New-York tribune., 1907-03-03

Z q
and we have one on HIM s&s44
That his ChrlStcn 're- ~-t II #sskf
.ng, and if things have - -
changed some with lIm -. y -
SINCE. he is still the Mock
ing Bird in Lone Pine
He the handiest
with cards that ever drew one IN Lone Pine
lie had Eastern clothes and looked ike a fellow
Hith straight blood behind him He lived up
20 his name all right Tor he was a singer He had
favorite hymn he used pipe up whenever
he got in wrong It ran
Can any white man bc a scrteru
And also gamboicrt
OF course any white man could be a gentleman
and also a gamboer IN Lone Pine if he wanted to.
We didn't draw 1t too fine there There just two
sorts OF people IN Lone Pine the ones no went by
their real names and got letters from home and an
that and the Others who called themselves whatever
they liked and never went TO the post office
The Mocking Bird was hanging out at Purdy's
Hotel; but he oafed IN Larry s. watching the play.
II was the second night. he SAYS 20 Larry. Why
don't YOU work that end table,,
Shy a dealer says Larry.
on are looking for me SAYS the Mocking Bird
Larry looks at his hands, sees they amt working
hands and then says IN his short way. It's yours.
The Mocking Bird takes the end table and RIFLES
the deck, showing II INTO the box ike with
education. and Larry knew he'd found slick and
pheasant citizen Nobody PAID any attention TO the
end table for awhile. but before the day broke
the Mocking Bird had won some simoleons for the
house, and had made a rep. Larry was tickled all
over TO land a like that. and when the Mock
ing Bird settled Tor the night he handed him
one of those gold twcntics Nobody but a good
gambler gets twenty a night for dealing, and when
Larry did that a lot of could see 1t he put the
NochnE Bird up on the high limb in this town
He went up from the end table 10 the head OF the
line mighty after he hired out to Larry.
All at once 1t dawned on that he dude
The MockIng Bird sent TO Frisco for his clothes
1 don't believe any other man IN Lone Pine
could have been so fussy about his garments and
got away with II as he did; he'd have heard remarks
Also at the table IN Larry S he had peculiaritlcS
First he'd take of his long coat fold it up carefully
and give II 10 the Chlnanlan TO put away hen he
would unbutton his cuffs and turn them back
they wouldn't soil on the table The Chinaman
would bring him long glass Of water and put II
down convenient TO his hand and the Mocklng Bird
WAS ready for the game After that first time when
he was being sOcIable with no man ever saw him
take drink stronger than water.
BY and by he bought a horse, and sent all the
way TO Frisco for the animal He rode out of
Purdy's stable day on a gray sixteen n-hand
fellow that looked ike thoroughbred. How he
did fit the saddlei And he made such pet of the
big gray that the thoroughbred would whinny
when he heard HIM coming, and when he dis
mounted would follow him like dog.
We knew he could deal wcll-for the house. any
WAS a full hand every way but He hadn't
answered one Lone Pine question Perhaps II
because he hadn't had the chance; but II came
night at Larry's, and he showed what we had all
been looking for
Dirty Inn Thompson had come over from Phoebe
Dirty Jim was big and strong as a bull. lie had
WhskcTs all over hlm. and was offensive as a man
can be and live in Phoebe. He couldn't live IN Lone
Pine at all lie was a oafer and a bad man, bad
all over Dirty Jim used to make periodical of
Lone Pine
Larry was sorry see him hulking into the place.