Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-05-21

Chicago plumb full of dead swells
/ a-lookin out pale and scared like
F., afraid Of Indians, reckOn-and on the
other side sQuaws with papooses
strapped to their backs, ridin straddle
of their horses. That's the way squaws
ride, you know.
stylish in New York, too, you say?
Well, | reckon they must er copied 1t
after the squaws. Humph! Quar- how
| things gets around! Them wimmin in
Caldwell about that time didn't keer
much about style. When they went
a-callin OH their neighbors, they wore
Slated sunbonnets and climbed over
knee high dog fennels to get to the
gates; got hustle on 'em climbin, too,
afraid Of cowboys. 1t was a common
thing for the cowboys to raid the town
regular and scare the life plumb out of
'em.
"The widder Weston had a hard time
Of it. but somehow or other she got
| along. What with the Indians and
them thar cowboys Caldwell didn't
seem exactly the right sort Of place
| for lone woman, but she stuck II
out. She had a good many scares,
] though, between the two. One night
| an old Indian, Rain In the Face they
called him, stalked into the office aud
squatted down on the floor, plantin
| himself thar to stay, it seemed like,
On the wall across from him thar was
mounted deer head. reckon he
thought as how 1t was live deer. and
his legs was hangin on the outside.
| Anyway, he set thar a-lookin at 1t,
waitin for it to move. He had his bow
and arrow ready to shoot when it did.
| OF course the head never moved an
inch. Waitn thar, every little while
Rain In the Face would give q grunt
like this: Huh, huh!
1T was kinder late when Mrs. Yves
ton finished her work in the kitchen
and come in to shut up the office.
When she found Rain In the Face
sQuattin thar on the floor, wrapped
in his fiery red blanket, his arrow
p'inted ready to shoot, she nearly went
into fits. II hadn't happened in jest
then and fred him out, believe In my
soul she would er died right thar in
her tracks.
"And them cowboys! Well, they
would er tried the patience Of saint.
Bout every other day in they would
come to town, ridin on their wiry little
bronchos, firin off pistols and yellin to
beat the band.
"They cleaned the streets Of people
same as tornado would er done. Aft
er they had finished up with the streets
they stopped ut the hotel as n general
thing and took that. Then 1t was
pitiful to see that pore little white fac
ed woman fyin round, waitin on 'em,
tryin her best to please 'em. no mat
ter how bad they behaved. And the
way they went on, turnin everything
topsy turvy, whoOpin and howlin and
tearin up the furniture by the roots,
was a sin and n shame. I've seen 'em
seat themselves 10 at table set for
four, jammed together like sardines,
and order a dozen hard boiled eggs
apiece, threatenin to shoot every look
in glass in the house to smithereens II
they didn't get 'em.
Now, the widder Weston didn't
have no hennery. She didn't even
have a cinch on dozen hens. So how
was she to get so many eggs on such
short notice? She couldn't, but she
did the next best thing. She set down
III the floor, threw her apron over her
head and begun to cry.
"Then Bill Scraggin, the leader OF
the gang-and fine feller he was, too,
at that time, tall and handsome and
full Of the Old Nick-banged his big
fist down on the table and swore till
he was black in the face. He said as
how he want goin to have the little
woman mistreated,' apd the Others
seein as how he was in dead earnest,
noticin. too, that he sort Of fingered
the pistols in his belt while he swore,
knuckled under and ordered eggs In
moderation or somethin else in case
the widder didn't have no eggs.
"Erom that time on Bill stood by
the widder. She shouldn't be impos'
ed on, he said, and when he was
around she want. If them cowboys
did anything particular outrageous
they had to make up for it somehow OF
other or fall out of the gang. For in
stance, one night they made it rule
between em that thar want to be nc
swearin 1t the table. That seemed
kind Of curious, seein as how the!
swore regular everywhar else, but tha
was the rule they made.
"Well, one Of 'em what had lis
mouth set that way as general thint
I'D and swore at the coffee. what dlt
the gang do then but get up from thu
table and give him the leggin. Wha
| is the leggin? Why, they took ant
strapped him tight across barrel
Then they beat him with long leather
strap-beat him hard too. That was
what they called giyin him the leggin
II 'peared to be kinder rough treat
mert for such little thing as swear
in at the coffee, but that was the wa!
they took to punish him.
, "They made so much racket an'
, came so near KILN the feller that th'
widder Weston was ready to faint. Du
still Bill Scraggin, he made 'em pa!
lid for it. The next mornin the who'll
, gang of 'em marched down to break
q fast with blue ribbins pinned to tn
/ flaps of their coats.
"You see, jest about that time Kan
sas was doin the prohibition racke
o for all It was worth, and the wors
I way he could punish 'em was by max
, in 'em take the pledge. They kept
In the usual way, though. BY moo
= most of 'em was howlin drunk agin.
"After that people begun to kinde
watch Bill and the widder out or tn
corners of their eyes. They notice
that Bill didn't fire off more'n half a
many pistols as common, and one ma
u said as how he saw him when the res
of the gang want lookin frin in I'll
J. air, seemin not to want to hurt III
. body. They found out, too that u
9 come to town oftener by himself, Sol
Z of slipped off from the rest, l reckon
, and when he come he allus put up
!. the Weston hotel.
q zone night the gang heard he wa