The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1916-04-21
A SLIGHT
MISTAKE
Aa Episode of ShakedOwn
City
By F. A. Mitchell

TIE wild and woOlly west Is now a
taEog OF the past. If gun play, public
gambling and horse stealing are In
Uxsag In any part OF the United States
rt hear Nothing of them. But the
scahabiity is that these things have
ISsf sut before the advance of civiliza-
,sQ9 and the consequent setting up of
i&,s church and the schoolhouse.
sesere the dawn of this new condi-
z3hA- When all sorts of persons-good.
asI and indiiferent-were crowding
SsaO q country not yet abandoned by
-aD indian. when every man was eX-
'Fseted to look out for his own inter
Essis, it is remarkable, in some in
ssaEees laughable, what small things
E9a you'd fight about.
ES q settlement west of the Missouri
gsSsv some forty years ago. where
rzrre was but one woman to n dozen
xsn among the inhabitants, Cyrus At
Res was out beyond the borders of
sE9 t0wn looking for stray cattle when
Tys the road came woman driving
lzlstlstrap buggy. Whether she was
GEr to look upon is not matter of
certainty, for any woman not a fright
Ez3 beautiful in the eyes Of men who
ESss constantly looking on their own
agS euly. Certain 1t is that this person
giving toward the settlement was
Hs.ggtifut in Cyrus Atkins eyes.
~HsrY do, ma'am," he said, putting
Ms hand to his sombrero,
-Elow do" was the laconic reply.
"2is you from the settlement"
~Yes, ma'am."
Amy chance for anybody to make
3yfR there?'
Reckon, but a good lookin' woman
&g you don't need to make a livin'.
Ri she has to do is to pick out hus-
aud and let him do it for her."
Suppose the husband can't make
zTiu' Tor himselfT"
Then, l reckon, the wife 'ud have
H. DO Il for both"
fist so.''
The woman, who had an independent
air about her, whipped up her horse
sud left Mr.. Atkins standing beside
ssr road gaping after her. He was
1asaSing that as soon as she got into
Sis settlement, which was called
Ys1akedown City-all settlements ap-
yraded the word city" to their name
IN that country ut that time-she
srS,d be surrounded by half the men
wicn offers Of marriage. He hesitated
sesgther to 50 on searching for his cat
akr or 60 back at once and put In his
zgstiication. At that moment he spied
sre OF his lost animals in the distance.
1itss decided him. and he concluded to
Rxse an hour or so in putting in his ap-
rftcstion for the. sake of getting his
ewgtte.
When the woman reached the Dor
Sery Of Shakedown City she encounter
rS Enoch Dolittle.
larry tavern in the town." she asked
MIL.
'-fes. ma'am." was the reply.
rTsfn't much of place for a good
JeS&in' woman like you to stop at. See
lot there's nothin' but men around"
well, l reckon I got to stop there,
yeein' l. don't know nobody in the
sswu''
ghefe's a few married women In
Breakdown. know one Of 'em that
J eckon'll take you in"
where does she live?"
'17i show you"
Me-. Delittle walked along beside the
aNsr-y 70 a house where frowsy wom-
IN was washing dishes, and the stran-
gfr said she would like accommoda-
EpxS. Since the reply was favorable,
f&s applicant decided to put up there.
sas. said her stay would be short; but,
Sasfough she was asked the cause Of
iser coming and other questions, she
ssgedfclose mouthed and gave no sat
iSTEc Tory answers. An hour later Mr..
NSsistle was walking down a road
sHe1Rg TO some property he had pre-
,zfqted when he met Cyrus Atkins
sS.fgIug his cattle home.
Seen anything" asked Cyrus, "of a
ssea l0okin' woman drivin' into town
81 y buggy"
Yes"
where did she put up?"
She was goin' to put up at the tav-
ssry, but I TUX hcr 70 Mrs. Green's"
what had you to do with where
Ssr put upT
whats that to your
az good deal. I'm the first man to
gp her comm into town, and IL she's
rDEuy to settle yere I've got the fust
siziM on her."
~Fou don't reckon she'd have SIGH a
ns& headed. slab sided Teller as you,
SS your"
Il don't propose to give way to a
suzsfed, bowlegged' chap like you"
1soah men put their hands to their
asaI but at the moment Antonio Thib-
xEsaux, who had come from Louisiana,
ssascd by and inquired the cause OF
ths dispute. When duly Informed that
zsw and comely woman had come
ncewn and each Of the men proposed
nv cluim her in marriage, Thibadeaux
nfH 10 them:
-Yhis town ought to be above gun.
Hsxy in the STREETS by this time. Yo
xegsNe'n men are mighty unciviliZed I'm