The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-08-06
Lets Loose Parthian Arrow and
Leaves Trouble Behind in
BaToOm.
(By DAVID A. CURTIS.)

(By DAVID A. CURTIS.)
The arrival Of the one-eyed man at
old man GreenIaw's little saloon on
the levce In Arkansas City Just at the
time when the minds Of all who we're
there we're fixed on him was oppor-
tune, though certainly unexpected.
With the solitary exception Of the
dove OF peace, aIl the regular fire.
qucnters Of the saloon we're there.
Mr. owen Pepper. who frcqucnted It
irregularly was there also.
The addition Of the one-cyed man
to the little circle made it a practical
certainly that stirring events would
cnsuc without any great delay And
under the circumstances it could hard
ly be questioned that the dove Of
peace had shown remarkable acumcn
in abscnting herself, as she had, before
One Eyes arrival.
For a single moment there was no
response to One Eyes question, pro-
pounded as he entered at the door In
fact a reply seemed supcrnuous.
Stunned by The Question.
| Is they anybody in these parts
wants to see me-" he asked and for
| that single moment the sublime au-
dacity OF the question stunned them
all.
Slight as the delay was, it suffced
TO give the one-cyed man an oppor-
tunlty to step up to the bar, and he
did So Leaning his elbow on it, he
said off-handedly Lets liquor" AS
he said it he lCercd extensively as II
to show his comprehension Of the hol-
low mockery Of his words
Never before in the history Of that
saloon had the two magic words failed
to be the prelude to a ceremonial OBJ
seTYance OF what at least pretended to
be social occasion. Never before
had the old man failed to prefer re-
frcshments when he heard them. And
never before had the others failed to
step forward at the invitation But
this time no.
Old Man Slows His Feelings.
There is hardly a doubt that Old
Man GrccnIaw thIrsted as grecdiIy as
did any Of the others for vengeance on
the mIscreant who had intrudcd thus
rashiy for the numerous outragcs he
had committed on the premises on
previous occasions All remembered
that the old man had so declared him
self and his sincerity was not 10 be
questioned, Indeed he had proved it
only a few minutes before by finance
ing n trip which Joe Bassett was just
about to take for the sole purpose OF
finding the one-Cyed man and doing
away with him. When the old man
put up money for anything he wanted
It,
The mind OF the man, however, is
complex. and in the case Of old man
Greenlaw it was also agile. On the
instant his desire lcapcd from one
contamination to another. and the
moral grandeur Of his rugged nature
was never more COncusively shown
than 1t was by The promptiudc with
which he settled in the present cmer-
gency and by the character Of his ut
teranCe when Bassctt sprang forward
with manslaughtCr In his mind hands
upliftcd
Placing one hand on the bar at the
same time that he grabbed his bung-
starter in the other he rose in the
air with surprising agility, and after
tracing a beautiful parabola with his
chunky frame landed with heavy
thud directly between Bassctt and the
object OF his onslaught. waving the
bungstarter in such a fashion az to
leave no doubt in the minds Of the
boholders that he was fully prepared
to use it in the case Of necessity. And
when he alighted he stood facing to-
ward Bassett
III they is massiCrce to be did
on the premises" he said peremptor
lily, I'm gwinc to be the one to begin
it, But first off theys got to be legal
p'ceedings. All things II be did decent
an in order, as the Good Book says, S
long s I'm runnin the place.
'Cordng to law, if a man calls TO-
a round O. drinks into a public house
the p'pictors 'blccdgod TO- to serve
'em, an this yer's a public house an
I'm the p'pietor They' lbc 70 bits
comm TO the round, an they amt
no sense in letting that much money
git away. Principles is got to be main
! tanned if the roof caves in
BaSSett IN treat Fury.
During this uucrance, which despite
the excitement Of the occasion was
delivered calmly and deliberately, Bas-
set was fit to be ticd He fairly bub-
bled at the mouth so great was his
fury Had it not been for the bung-
starter he would undoubtedly have
continued his advance toward the one
eyed man. But he would have been a
less formidable fighter than he was
had he been less wary, and he re-
spected the old man thus reused and
thus armed
1t seemed practically certain that
his desire for the extinction Of the
one-eyed man would very shortly be
gratified in any case, and though he
glrded heavily at the old mans diva
eating, he restrained himself rather
than urn the very apparent risk of be-
ing Drained with the bungstartor. 1t
took a great deal 10 bring Nj Bassett
to a pause when he entered on a quar-
rel, but this time he was certainly up
against a great obstacle Therefore he
paused, furious as he was.
Knew the Fetching Appeal.
The one-eyed man, observing this,
III bn,,I yEt