The Van Buren press., 1904-10-01
JIM'S
FETCHING
WAY

"NT ONE of the gun sooner5 ever got
the drop on Nat Aiken when Nat
pounded the day marshals beat in Du-
range Col. and Aiken held down the
billet at that. when an ombrey's life in
Durango wasn't held to be worth much
mo-e than a buzzard tamale or pan OF
frijoles." said the tousle-haired man
with the desert t-bleacted mustach, at
one of those hotels on the lower avenue
where summer night conyerSazlones are
held out in front with all hands in tip
tilted chairs and their feet against tree
boxes
Aiken mOnsooned into Durango about
six months after the boom began, aad
he succeeded Tim Naylor as day marshal
of the camp-Tim had been 50 minced
up in knife fight with two half-breed
giIa-eaters that he had to be hiked up
to Colorado Springs to win back his
strength
Nat was tacilurn. unassuminS
sawed-of He had cowlicky auburn hair
aud a pair Of topaz eyes like mountain
cats that seemed to grow darker and to
spit sparks when he was getting busy.
81 reckon 1 hain't a-gOin { git shot
up Goao whilst doln' this yere camp
work, Nat had remarked in accepting
the day marshals job. 4 sure cant see
70 fun in this thing O. layin abed with
T. hull lot o. zig-zag holes in y'r system,
J sure cant. That's why amt a-goin'
T. let no guu-fanrin' ombrey in this camp
stick me up an poke lead into my
frame just nachully like t be swing
in along on tn soleS O. my boots, an
don { see this yere game o. layin back on
bunk, while tn holes are healin', an
cOuntln centipedes workin' their way
in through tn Ceilin' an sides o tn
'dobe-they hain't 'nough action in that
kind o work
THE DurangOtes who heard Nat thus
express his natural objection to being
lead plugged hoped that he would get
away with his determination, but nona
of US had much Of an idea that he would
for very long Aiken had never shown
the camp anything in the lineof strategy
and 50, Of course. We had no way Of fig
uring that he possessed any Of that kind
of stun
well, just two Gays after Nat had
got his badge on a burly. green-eyad
chap named Bill McShane, who had
drifted up to Durango from the Santa
Anita mountains where he had grown
sulky after years of unsuccessful pros
peCt,ng, knocked off work at noon, alb
sorbed about half a gallon Of the ioltv
juniper juice into his system, and ther
sportyely shot the right ear from the
head OF a Chink keeper OF feed shack.
After doing this Bill strolled out into
the middle Of the street-Durango then
being one.street camp-and announced
that he couldn't abide any kind Of grub
Joint that didn't provide its patrons
with stewed pufr-adders, frcasseed ira
antulas and scorpions a Ia Sonora. add.
ing that the same was the only kind Of
food that he cared to eat when he felt
rea good, as he happened to be feeling a,
that moment
Which, II any redheaded runts
that thinks they're some few on gun
bree2in' wants { dispute, Mr.. Ne
Shane wound un, obviously referring
to Day Marsha Nat Aiken, 'yere I'm
aperchin', and ne left the middle OF
the road, leaned up in front OF This /.
II hOnkatonk, and, with his thumbs
tucked into his gun belt, blnked booz.
| lily in the sunshine.
Presently a dray hauled by a flea.
bitten and lonesome looking mule. and
driven by a Greaser smoking corn.
ahuck cigarette pulled alongside the
plank sidewalk in front Of the honka
lonk against which McShane was lean.
ing and glooming A large square pine
box, Of the sort that blankets for
western shipment used to packed in,
was the drays load
"McShane ga2cd idly ai the mule
aod the dray and the box He did not
observe that the top of the box was
missing But when the blue steel muz
2lcS OF two tOrty.dycs, held by a pair
Of freckled. hairy hands, appeared over
the edge Of the box, and a red head,
uncovered by any hat, followed the
guns bobbing up jumping gIackwIse
McShane suddenly became a heap OBJ,
servant.