The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-07-07
DEAD MANS HAND.

| DLAD MAN d LAM.
ut was bot day In june" said the oil
cattleman as he thougbtfully read tn
makers name in his sombrero, ian Will
not possessin one Of these yere heat gauge
to say ackerate I'm allowin 1t was ridil
hard on jest sech weather as this Til
| Tucson mail was In, an band of us wa
| at the postofflce a-makin Of demands 70
letters when in comes Cherokee Hall
lookin some moody, an sets himself dowl
on shoebox.
(which you no doubt thinks as how
you'll take some missives youse'f thi!
mornin, says Dock Peters a-noticin Of bill
gloom an amin to pint his idees up some
other trail Pass over them documents fol
Cherokee Hall an don't try for to hold Out
nuthin on to us, for we're way too peevist
to stand any oflshul gayeties today
"'There amt no one weakminded onui
TO write to me none,' says Cherokee,
(which remarks this yere phenomenon
with pleasure. Mailbags pack grief not
Joy, an amt bonin for no hand In the
game whatever It's Is years since buys
stamp or gots letter, an all thirst there
toro is assuaged complete
Fifteen years is shore long time, >
says Enright, ON then we all hops into our
letters again. Finally Cherokee breaks In
once more.
"'I amt amin to invest Wolfytlle in no
superstitious fears, says Cherokee, but
jest chronicles as current event how
was sittin into little poker last night,
an three times straight picks up the
hand the dead man held--jacks up on
teights-an 1t win every time.'
"'Who aI lose to itr asks Dan Boggs,
some breathless.
"'Why, 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 fl1in Its sight for him
Fight now. It's shorely a.warnin, an I'm
glad whole lot 1t amt none of the boys,
that 8 all.
"You zoe, this yere stranger who Chero-
kee alludes at comes over from Tucson a
little while before this. He has long white
ha'r an beard, an, jedgln from the rings
on bis horns, he was maybe a.comln 90.
He seemed like no had plenty of money,
an wo takes it he's all right His lcavin
Tucson showed he had sence SO we oashes
him at his own fgger. OF course We all
never asks his name none, as askin names
an lookin at the brands on o boss Is speshul
roode In tho west an shows your bringin |
up an frequent your bringin down, but |
no allows he's called old Bill Gentry, to
the boys, an he an Faro Nell arc particular |
friendly.
'Talkin to him. says Faro Nell, lis |
jest like allyn in the shade. Ho knows
everything, too, all about books an things |
all over the world. He was a-tellin mo,
too, as how he had a daughter like me that !
dies way back somo'ers about when I was
a yearlin. He fools o heap bad about it |
yet, an gets so sorry for him, SO old an
white
An you may gamble, says Boggs If
Nell liked him, hos all right
If Nell likes him, that makes him oil
right, says Cherokee.
"We was still talkin an rcadin over our
mail in tho postoflice when oil at once we
hears Jack Moore outside.
"'What's this zero literature o. affronts
my eyes pasted on to the outside Of Uncle
Sans wyckeyup2 says Moore mighty
truculent We all goes out, an there shore |
enuf is notice offerin $1,000 reward for
some sharp who's been standin up tho |
stage over on the Lordsburg trail
Whoever tacks this up, l wonderr |
says Enright. 1t never was here ten min
utes ago.
"Woll, Jest you all hover around an
watch the glory of Its comm down., says
l.
an tearin it up L herewith furnishes the
information cold, this ycro camp of Wolf
vile knows its business an don't have to
be notified OF nuthin. This yere outfit has
o vigilance committee all regular an
which I'm kettle tender therefor, an when
it comes nachCral to announce some notice
to the public you will perceive me a-pcr-
vadin Of tho scenery on boss an promul-
gatin of said notice viver voce. Am
right, Enrightg
AL 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
,-pickin up M readin of the pieces.
" i reckon posts that notice some my
'elf, said big squar' man we don't
know, who comes In that mornin on the
stage, an who was then a.sauntern about
,he suburbs Of the crowd a-listenin to the
ak
"'Well, don't do it no more, pardner,'
'ays Moore, mighty grave. We're no
loubt way wrong but we have our own
oocooliar notions about what looks good,
10 after now don't alter the landscape none
'ound ycre till you first gifts our views
"'Im oforin even money postin notices
hurt this camp little bit, says ,,
he stranger.
"'Well, comm right to cases, says En-
light, 1T don't hurt US none, but 1t CRATES
IN us whole lot. Tho idee of a mere
Granger a-strollin In an a-tackin up of no.
ices like no was standin pat hand on
What no knows ON we not in it Is heap
unpleasant. So don't do 1t no more
"'Wcll, don't aim to do 1t any more ,
avs the man, but I still clings to my
dec that notices amt no setback to this
amp
(which tho same bein o mere theery' !
ays Doc Poets, personal to yourself, l
lolds 1t would be onpolite to discuss it; 30 .
cts all wheel under cover for drink
$50 we all lines up on tho Early Bird
var, IN tho drinks onds the talk, as they
.llers ought to.
Along onto night we gets cooler, an by
ooond drink time In the eyenin every one
vas movin about, an as it happen quite
and was In the Red Light, some a-drinkin
N exchangin Of views an some buokin the
'arious games which was goin wide open
ii around Cherokee Hall was a-sittin
'ohind his box, an Faro Nell, who lotted
heap more on Cherokee than on any Of
ls-soenod like, from little girl, she'd
Two pony for smile from Cherokee