The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-04-20
TURNING OF START.
How He Made Nitrate Citizens
Pay for Their Insults


Pay for Their Insults.
He fioated into Nitrate one day, just
like any other wanderer, and put up at
the Binford house for supper. After
supper he strolled out in front and
talked to Pop Binford, the landlord, for
half an hour or SO. Next day he mixed
drinks behind the hotel bar-was in
possession of job that half the men in
Nitrate woald have jumped at. 1t was
Shorty Longman's job, but the stranger
did not know that, nor did he know
Shorty either. Pop Binford did,
though. He had been getting onto
Shorty for some time, and when it
dawned upon him as an established
fact that that young mans ability as
drink mixer was becoming secondary
to his mastery of the intricacies of the
cash register he suggested to him the
advisability of getting along for a
time without work. This suggestion
Shorty took as hint that his resigna-
ton was wanted; he therefore went OFF
and got drunk, and the next day
the cadaverous-looking, mild-voiced
stranger. with his soft southern drawl,
was filling the place Of Mr.. Longman
and his cockney accent.
His name he gave out as Van Sittart,
which, for convenience sake, speedily
became abbreviated to start" That
was all we knew of him, and we
weren't sure of even that much. Bin
ford knew no more about him than
anyone else did. The man had asked
him If he knew of vacant job, and,
liking his looks, he had given him one.
That was all. For the rest "Start"
was twenty-five or SO, but looked
younger, and was one of the pleasant
est, most gentlemanly and obliging
''bar boys" that ever threw together
the insidious cocktail, and he became
duly popular accordingly, on the short
est kind of notice. He did not have
overmuch to say to anyone, but that
was nothing against him; SO, inside of
three or four days, the customers of
the Binford house bar voted him
white"
He was in way to become one Of the
best liked men in Nitrate. when some
thing happened that caused a shock of
surprise, not to say grief, to those
whose hearts had warmed toward him
and his peculiar style of mixing
drinks at the outset. Shorty Long
man. the loud mouthed, Shorty the
buffer. had ''called down" his success
sor before large audience, and that
without display Of arms!
Shorty, it seemed, had gone down to
Denver to look for another job, which
failed to appear, and after an unsuc-
ressful search of two weeks he filed
Hpon Seventeenth street whisky and
hook the train for Nitrate, where he
sat himself down to brood over his
wrongs, the result being that when he
arrived in camp he burned with de-
sire to make 10 disagreeable for the
man who took his job. This he pro-
ceeded to do by going in and ordering
a drink, for which he declined to pay,
and adding insult to injury by full
some application of his extensive vo-
cabulary of vile epithets, couched in
Bow Bells English-to all of which.
according to all citizens there present
et the time, the new bar boy replied in
honeyed accents and in words devised
to turn away wrath. He did not, it
is conceded, appear to be badly terror
ized, but there could be no doubt that
he had taken water" and Start stock
dropped several points.
Hit pizens my cup o joy-hit sho'
does" murmured Calhoun Kerry. late
of Arkansas, who was sitting on a soap
box in front Of the livery stable, whit
ting stick. "Hit do grieve me hull
lot" he went on, looking sadly at his
handiwork.
What's troublin', Cal?" asked an
other lounger. "Whatall's breaking
y'r gentle heart t'dayy'
"fh griev'd, am, at what we all
jest c'nferin abaout-the fallin' from
grace of this yere new barkeeper Mt
Binford's. My, my! An a SOUTHERN
gentlem'n. too! An firm clost nigh oil
Ahkansaw!
"Scen i'm this mawnin'. IS +:
'Staht. I'm man of corruh, am, y
he: What's tn matter?' 81. real
solemn like: 'Staht, I'm griev'd copious.
i am, tycar OF SOUTHERN gentlem'n
a-strikin' o. his colahs- to a bloom;u,
British bloke as can't even talk United
States, nm is knowed as bluffah on
any proposition firm betin' two duces
In a jack pot . scllin' salted mine
IS Statt: 'Rferrin', pehsoom, e
that little episode O. last evening"
Yes 3 ]. An be rrins. kind o.