Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-07-09

head, waikiki trifle unstiddy, as though he
might hev jug on. The boys wuz simply
Wild an bont 20 Of us lined up 'roun the
polls, which wuz mex door to Morey's
The cap'n sauntered long with the rest,
cool as a cucumber.
Now praps them Greasers might hev
been lowed to vote an 60 way ag'in If
Garcia hadn't took 1t into his head TO in
suit the capn. But the drunken fool
waltzcs up to Jenkins an shakes his fist
under his nose an says, "Cap'n Jenkins,
you old fraud, this is my day, dye see?"
An he waved his hand at his ragged gang
a-fullerin, like lieutenant of milishay on
parade
Stan back, " says the cap'n very quiet
ly. But we could see them leetle, blue
veins in his temple swell up like whip
cords an his shoulders come back square
with jerk Then he took two six shoot
ers from his hip pockets an "a derringer
from under bis belt an dirk knife out of
his boot an handed 'em all to me, an then
he says; Garcia, you see that I'm I'M
armed. l Civ my word to my wife that
wouldn't kill you while she wuz gone, an
lucky fer you she ain got back yet. Now,
if you want to shoot, wy shoot an be
damned, but Inc mighty keerful that you
don't make no false motions-on count
of my friends here who haven't Civ their
word to no lady" An the cap'n waved
his hand roun at us.
Garcia turned pale an red an pale ag in.
He looked roun at his gang, but not one
of EN- dared pull gun. His law an order
friends WA mt to he seen. They had been
true to their principles an had scattered
at the first sign Of row. Even the jedges
of lection, who wuz too fur way to ketch
on TO all that wuz -goin on had scrooched
down behind the bar'ls on which then
layout had been put An the cap'n jest
looked Garcia squarely in the eye.
"Now, then, " he sed at last IN bout a
mint, witch seemed an hour, 81 gin my
word to you, but not to them buffers with
you, an 1 swear to God that if AIRY one OF
your crowd tries to put ballot into that
ere box ! II shoot him fun of holes. Now
you git out of here an take yer dirty rab.
bic with you.
1t wuz II Waterloo all right enough.
Garcia slipped back pace or two an tried
To slide way out of range of the cap'n s
eye But he didn't git off quite so dead
easy as that Us boys raised yell" Hur
rah fer Cap'n Jenkins that shook the
BOTTLES on Doc Murey's shelves, an then
we pulled our guns an fired "A volley roun
Garcia legs Jest to see him dance. When
we wuZ done with him, he snealled way
like a big bulldog whipped 10y yaller
fyce, an his gang fullcred him. Not Il
mothers son Of 'om offered to vote. When
they'd gone IA couple of hundred yards ~
so, they got into row 'mOng themselves,
an presently we see Garcia walk up to a
great, big, black browed, beetle eyed Mex
lean an smash him over the Jaw, an the
& IL.
Garcia but the others intcrfeercd an stood
him off. An then they all lit out of sight
rOun the corner of the plaza. SwCarin an
ohattcrin an hollerin like pack of crazy
coyotes.
WAL, AFTER awhile 'twuz shutdown al
the votes wuz counted an we found that
the Law an Order league was showed un
der by two votes tell you us fellers felt
happy then. Soon as the result wuz de
clarcd Doc Morey throwcd his place wide
open an every man in the crowd insisted
on treutin the cap'n. But in spite of his
popularity with the boys the capn seemed
Uneasy an dissatisfied. He KEEP a-pacin VI
an down the room, an half the time barely
touched his lillkcr to his lips, an then sol
down the glass We rDmonstcruted at this,
an Cap II jenkins sed; Boys don't take
no Oficnse. ! don't s'puse You understaT
'Xuctly how l feel, an lauRWidge fails mC
to properly 'Npress myself. | don't regret
what | done today, or ruthcr what / didn I
DO. The word OF Jenkins is sacreJ
thing, specially when it's pledged to q
woman an that woman the woman who h,
loves an hcZ sWure to cherish an protect
An yet the fac Stares me in the face that
a snealdn, hulkiD. skulkin Grcaser SHOOK
his dirty fist under my nose today an still
lives. Boys is this thing true> Or be
a-walkin in my sleep?'
We could all see that if this thing KEEP
long twould drive the cap'n crazy So
jest t. divert his mind, we started "A gam,
of faro, al we soon had the money rollir
high. | remember that I'd won 500 on
the lection an wuz feelin pretty good. W,
all bet freely, an being bliged to fix his
mind upon the game Cap'n Jenkins sortel
come to an acted tritle more like himself
The revelry wuz at its height when W,
heered two shots in quick succession
There wuz a lot Of money on the table
The cap'n sprung from his cheer an spread
his hands out like the Prophet Samuel il
the Bible picters an sed to the dealer
"Jack, change in. Garcia 5 dead.
We all rushed out of course an cross the
! plaza an rOun the corner an into some
/ vacant lots, an there We found hlm-dead
Both shots had struck him, an either one
on 'em would hev killed. There wuz
/ hedge jest afOre you come to the lots, al
| behind it, as / wuz a-runnin long, pickeC
up two empty shells, still trife warm
/ 'Twuz plain that some one had waylaiC
him.
The hull town soon collected on th,
| spot, but nobody toched the corpse til
! Cap'n jenkins took it by the shoulder al
turned it over We all waited fer what h,
wuz a-goin to say, an it wuz this; He lift
ed his hands up toward the stars, like
play actor in theater, an sea in u deel
an solemn voice, Thou hast escaped me
o mine enemy" Then he turned to me
an speakin more like Cap'n Jenkins HI
remarked, An if there 5 reyolvers in heav
Ell I'm agoin to shoot him right between
the eyes. William M. Tisdale in Sal
Francisco Argonaut.
Had Seen Worse.
A story that is worth handing down tx
posterity relates to a reception some year
ago at the dwelling of social magnat,