Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-07-26
DEAD MANS HAND.

not pOsscssin one of these we're heat gauges
to say ackerate I'm allowin it was ridin
hard on Jest scch weather ms this. The
Tucson mail was in, an "A band of us was
at the postoilcc u-makin of demands for
letters when in comes Cherokee Hall,
loOkn some moody, an sets himself down
on Il shuebox
"'Which You no doubt thinks rs how
you'll take some mssivcs youscf til.
mornin, says Dock Peters n-noticin of his
gloom an Amin TO pint his id2oS up some
other trail. Pass over them documents for
Cherokee Hall an don't try for to hold out
nuthin on 20 us, for we're way too pccyish
to stand any oliishul gayctics today
""Thcre amt no one wcaEmindcd cnuf
to write to me none, says Cherokee
(which l remarks this we're phenomenon
with pleasure MailbagS pack grief, not
JOY, an l an't honin for no hand in tho
game whatever. It's 10 years since l buys
n stamp or gets letter, an all thirst there
fore is assuaoed complete.
"'Fiftccn years is shore a long time
says Enright, an then we all hops into our
letters again Finally Cherokee breaks in
once more.
"'I ain amin to invest Wolfville in no
supers imous fears says Cherokee, but l
Jest chronicles as current event how L
was sittin into "a little poker last night,
an three times straight l picks up the
hand the dead man held-iacks up on
eights--au it win every time.
"'WhO all lose to it?' asks Dan Boggs,
some brcathlcss.
"'Why, says Cherokee it's every time
that old lughorn as comes in from Tucson
back some two weeks ago
80 Yes says Boggs, a-gettin mighty
decided AN You bet your saddle an throw
the pony in death is fxin its sight for him
right now. It's shurcly a-warnin, an | IN
glad II whole lot it amt none of the boys,
That's all.
"You see, this ycrc stranger who Chcro-
kee alludcs at comes over from Tucson n
little while before this He has long white
ha'r an beard an jedgin from the rings
on his horns, he was maybe a-comin 60.
He seemed like he had plenty of money,
an we take, il he's all right His leavin
Tucson showed he had sencc, so we Cashcs
him at his own fggcr OF course we all
never asks his name none, as askin names
an loollin at the brands on II boss is speshul
roode in the west an shows your bringin
up, an frequent your lringin down, but
he allows he's called old Bill Gentry, to
the boys an he an Faro Nell are particular
friendly.
lest like a-lyin 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 lill, we that
dies way back some crs about WI IL was
yearlin. He feels "A heap bad about it
yet, an l gets so sorry for him, so old an
white.
"'An you may gamble, says Boggs, If
Nell liked him, he's all right.
"'If Nell likes him, that makes him all
right, says Cherokee.
I'VE was still talkn an readin over our
mail in the postuflicc when all at once we
hears Jack Moore outside.
What this we're literature as atfronts
my eyes pasted on to the outside of Uncle
Sans wyckcyup:' says Moore mighty
truculcnu. We all qocs out, an there shore
enuf is notice oilcrin 81, 800 reward for
some sharp who's been standin up the
stage over on the I.ordsburg trail.
Whoever tacks this up, | wonder?'
says Enright. 1T never was here ten min
utes ago
"'Wcll, 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. Il herewith furnishes the
Information cold, this yere camp of Wolf
Vile knows It's 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, EnrightY
"'All right as preachin, Jack, says En-
right. You speaks throoth like runnin
brook.
but whoever sticks up that notice Is
the information 1 pants for, says Boggs
a-picllin up an readin Of the pieces.
g / reckon posts that notice some my
self, said IA 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 NJ
doubt way wrong. but we have our OWL
pecOoliar notions about what looks good
so after now don't alter the landscape non,
round yere till you first gifts our views.
"'I'm offerin even money postin notice
wouldn't hurt this camp little bit, say
the stranger.
"'Well, comm right to cases says En-
right, lit don't hurt US none, but it CRATE
ON US whole lot. The idee of mer
stranger a-strollin in an a-tuckin up of no
tices like he was standin "A pat hand OF
what he knows an we not in it is hea
unpleasant. so don't do it 40 more
Well, don { aim to do it any more,
says the man, but l still clings to m
idee that notices amt no setback to thi
camp
Which the same bein "A mere theory,
says Doc Poets, personal To yourself
holds il would be onpolite to discuss it; S
let ; all wheel under cover for IA drink.
$50 we all lines up on the Early Biz
bar, an the drinks ends the talk, as the
alters ought TO-
"Along onto night we gets cooler, an b
second drink time in the evenin every on
was movin about, an as it happen quite
band was in the Red Light, some a-drinki
an exchangin of views an some buckin tn
various games which was goin wide ope
all around. Cherokee Hall was a-sitti
behind his box, an Faro Nell, who lotte
heap more ON Cherokee than on any {
us-seemed like, from little girl, She
q. Al. l..