Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-23
A SLIGHT
MISTAKE
An Episode of Shakedown
City
By F. A. mitchell

The wild and woolly west is now a
thing Of the past. If gun play, public
gambling and horse stealing are in
vogue in any part of the United States
we hear nothing of them. But the
probability is that these things have
died out before the advance of ctviliza-
ton and the consequent setting up of
the church and the schoolhouse.
Before the dawn of this new condi-
ton, when oil sorts of persons~good,
bad and indifferent-were crowding
into q country not yet abandoned by
the Indian, when every man was ex-
pected to look out for his own inter
ests, 1t is remarkable, In some In
stances laughable, what small things
men would fight about.
In a settlement west of the Missouri
river some forty years ago, where
there was but one woman to a dozen
men among the inhabitants, Cyrus At
kins was out beyond the borders of
the town looking for stray cattle when
up the road came a woman driving a
%rattletrap buggy. Whether she was
fair to look upon is not a matter of
certainty, for any woman not a fright
was beautiful in the eyes of men who
were constantly looking ON their own
sex only. Certain it is that this person
driving toward the settlement was
beautiful in Cyrus Atkins eyes,.
How do, ma'am," he said, putting
his hand to his sombrero.
"How do" was the laconic reply.
"Air you from the settlenentY'
Eyes, ma'am."
amy chance for anybody to make a
Twin there?'
Reckon, but a good lookin' woman
like you don't need to make a Twin.
All she has to do is to pick out a hus-
band ard let him do 1t for her."
suppose the husband can't make a
Twin for himself?"
"TheD, 1 reckon, the wife 'ud have
to do it for both"
"Jist 30"
The woman, who had an independent
air about her, whipped up her horse
and left Mr.. Atkins standing beside
the road gaping after her. He was
the settlement, which was called
Shakedown City-all settlements ap-
pended the word city" to their name
in that country at that time-she
would be surrounded by half the men
with offers of marriage. He hesltated
uhofha. +o 90 on coo robino 1or HIS cot
tie or go back at once and put In his
application. At that moment he spied
one of his lost animals In the distance.
This decided him, and he concluded to
lose an hour or so in putting in his ap-
plication for the sake of getting his
cattle.
When the woman reached the Dor
ders Of Shakedown City she encounter
ed Enocb Dolittle.
"Ary tavern In the town. she asked
him.
Eyes, ma'am," was the reply.
"'Tain't much of a place for a good
lookin' woman like you to stop at, see
In there's nothin' but men around"
"Well / reckon l got to stop there,
seem 1 don't know nobody In the
town"
There's a few married women In
Shakedown. 1 know one of EN- that
I reckon'H take you ill.,"
where does she liver"
"I1l show you"
Mr.. Dolittle walked along beside the
buggy to a house where a frowsy wom-
al was washing dishes, and the stran-
ger said she would like accommoda-
lions. Since the reply was favorable,
the applicant decided to put up there.
She said her stay would be short; but,
although she was asked the cause Of
her coming and other questions, she
proved close mouthed and gave no sat
~isfactory answers. An hour later Mr..
Dolittle was walking down a road
leading to some property he had pre-
empted when he met Cyrus Atkins
driving his cattle home.
"Seen anything" asked Cyrus, "of a
good lookin' woman drivin' intA town
in a buggyf"
Eyes"
where uIu she put
"She was goin' to put up at the tav-
ern, but 1 tux her to Mrs. Green's"
what had you to do with where
she put up?"
"What's that to your
"a good deal. I'm the first man to
see her comm into town, and If she's
goin' to settle yere I've got the fust
claim on her"
"You don't reckon she'd have SIGH a
red headed. slab sided Teller as you,
do your
II don't propose to give way to a
freckled, b~owlegged chap like you"
Both men put their hands to their
hips, but at the moment Antonio Thib-
adeaux, who had come from Louisiana,
passed by and inquired the cause Of
the dispute. When duly Informed that
a new and comedy woman had come
to town and each of the men proposed
- oIol-a hor a.. ~, .-so r~ IN, 4Ia71a.,