The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-09

-,
blow. A rampageous miner. a strap
ping giant over q feet tall. walked up
TO Noble one night in the Angel Ga
briel saloon and deliberately spat IN
his face. He was a new man in Butte
and he didn't know the. night marshal
who. of course. wore no UNIFORM. Tne
miner did this thing out OF pure devil
ishness. because he wanted to be bad,
and because Noble, being quiet and
MISUNDERSTANDING. he figured hat ne
could do IL with impunity. Nople
thrust his right leg back, planted his
feet firmly IN the floor. gave a dazzling
swift circular swing with his long right
arm, and then sent the rock-hard fist
at the end of IL into the middle OF the
giants chest. The blow sounded ike
the impact of a pile driver. The biz
miner never got up from where ne fell.
The physician who examined the body
said that the blow had stopped the
beating of his heart.
Noble drifted into Tad Mo%onlight's
gin mill one night when things seemed
To be- kind ~ quiet around town. The
only customer I'm the place was a big
mule-whacker named Luke Finn. "A
man whose lard name for cattle rust
ling out in Idaho had followed him to
Montana. Finn was playing solitaire
at n table In a corner of the saloon. He
nodded to Noble when the night mar
shall came I'm, but Noble didn't return
the nod. When Gus didn't like "a man
he never made n ~pretension that he
did.
IF AN ombrey's worth nodding to,
he's worth shaking hands WITH he
used to say, and where's the decency
of giving you ham To "A a that
sooner or later you're liabie to have
to brand with the same hand"
Anyhow, Noble leaned on the bar
for a few minutes, talking with Moon
light. when a queer little guy Of a ten
derfoot came bustling into the saloon.
He had struck Butte with "a wagon
train that arrived that afternoon, and
he was abou as raw as they a 'em
gotten up with IL regular scout make
up, with fringe on his pants. sombrero.
two guns. "A dirk, and the whole thing.
His tog-out was the regular stage con-
ception of the frontiersman. and, as he
didn't look much bigger than a pint of
cider boiled down, he really presented
a funny picture. Noble smiled when
the young fellow came i'm but he went
on talking with Moonlight.
Got any wineY the little tender
DOT inquired of Moonlight in a piping
voice. throwing down a gold piece.
From Kentucky. yes, said Moon
light, grinning and setting out the
black bottle.
Finn. immersed in his solitaire
game over i'm the corner, had not no
ticed the arrival of the tenderfoot. but
his ear caught this little talk at the
bar and he looked up and leered when
he saw the new arrival. Finn had
enough whisky i'm him to be evil, and
he was probably sore besides because
Noble did not return his nod when he
came i'm. Anyhow, he got up, stretched
himself and walked up tosthe tender
foot. looming "A good foot over him.
Say said he. addressing the
scout you look like you ought to
know "A heap about dancing "a horn
pipe. Willie
The tenderfoot didn't seem to under
stand at all what ne was i'm for.
No he said. looking at the big
man unsuspiciously. they didn't teach
that at our dancing school
They didn't?' said Luke. Well, they
teach IL at this dancing school, and it's
dead easy when you're helped along a
bit. Dance IL, SON. and out came both
Of inns guns at the same instant and
W bullets went through the flooring
about an inch away from the tender
foots heels. Go on and dance il, Will
lie
We'll. the poor little chaps eyes al
most popped out Of his head. and il
didn't take him I'VE econd to begin
gyrating around with mis- hands on his
hips, sailor fashion.
Why, of course, you know how To
dance it, said Finn, planting a couple
more bullets dangerously close to the
little fellows feet. You can dance any
thing in this yere dancing academy,
providin you've got the right kind o.
music. Jest shake her up a little faster,
WILLIE and two more balls cut ragged
holes in the floor i'm spots where the
tenderfoot's feet had been a tenth of a
second before.
Noble had an odd way of half clos
ing his eye when he was getting riled
up over anything. and they closed up
now so hat IL almost seemed as il he
couldn't see out of them. Blu he didn't
say a word nor make a move. He could
easily ave got the drop on Finn with
his guns and called him down and to a
standstill. but he a other plans, and
he never used his guns while he was
night marshal unless he actually had TO.
He knew that Firms guns only held IA
balls. and he waited. Fin roared with
the pure joy of the fun he was having,
and after three or fou minutes he had
made IA holes in the saloon ioor. the
tenderfoot hopping up and down fran
tically meanwhile. Then Finn put his
guns down on the bar in order To get
at his cartridge belt to reload. Noble
slipped between Finn and the bar.
quick as a flash OF light. and the night
marshal stuck his face within two
inches of the mulewhacker's red beard.
"'Ombrey.' said he to Finn, this Is "A
~peaceable amp. and it's a amp that's
free to all men that behave themselves.
No man has to lance a~nywheres around
this camp after the sun goes down IN
less he wants to dance, and u plays
don't go when I'm around. nohow'
You've made his little gun play on this
tenderfoot here because. havin' a LOT
more rum under your belt n any
mans going to carry on my beat, You
think you're sort q putin it on to me
Now you're going To take of your cal
and ask that little snipe's pardon foi
giving this camp a bad name. and ther
you're going to mosey to your shacl
and you're going to do both o thes'
things right now.
Finn leaped back suddenly ano
ripped out his dirk.
Not by a id sight, am L. he said
.lnt \ nm a-uaip'H In emf Nnu nm 50