Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-08-18

Bartender Knew His Business and End
ed the Difficulty with Great Prompti-
tude.
where he came from or who he
was nobody knew. He was not com
municative. and nobody was tempted
to ask him. That he was bad all
hands who saw him agreed when he
rode in through the new town and
began drinking in the saloons about
old Las Vegas Plaza. You could read
it in his burnt req skin and wide. low
cheekbones. and thin. straight lips
and square jaw. 1t was just as plain
that he was mean of disposition and
bound to get meaner with every drink
he took. He was tall and wry of
build and carried himself like a man
who knew what it was to take care
of himself IN rough places. and il
was an ominous sign that while drink
brought an ugly CLEAN into his eyes,
it did not feaZe him a bit or make
him laxative. 1t was the winter of
80. the year after the AtchiSOn road
came to Las Vegas. and toughs and
dpsperadoes and gamblers from every
where had flOCkcd o the town. which
was the biggest and hottest on the
line of the New Mexico division.
He had been drinking pretty stead
lily since 10 O'Clock in the morning.
and it was about ! in the afternoon
when | stepped into the Escudcro sa
loon. where he was standing at the
bar said Ellis Lyford, sometime of
New Mexico. continuing his account
cf an episode which he prefaced with
the foregoing personal description.
Il was new in the country or | might
have remarked the circumstance that
the saloon was pretty empty for that
hour in the day. The bartender, in a
white jacket and apron, two cattle
men talking business at table in one
corner, and the stranger. with his cl-
bow on the counter. We're the only
people there when | entered. | asked
the bartender if a friend of mine had
been in. and then. before going out.
called for n drink. l swallowed the
whiskey and had turned toward the
door when the stranger spoke to me.
Have a drink he said. | caught
the eye of the bartender. and he gave
me a look which said Go away as
plainly as words could have done.
Please excuse me- | said. Il have
just had one
You're making too much talk the
stranger said. and turned t. the bar
tender. Set out the stuff and cou-
pie of glasses. The gentleman with
a drawing. sarcastic emphasis on the
word, is going to do me the high honor
to take n drink with me-
The gentleman says he does not
want to drink said the bartender,
setting before him whiskey bottle
and glass
The stranger filled the glass to the
brim and. not taking his eyes from
mine, pushed ii along the counter to-
wards me. | saw that he meant to go
through with what he had started to
do. 1t was his first outbreak since
he had begun drinking in the morn
ing. and all the hOmicidal devil within
him. which had been coming to the
surface as he turned in the liquor, now
had full control.
Watching him. ! was aware that the
cattlemen had stopped in their con-
versation to look. ard that the bar
tender. freshfaced. hoyish-looking
young fellow. was pulling the bottle
toward him as he wiped the counter
/ with ii cloth.
so you'll not drink your whiskey'
said the stranger, with an ugly set
ting of his jaw and drawing mt the
! corners Of his thin lips. as | shook my
/ head. You'll take ii this way. then,
! and with motion as sudden as Il cat
/ he threw the whiSkey into my eyes.
4 AS, blinded. smawiug and half knock
! ed off my feet by the shock. | chung
/ helpless to the counter crashing
/ sound was in my ears and noise of
| the falling of lying glass. then The
slam of a chair overturned in the
1
the footsteps of men gath ring about
me. Somebody wpCd my eyes with a
wet towel and the bart udcrS voice
said:
Come with me. Here step around
! little, this way Now straight
ahead
Holding my hand and with ono arm
around me. the bartender WAS guiding
my steps to the back of the saloon.
He turned me aside once as we went,
but not so quickly but that my foot
tripped against something on the floor
which | knew to be the body of a
man. Then heard him pouring water
into n basin. and he said; Now, dip
your eyes in this and keep them there
ill the doctor CONES
by the ,lne the doctor came. which
was in a few minutes. the smarting
of my eyes was nearly gone, and
could see as well as ever. With my
face in the water ! had not paid much
attention to the romings and going,
i'm the room. but when | lifted my head
and looked around | saw a crowd OF
men standing about a man stretched
out on plank laid across some wills
key barrels. 1t was the stranger who
had thrown the liquor in my eyes
and he was as dead as julius Caesar
A smash in the head with a whiskey
bottle had settled him short and i
was the boyish looking bartender whC
had done the trick.
i landed tn" bottle none too soon.
the bartender said To me afterward
He had his pistol half way out wheI
he went town. Why should he whl
to kill you? Ask me something easier
All | know is, some men get that wa,
when liquor Is in them
n gDs,rx Il.