The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-13

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
An speakiu' OF dooels. remarked the Old
Cattleman, apropos OF an anecdote of the
ueId of honor wherewith l RECALLED his fancy,
'speakin' OF dooels. I reckons now the en-
counter Dave Tut involved himself with
when he first gees Tucson. takes easy an
onChulleEEed precedence for utter bloodless-
ness. shes shore The most lambs wool
form OF single combat 10 which my notice
g. ever drawn. Dave enlightens us concern
in ITS details himself. beiu' melted tharupto
ry heariu' Texas Thompson relate about
the Austin shUOtiu' match of that Deaf
smith party.
which this yere IS way back yonder
or the trail ~ time explains Dave. AN
I'm hardened a heap since then. I've jest
come buttlE' int Tucson an it's apples
10 ashes I'm the tandcrest an most on
taught party that wears store. moccasins.
What J misses KNOWN would make as
husky a lbrary-if it's all printed down
il b0oks-as ever lines up on shelves. AL
SO I'm fEigb;ed to the limit with the
tsDdertbots unusual outfit OF misinforma-
ton. LIS sad. yet troo! As / casts my
Eaze harvard a whole lot. l identifies my
SET A. 0Udpubted the balmiest brand Of
Ehor!hCrn who ever leaves his parents
sHel'trin' roof
All the same says Dan Boggs. plenty
conceited. III gamble a boss I'm a bigger
eediot when l quits Missouri TO rome the
COW country than ever you-all can boast Of
Dein' in your most imbeciie hour
" 20 they lock you up" asks Dave.
No saws Dan, they don't lock me up
none. but
" Then you lose insists Dave. mighty
prompt.
" But hold on says Dan; don't get your
chips down 50 quick. As l starts to eS-
plain. l amt locked up; but it's because
I'm in a camp like Wolfville we're that amt
- - I'll F-.an - - De- ~tnt
come 10 be the same. I'm made captif.
an held as seCh ontil the roodments OF
western sense IS done beat into me. 1t
takes the yoorited efforts of a dozen Of the
soonest sharps that ever happens: but, final.
they succeeds to a pint that I'm deemed
cap'ble OF goin' about alone: whereat they
removes my hobbies an throws me loose
Wen retorts Dave. 4 won't dispoote
with you: an even at that / Regards your
present attitoode as one OF bluff. l thinks
you're shore the sunnin'est wolf in the
territory. Dan, an alters is. But as I'm
ESyln'; When l first begins to .nfest Tue
son. I'm so ignorant it's a stain on that
metropolis.
AT this yere epock, Tucson amt spread
an spraddled TO Its present proud dimen-
sions. A gent might have thrown the loop
Of a lariat about the outfit an drug It into
rooms with a pony. No one, however. per-
forms this feat. as the camp is as petyoo-
N'H@N ~ " q -@A-N ~ ~ N-F
dalliaHce with its sensibilities would have
led to some mighty vivid plays. Still. she
amt big. Tucson amt; an l learns my way
about from center TO suburbs in the first
ten minutes.
".At the beEinnin' I'm a heap timid. I
suffers from the common Eastern theory,
an looks on Arizona as Il region where it's
murder straight an lynchin' for a place.
Gou-alls may jedge from that how errone-
Gus is my idees. Then. as now, the distin-
guishin' Teacher of Tucson existence Is a
heavenly cam. OF course. now an then the
air uacherally fills up with bullets like a
passel of swallow birds, an the lead huns
an sings their merry roundelays. How
ever. these busy seasons don't set in so
often nor last so long. but peaceful folks
has ample chance TO breathe.
Never does / bar witness TO as many as
seven contemporaneous remainders but
once; an then thar's cause. It's in a poker
game, an the barkeep brings the dealer a
cold deck onder a tray wherein he purveys
the drinks. Which the discovery of this
yere solecism, as you-all well imagines,
Hrouses a interest, earnest an widespread
like / describes. 1 counts up when the
smoke lifts an finds that seven has done |
sought eternal peace. Common, as you-all
saveys. two is the number; three bein'
quite a shipment. Shore. It's speshul sickly |
when as many as seven starts out together! |
"'Bcin' ttmid an ignorant, / takes good
ndVice. It's in the Oriental. Thar's a old |
gray cimmaron hibernatin' about the bar. |
whose name is Jeffords.
BE you-all conversant with that gun |
you packs?' asks this Jeffords.
~ feels the hot blush mountain in my |
tender cheeks. but l comedies 1 amt"
'Pard." 1 replies, 'speakin' confden- |
sHui an between gent an gent, this yere
weapon is plumb novel to me-"
'"Whic l allows as much" he saws. |
from the egreegious way you fdges with
1t. Now, let me pass you-all a p'inter from
the peaks of experience. You caper back ,
TO the tavern an take that weepon off. Or
what's as Well. you pass 1t across to the bar
keep. If you-all goes romancin' round with
that hardware at your belt, it's even money
it'll get you beefed. Alters remember while ]
IN Arizona that you'll never get plugged
onles by inadvertence-as long as you wan
der about in onheeled innocence. No gun
less gent gets downed: sech is the onbreak-
able roole."
After that I goes ~guiltless Of arms 1
amt hungerin' for no Immortality abrupt.
"'Ol Jeffords ia shore right. In the
Southwest IL you aims to bear a charmed
life, never wear a slx-shooter. This maxim
goes anywhere this side of the Mississippi.
East of that mighty river it's the other
way.
" 'Bein' nimble-blooded in them days, I'm
n heap arduouS about the dance hall. I gets
infatyooated with the easy goodfellowsh ship
OF that hurdy-gurdy, an even after I leaves
Tucson proper, an is camped some miles
away. 1 saddles up every other evenin',
rides In an, as says the poet, shakes on
trim laig even into the wee small hours"
Right yere, gents an Dave pauses