The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-24
BOB GRAHAM,
LADYLIKE ACTOR
Quiet and. Refined Person, But Not
An Easy Mark.
Chicago Tribune.)

Austin, Tex, there came a knock at
the door of Mr.. Graham's dressing room
and in walked a soft-voiced little man.
with shifting gray eye
"Pahdun me, sub, said the stran
ger. My name is Thompson. sub, Ben
Thompson, an Ah'm something of 4
privileged charactuh about this thea
tub. All came in, sub, to see if yuh
would do me the honah of drinking
mint julep with me after the puhfohm-
apce ?'''.
Mr. Graham was in a hurry, and, as
the shortest way out, he consented to
drink julep after the show.
Thank you. sub said Mr.. Thomp
son. as ne bowed himself out. "Ah'n
meet you at the stage do. suh-'
g g g
When Mr. Graham found time he
sought out the stage doorkeeper and
inquired why he had allowed a perfect
stranger to come to his dressing ROOM
| Because he is Ben Thompson, said
the doorkeeper- What Ben wants he
usually gets. He's got his private Der
Tyin' ground pretty near full now, and
there amt nobody around this end of
the panhandle likes to cross him.
well, 1 certainly don't intend to
drink with a desperate of that kind, -
said Mr.. Graham.
Just as you please said the grin
ming man at the door, but would if
1 were you
Mr.. Graham had almost forgotten
the incident by the time the curtain
went down on the last act of My
Sweetheart" but the gentlenlanly Mr..
Thompson had better memory. Hard
| ly had Graham stepped out into the
alley when he found his arm grasped
| by the little bad man." who nurmured
| in his soft little voice, now we'll have
| that juiep togetheh-"
That dark alley. at the side of the
Graham a favorable place in which to
argue with professional desperate, so
| he answered that he would be ticklsd
| to death at the chance.
Mr.. Thompson escorted Mr.. Graham
to a big saloon, most of which was oc-
cupied by poker and faro tables, He
sat down with his guest at a small ia
] bic in the center of the room and or
> dered two mint juleps. It was easy to
| see, as Mr.. Graham observed, that his
| host was man of much Importance,
| for almost everybody in the place sa-
| luted him and the waiter came hurry
i ing to take his order.
Just as the man came back with the
| two mint juleps a negro approached
| with a message for Mr.. Thompson
| Excuse me for a moment, Mr.
| Graham" said the desperate. I've got
| to go out for a moment, but I'll return
/ in a moment. In the meantime, drink
your julep."
Then the plot began to thicken.
Mr.. Graham thought of leaving the
| place and escaping to his hotel but
| there was only one means of exit from
| the saloon, and it seemed the part Of
wisdom to wait until Thompson had
| got some distance from the doorway.
Then, as he sat there, waiting his
| chance. Tiers came Tie sound Of shoot
! ing and yelling from without. The
swinging doors were thrown open and
| in waddled four typical cowmen, all
| much the worse for the liquor they car
ried.
In an instant they had fixed their
| eyes on Graham's Inflated silk hat. At
| the same instant it flashed into Ora
| hams mind that this was a part of the
! job that Thompson had PUT up on him
| Undoubtedly he had gone out to meet
/ the cowboys and warn them that their
| victim was inside.
| o o o
Graham slipped down into his chair
and tried to look as inconspicuous and
/ inohensive as possible. But it was
, plain the newcomers were looking for
| him. With the awkward waddIe of
men who live in the saddle, they came
| staggering back to where he sat.
/
| dude said one of them. And while
Graham was facing this one of his
! tormentors. another slipped behind him
/ and tried his best to pull the silk hat
| down over his ears.
! Graham pulled off his hat amidst the
jeers of the crowd. Then an inspira-
| ton came to him.
He was fairly caught and it only re-
! NAMED to get out Of the scrape as
best he could.
He slammed the broken and disrep-
! utable hat down on the bar and spoke
as follows:
You guys may think that is smart
trick. but / don't. l can't rope a cow
| or shoot the buttons off mans coat.
but I'll tell you what / will do. There
are four of you. If you'll lay down
your guns and take off your coats I'll
! take you on one at a time with my
fists and I'll make the bunch of you
think you've struck a New York cy-
! clone
Sure yelled the crowd Give the
dude show at his own game
If Mr.. Graham needed further proof
of the fact that Ben Thompson was
| ''in on the game" he got il then, for
that worthy appeared suNienly on the
scene. Probably he had been looking
on all the time from some point of
/ vantage. At any rate. he came to the
front and added his authoritative voice
| to the general chorus
Sure. we'll have the scrap" he said.
! Pick your first man" ne said to the
cowboys, and Wen adjourn to the
court
There was an open court behind the
saloon. and the whole crowd fled out
there. Mr. Graham took of his coat
and vest and prepared for the fray.
Fortunately he was and is an amateur
boxer of some skill and felt that he
| would be able to render a good account
of himself if anything like fair play
was observed. OF that Ben Thompson
left no doubt. He constituted himself
referee and with drawn revolver took
the middle of the ring
"Bitin'. gougin' an kickin' don't go. =
said Mr. Thompson in his mildest voice,
AN I'm here to see that nobody
tries it"
| The biggest of the four cowboys was
stripped for combat by his fellows and
waddled forth to his doom. He hardly
knew how to hold up his hands. and
from the first Graham had his man al
terror went down and out under the
influence of a right swing on the jaw
administered with artistic force and
skill.
As their champion went down in de-
feat the cowboys crowded around the
victorious dude
You're all right pardner.' said Their
| spokesman, and we all are wiDin' tC
admit YOU can lick the hull passull OF
us at this game. And here's the price
of that lid Mike smashed for you"