The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-09-25

without ticker.
Some one was thirsty at the next
station. The shock of the poker eX-
clusion made recourse to stimulant
seem a most commendable impulse.
A fifteen-minute wait promised am
pie time for that solace which some
men find only when the elbow Is
crooked and the toe suspended on a
polished brass rail.
But a quick search up and down
the principal street revealed no
saloon.
At last the natives were ques-
toned, with the result that one Of
them dealt this broadside:
"Very sorry, sir, but this is local
option town. No liquor can be pur-
chased here, but you can get excel
lent ice cream soda at the drug
store"
And this is Texas!
Where were the famous bibbers,
the bad men of the novels who used
to count that day wasted when they
failed to stow quart under their
red shirts
Ice cream soda! We hurried on
the train, least the mayor of the
town come out and ask us to play
beanbag
Worse to come.
We rode from the northern boun-
dairy down through Texas to Calves
ton. We stopped at Dallas, Fort
Worth, Dennison, Waco, Marlin, 3re-
mond and Houston. We were in
the big cities and villages. We
crossed plains where cowboys
guarded cattle by thousands, but we
never saw pistol or a lariat.
"Oh, gracious, MOI" said one horri-
fed Texan, whom we questioned
about the absence of shooting irons,
mo one dares carry them. There
Is fine of 800 for having a
pistol, and man who doesn't pay
the fine gets Jailed for month"
We could have spared anything
but the pistol. Its absence shattered
the fondest of our dreams, for we had
all along cherished frightened hope
that 1t might he our goon fortune
to see genuine Texas killing. No
pistols? Why go to Texas at all?
The roof garden of the Madison
Square Garden can do better than
that.
Dallas, at the. ball game, saw The
finishing blow administered A great
crowd had gathered to see Rube
Waddell pitch for the Athletics
against the home team. Every place
in the stand was taken. A man and
woman paused in the front row, In
such position as to cut off the view
of half dozen spectators.
We had thought that no true
Texan would speak grufIly to a
woman, no matter what the griev-
ance, but strong-lunged fan, intent
on seeing the game, yelled:
"Aw, git a move on, ladyl You're
no lookin' glass;"
We cheered up. Surely this would
start something. In dime novel II
would have meant nothing less than
a killing, perhaps several. Recall
ing the chivalry of the border, we
couldn't figure but that the laT
against pistols would now be ignored
and half dozen guns pop out tc
avenge the Insult.
But again came disappointment
The age of shooting is past. Texas
has bowed to its lawmakers.
Instead of dropping his hand t.
! his hip pocket, the escort of the LADY
turned politely and said:
"Oh, beg your pardon"
Then the pair meekly moved on.
| Not shot, not an angry word, no
even scowl.
Goodby, Texas of the dream days
We must have a housecleaning IL
the memory department and hurl ou
a hundred worshiped heroes and tel
thousand deeds Of valor.
Next time we want to read a dim,
novel we shall select one whose seen,
is laid in the South Sea Islands, TO
the chances are we'll never get ther,
to have reality choke the life frol
our expectations as it did in Texas
! Philadelphia North American.