Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-10-06
A MATTAH wv HONAH.
UNCLE REUBEN TELLS ABOUT A TEN
NESSEE DUEL HE SAW.

Mistah Sam Baxter, the Doctor and Miss
Bell, the Fair Coquette Who Showed No
Preference-The Dread Meeting on the
Field and It's Strange Result.
Uncle Reuben was mixing the salad.
"These gemmen crost thu big watah
done had trouble, amt they? 1t sho'
looks LAX ole times tub see couple NV
gemmen stan up an fight it out that way.
amt hearn tell Nv real duel sence I
lef' Ten 'see.''
"Did you ever see duel, Uncle Reu
benp''
"No, sub, I kahn say as eyah saw
real affaiah Nv honah, sub, hut 1 was
presen' wen pair NV gemmen give a
pow'fu good imitation Nv fight. Didn't
I nevvah tell yuh bout that time?
"Yuh hearn me talk bout Mistah Sam
Baxter? He's not our family exaoly, but
he's cousin Nv us. An thah was thu
doctuh. Thu doctuh was mighty popu-
lar man bout home an much thought Nv
by thu community. He come outten a
fghtin family His brother was navy
man on ship, an they used tub call him
'Fightin Bob. Thu doctah was much
that way hissef, but that ain sayin that
Mistah Sam is wantin nothin. He is
sumpin Nv a man In trouble hissef.
Somehow thu two gemmen didn' lax
each othah. They was good frien's onct,
but Miss Bell-yuh knows her-she got
mixed up wiv 'em. Dey bofe NV 'em
wanted Miss Bell, an wanted her pow full
hod Mics pa11 oh ItIpb toll v,phoIx, xx,h,
she thought bout it. She jes' lay low an
smile an wait faw her min tub get fixed,
That's mighty disheartenin tub a gemman
whut's pinin faw q lady, an bofe these
gem1nen was sho doin that.
"Thu trouble happen one night when
we had dance at our house. Miss Bell
was thu prize waltzah Nv thu county.
Thah cum a waltz, an somehow thu two
gemmen got mixed bout who owned that
dance. Mistah Sam he say 1t his'n, an
thu doctah he say it his'n. Miss Bell she
wouldn say no way, an thah was some
words in thu parluh.
"Co'se they couldn' say much whah thu
ladies was, but bimeby, when theys gittin
on they hosses tub go homo, they was
some hot talkin, an thu othah gemmen
had tub use 'suasion tub keep EN- fun
havin trouble right thah in thu hoss lot.
"Thah oughtn' tub been any mo- tub it,
but mex day thu gemmen got talkin bout
it in town, an so they fix up a challenge
fun thu doctah tub Mistah Sam an one
fun Mistah Sam tub thu doctah. Bofe
sides accepted NV co Sc, an thu seconds was
named. Thu majah an Mistah Sans
brothah was on one side all Mistah Fo'd
an Colonel Lawson was on thu othah. Wv
co'se they all knows it's joke, but Mistah
Sam an thu dootah, they don know, an
theys sho' worried
miss Bell, yuh know, she's stayin at
our house. Mistah Sam was thu fust tub
come. He was ridin mighty slow, wiv his
head hung down an doin sum thinkin,
wen TUX his hoss. He staid long time
an mus said heap, cause Miss Bell
was lookin sorryful an white when she
come outen thu parlah, an Mistah Sam
was kindah peaked.
"Mistah Sam ain no mon gone when
up rides thu doctah. He's kindah gay
like, but yuh could see he ain feelin like
a jay bird. He stay till thu sun go down,
an he mus had lot tub talk bout, an
Miss Bell look lax ole woman when she
walk down tub thu gate wiv him. Now l
notice she des como tub thu do wiv Mis-
tab Sam, an she walk down tub thu front
gate wiv thu doctuh, an l say tub masef,
'Thah's thu gemmen whut gifts dis lady
wen she git ready tub say sumpin.'
"When thu majah come home, he tell
me tub have thu bosses hitched tub thu
carryall mex mawnin at daylight. That's
all he say tub me, but done hearn tell
bout thu duel, an know Pm gwine tub
be thah. git thu hosses ready, an thu
mex mawnin des as days breakin I'm at
thu big gate wiz thu carryall.
II didn' know bout that, but Mistah
Sam he sleep at our house that night.
Bimeby out come thu majah an Mistah
Sam brothah an Mistah Sam, an they all
git in. Mistah Sam look kindah funny,
lax he ain sleepin hissef tub def. Thu
majah an Mistah Sam brothah, they is des
quiet an ain got nothin tub say. Thu
majah he tell me tub drive oyah tub Cot
tonwood pint on thu rivah. Tha's bout a
mile away an it don take me long tub git
thah.
tits mighty lonesome on thu pint.
Thu rivah Is all covered wiv smoke, an
yuh kin heah it talkin tub itsef down un-
der thu willows. Thu cypress an thu cot.
tonwood is all hangin still an mou 'nful,
an it sho ain lookin lax barbecue.
Bimeby up druv anothah kerridge, an out
cit Mistah Fo'd an Colonel Lawson an thu
Evabody speak low 'cept Mistah Sam an
thu dootuh. They amt got nothin tub say.
"Thu gemmen have some talk, an then
they come roun benin thu carryall an load
thu pistols. two big navy skies. They load
evah barrel. 1t begin tub look lax some.
body don go home that day, an I'm she
gittin troubled in ina mind an don think
des right bout Miss Bell, who's maxim
all this trouble. hearn thu gemmen talk
bout how they gwine do It, Mistah Sam
an thu doctuh mus stan back tuh back
Then they walk way FUN each othah ter
steps apiece. Then they turn roun, ar
when thu majah he say fab they begir
shootin an walkin todes each othah. When
anybody fall, they they stop shootin. That
sho' sound mighty bloody, wiz them big
navy skies lookin at yuh.
Then thu gemmen took they places
standin back tub back, an bofe NV 'em
straight as string. Thu majah he say
Forward An they commence steppin.
One, two, three four, FIVE, six, seven,
eight
sI'm mos fallin outen thu carryall
when ten, an bofe gemmen wheel, an
then shut ma eyes. Bangl I look tub
see which gemmen, an bofe Is standin.
Bangl Bofe gemmen steppin forwards,
Bangl Bofe gemmen is standin ag'in.
Bangl Bofe tax two, three steps, an bang
They is so close now that they kin set
each othah's eyebrows. Bofe NV 'em stol
an wait second. They Is too close tub
miss now. Somebody mus drap this time
They stan still LAX two tall trees, an ther
they raise thu pistols, an say, 'Goodby,
Mistah Saml Goodby, doctuh 7 an then,
knvrl y