Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-07-29

lie Lalk nau Deen Oh GaraulSe-
Paradise, Arizona, where Lonesome
had spent some years as cow-punch.
er and miner before he made his
stake. In his hand was a letter from
Big Bill Jernigan, an old comrade of
those days, now known as the Hon.
William Jernigan, member of con.
gress from the sovereign state Of
Montana. Lonesome was reminiscent,
and when oLnesome is reminiscent II
behooved his friends to keep silence
n give heed. 1 knew my cue, and
this story was my reward:
The Hon. William Jernigan! Think
of 1t! Old long.legged Big Bill Jerni-
gan! Well, there's heaps. worse at
Washington. Did l ever tell you about
the time Bill and l made faces at each
other? No? 1t happened at Paradise.
You remember what Saturday was at
Paradise. Town full Of punchers and
miners, the punchers and miners full
OF liquor and devilment, and the bar
tenders full of business. Bill and
had been up all night, bucking Three
Fingered Pete's faro game, and were
far from well. Bill made the bets and
l played lookout for us. Things broke
bad, and along about ten o'clock in
the morning we quit and were stand
ing at the bar. Bill had a crouch on
more than a foot thick, and at that
| think mine had his beat a block. So
1t was just perfectly natural that moth
ing either of us said would suit the
other. | expressed a desire for corned-
beef hash and red pepper for break.
fast, and what Bill said about my
gastrOnOmic ideas was scandalous.
Then Bill said he saw q fellow in a
stock company In Denver the winter
before hat was a better actor than
Edwin Booth. I never knew Edwin
Booth, but I resented Bills slur on
his memory most deeply. Finally Bill
said he could rope, throw and tie
more steers in ten minutes than any
man In Arizona, and that settled 1t.
l retOrted some acrimonious. BIZ was
not polite. Diplomatic relations were
busted, and one of us called the other
a liar. l don't remember which one
1t was, but that makes no difference
now.
The was full of the boys,
some playing cards and some at the
bar, where Three Fingered Pete and
Dutch Henry were serving drinks.
When Bill and l stepped back and
dropped hands to our guns, they
all respected our feelings and acted
according. Dutch and Pete Topped
to the floor behind the bar. Seven or
eight of the boys broke for the safe.
Now, make 10 mistake-but you
won't, because you knew those boys.
They wasn't afraid; you couldn't
scare those fellows. But they had
sense. If Bill and had a difference
of opinion, that was our business. not
theirs. And II we wanted to settle
1t by shooting holes in each 9th er,
that also was our business. Go they
ducked.
knew there wasn't any use trying
to fool around and shoot Bill in the
leg or arm. Id seen Bill shoot when
he thought he had to shoot, and under
those circumstances Bill shot straight
and quick, mind you, mighty quick.
So I decided the only thing that
would leave me behind to herd the
elusive maverick and eat the base.
born hOminy and hog was to beat him
to 1t. and had a sneaking notion that
| was just a little bit quicker on the
draw and pull than he was.
We stood there maybe ten seconds
1T seemed to me like an %hour-look.
ing each other in the eye, both crazy
mad. Well. my nerves would have
twisted up in little knots In about five
seconds more. and | would have prob
ably done something foolish and Bill
would have potted me, but just before
| blew up a voice at the saloon door
said: "Hello!" soft and sweet, and
"retardo' on the 10"
Now, If that had been a mans
voice neither of us would have paid
any attention to 1t, or else we would
have both turned In and licked the
everlasting daylights u of him for
interfering with two gentlemen who
were trying to settle a scientific differ.
ence--according to how mad we were.
But 1t wasn't. s0n the contrary. quite
the reverse. ] saw Bill's glance waver.
ind ! knew Bill couldn't shoot a man
that wasn't looking. any. more than he
could yea a stiff collar: SO, m curl
osity being some aroused. l turned
toward the door.
! almost hate to tell you, 1t was SO
lovely. There on the tor step, just
inside the screen door, vas the sweet.
est. cleanest. prettiest girl baby you
ever saw All dressed up in a white
lawn suit, with a blue sash. white
half-hose that showed her dimpled