River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-06-13
IN A FRONTIER SALOON.
Clever GunpIay of n Youth Was Not
So Much of n "Tender-FOot"
as He Seemed.

A STRIPPING of effeminate rosiness
and neat attire sat in the corner of
frontier saloon, modest, silent, and as
far out of the way as he could get.
He had stepped from the train, and he
was waiting for the stage. 1t was
starched linen that he wore; the city
showed quite plainly in his hat, and it
is still in dispute whether any down
was visible upon his lip. But he was
old enough to be smoking a cigar with
all the appearance of habit. The
cigar, also, was not a native of the
town. In fact, the young man made
no purchase upon entering the saloon,
nevertheless the proprietor could
scarcely complain of him. The stran-
ger had asked if he might wait there
for the stage, and had thanked the
proprietor for his permission, relates
Owen Wister, in Everybody's Maya
zine.
Then he had sought his quiet corner
and lighted his cigar.
A citizen walked out of the back
room and up to the bar. He had left
faro game, and the proprietor was
friendly with him, but respectful; that
sort of respect which is favored deli
cately with just enough familiarity
to bring it out. 1t is probable that the
citizen had had more drinks than the
one he now took. 1t is also likely that
faro had not gone as well with him
this morning as he considered his due.
His dissatisfied eye fell upon the rosy
youth and the cigar, and he took the
glass from his lips and held it, consid-
ering the stranger.
At length, without removing his
eyes, he inquired: "What Christmas
tree did that crop OFF,"
The proprietor FASTENED to take this
view. Its express tag has futtered
away, guess" he whispered, loosely.
The citizen remembered his whisky,
swallowed it, set the glass gently
down, gently drew his six-shooter and
shot the cigar to smash out of the
young mans mouth.
Now, / do not at all know what 1
should have done in the young mans
place. Something sensible, 1 hope
What the youth did l know / should
not have done. You will see that his
behavior was out of the common. He
stopped down, picked up his cigar,
found it ruined, put it in the spittoon,
got fresh one out of his pocket,
found match in his waistcoat, slid it
along the seat of his nice breeches,
lighted the new cigar and settled him
self once more in his chair, without
word of protest or an attempt at re-
sentiment. The proprietor saw him
do it all, and told about it afterward.
The citizen took the second cigar,
smash! like the first. Perhaps he went
a trifie nearer the youths lip.
What were the card players in the
back room doing at all this noise?
They all lay fiat on the floor, like the
well trained, Indigenous people that
they were, minding their own bust
ness. For there was no rear exit.
The youth felt in his waistcoat
pocket, but brought no match from it.
So he rose with still another fresh
cigar in his hand, and walked to the
bar.
TN have to ask you for a match"
he said to the proprietor, who at once
accommodated him.
Once again he slid the match be-
meath his coat tails, and, bringing up
his own six-shooter, shot the citizen
as instantly dead as that can be done.