The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1908-04-30
!, A Greaser Girls
!, Opportunity.

! was cowboy before went into
the show business One day. while
vas punchin'. a Teller come along dom
all sorts Of fancy tricks He called
himself prestidigitator. He wanted
some one to help him in his perform
ance, and agreed to do it. When the
show was over he said that was the
best help he'd ever had and allowed If
I'd travel with him he'd teach Inc the
business. ! left off COW punchin' and
went with HIM.
One reason why wanted to get
away was that I'd been maxim love to
greaser gal. and s. longs l didn't
want to marry anybody I thought it
was prudent to find somepin to take
me somewheres else l didn't say any
thing to her or any one about leavin',
but when the show left wasn't to be
found nowhere. agreed l wouldn't
appear in the performance till we'd got
some distance from the place where
my greaser gal lived. SOS she wouldn't
be likely to find out where Id gone to-
Travelled with the wizard long
up for myself. l didn't show myself
In the place I'd left. though took in
settlements all around it within fifty
miles.
l was mighty expert. could take
mans two dollar silver watch with
his initials scratched on it. ram 1t down
into blunderbuss. fire it at an upright
post. and when the smoke had cleared
away there it was danglin' to nail,
just as good as ever and tickin' away
at the regular rate. Then would
take sombrero and breed rabbits in
1t, hatchin' 'em out at the rate Of
dozen a minute. I'd keep on maxim
my tricks more and more wonderful as
I went along. keepin' the aujence's
eyes a-bulgin' and a-bulgin'.
My crack trick and the one with
which ended every performance was
lettin' some one fire a bullet at me
and catchin' it between my teeth. The
way did it was this: had bullets
made out of solnethin' so that in ram
ming them down l could make powder
Of 'em. I would let people in the audi
ence handle real bullets, but always
put in false one when the gun was
loaded. held real bullet in my
mouth and when the shot was fred
showed it with my tongue between my
teeth.
One night when was preparin' for
this trick l caught sight Of face in
the audience that startled me. 1t was
the greaser gal l got through the
rest of the performance without know
in very we'll what was dom, and
when the audience dispersed was
partly relieved that the greaser gal
didn't remain behind. moved that
night, and the next performance gave
was twenty-five miles away.
was congratulatin' myself the next
night that the gal wasn't goin' to make
me any trouble when all of student,
lookin' down into the audience, there
she was. was so upset that STUN
bled through the performance, maxim
a botch of several of the best tricks.
The gal sat lookin' up at me with
queer kind Of stare in her eyes that
took all the starch out of me. But she
sat quiet, and was gatherin' a NOR
sci Of confidence toward the end when
she showed her hand. When l came
to the bullet trick and asked some one
to come on to the platform and shoot
at me, up starts the gal and comes up
with a look on her face that no one
but saw or knew what it meant.
Well, there was nothin' for me but
let her do the shootin'. knowed she
meant mischief, but didn't know
how she was goin' to do 1t. If l
hadn't been SO upset might "a block
ed any game she had in mind AS it
was. didn't have even the sand to
keep an eye ON her. tried to give
her look of recognition with smile
that the audience wouldn't see, but
she only stared the blacker and black
er at me. and, catchin' sight Of my face
in a mirror, l saw that looked like
GRIMM corpse.
rammed my false bullet down in
the gun and handed it to her. Then
was obliged to turn my back to her to
go and stand where was to catch the
bullet in my teeth. The girl brought
the gun to her shoulder. lowered it.
brought it back again, took long aim,
dropped it to examine the lock and
raised it again. This suspense she was
givin' ME was torture hadn't
counted on. She played me that way
till the audience made such a racket
that she saw it wouldn't stand
much more delay. Then she brought
the gun into position and took an aim
that any one could see was no pre-
tense.
By this time l wished 1 had splints
on my knees. for I thought they was
goin' to let me down. They say drown
In people see all the doin's of their
lives. l thought of all the soft solder
I'd given the gal. and somehow never
doubted she was amin at me to give
me dose Of cold lead.
There was report. a thud beside my
left temple, and felt somepin warm
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