Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-08
A PUGlLlSTIC BLUFF.
HOW A SPARE, QUIET MAN BESTED A
GIANT IN A FIGHT.
A Quarrel Over the Wire That Had to BE
Settled by n Personal Encounter--The
and How 1t Worked.

| Returning from months hunting in
the Teton mountains, three of us who had
come in over that trail 80 days before were
immensely glad to see the little red station
building at Beaver as it lay away down
there in the basin, looking in the vastncss
Of space like some kind of tired bug Wo
/ were glad, for CLARK, the telegraph opcr-
ntor and station agent, had proved himself
to be worthy citizen during the two
days we had waited there on our way in
two of us-for the third Of the hunting
trio. Clark was spare, peaceful looking
man OF about 3d. who seemed to delight
/ in doing good turns to his fellows md he
WAS the last man on earth to suspect Of
nursing combativo tendencies. We were
therefore vastly surprised when on our re-
turn trip the door of the little red depot
opened and fierce look ing creature step
! ped out to welcome us.
The unrcoognized man had his hair
clipped close to his skull; his mustache
WINS shaved off to a stubble; a thick sweat
err in defiance of the heat Of the day climb
ed up to his chin. With one hand he hold
the rope which ended in the form of a vile
looking bull pup. The strange man was
smoking n very short and stubby cigar
Altogether he looked tough, very tough,
pugilistically tough.
"Hello" he yelled. Then we knew it
was Clark.
Clark's own transformation was i'm
mense, but greater was that OF his office
In the days of our lounging there waiting
( for Hawkins we had been enabled to
strike rather fair inventory of the fur
nishings, and we knew them all, from
coal box to water cooler and oil can Now,
however, there was great netanorphosis.
why, what does all this mean?"
johnson inquired.
Them" said Clark 1.-The boxing
gloves and punching bag and Indian
clubsY'
And tho picturesp When did you take
up the prizcflght!ng business? Who are
all these bruisers you have hanging on tho
WALL"
We'll" said Clark, I'm blessed If
know / wrote to man in Pocatello and
sent him sis and told him to ship tho
worth Of 1t in secondhand things that had
to do with prizeflghting As a fact
don know a blessed thing about fighting,
prize or any other kind but them make a
daisy bluff, don you Think"
II should say so Why. any one COM
Ing in here would take you, in that outfit
and with these Surroundings to be the
champion Iniddlewcight of the universe "
That's what l thought" said Clark.
"You see, IN waiting for a man.
Then he explained Three weeks be-
fore he had had trouble over the telegraph
line with the new operator down the road
at Canyon, and the debate over the wire
had ended on Clark S part by telling the
other operator that he was several kinds
of liar and on the part Of the Canyon
man of promising to drop in about the
end Of the month and beat the life out Of
Clark. And he's big stiff, with arIns
like -four barrels have heard, said tho
agent. $50 l decided that as thin,
peaosable man like me couldn't lick him
one way I'd try It another He thinks
I'm Just what om, . common scrub raw
road operator. All right. When be gets
OF No. II here and walks up the platform
and sees q man like me looking like the
fellow who is going TO whip Corbctt, and
when he sees these sporty furnishings and
pictures, and especially when he lights on
the pup-well, kind of think he'll decide
he amt got any business In my neighbor
hood after all. Notice the padded round
ness of this sweater"
We were loahng at Marcy's general store
when No. II rolled up from the southwark
the next morning. We walked idly over
to the station, talking on the way Of
Clark's queer plan of impressing and
bluffing the enemy, when suddenly John
son cried; by George, who's that walk
ing up the PLATFORM It's the man from
Canyon Well, the slaughter of the limo
cent is about to begin.
The Canyon operator, q big thewed VII
lain, opened the door Of the telegraph
room and looked ticrcely in Clark WASH t
there, but his sporting garnitures were.
The man stared ut them in some surprise
and then started toward a chair, doubtless
intending to sit down and wait. We were
at the window and saw it all Clark step
ped checrily in from the baggage room,
sweater stub cigar, bristling head and
all. The pup followed,
What do you want?" Clark called
loudly. Cant man take "A 90 mile run
to keep in training without some big dub
coming in and occupying his Officer Have
you monkeycd with any of this athletic
apparatus? Ii thought you had, I'd pick
you up and throw you out over the tracks
and into the ditch just as | threw the
Cherry Hill Chicken out of the ring in
San Francisco three years ago Get out of
here you big tramp! WHAT You don't
mover Take thatl" And he landed a
crack alongside the Canyon mans head
The visitor dropped off his chair in fright
and crouched on the floor.
Say Quit that, misterl" he cried. II
don't mean any harm to you. | come up
here to lick ham operator named Clark
r.
"Ohl You did Well get up. I'm
Clark"
"You9" gasped the other. "Why, I
didn't know-you-were a fighter, Or
say" as an idea came to him. lis this
town GraniteY"
"No. It's Beaver"
That's it! That's it, There, now,
don't hit me It's all mistake My
man Clark works at Granite. I'm awfully
sorry, mister, and if you II be kind enough
To accept my apologies and let me go out
so | can catch No. II and ride up to Gran.
lite III promise you'll hear of fight
that'll remind you of your old ring days
Thank you And he bolted for the train,
which was now leaving the station.
He really did go to Granite, the next
station north, but instead of making any
hostile demonstration at the agent, u man
named Mcpherson, he bought ticket and
took the passenger train back TO his own
town, Canyon, The conductor said that
when the train was passing Beaver the
big man from Canyon hid under a seat
The next day Clark sold his pugilistic
effects to the proprietor of a newly started
saloon. Il hate to see EN- go somehow, h"