The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-16

in this we're dancing academy, provid-
in you've got the right kind of music
and two more balls cut ragged holes IN
the floor in spots where the tender
foots feet had been tenth OF second
before.
Noble had an odd way of closing his
eyes when he was getting riled up over
anything, and they closed up SO then
| that it almost seemed as IL he couldn't
see out Of them. But he didn't say
| word nor make a move. He could
| easily have got the drop on Finn with
| his guns and called him down to
| standstill, but he had other plans, and
he never used his guns while ne was
| night marshal unless he absolutely had
| to. He knew that Firms guns only
! held - ASS, and he waited. Finn roared
with the pure joy of the fun he was
! having, and after three or four minutes
he had made 70 holes in the saloon floor,
| the tenderfoot hopping up and down
| francticaly meanwhile. Then Finn put
| his guns down on the bar in order to
| get at his cartridge belt to reload. No
| bic slipped between Finn and the bar
quick as q flash of light, and the night
marshal stuck his face within two
inches of Firms ragged red beard.
"'Ombrey.' said he to Finn, this is
! peaceable camp. and it's camp that's
free to all men that behave themselves.
No man has to dance anywheres
around this camp after the sun goes
| down unless he wants to dance, and
| gun plays don't go when I'm around,
| nohow. You've made your little gun
| play on this tenderfoot here because
| having lot more rum under your belt
| than any man like you's going to carry
| on my beat, you think you're sort O.
putting it onto me. Now, you're going
| to take off your cap and beg that little
snipe's pardon for giving this camp a
| bad name, and then you're going to
:nosey to your shack, and you're going
| 20 do both O. these things right now,
! quick and sudden.
Finn leaped by and ripped out his
dirk
| mot by long sight, am L. he
shouted, but I'm a-goin' to slice you
| up so cannin' factory won't take We,
and he leaped in and made lunge at
| Mobiles face. Mobiles face wasn't there.
He had lodged suddenly, ana Finn feis
against the bar with the momentum or
the lunge he had made. When he
turned around Noble was in the mid
| die Of the saloon, weaponless and ap-
| parently content to be weaponless. Finn
made at him again and made another
sweep with his dirk for Mobiles head.
He missed again, and the night mar
shall landed hard one with his right
| fist on Firms right ear. Finn WINGED,
but he was powerful man, and it
| took more than one blow to knock him
out. Well, this fight between the man
| with the dirk and the man with only a
scientific pair of fists. lasted for fully
! five minutes, Finn striving desperately
to land with his dirk and never SO much
as scratching Noble, while every time
he made a lunge he got a stunning
blow from one of the brawny fists of
the night marshal. Moonlight would
have shot Finn from behind the bar,
but he was afraid of hitting Noble, the
men were circing about so swiftly.
Finally, when Finn made one of his
swift side lunges with the knife, Noble
suddenly ducked, ran squarely between
firms legs and lifted the man off his
would hoist a sack of salt. Finn came
feet as easily as an ordinary man
down on all fours, and Noble twisted
his right arm until the dirk dropped out
of his hand. With the dirk at the
wheelwright's throat Noble made him
repeat after him a grovelling apology
to the tenderfoot. who stood by, par.
alyzed with fear. When Finn let up
he handed him his two guns and his
dirk, and coolly told him to make fol-
his shack and sleep off his rum. He
walked out without word, beater
man." -