Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-05
My Clerk
BY JAMES BRAINARD

honest and them as is at open war
With the rest o. the world. It's the mid
die classes hat beats you. There was
one on 'em-tne outlaws, l m~ean-that
j didn't want around, for he'd carried
things too far and there was a price set
on his head. That was Dandy Jim.
Dandy Jim's bead was worth $1,000 to
any man that could git the drop on
him.
One day a young woman came to my
place and wanted to work in my store.
1 tole her l didn't want a woman, but
she said she'd work for her board, and
after talkin' to my wife about 1t l en-
gagged her. She could do most any,
thing, but she was handiest about
keepin' my accounts. She must "a
been a schoolmarm, for one day she
took account o. stock and figured up
and told me 'xactly what / was wo'th.
/ never had bothered to take count
o. stock; seemed sort o. useless-like.
Wife and | had allus been pretty fru-
gal, and | calculated In the rough that
i had somepin over $1,000. felt
kinder troubled when she said l was
wo'th just a leetle over $1,000.
IF | could git Dandy JIM" l said to
her, land turn him in dead or alive I'd
be wo'th $1,000"
"But they say Dandy Jim's a hard
mar to take" she said.
maybe he'll come around here some
day and III try it."
"How would you manage itT
ere I~noxrnd ho ruoc ouoonnins III
post some un outside to cover him.
Then If he got the drop on me I'd sig
nal the outsider to shoot him."
What kind of a signal would you
give? He'd shoot you before you could
make any signs"
well. he'd likely tell me to throw up
my hands, and hat would be as good
a signal as any,"
you're purity smart" she said. II
didn't give you credit for so much
sense"
One day the gal tole me that the
stock was a-gittin' low and If she al
me she'd sell the balance and go and
lay In a complete new outfit. She vas
sich a good business that ]
did whatever she said, and / got up a
"sale' and cleaned out everything. 1t
fetched just 81 200 in money, and with
this | concluded to put in the new out
fit. The day before l went away / rode
put to collect a debt of $50. | had a
safe in which | KEEP the $1,000 on
hand and didn't worry about 1t. for
none O the outlaws could open it, and 1t
was too heavy for EN- to carry away.
The gal tole me l might as well leave
her the combination in case any n
wanted any bills paid, but | was too
sharp for that. Not that / doubted her
honesty, but that some O. the outlaws
might come along and force her to
open 1t.
Well, l got my $50, and when ! was
a-ridin' up to the store | see the gal
a-comin' excited-like to meet me.
ssWhat's up?" says T..
DANDY Jim's there waitin' for YOU
"Humph," says l. WHATS he goin
to do with me? Kill me?"
'Oh, no.; he won't kill you. II you
was dead who'd open the safer"
81 see"
"You might do what you said o
would If he came"
what was that?'
"Have some one cover him when you
go In and when he tells yon 70 ta.aN
up your hands shoot him."
"There isn't q man about the il2ec
Reckon I'll do. I'm as good Il shot
as any man.
We'll, l posted her at a winder with a
rifle right where she could see the man;
then l walked into the house and the
room where Dandy Jim was a-settin'
"Howdy, Jim" I says "Howdy." says
he. "Jim," says I, there's $1,000 Of
fered for you. Reckon / might as well
have 1t as any one." How you goin'
to git it," he swell there's
two ways. One is dead, and the others
alive-whichever you prefer" 81 pre-
fer dead" says he, land, considerin'
I've got my hand on my gun, | thinks
it's you that's dead. I'll trouble you to
throw up your hands" IF l does
that" l says, "the drops on you, seem
j got a pal posted outside the winder
to shoot you as soon as l raise an arm.
1t is a signal" you're mighty smart"
he says. ITS only takin' time by the
forelock,'' says l. "Who have you got
outsider" One o. the best shots In
Arizona, though nothin' but a woman"
'Yes, and mighty smart II she is a wo-
man" Elbow do you know that?' BE
cause she's my wife. | sent her here TO
git you to urn your stock into cash;
then she sent for me to take it In rs
that the gamer" ] asked, a cold chill
runnin' down my spine. you can find
out" he says, ''if you'll throw up your
hands, "T1I do it," says I, land If
you're lynn you'll pay for the decep-s
tion with your life
With that l throwed up both hands.
and the gal instead o. shootin' comes to
the winder GRIMM and asks me if that
was the signal and whether we hadn't