Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-03-12

The chance; but it came one night at
Larry's. and he showed what we had
all been looking for.
Dirty Jim Thompson had come over
from Phoebe. Dirty Jim was big and
strong as Il bull. He had whiskers all
over him, and was offensive as Il man
can be and live i'll Phoebe He couldn't
live in Lone Pine at all. He was Il
loafer and bad man, bad all over
Dirty Jim used to make periodical
OF Lone Pine.
Larry was sorry to see him hulking
into the place. He bleared around
awhile, and then loafed over to the
Mocking Birds game and sat in; but
the luck ran against him, and in a
few minutes his stack was gone. He
bought another and tried hard. The
Mocking Bird took all that. He'd been
doing some grumbling along with the
second stack. and when the Mocking
Bird raked in the leavings, Dirty Jim
rose up in red wrath and addressed
himself to the crowd in roar of
rage.
"Fellers,' he bawled. that cussed
dude over there deals crooked"
The Mocking Bird never made a
move; just kept on dealing as If moth
ing had been said Dirty Jim bel
lowed his challenge second time,
gazed around TO see If anybody would
take it up for the Mocking Bird, and
then slouched over to the bar and
called for a drink.
The Mocking Bird had lost his grip.
You could see that plain as day by
the way the crowd acted. He had not
only taken the charge. but hadn't even
mad the nerve to quit the game as
any square dealer would have done.
Instead, he went on till the box was
near empty, and when the turn was
called he shuffled for the new deal.
put thecards in the box, and nodded
over at Larry.
Send another man." he said.
Sure" said Larry. who was sore.
When the relief came the Mocliing
Bird bnttoned his long coat. and walk
cd out of the place, Not man fol.
lowed him, not man said word OF
farewell. The idol had fallen.
We were all having drinks and re,
Tusing to talk about it, and Dirty jim
was getting more dirty every minute
when the Mocking Bird came swing.
80 = ii1 was ulS lllllC
gambolier tune, and looked almost
happy. Dirty lunged forward to meet
him. The Mocking Bird never stopped
humming till he was three feet OF
Dirty. Then, very quietly and all the
time smiling, he spat straight into
Dirty Jim's face. Dirty let out q
howl like an Indian, and reached. The
Mocking Bird made quick move into
fItn Ire - 1,
You just saw something flash, and
before Dirty could get in, the Mockine
Bird raised his gun and brought ii
down like hammer on top of Dirty's
head. When a man gets q blow like
that, he's gone. He reached down and
fastened hand in Dirty's shirt. With
| a muscle nobody knew he had he bod
lily lifted the brute and leaned him
on the bar. Dirty gasped and opened
his eyes. and tried to pull loose, but
the Mocking Bird held him.
You know the trail to Phoebe! Hi
the grit"
And Dirty went.
The Mocliing Bird took off his coat
folded it carefully, took sip of wa
| ter, and began to rifle. In minute
the game was going. and the long las
| question of Phoebe had been answer
I ed. The Mocking Bird had nerve;
and also he was that gentleman he
| had been singing about
The girl had been up at Old Mar
| Henderson's ranch almost a month
but 1t was not until Henderson jogget
in that we knew anything about her
She's the best looking filly that.
showed up in this part of the coun
try" he said. shes all boss. Doc
tor sent her ont here from New York
Seems health is scarce round Eastern
parts when they hike blossom lik,
her into q hard territory like this
The Doc in New York wrote her Il
me; told me TO give her ell the out
doors on the ranch, and charge it t.