The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-31
DEAD MANS HAND.

makers name In his SomDfefO, itH Whiio
not possessin one of these yere heat gauges
to say ackerate I'm allowin it was rldln
hard on jest sech weather as this. Inc
Tucson mail was in, an band OF us was
at the postofice a-makin of demands Tor
| letters when in comes Cherokee Han,
| lookin some moody, an sets himself down
| on a ShoeboX.
"sWhich you no doubt thinks as how
| you'll take some missives yousef this
mornin, says Dock Peters, a-not1cln OF his
| gloom an amin to pint his idees up some
other trail. Pass over them documents for
| Cherokee Hall an don't try for to hold out
nuthin on to us, for we're way too peevlsh
to stand any ofishul gayeties today.
| "sThere amt no one weakmlnded enuf
to write to me none,' says Cherokee,
which I remarks this yere phenomenon
with pleasure. Mailbags pack grief, not
joy, an amt honin. for no hand in the
game whatever, It's Is years since buys
a stamp or gets letter, an all thirst there
| fore is assuaged complete
| "sFifteen years is shore long time, ;
says Enright, an then we all hops into our
letters again. Finally Cherokee breaks in
| once more.
"sI amt amin to invest Wolfville in no
superstitious fears says Cherokee but l
lest chronicles as current event how l
was sittin into little poker last night,
an three times straight 1 picks up the
hand the dead man held-jacks up on
eights-an it win every time
"'Who all lose to it' asks Dan Boggs,
some breathless.
"1Why,' says Cherokee, 'it's every time
that old loghorn as comes in from tucson
back some two weeks ago
eyes says Boggs, a-gettin mighty
decided, IAN you bet your saddle an throw
the pony in death is fixin its sight for him
right now It's shorely a-warnin, an I'm
| GLAD whole lot it amt none of the boys,
| that all.
| "You see, this yere stranger who Chero-
| kee alludes at comes over from Tucson a
little while before this. He has long white
HAIR an beard, an, jedgin from the rings
4 on his horns, he was maybe a-comin CO.
He seemed like he had plenty of money,
an we takes it he's all right His leayin
| Tucson showed he had sence, so we cashes
him at his own figger. OF course we all
never asks his name none, as askin names
an lookin at the brands on a boss is speshul
roode in the west an shows your bringin
up, an frequent your bringin down, but
he allows he's called old Bill Gentry, to
the boys, an he an Faro Nell are particular
| friendly.
"'Talkin to him. says Faro Nell, lis
| lest like allyn in the shade. He knows
| everything, too, all about books an things
all over the world. He was a-tellin me-
too, as how he had daughter like me that
| dies way back some ers about when was
a yearlin. He feels heap bad about it
yet, an gets SO sorry for him, SO old an
white
IAN you may gamble, says Boggs, If
Nell liked him, he's all right
s'If Nell likes him, that makes him all
right, says Cherokee.
| ''We was still talzin an readin over our
mail in the postoffice when all at once we
| hears Jack Moore outside.
| What's this yere literature as affronts
my eyes pasted on to the outside of Uncle
Sans wyckeyup% says Moore mighty
truculent. We all goes out, an there shore
enuf is a notice oferin 81, 500 reward for
some sharp who's been standin up the
| stage over on the Lordsburg trail.
Whoever tacks this up, / wonder?
says Enright. 1T never was here ten min
utes ago.
| "'Well, jest you all hover around an
watch the glory of its comm down, says
Moore, a-cuttin on it loose with his knife
| an tearin it up. / herewith furnishes the
information cold, this yere camp of Wolf
| Vile knows its business an don't have to
be notified of nuthin. This yere outfit has
vigilance committee all regular, an
which I'm kettle tender therefor, an when
| it comes nacheral to announce some notice
to the public you will perceive me a-per-
vadin of the scenery on boss an promul-
| gatin of said notice viver voce. Am /
right, EnrightP'
"'All right as preachin, Jack, says En-
right. you speaks throoth like runnin
brook
"'But whoever sticks up that notice is
| the information I pants for, says Boggs,
a-pickin up an readin of the pieces.
90 I reckon posts that notice some my
self, said big, squar' man we don't
know, who comes in that mornin on the
| stage an who was then a-saunterin about
the suburbs of the crowd a-listenin to the
talk.
"'Well, don't do it no more, pardner,
says Moore, mighty grave. We're no
doubt way wrong, but we have our own
pecooliar notions about what looks good,
SO after now don't alter the landscape none
round we're till you first gifts our views
"'I'm offerin even money postin notices
I wouldn't hurt this camp little bit, says
the stranger.
"'Well, comm right to cases. says En-
right, 1T don't hurt US none, but it CRATES
on us a whole lot. The idee of a mere
stranger a-strollin in an a-tackin up of no.
tices like he was standin a pat hand on
what he knows an we not in it is heap
unpleasant. So don't do it no more
"sWell, don't aim to do it any more, ,
saws the man, but / still filings to my
idee that notices amt no setback to this
camp
"FWhich the same bein mere theery,
Says Doc Poets, personal to yourself,
holds it would be onpolite to discuss it; SO
let's all wheel under cover for a drink.
$50 we all lines up on the Early Bird
bar an the drinks ends the talk, as they
alters ought to.
"Along onto night we gets cooler, an by
second drink time in the evenin every one
was movin about, an as it happen quite a
band was in the Red Light, some a-drinkin
an exchangfn of views an some buckin the
various games which was goin wide open
all around. Cherokee Hall was a-sittin
behind his box, an Faro Nell, who lotted
hanta 1,<,z +LN,, q