Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-10-11
The Shadow Of The efsenback
By ROBERT BARR
rcoprr,sh,. Isss, By ,ho Au.hor.l

Copyright, 1885, by tho Author.l
Hickory Sam needed but one quality
to be perfect. He should have been an
arrant coward. He was . clustering
braggart, always boasting Of the men he
had slain and the odds he had contend.
I'd against, filed with stories Of his own
valor; bat. alas, he shot straight and
rarely missed unless he was drunker
than usual. II would have been delight
full to tell how this unmitigated rufiian
had been held mp by some innocent ten
derfoot from the east and made to dance
at the muxEle Of some quite new and
daintily ornamented revolver, for this
loud mouthed blowhard seemed just the
man to finch when real danger con.
fronted him: but, sad to say. there WAS
nothing Of the white feather about
Hickory Sam, for he feared neither
man nor gun nor any combination OF
them. He was as ready to fight dozen
as one, and once had actually held up
the United States army at Fort Concho,
beating a mastery retreat backward
with his face to the foe. holding troop
In check with his two seven shooters
that seemed to point In every direction
ut once, making every man in the COM
pany feel. with shiver up his back,
that he individually was covered" and
would be the first to drop II firing ao-
tually began.
Hickory Sam appeared suddenly In
Salt Lick and speedily made good his
claim to be the bad man Of the district.
Some old timers disputed this arrogant
contention Of Sans. but they did not
live long enough to maintain their own
well earned regulations rs Objectionable
citizens And 80 Hickory Sam reigned
supreme in Salt Lick, and every one in
the place was willing and eager to stand
treat to Sam OF to drink with him when
invited
Sans chief place Of resort in Salt
Lick was the Hades saloon. kept by
Mike Davlin. Mike had not originally
intended this to DO the title Of his bar,
but had at first named il after little
liquor cellar he kept in his early days
In Philadelphia. called the Shades, but
some cowboy humorist particular about
the eternal fitness OF things had scraped
out the letter rs, and 80 the sign over
the door had been allowed to remain.
Mike did not grumble. He had in Phil.
adelphia taken . keen interest In poll
tics, but m unexpected spasm Of civic
virtue having overtaken the city some
years before Davlin had been made
victim, and he was forced to leave sud.
denly for the west, whore there was
no politics, and where q man handy at
mixing drinks was looked upon rs
boon by the rest Of the community.
Mike did not grumble when even the
name blades" failed to satisfy the boys
in their thirst for appropriate nomen.
clature, and when they took to calling
the place by shorter and terser synonym
beginning with the same letter he
made no objection. Mike was an adapt
i've man, who mixed drinks, but did not
mix in rows He protected himself by
not keeping q revolver and by admitting
that he could not hit his own saloon at
30 yards distance. A residence In the
quiet city Of Philadelphia is not con.
ducive to the nimbling Of the trigger
finger. When the boys in the exuber-
ance Of their spirits began to shoot,
Mike promptly ducked under his coun-
ter and waited till the clouds Of smoke
rolled by. He sent in bill for broken
glass, bottles and the damage generally
when his guests were sober again. and
his accounts were never disputed and
always paid. Mike was deservedly
popular citizen in Salt Lick and might
easily have been elected to the United
States congress IL he had dared to go
east again. But. as no himself said. he
was out Of politics.
II was the pleasant custom OF the
cowboys Of Buffers ranch to come into
Salt Lick ON pay days and close up the
town. These periodical visits did little
harm to any one and seemed to be pro.
ductive OF much amusement for the
boys. They rode at full gallop through
the one street Of the place like troop
Of cavalry, yelling at the top Of their
voices and brandishing their weapons.
The first raid through Salt Lick was
merely warning. and all peaceably
inclined inhabitants took it as such, re-
firing forthwith to the seclusion Of
their homes On their return trip the
boys winged or famed with unerriDg
aim any one found on the street. They
seldom killed wayfarer. If fatality
ensued, it was usually the result Of ac-
cident and much to the regret Of the
boys who always apologized handsome
ly to the surviving relatives, which ex-
preston Of regret was generally received
in the amicable spirit with which it
was rendered. There was none of the
rancour Of the vendetta In these little
encounters. II q man happened to be
blotted out, it was his Ill luck-that
was all-and there was rarely any
thought of reprisal. This perhaps was
largely due to the fact that the COM
munity was o shifting one and few
had any near relatives about them, for,
although the victim might have friends,
they seldom held him in such esteem az
to be willing to take up his quarrel
when there was q bullet hole through
him. Relatives. however, arc often more
difficult to deal with than are friends
in cases Of sudden death, and this fact
was recognized by Hickory Sam, who.
when he was compelled to shoot the
younger Holt brother In Mixes saloon,
at once went. at some personal incon-
venience, and assassinated the elder
before John Holt heard the news. AS
Sam explained to Mike when he re-
turned, he had no quarrel with John
Holt, but merely killed him in the in
terests of peace, for he would have been
certain to draw and probably shoot sew
eral citizens when he heard Of his
brothers death. because for some unex-
planned reason the brothers were fond
Of each other.
When Hickory Sam was comparative
" new to Salt Lick, he allowed the Bull
ler's ranch gang to close up the town
without opposition. It was their custom
when the capital Of Coyote county had
been closed up to their satisfaction to
adjourn to Hades and there blow in
their hard earned gains on the liquor
Mike furnished. They also added to the
decorations Of the saloon ceiling. Sever.
al cowhnys had pift Of twirliuQ their