The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-27
The Rustler
! romance Of the old time COW country
BY CHARLES ALDEN sELrzER
e0,v.,esr. ,,,s. " tn. PEARSON FURNISHING co

Bottom struggling across the gray
iioor OF the fiat. its low, squat build
lnss seeming like so many old boxes
blown there by an idle wind or I'M
tremendously dumped there by a
careless fate and left regardless, to
carry out the scheme of desolation.
Apparently the rider was in no
hurry. for as the pony topped the rise
and the town burst suddenly into
view the little animal pricked up its
cars and ouickened its pace. only TO
feel the reins suddenly tighten and
to hear the riders voice grufily dis
couraging his haste.
Therefore the pony pranced gin.
gerly alert, champing the bit i'm
patiently, picking its way over tho
lumpy hills of stone and cactus, but
holding closely to the trail
The man lounged carelessly in the
saddle, his lank, 1.-the body swaying
gracefully. bis eyes, shaded by the
bIim of his hat. narrowing with an in.
terested light as they gazed steadily at
the town that lay before them.
Il reckon that must be Dry Bot
tom" he said finally.
Half way down the slope, and still
a mile and a half from the town, the
rider drew the pony to a halt. He
dropped the reins over the high pom.
mel of the saddle, drew out his two
guns one after the other. rolled the
cylinders, and replaced the guns In
the holsters. Then he shook out the
reins, spoke TO the pony, and the little
animal broke out into slow lope.
An ironic traveller, passing through
Dry Bottom in it's younger days, be
fore civic spirit had definitely cen
tered its efforts upon things nomencla
tural, had limited that the town
should he known as DRY" because Of
the fact that while the town boosted
seven buildings, four were saloons
and that Bottom" might be used as
| sufiix because, in the nature oil
things. a town of seven buildings, -four
of which were used for saloons. nigh
reasonably expect to descend to tn,
very depths Of moral iniquity.
The ironic stranger had spoken
with prophetic wisdom. Dry Bottom
was trying as best it knew how L
wallow in the depths of sin. En
lovely. soiled, desolate of yerdure
dumped down upon fat of sand il
a treeless waste, amid sand-hills, sag
brush, Grabbed yucca. scorpions, liz
ards, horned toads and rattlesnakef
Dry Bottom had forgotten its morals
subverted its principles and neglecte,
| its God.
| AS the rider approached within
10 III dc Of "a odG nf TIM
a man stepped out of the door of
| feet away from it. Immediatel
| other men followed. But these cam
only to point just outside the dool
| For some reason which was not az
parent to the rider they were giyin
the first man plenty Of room.
| The rider was now able to discer,
| the faces Of the men in the GROUP
! and he gazed with interested eyes a
| the man who had first issued from tn
| door of the saloon.
The man was tall---nearly as tall a
self He was young, seeming abou
| thirty-five with shifty, insolent eye
and hard mouth whose lips wer
4 Just now curved into self-consciou
smile.
The rider approached to With
fifty feet of the man. hating his pom
at the very edge Of the hitching-ra
! that skirted the space in front of th
/ saloon, sitting carelessly in the saddle
| his eyes upon the man.
The men who had followed the frs
49, n
! them-revealed their interest i
! divers ways. A tall man on the e.
treme end, near the rider, was watcl
! ing the man in the street grayely.
short, fat man near the center locke
on with half sheer. Other face
wore various expressions. But a.
| were silent.
But not so the man in the street.
Certainly he knew of the attentio
| he was attracting. Men were al
preaching from the other end of tn
street, joining the group in front G
the saloon--which the rider now nt
ticcd was called THE Silver Dollar.
| The newcomers were inquisitive; the
spoke in low tones to the men VIII
had been there before them, inqui
ing the cause.
But the man in the street SCENE
not disturbed by his audience. Fl
stoed in the place he had selected, hi
ms Silent eye rowing over the assemble
CO npany his thin. expressive lip
parting a very little to allow word
to filter through them.
Gents he said you're goin'
see some shootin'! told you in ther
that could keep can in the al
while put five holes through l
There's some OF you gassed ahor
Eein showed-not believin' me. Al
now I'm goin' to show you!"
He reached down and picked up
can that had lain at his feet, reno
ing the red Autographed label, whic
lad picture of large tomato in il
center. The can was revealed, make
and shining in the white sunlight. f
placed the can in his left hand an
drew his six-shooter with his right.
Then he tossed the can twenty fe'
into the air. While 1t still rose h
/ weapon exploded, the can shook spa
medically and turned clear owe
! Then In rapid succession followe
four other explosions, the last occu
ring Just before the can reached IL
| ground, TIE man smiled, still hol
4 ", tha cmo,,inn wesOon in his han