Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-10-25
CHAPTER xvI.-tcontlnued.)

sIt was grim picture Of depravity
and 8desolation, the environment duil.
gloomy. forlorn: all that was worthy
the eve or thought being the pulstng
human element. All about extended
the barren plains. except where on
one side ravine cut through an over
hanging ridge. From the seethtng
street one could look up to the sum-
NIT, and see there the graves OF the
many who had died deaths OF violence.
and been borne thither in their
boots. Amid all this surrounding
kdesolation was Sheridan-the child OF,
8 few brief months >of existence. and
destined to perish almost as quickly
the center Of the grim picture. mere
cluster OF, rude. implanted houses.
poorly erected shacks. grimy tents
happing In the never ceasing wind
avjrling across the treeless waste. the
aKly red station. the rough cowpens
allied With lowing cattle. the huge. un-s
calmly stores. their false fronts deco
rated BY amateur wielders OF the
paint brush, and the garish dens OF
vice tucked In everywhere. The pen.
.dulum OF life never ceased swinging.
Society was mixed: no man cared who
his neigh Dor was. or dared to question.
sOf women worthy the name there
were few. yet there we're fitting fe,
male forms In plenty. the saloon lights
revealing powdered cheeks ana paint.
ed eyebrows. It was a strange. rest
less populace. the majority here to-
day, disappearing tomorrow-cow.
boys, half.breeds, trackmen. graders.
desperadoes. gamblers. saloon-keepers.
merchants, generally Jewish. petty Of.
N 11cials, and a rin-raR no one couid &C
4 count for. mere floating debris. The
town was an eddy catching odd bits
sof drtftwood such as only the frontier
.eyer knew. Queer characters were
Il everywhere. wrecks Of dissipation. de-
relicts Of the East. seeking nothing
Save oblivion. u IT.
Everything was primitive passion
and pleasure ruled. To spend easily
made money noistly. braxenly. was the
ideal From dawn to dawn the search
after Joy continued. The bagnios and
dance halls were ablaxe: the bar
rooms crowded with hilarious or
quarrelsome humanity. the bling
tables alive with excitement Men
staggered along the streets looking
ssElor trouble. and generally finding It:
.cDwboys rode into open saloon doors
md drank In the saddle: troops Of
congeniai spirits, frenzied with liquor,
Npurred recklessly through the street
sAfing. into the air. or the crowd. as
their within led; bands played popular
h airs on balconies. and innumerable
.barkers' added their honeyed invi-
1ations to the perpetual din. From end
" 10 end tts4wa saturnalia of vice. q
babel OF sound. glimpse of the in.
A,erno. Money flowed like water: every
man was his own. law. and the gun
the arbiter of destiny The town
marshal. and q few coolheaded depu,
ties moved here and there amid the
chaos, patient. tireless. undaunted.
seeking merely to exercise some
slight restraint. This was Sheridan.
Into the one long street Just at dusk
rode Keith and Neb. the third horse
n trailing behind. Already lights were
beginning to CLEAN in the crowded
saloons. and they were obliged to
4 proceed slowly. Leaving the negro at
the corral to dnd some purchaser for
81 the animals, and such accommoda-
lions for himself as he could achieve.
Keith shouldered his way on foot
Through the heterogeneous mass to-
ward the only hotel. a long two-storied
wooden structure. implanted fronting
7 the glitter OF the Pinoeer Dance Hall
opposite. A noisy band was splitting
1 the air with discordant notes. loud
voiced barker yelling through the
| Mproar. but Keith, accustomed to SINH
lar scenes and sounds elsewhere.
atrode through the open door of the
hotel. and guided by the noisy. contin-
uous clatter OF dishes. easily found bis
way to the, dining-room. It was crowd
ed with men. few women scattered
here and there. most OF the former in
4 shirt-sleeves. all eating silently. a
Few smaller tables at the back Of the
room were distinguished from the 9TH
ers by white coverings in place OF oil
4 cloth. evidently reserved for the more
distinguished guests. Disdaining cere-
mony, the new conner wormed his way
through, finally discovering q vacant
1 aeat where his back would be to the
/ wall, thus enabling him to survey the
entire apartment.
II was not Of great interest. save
for its constant change and the print
tive manner in which the majority at
tackled their food supply. which was
piled helte2-skelter upon the long
tables, yet he ran his eyes searcningly