The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-19
SAVED BY BOB
CATS CAPTURE.
BY ALFRED HENRY LEWIS.

U q CAAoA - PA-AS AZ NAAC dLO-bOA al
smashes it a'gin the wall.
Thar bein' nothin' left he says 10
his fellow blacklaig, who's settin' in
h l~oCk-out's chair, for you an me
cow but TO prance out an stand up a
stage. We may as we'll dismiss that
faro-box from our affairs. 1 knowed
that box was a hoodoo ever since Black
Morgan gets killed over it in Mobeetie;
an so / tells you, but you-all wouldn't
need"
"Cold-sober is shore elated about his
luck: them nine thousand odd dollars
is more dinero than he ever sees before;
an how to dispose of it now he's got
il, begins 10 bother C~old-sober a heap.
One gent says. Hive it in Towards
Store another suggests he leave it
with old man Cohn; while still others
agree it's Cold-sober's dooty to blow
it in for ev~erybody's benefit.
(which, if l was you ALL" says
Johnny Cook of the lit outfit, even If
J L didn't drink none myself, I'd shore
sally forth an buy nosepaint with that
treasure while a peso remained. I'd
enter on a series of festivities that
should take their place in Panhandle
history as the Last Days of TaScoSa;"
an that's whatever"
But Cold-sober turns down these
divers proposals ar allows he'll Jest
about lack said roll in his pocket a
whole lot, which he accordin' does.
"Cold-sober hangs round Tascosa for
mighty near a week, s~urrenderin' all
thought of gettin' to the Lee-Scott
ranch. feelin' now too rich to punch
cattle. DoOrin' this season Of idleness
an ease. Ccld-Sober hunks in with 4
jimCrOw English doctor who's got Il
DOLBY in Tascosa an who calls himself
Chepp. an him an Cold sober becomes
cognomen he selects since he reaches
our shores. He's i decent form of
maverick. however. this yere Doctor
Cheep. an him an C~old-sober becomes
as thick as hoss-thieves.
"Cold-sober's stay with Chepp is
brief, as l states; in a week he gets
restless an age a'gin for work.;
~whereupon he hooks up with Robertson,
an goes p'intin' south across the Can
adam on a lit boss to hold down one
of hat brands sign-camps in Mitchell's
canyon. It's only twenty miles, an
he's thar in half a day,-him an Wat
Peacock who's to be his mate. An
Cnld-sober freights with i'm that little
fortune of ninety-five hundred
ut has not escaped notice that The
two blacklaigs who's been depleted hat
away still bankers about TaScoSa; but
as mighty likely they don't pack the
riches to take 'em out o town, not
much is thought. Which it don't even
ruffle the feathers of commOonal SuS-
picion when the two disappears a few
NoS oA LIZ liCS1o vi OO.o SOoSI ANAAk
away to SSoome them 1T responsible
ties in Mitchells canyon. It comes out
later, however. that the goin' of Cold
sober has everything to do with the
exodu of them hold-ups, an that
they're beer layin' about ever since
tin it back. When Cold-sober p'ints
south for Mitchelrs that time, it's as
good as these outlaws asks. They fig
gers or trailin' him to Mitchells. an
hidin' out until some hour when Pea
cocks off ~squanderin' about the range;
when, bein' two to one, they argues
Cold-sober would be plump easy, an
they'll kill an skelp him an clean him
up for his money an ride away.
" In fact explains the one we finds
alive, it's our idee the KILN an
skelpin' an pillagin' of Cold-sober
would get layed to Peacock. which
would mean safety for us an at the
same time be a splendid Jest on Pea
cock BESIDES
That was the plan of these outlaws:
an the sole cause of it's failure is the
followin' trivial eepisode, to-wit: 1t
looks like his Doctor Chepp of whom
Cold-sober is so FOND is locoed to coll
!eCt wild anamiles that away.
Which I wants. says this short
horn Sawbones. a Speciment of every
. sort O. the fauna of these yere regions.
savin' an exceptin' polecats. l knows
enough of the latter beast from an acct
! dental ncounte has Withl one to form
notions a'gln EN- over which not even
the anxious cry of science car preeVail.
I wants none of 'em: polecatS is barred
from my objections. But an Doctor
Chepp iuparts this last to Cold-sOber
as the latter starts for Mitchell. If BY
any sleight or deXterity you accom-
plishes the capture of a. bob-cat. bring
the inerestin' creature to me at once.
An bring him alive so 1 may observe
an note down his peculiar traits an
ways
It's the third mornin' in Mitchell's
when a bOb-cat is seen by Cold-Sober
an Peacock to go sa'nterin' up the val
ley. Mebby this yere bobcats home
less. mebby he's been out all night
caurOusin' with other bobcats an is
simply late in gettin' in; be the reason
of his appearance on this scene what II
, may. Cold-sober remembers all abou
Doctor Chepp's wish to own a bob-cat
an him an Peacock leaps for their
ponies where they stands saddled an
} gives chase. There's a scramblin' run
up the canyon: an then Peacock gets
| mis- rope onto il. an next Cold-SobeI
fastens with his rope. an between EN-
they almost tears this yere unhappy
J bob-cat IN two. They pauses in time
however. an after a fearful struggle
they succeeds in stufin' the bob-ca'
into Peacock's leather ~laiggins. which
! the latter gent removes for that pur
pose. Bound hand an foot. an
wropped in the laiggins, so he car
+ hardly squawI. that bobcats put be
: fore Cold-sober on his saddle: an hi;
$ fixed. C~cld-sober heads for Tascosa t
present him to his naturalist frient
Doctor Chepp; Peacock scamperin
cheerfully along regyardin' the racke
as a ondeniable excuse for gettir
5 drunk.
:. This dventru of the bobcat is tn
savin' clause in the case Of Cold-sobe
Q Simms. AS the bob-cat an him an
; Peacock rides away. them two malefac
: tors from Fort Elliot is camped not fv
K miles away over by the Serrita Ia Cru
arrangin' to go projectin' round 70
Cold-sober an his nInety-hve hundret
that very evenin'. In truth. they ex
ecootes their scheme: but only to fin
when they jumps his camp in Mitch
ellis that Cold-sober,S vamoosed
whole lot.
Its then trouble begins to gathe
for the two ruStlers. The one who deal