Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1898-03-04

gone anecdotes Of Towards earlier life
which he declared walker had told
him. "I'd ike 70 knew whether Walker
is married or single, " Ferguson thought.
1--WE got a bully story l could tell
about him Il / Gully knew. Doggone
himl l wish I didn't have that letter
Of introduction TO him. He's getting to
be n lind Of nuisance.
About the same time Walker, writ
ing 10 Howard. was saying how much
ha was indebted 20 the western man for
the pleasure he had drawn from his
companionship with Ferguson.
"Only l wish to heaven Harry hadn't
been so fervent in his desire to have me
moot the fellow" he observed to him
self. II suppose that, as he says, this
man Ferguson is all right, but haven't
time to 90 skating all yer this town
looking him up. ] presume l ought to
have gone and dug him out for Harry's
sake a long time ago, but 1 keep forget
ting it, and now I've involved myself
in a foolish mesh OF lies about my ex-
periences with Ferguson, whom l have
not met, and whom, to tell the truth,
I'm getting so / don't want to meet.
Out in Pocatello Harry Howard was
delighted with the tidiDgs he received
from Chicago. ITS a great s~atisfac-
ton, " he told himself, "to bring two
good men together this way. It's really
q noteworthy thing to be the author Of
a firm friendship between two first class
people. Only / hardly think I under
stand this last letter of Ferguson's. /
thought Walker had only two children,
and here Ferguson writos me about his
little girl. Sho must have been horn in
the last year. Theirs woro certainly
only two boys when 1 passed through
Chicago last summer. III send Ben NY
congratulations"
When Walker received tho sheet con-
veying honest Harry Towards good
wishes for The best and brightest future
for little Miss Walker, he ran his fin
gers through his hair and looked dazed.
when did 1 say anything about n new
babyy' no wondered. IL must have
written him some lie about that fell
low Fcrguaon's child. l think l have
described the mans wife and children
and father. in-law and tie mortgage On
his house in my communications with
Howard. Earry's always asking new
questions, and tho chances are that Fer
guson has no family, and Howard thinks
it was a slip Of the pen and that wrote
about my own new baby-which /
haven't got. Heavens, l wish this BUM
ness had mover started / wish I'd never
promised to call on Ferguson. 1 wish
Ferguson would got run over by a cable
car or come TO some definite and perma-
nent end. I'm getting to hate the very
name of him. Ill bet he's q cheap
skate anyhow who has imposed upon
Towards good nature. Why should
go drilling three miles into town just
to meet him aud say How are yor?
know a friend Of yours l shan't dc
it."
Ferguson had al:eady come to a aimi.
lar conclusion. "Howard's q first elias.
fellow, and he made things mighty
pleasant for mo in Pooatrllo," he rea
soned, ''and it would have been no NOR,
than white for me to call on that frien,
of his at first, but I've got so blanoJ
tired Of the very mention of the nam,
that it fills me with loathing. 1 believ,
that if l were to meet that pirate Of
Walker I'd want to throw bricks at him
/ thought the first lie l told about hin
would let me out, but the falsehood
have multiplied upon themselves unit
don't remember half the facts 1 havl
reported concerning that outlaw WHOM
l have never seen"
: Two weeks ago Ferguson and Wake
met. Ferguson, entering the library o
his club, was nccosted by a fellow mem
Der, who introduced his visiting friend
, Walker. The two glared at each other
and Ferguson hurried into the billiar'
room.
II have changed my mind about pre-
senting an application for member
ship, " said Walker to the man who wa
T escorting him. The next day Ferguson
met the member who had introduces
Walker and said, "I'm sorry, old man
but if it is your intention to offer tina
fellows name for membership I'll Ger
} tainly do my best to got him black
balled."
And this wal the contamination O
Harry Towards kindly designs Of re
, viving Damon and pythias. -Chicag
Record.