The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-10-24

ts<-s.
"'So I goes wanderin' out back Of th
Tub of Blood, whar it's lonesome an thar
nobody lookin' on, bar coyotes; an camp
down back of Spanish bayonet bush an
tugs away to get my boot off, and my diner
into circ'i 'iatiOn.
AN while I'm at it, sleep an nose pain
seizes me, an my light goes plumb out.
| rolls over behind the bayonet bush an snore
off to sleep. 1t must have made them coy
| otes stop an consider u whole lot abou
what | be. Just TO show you how goo(
! them coyotes is, want to tell you-I dom
notice it ontil the next day-while I'm
curled up to the rare of that bush they
comes mighty near eatin' of the seabbard of
my gun while it's in my belt. Fact; tht
scabbard looks afterward like some pup moi
otherwise engaged has been chewin' it. But
of course, beIn' dead entire-iike / was from
my visitin' round so much, amt mndin
nothin' SO Oninterestin' as q coyote bitin' on
| the leather of my gun.
Now, this is whar that bluff about bread
| on the waters comes in, an it falls all so pat
| on the heels of them devotions of mine that
night, 1t he'ps burn an brand it on my MEM
! ory. While Pm layin' thar, too dead to skin
from nose paint, and mighty likely while
them coyotes is lunchin' off my scabbard
that away, along comes q bad man they
calls Spanish Bill. learns afterward how
this Spanish Bill is hard clean through.
He's rustled everything from bunch of
ponies to the mail-bags, an amt reckoned
nuthin' but a hold-up who needs hangin'
every minute of the day. Whatever takes
him out to where lays by my bayonet bush
l never knows. He don't disclose nuthin'
on that PINT afterward, an Pve figgered more
than once mebbe he tracks up on me acci-
dental
But what informs me some plain that
he explores my war bags for stuff before he
concloodes to turn in an look after my health
is that later on, when / onfurs my finances
to him, he seems sorter disappointed an hurt.
When this yere Spanish Bill ropes onto me
/ don't know nuthin,. The statestcks fur
nished by the barkeep of the Tub of Blood
the next day goes to the effect that Tm
shorely out thar four hours.
"'When Spanish Bill discovers me I'm
mighty near froze stiff; for I'll let You in
quiet, 'an between us, Taos nights in No
vember has heap of things in common
with them arctic regions we hears of, where
Franklin an Kane an the rest of that passel
of fnr-lined sports goes in pursoot of that
North Pole. So, bein' fr0ze that away, an
mebby from an overdab of nose-paint, /
never sayeys thing about this yere Span
ish Bill ontil hours later. But the barkeep
says this Spanish Bill drags me into the Tub
OF Blood an allows he's got maverick.
~" Fix this yere froze party up some
thing with fire and teeth" says Spanish Bill
to the barkeep. Il don't know him none
but he's got to be recovered if it takes every
chip in the checkrack"
80 So the barkeep and Spanish Bill stands
in an brings me to, so / can walk some if
Spanish Bill goes aloLg steadying of me by
the collar. Tharupon said Spanish Bill
rides herd upon me till he gets me down to
the Jackson House an spreads me out on
some blankets
It's daylight when I gets around so 1
knows my names "Boggs,D an Pm native
of Kentucky, an little personal things like
that An what wakes me up is this Span
ish Bill; he's shakin' my shoulder.
Co.'S See yere," says this hoid-up. "Pm
goin' to turn in now, an yere's what you do;
thar's five whisky checks on the Tub of
Blood, which will hep you to an appetite. |
FOilown' of s'ficient quantity of whisky, |
you will return to the Jackson House 'an |
eat. / won't be rolled outen my blankets |
by then, but they knows that Spanish Bill |
makes good, cause | impresses it on 'em |
speshul when / comes in.
80" You don't know me-" goes on this
Spanish Bill as ] sets up an blinks at him
some foggy an blurred yet, land 1 don't
know yon, which we'll allow, outen polite
ness, is dead loss to both. But my names |
S Spanish Bill and fm turnin' monte in the
Bank Exchange. I'll be thar at my table |
by tirst-drink time this evenin' an if you'll |
sa' inter that way at that eepock we'll have
drink an pow-pow, an, bein' as you're |
busted an amt got no money, of course |
stakes you on your way"
ITS this bluff about me not hayin' |
money puts me in mind, when my heads in |
better thinkIn' order, that this Bill must |
have rustled my raiments that time I'm |
presided over by coyotes while | sleeps. |
When he says it, however, l merely remarks |
that, while Pm grateful to him as mockin'- |
birds, money, after ali, amt no object with |
tne; an, pulling off my nigh moccasin. L |
pours some two pounds of specie onto the
blankets I'm camped on.
"'" Which | merely packs this in my
boot" l observes, to put mys'f in mind I've |
got roll big enough to choke a COW over to |
Howard's store"
IAN Pm glad to hear it." says this |
Spanish Bill; though, as | suggests, he acts
pa ned an amazed at the exhibition, like a |
man who's overlooked bet.
Well, that's all thar is to that part.
That's where Spanish Bill launches that
bread OF hls'n, an, as | states, it sorier bears
lown on me a thought like a saddle that
iOn't fit, am keeps me feeiin' and remem-
oerin' what that sky scout says at the
Drayer-meetin' about the action a man gets
by playn' good deed to win. It's the
middle of January, mebby two months
ater, when I'm over on the Upper Caliente,
about 90 miles west of the Spanish Peaks
I'm w0rkin' bunch OF cattle-Bar-C c. Bar
vas the brand, an the year marks swal-
ow fork in the lett year, with the right
year underhacked.'
whats the good of Year mark when
har's brand?" repeated the old cattle
nan after me- for l had interrupted his tale
If Bogg's trouble with the question, What
.ver's the good of year marks?' Why,
Then cattle is in bunch, standing so close
l. It =. \