The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
THEY ABDUCTED THE BAND,
N THEY SPOILED THE DlNC1
GIVEN ny THE RIVAL SET.

m CIV Keutuchinn and Othorn Foil =
Plan to MonopoiiEo Local Society ~
Means OF nn Imported Mexican Orchestra
The returned Cow Puncher svs down his CUP
Of black coffee after hc had taken the first Sip,
and pursed up his mouth into an expression OK
scorn.
"Slnp!" he said. briefly. N&
The Poet made n gesture OF protest.
ION. l dare shy it's strong enough for your
said the Cow Puncher.
"Wha. Z"
1.-THE coffee"
at WINS your expression to which l ob1ected.N
"When | said tho stun was"
Spare US n rcpetition!' interrupted the PoeA
well. | suppose my imagery is rather too
epic for you. So would the coffee DO that 1 had
In mind-I wish l had 1t In this cup as welli-
when | spoke. U-m-m!' And the Cow Puncher
closed his eyes with the look Of a satisfied epi-
cure. They call this stuff black cofee." he
went ON, rousing himself. About black enough
for tho second or third year of widowhood, I
should say. You ought to taste the coffee we,
used to have down in rexasl 1t was SO strong
that It ate tho enamel of the cups"
That's sone more Of your eplo imagery"
laughed the Boys Own Story Writer. .t''
Pretty strong coffee, evidently" remarke6
the Poet, but II doesn't seem to have boon able
to affect brass" ST.
The Cow Puncher carelessly knocked the
u'llC W - 10 N"N
the Poet out of the tail of his eye, but Texas Ia
q great State was all that he said.
1T was two years ago tonight" he resumed.
after a pause, that we gave our famous Christs
mas dance. upon which glorious occasion we
everlastlngly scooped the rival cowboys at the
other end of the town" p
II thought you lived on q ranch" interpose&
the Poet. with deep suspicion. {
did you think l spent three years out there
and saw only one view? But then you don'e
understand the lives of men of action, l sup
pose, and ] mustn't be too hard on you"
About that dance ?' asked the Boys own.
A that was u great event ~ exclaimed the
Cow Puncher, lighting q fresh cigarette. You
see. the idea originated with our end of the
town, and naturally we felt that we had q right
to 1t. Anybody would have felt so. Anybody,
that is. except our deadly rivals. No sooner
had the news OF our scheme got out than they
began to lay their plans for a howdy-do, and ON
the same night as ours, mind you'll"
What difference did that make 2" growlea
the Poet.
We'll. it made Just this difference: there
wasn't room in that town for two balls, and
everybody knew it. 1t lay between us to get
the crowd. We couldn't both get 1t, and neither
of us could get half a crowd. Things don't 60
that way out there. Everybody goes to the
place that puts up the best show and the other
one doesn't have q corporal's guard. We knew
this. so we had taken care to engage the only
music in the town before we let a word of our
plans get out. This music consisted of o fiddle
tcrackedJ played by a fiddler (who was also
cracked. seconded BY a wheezy melodeon which
had a way of going off into a fit of gasps when
you were most depending on 1t.
1t was a great thing for us to have secured
the music. because that, we knew. would prove
q terrible handicap to our rivals. They wouldn't
be able to put up anything better than one of
flAf, a,-y ~, ,rIn ,laxAl thA nn,tL 900
and didn't amount to much even at that. mas
much as he had only one lung. We felt pretty
jubilant. l tell you; and the other fellows looked
correspondingly blue. But that didn't last
long. one day we heard a startling rumor. We
could scarcely believe our senses. but ample
proof was soon furnished us that the dreadful
tale was true. Our rivals had hired a Mexican
band from 2 town about tifty miles away!
ton at once and canvassed the possibilities. bus
we had. to admit that they were as good as hope
the supper we had PROMISED. OF course there
was to have been black ~cotfee-that was what
various other things. and we promptly sent out
an emissAry TO spread the news in the town thar
the lime. though. we knew it WAS u forlorn hope.
You see. 1t was this way. The feminine ele-
ment OF our community was limited. Partners
were at u premium. even II every woman in the
place turned out. and where the women went.
too. Well. the women wouldn't hesitate a min.
ute II 1t came to a choice between u little better
eNtISi Ailu u kpoA' hicai l ihuSib. W
that. and we fclt as II we might rs well lay our
hands down and give up the game. There was
day after the announcement OF the imported
band came out he strolled in at supper time and
most effective blue-grass-country ~salutes. We
returned the compliments of the evening and he
"How's the pahty comm on ~ he asked.
said. you-all amt got moh'n enough
ingenuity TO suhcumvent a kitten! IL one o. you
gentlemen II be good enough as TO place him-
that we'h have the only ball in this heah towns
We'll. perhaps we didn't, jump at the offer.
HIM tell aiie Via, his p.q Dian was vas II tell ad1ly You I how %n we
carried it out. The next morning we all went
tr"st /" the riuiin- St we had been. Whenever
anybody gave us the razzle-nazzle, begging
direction we well. Sse gave them the ha! hall
and looked so blamed superior that the towIE
across one OF the ladies' whom we had invited
to come-not that we had omitted to ask any
to be. We wanted TO know how many dances
we were going 10 have with 'em and all that
us to understand that our name was Dennis be-,
cause, to be sure, of the lovely music that the
sion. Hadn't we heard OF ity
I'VE laughed ut this; laughed loud and long,
found breath enough TO ask them if they, really
believed in ,nat fake story OF an imported band;
again. and then pitied them. Finally, when
we had them At tho proper point, we swore to
tllen tual no oAnu was COfnlns, tllaL VIC KNOW
1t. aud we were willing to stake all our future
chances as entertainers on IL. Well, they
hedged a little then. promised to come to our
party II the band didn't turn up, and that was
all we asked; Our Kentucky cavalier had
agreed to see that the band did not turn up
How did he FIX that - asked the Boys Own.
and his tone spoke evident, regret that this
theme wasn't all that could be desired for .
Rtory for the young, else could he have made
eppv out OF IL.
Easy! easy!" said the Cow Puncher Careless
~. III WAS the simplest thing in the world.
We learned thai the band was to arrive on .
way train which passed our town at 0 O'Clock
in the evening. About 7 O'Clock the kentuckian
and his companion got on their horses and rode
quietly out OF town. They went to another vii.
lage, ten miles or so down the road. where the
train was due at about $3.50. They don't run
lightning expresses for the local traffic out thas
way, When the train came In our two fellows
boarded 1t, found the band promptly. greeted
them with II joyial welcome, told them It was