The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-12-18
Their Last
Trail

pected to enforce II you take away hi
arms, The short. sharp bark" Of hi
pistol. always at hand. quick. faithful
and vicious as Watchdog. is the col
league of his disputation. Ii is tn,
italics. the exclamation point. the con
clusion of his syllogistic premises, ant
the umpire Of his debate. This. a
least. Is the case with the very new
est and toughest western settlements
Rapid City tthe city" being the
star at which the townspeople aimed
rather than an index OF population =
Rapid City was an extreme example oi
these picturesque Aut unwholesome
communities. The alarming death
rate. indeed. managed TO secure the
town q certain amount OF free adver-
tising. but even this was OF a sort that
tended TO induce less immigration than
emigration.
The realization OF this latter un-
poetic truth compelled the local mar
shall 10 issue reluctant edict forbid
ding man. woman. child or broncho
TO pack a gun" in the vague linn
.ts OF the city. He was not blind to
the heroic poetry Of stalking a life on
tiny bullet. or the dramatic Justice
of an appeal TO arms: but he was there
primarily to serve the municipal adj
vantage So he nailed up his mani
festo-with the revolutionary effect Of
Luther's thesis
Now. the present incumbent Of the
marshalsy OF Rapid City had won his
exalted position solely because no one
could recall a time when he had been
either dilatory for a fatal moment. or
inaccurate for an effective hairs
breadth in his manipulation OF that
product of the American desire for
quick results
So The cow-punchers took out their
revenge in oaths and threats against
the next election. and from the very
day after the edict the place OF the
pistol knew II no more
Mer had a half-cIad look and
naked. defenseless feeling without
their customary armament. Many
hand went back TO an unresponsive
bell. and quarrels went tame and
all unsatisfactory. How was n nan
10 prove his ownership Of an over
boiling Jackpot" with only empty
hands 10 verify his claim? How set
the tenderfoot to hopping IN Terp-
sicioreal terror How avenge the
lie direct without artillery For
fists are urdignifed weapons or the
frontier and for use only in unim- |
porrant squabbles. and as m introduc-
tion to the higher court procedure OF |
the revolver
Rapid City had managed to survive i
about week of this uncomfortable.
negative virtue. when Jesse BDlande.
Esq. rode into town at about four Of
the afternoon. lie had been on his
ranch all week. and as he stood at the
bar of Keno Jim's Place"
he listened to the new state OF affairs
with many an oath of incredulous
amaze At his right side. hammer to
the front. swung his far-famed "A ex-
'ra-long revolver. To demand II OF
him would be calling on Hector TO
yield up his lance and count himself
iamed
So Bolande stood. lounging in re-
axed might across the grimy little bar
Ind throwing into his unseared throat
slassfuls Of liquid Gr,-that uncon-
yealed lava Of western disfillery-vo-
,ano. Suddenly those at the window
began 20 eyince genuine excitement. a
hing unusual in the more than So
tally blase cow-punchers. whom a
Mortal combat hardly galvanizes.
One Of them blurted out. smacking
IFS lips valkyrie-wise in anticipation
Il a magnificent battle. Watch out.
3olande. the marshal's comm"
Bolande shrugged his huge frame in
ontemptuous Indifference. Quick upon
his heralding came the marshai's au-
ust self He paused just inside the
DOR and blirked his eyes. in intro
uction to the dusk Of the low-browed
oc-n. In the twilight he did not i'm
osc an heroic figure. His colossally
Impressive power sa.uted you only y
then the full day brought you !
limpse II jaw that was not square =
nd phlezmatic. but yet gaunt and
ervoisly arm: OF eyes that did not :
Icste their ferocious steel in set u
erccress. and yet gave a hint Of Turk
~ demons. The marshal was hard u
: above medium height. and rather be- y
wv medium weight His light bones q
ere wrapped with Steel wire rather &
ian with ponderous muscles. whose y
rlk is their own chief hindrance The y
arshal wore a pistol At his side. OK
hcio. His duty demanded II. and no r.
an feared its abuse in the dov like n
sntlsness Of his unoffcnsive moods. y
The marshal aud Bclande were old =
lends. They had oIce moiled on a y
eyed claim upon the mountains to- "a
'ther: they had stood back TO back In s.
furnishes with yelling savages in a ~
,whrg wilderness. And now their ~
mistress. Adventure. had lost q
arm for them and they had drawn =
TO the shell that a man in his for =
. will protect with his life from any ~
though he has no de- 10
y 10 make II the base Of excursions n'
TO other mems preserves. But b. %
nde and The marshal we're ytill good al
ends bondaged with the golden link