Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-04-11
MEsGEElEHA.NlslEElEIoUs 9. n F
The F0ur-Lcaf Glover.
III BROKE TIE BAD MAN ALL UP,
AND DECIDED TIE ISSUE
OF THE DUEL.

Speaking of superstition, said
the Westerner, strOlling over to his
faVorite corner i'm the club, and max
ing the thirteenth to a group of
twelve already gathered there, to the
manifest uneasiness of several mem
hers, did ever tell you how once
won duel with lucky four-leaf
clover ?n
Which Of your duels was that,
my tire-devouring FRIEND" inquired
the major, who had just finished a
story himself, "and how did YOU
win 1t with four-leaf clover? Did
you jam that auspicious seed down
opponents throat and choke him tC
death with it ?"
"Oh, it wasn't any of my duels, ~
returned the Westerner, reaching for
the decanter. "That is, | wasn't a
principal, only a second; but / and
my clover won it for my principal.
In fact there were two clovers in it 4;
but mine was the great original
clover"
I" 1t was your principal, then, that
was superstitious, and not you ?''
ventured the banker, to draw the
| Westerner away from prOtracted
contemplation of the decanter, which
threatened to bring the story to an
untimely end.
"No, sir. 1t was the other fellow
that was superstitious," proceeded
the Westerner, after three gurgles
and sigh of content. "He was the
| biggest ruffian unhung, and would
be now if he hadn't been hung since
then for a too general and not suffi-
GENTLY discriminating interest in
horsefiesh. At that time, though,
he was the terror of the gully, and
by his nickname of 'Spotter' Burr
was known far and wide in that
country as quarrelsome beast, a
dead shot and an all-round bad man.
Well, he got into row, of his own
making, with a young fellow who
was new in the gully, nice chap by
the name Of Ned Stearns. The story
of the row is too long to tell here,
but, for a wonder, instead of being
settled by Ii shooting then and there,
as most troubles were in the West at
that time, it was decided that the
two men should fight on the next
day with pistols at fifteen paces.-
All the camp was ir high glee at the
prospect Of such show, and the af-
fair was to be done up brown, with
seconds and all that. Betting was
| FIVE to one on Spotter.
That afternoon Ned came to me,
| 4 nt fp
run you in for prop to dead man,
but I've got to have second, l sup.
pose. But / can't hit house with
a pistol,' said he.
Never you mind l said to him
We'll have a little practice And
we did, with the result of substan.
tiating his statements pretty near
About once i'm four shots he'd mai
the tree / had him popping at, and
the other shots would 60 all over
It looked as though he didn't have 8
chance on earth, and | began to fee
bad. for Ned was a nice young fel
low, and / didn't want to have tC
plant him in the bOne-yard full Of
that ruffian SpOtter's bullets. How
ever, | sent him to bed early, anG
got IN myself at sunrise, the morn
ing of the duel, to go and look over
the ground. The place decided or
was a level stretch, tlanked on one
side by a little hill, where the spec
tatOrs we're to sit.
sIf Ned does any such shooting as
he did last night said to myself,
somebody on that hill is going tt
get hurt ,..
Down in the level was a solitary
tree. and as ] strolled over there
aimiessly, my eye fell on clump o
clover. ! was thinking it was sor
of queer place for clover to be grow
ing. when right on the edge / saw
fonr.leaf clover. My first impulse
was TO pick it, when I had a big idea
II had Just occurred to me tina
Snotter was naturally superstitious
and determined to work game OF
him. I located that clover by plant
inc a stake there, and left. 1t wa
earIy when / got back to camp, ant
I woke up Ned and gave him iittl'
nractice with the pistol. He did bet
Ter than the night before. Nailed
bis tree once out of three time
right along but ] wasn't banking OF
that. | went up town, and mad'
some bets on my man, getting nv
TO one on my money. Some OF th'
bows guyed me on it, but ! said:
THAT'S all right. My mans th'
seventh son of seventh son, an'
this is the thirteenth day OF th'
3 month, and you can't touch hin
4 with n bullet or anything else.'
All this / had made up for the oc
! casion, for Spotter's benefit FOR
knew it would get to him, ana
did. When I heard that he'd peer
o heard, later in the morning. taking
about melting down silver 10 man .s'
, q silver bullet, knew l nau ni' .s
ratified, and wnen we go' 10 VI"