Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-03-19

tation by frin' a few shots just close
enough about their heads to make them
nervous and loosen up the muscles of
their legs.
WELL, things went along that way
for bout o year. Then n day a long
ganglin' Teller with a mild eye, a soft
voice and a solemn lookin' face hap
pened into town. His name was Alb
Case, and that's him a-sittin' over
there on the left.
CAB he was lookin' for a job. and
the town it was lookin' for a marshal
jest then, so the two gifts together and
strikes up a deal. Alb says he amt
never been a marshal, but lows he can
manage it all right, and the town is
fndin' it difficult to get anybody to
take the job with Joe Kern and shore
death hangin' over 1t, so to speak.
"Well, Alb is sworn In and puts on the
star, and then here mi a invite to
him from Joe, askin' him to resign. Alb
listened to Joe's message, which was
delivered by another cowboy, then
shrugs his shoulders and replies that he
don't never accept invitations second.
hand.
"If Mr.. Kern wants me to consider
any proposition be has got to offeI
along that line,' he says, he will have
to come in and see me ~pussonally.'
about three days later Mr.. Kern
did come in. Down at the saloon he
told them why he had come. 1t was
to convince the new marshal that he
ought to resign and go away.
"'And l have brought my very best
arguments with me- he finished, AR
guments that amt never failed as a
last resort
"He shore had them, too-a Win
chester and a brace Of six shooters.
And he knowed how to handle them
arguments bout as %eloquently as any
man that ever lived.
"He irrigated his system at the bar,
coolly lighted a cigar and then went
out to look up the marshal and pay his
respects to him. And he didn't have to
go far, either, for he was scarcely out
of the saloon when somebody pointed
out Alb standin' on a corner bout half
a block away.
care you shore that's himY Joe
asked. I'd rather not make any mis-
take and kill an innocent man If 1t cap
be helped
"'That's shore him." they answered.
"Joe smiled and raised his gun.
"'I'll sorter wake him up he said.
I won't hurt him at first, but jest call
his attention that Pm here
"He fired, and the ball cut a lock of
hair from Abs head. Alb looked
around sort of casual to see what it
meant and the next instant sent back
an answer to Joe's shot. That answer
plowed a furrow along the side of Joe's
head.
"From that they went at it in dead
earnest. Everybody else got out of the
way and give EN- a clear field. There
want no backin' down and no runnin'
on, the part of neither of 'em. They
jest stood up there and pumped lead at
and into each other as carelessly and
cheerfully as you please.
"After bout ten minutes the firm
ceased, and then we all cautiously
peered out to see how 1t had ended
They was both down on the ground
helpless, but still tryin' to shoot.
when we come to examine, we
found ZEN pretty badly riddled up, but
with no wounds that promised to be
fatal. We carried 'em off, and the
doctors patched EN- up, and for a long
time they remained quiet In bed.
"Some of us reckoned the matter
would end there, as they had both
shorely had enough, but the older men
thought different. One of 'em said:
"It won't ever end while they both
live. Kern will never give up, and it's
pretty evident Case won't either. When
they get out, they'll be at it again, and
they'll keep at it till one of 'em is done
for
"And it proved that he was partly
right. The very first time they met
after their recovery they took another
round of shootin' at each other.
"The result this time was similar to
what 1t had been before. Both were
badly used up, but neither injured
fatally.
LIZ oO LII LWO years IL COulluueu.
Every time Joe came up to town there
was a shootin' bout. They fought to
kill, too, and, both of 'em bein' good
shots, we reckoned every time one of
'em would be shore to git it. But,
strange to say, neither of EN- ever did.
They riddled each other all up, but
they was never able to git in a finish
in shot.
"I1l git him yit, though Joe de
clared. I'm jest bound to do it before
1 quit
"Ab made the same declaration, and
we was all shore one of EN- would be
killed before the thing come to an end.
Didn't seem like 1t could wind up any
other way.
"But 1t transpired that we was all
entirely mistaken, as you can see for