The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-12

challenge; so we waited for a
challenge-waited all day. 1t didn't
come. And as the day wore along, hour
after hour, and no challenge came, the
boys grew depressed They lost heart.
But was cheerful; ] felt better and
better ali the time. They couldn't un-
derstand 1t, but i could understand it,
IL was my make that enabled me TO be
cheerruI when other people We're
respondent. SO then it became neces-
sary Tor us TO waive etiquette and chal-
lenge Mr.. Laird. When we reached
that decision. they began to cheer up,
put L began to lose some of my ANNA
uoh. However, in enterprises Of this
kind you arc in the hands of your
friends; there is nothing for YOU to do
put 10 abide by what they consider to
De the best course. Daggett wrote a
challenge for me, for Daggett had the
language-the right language-the con-
Nlnclng language-and / lacked il. Dag
gett poured out a stream of unSaVory
eplthets upon Mr.. Laird, charged with
Vlgor and venom of a strength CAL
eulated TO persuade him; and Steve
ellis, my second. carried the challenge
and came back TO wait for the return.
1t didn't come. The boys were exasper-
ated, but kept my temper. Steve car
RED another challenge, hotter than the
other, and we waited again. Nothing
came of it. ! began 10 feel quite COM
Portable. / began to take an interest
In the challenges myself I had not felt
any before; but it seemed to me that
was accommodating a great and valu-
able reputation at no expense, and my
delight in this grew and grew, as chal-
lenge after challenge was declined, I'M
Ill by midnight L was beginning TO
think that there was nothing In the
world so much to be desired as q chance
to fight a duel So 1 hurried Daggett
UP; made him keep on sending chal-
lenge after challenge. Oh, well, ] over
did it; Laird accepted. / might have
known that that would happen-Laird
was man you couldn't depend on.
II y =
The boys were jubilant beyond ex-
preston. They helped me make my
viii, which was another discomfort
and ! already had enough. Then they
took me home. ] didn't sleep any
didn't want to sleep. had plenty Of
things TO think about, and less than
four hours 10 do ii in-because 8 o'clock
was the hour appointed for the tragedy,
and / should have to use up one hour
beginning at 4-in practicing with the
revolver and finding out which end of
IL 10 level at the adversary. At we
went down into a little gorge, about a
mile from town, and borrowed a barn
door Tor n1ark-bOrrOwed il of a man
who was over in California on a visit
and we sat the barn door up and stood
fence-rail up against the middle OF
it, TO represent Mr.. Laird. But the rail
was no proper representative of him,
for he was longer than rail and thin
ner. Nothing would ever fetch him but
a line shot, and then as like as not he
would split the bullet-the worst ma
terial for dueling purposes that could
be imagined. / began on the rail, |
couldn't hit the rail; then l tried the
barn door. but ] couldn't hit the barn
door. There was nobody in danger ex-
eept stragglers around on the TANKS of
that mark. ] was thoroughly discour-
aged. and / didn't cheer up any when
we presently heard pistol-shots over in
the next little ravine. / knew what that
waS-that was Laird's gang out prac-
ticing him. They would hear my shots,
and of course they would come up over
the ridge to see what kind OF a record
was making-see what their chances
record: and 1 knew that if Laird came
over that ridge and saw my barn door
without a scratch on il. he would, be as
anxious to fight as I was-or as l had
been at midnight, before that disas-
trous acceptance came
Now. just at this moment a little
bird. no bigger than a sparrow, flew
along by and lit on Il sagebush about
thirty yards away. Steve whipped out
his revolver and shot its head Oft. oh,
he was n marksman--nuch better than
was. We ran down there TO pick up