much out of
| breath, but he was trembling with the
plan and prospect he had laid out for
himself. "Set 'em up" he said to
Ephraim. Set 'em up again all
around"
His voice caused Specimen Jones to
turn and look once more, while the old
gentleman, still benevolent. said: Eyer
langwidge means pleasanter than it
sounds, kid" He glanced at the boys
holster, and knew he need not keep a
very sharp watch as to that. Its owner
had bungled it once already. All the
old gentleman did was to place himself
next the boy on the off-side from the
holster; any move the tenderfoot's hand
might make for it would be green and
unsklllful and easily anticipated. The
company lined up along the bar,
and the bottle slid from glass
to glass. The tenderfoot and his
tormentor stood together in the middle
of the line, and the tormentor, always
with half thought for the hostler,
handled his drink on the wet counter
waiting till all should be filled and
ready to swallow simultaneously, as be.
fits good manners.
"Well, my friends" he said. seeing
the boy raise his glass; and as the old
gentlemans arm lifted in unison. ex-
posing his waist, the boy reached down
lightning hand, caught the old gentle
mans own pistol and damned it in his
face.
Now you'll Dance" said he. -