Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-12-03
Ths STORY Teller.
THE TENDERFOOT.
Bill Jensen Tells of the Improm.
tu Raid at Lolita.

long whiplash. The half-dozen news
paper men who were doing" the
Roosevelt Dam regarded the perform
ance with the Unsuitable interest of
their kind.
Have you been in the west long. Mr..
Jensen?" hazarded one of the young
est
The stage driver regarded his ques-
toner a moment thoughtfully. Il could
answer you easier by sayin' 1 amt
never been east except two weeks to
me Chicago Fail"
"Gee!" responded the youngster in
credulously, then old Geronimo and
Billy the Kid are old stories to you,
eh?
Jensen grinned, evidently embarrass-
ed at the approving scrutiny of his au-
dience. For some moments the sound
of the steady grind Of wheels In the
sandy track was unbroken.
These cowboys We read about" per-
sisted the youngster, do they still go
around shooting out lights and terror
iZing the populace!
"Only in moving pictures, nowadays.
That reminds mel did see town shot
up once. Did any Of you ever run
across a newspaper chap that answer
ed to Christopher Columbus Blackford?
Mop" Jensen's embarrassment seemed
suddenly to have vanished.
1T was along about Albuquerque
fair time. had been prospecting over
to He'll Canon and was just sort OF
hanging around Lolita thinking would
drop in to Albuquerque, when the boys
was all in to the fair, and maybe see
what could do with my little pile in
little friendly stud poker. 1t was
powerful lonesome hole-this Lolita
nothing in sight but Mexicans, and
few tame ones around the stores.
can prospect six months without seeing
soul and never feel no qualms of
lonesomeness, but deliver me from one
of these 'dobe towns when there's moth
ing doing. 1 goes down to the depot
three times da and once in the night,
thinking maybe the trains might switch
off a little excitement, but they mostly
don't stop, so consequently nobody gets
off. But l watches steady morning,
noon, night and midnight, and one day
my faithful services is rewarded. Down
the steps comes a genuine tenderfoot-
sweet, blushing flower Of simplicity
ready for the plucking-a boomin' Eng
lishman with Cockney writ all over
him, and so fresh from salt water
| lowed he looked a little pale around
the gills yet. He had one Of them suit
cases in one hand and clumsy locking
thing / couldn't sabe in the other. He
approaches me friendly, and I prepares
for a little harmless diversion.
"'Howdy,' SAYS he, polite. what place
is this?
"'Lo-hee- -ta,' he repeats, stunned like,
when / tells him, that blankety- blank
conductor told me the next stop was
Albuquerque
This amt no STOP says l, they
tagged it for Mexicano.'
.Blankety- blank the Mexicasc,' says
he.
by and by he pulls out little book
and begins assaultin' me Gatlin- fashion
with questions, him taking down notes.
I bears up the best can under the
broad side Purity soon he stops and
grins at me, and puts his book in his
pocket.
81 wasn't looking for fiction this
time, pardner,' he says. He had me, as
1 sure had been stuffin' him, so laughs
too, and we goes over to the Only
Chance and imbibes on me. After a
bit we strolls out of little fresh air
me lambastin him with the tallest
tales ever invented in them attitudes.
Later, I see him over to the hotel talk
ing to Chip Elkins, the boss, and hav-
ing a long seance with Boney Bill and
the Only Chance barkeep. slides over
to Bills and makes inquiries.
Never see such inquisitive cuss,
says Bill.
did you stuff him. says /.
Sure not-me with a half-section
of town lots to sell? He might be a
English lord looking for a investment
Of some American captain Industry
father-in laws money, says he: you
say he's English
Now, you-all knows I'm as patriotic
as the next one when it comes to plug
gin for the southwest. Ever since
ha Tn Htrifh
packing my trunk / have always swore
by the territories. So l resolves to
square myself with this son of Eng
lish lord or son"inlaw Of merchant
prince, or whatever he was.
The next morning we hears of
wreck at the Needles-no trains for
twelve hours. After breakfast, comes
up with the Englishman walking up
and down the platform swearing ele-
CANT He seems to be thinking fast
and furious. BY and by, he brightenS
up and comes over to me.
1T seems to me- says he, that these
western towns Of yours are awful dull.
| have always understood that this sec
tlOn was lnleSleu Will oulld"S WIN
defiance to law and order He SEEM
ed so detected and sorrowful over his
discovery Of this lamentable weakness
must sort of redeem our good name.
What you say may be true says
], but you must remember you have
only been in this metropolis two days,
and your ideas are as yet necessarily
somewhat superfciary. AS for me,
wouldn't be surprised to see this town
held up any hour by band of BAN
dts
His eyes bugs out sudden.
You don't mean it, says he.
~ am only speaking of what might
happen, says l
He seems kind of nervous after that.
and purity soon he scOots for the hotel,
and saunters over to the Only Chance
and interviews one Pete Balsley finds
there. Then 1 borrows Pete's pony and
rides out to the Bar-O ranch.
Pete had everybody in town next
to the racket in no time. and the way