Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-31
THE ILLUSTRATED BEE
When Nerve Was Needed

- NhVAOu6hAA AunAAAlHI Win
western ways and customs and besides was
not looking for fight, but rather to straigh-
ten matters w.
We'll, I reached the hamlet, put up at the
log structure that happened to be the only
thing In the way of a hotel in the place,
wrote my name on the account book that
served as a hotel register and had not been
In the place more than ten minutes before
someone slapped me on the back hard
enough to have knocked a delicate man
down and said: rs your name Sowders9' 1
turned about and saw a big man with a fist
III one of the hind hoofs Of a mule. He
said: My name is Horr, and for six
months I've been hating you wusser'n HI
/ replied that he had solved my Identity
and that II he had been hating me any
longer and more intensely than I had him
he must have hated mighty hard
This called his blur right at the start.
and laughing 1t of, he invited me over to
his saloon to have a drink. proposed to
stay right with him and accompanied him
to the bar. My introduction to the other
members OF the firm was brief and to the
purpose. Horr said, speaking Of Butler and
Thomas, who were behind the bar waiting
on customers: Boys, this is sowders. He
came up here to see us about the way we
rough-housed Barry
81 was well armed, having a small 81
caliber revolver in my right hip pocket
and a large A Colt concealed under my
trousers belt in front. We had several
glasses Of beer tat rs cents per glass;.
and then 1t was that Horn, coming up to
my side, tapped me. This Is a peculiar
western custom that is fast disappearing,
about which eastern people know very little.
Whenever trouble Is in prospect, and even
at times when every one appears to be
friendly and peaceably inclined, those about
are always anxious to know and to as
certain how the other is fixed In the matter
Of firearms. To do this they have a way
Of ~slapping you on the hips to ascertain
the number and the kind Of weapons you
have concealed about your person. It il
ell ac2e "a g friendly way, OF course, but
at the same time It is not without its
serious side.
''This is what Horr did in my case. He
missed the big six-shooter, but found the
little so, which, before I could stop him.
he jerked out Of my pocket. When he did
this he emptied the cylinder Of Its cart
ridges, threw them on the floor, stuck the
revolver In his own pocket, and said:
What were you going to do with that pop
gun?' AS he said this he gave a low laugh
or chuckle, concerning which l had heard
a great deal and knew to be ominous. II
appears that whenever Horr got in a MUIR
derous mood and killed som one he al
ways INDUCED in this peculiar chuckling
laugh of his.
81 told him that II he got in front of that
gun when 1t was In my hands he would not
think that It was such a popgun as he imag-
ined. All this led to more talking and more
drinking. Horr became exceedingly iovial
and friendly until finally, in an outburst Of
apparent good feeling, he addressed me by
an epithet that no man, either there or
elsewhere, ever allows to pass unchallenged
and as he did so I turned to him and said
"'Horr, I have got a boy who is going to
school, and when he started in l told him
that IL he ever let any one call him by that
name without fighting l would give him the
worst whipping he ever got in his life. Now
l am quite certain that / would not give one
Of my children advice that ! would not take
myself and you must either retract that
word and apologize or you and I will bunch
right here
THE cowboys and miners in the saloon all
began craning their necks at this and look
ing for trouble. They expected to see
Horr make mincemeat out Of me then
and there, for In all their lives they had
never seen anyone beard the lion In his
den in the way that l was calling HorI
TO account. The other members OF the
firm evidently did not want to see trouble
and Joined in telling Horr that he ought
to apologize. This Horr did very grace
| fully, saying that II was a mere slip OF
the tongue, that he was merely joking
etc, and I was just on the point Of holding
out my hand to him, when suddenly h
changed his tone and said:
"'But I don't want you to think I 'pologiz,
! because I think that you're a better man.
This made matters worse tina ever.
saw that to weaken meant either death
: or the same thing that Barry got, so
, stepping up to Horr. I shook my hst in hi
face and told him that If he had not apollo
gized he would have gone out over the
low transOm Of the saloon doorway, my
, intention being to knock him senseless will
the butt Of my sixshooter and then throw
, him out through the aperture In question
; At this Horr bristled up. saying that sucf
! a boast struck him as a purity big under.