Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-05-17

money. 1t was here that one Of their
own men. Bill McCarty, once
scratched a mans neck" with q
knife-which, Bill explained, he just
happened to have in his hand-for
cheating ut cards. Lefever pointed out
the unlucky gamblers grave us he and
DE spain rode into the canyon toward
the inn.
Not a sign Of any sort was DISPLAYED
ABOUT the habitation. No man was In.
vifed to enter, no nan warned to keen
out, none was anywhere In sight. The
stage men d~ismounted, threw their
lines, pushed open the front door of
the house and entered 4 room of per.
haps sixteen by twenty feet. A long,
high bar stretched across the farther
SIDE or the room. The left end, as they
raced the bar, was brought around to
escape a small window opening on a
court or patio to the rear Of the room,
Back of the bar itself, about midway,
il low door in the bare wall gave en-
trance 10 Il rear room. Aside from
THIS the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows fanking the front
door helped to light it, but not a mir
ror. picture, chair, table. bottle or
glass was to be seen. De Spain COW
cred every feature of the interior at a
glance. Quiet around here. john" he
remarked casually.
This is the qutetcst place in the
Rocky mountains most of the time. But
when it Is noisy. believe me, 1t is
noisy. Look at the bullet holes in the
walls"
THE old story" remarked, De Spain.
inspecting with mild-mannered interest
the punctured plastering, they always
shoot high"
He walked over to the left end of the
bar, noting the hard usage shown by
the ornate mahogany, and spreading
his hands wide open, palms down, on
the face of 1t. glanced at the low win
dow on his left, opening on the gray.
eied patio. He pecrcd. in the semi
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
Henry" observed Lefever, 'if you
are looking for Il drink, it would only
be fair. as well as polite, to call the
Mexican" a.
De Spain, turning, looked all
around the room again. "You wouldn't
think" he said slowly, from looking at
the place there was n r~oad.agent with
In a thousand miles"
You wouldn't think, from riding
through the Superstition mountains
there was Il lion within q thousand
miles. I've hunted them for eleven
years, and l never saw one except
when the dogs drove 'en out: but for
eleven years they saw me. If we
haven't been @ o coming In here by
some Of this Calabasas bunch, l miss
my guess" declared Lefeycr cheer
fully.
The batten door behind the bar now
began to open slowly and noiselessly.
Lefever peered through 1t. "Come In,
Pedro" he cried r%enssuringly, "come
In, man. This Is no officer, no revenue
agent looking for your license. Meet
n friend, Pedro" he continued encour-
agtngly, as the swarthy publican, low.
browed and sullen, emerged very de.
liberately from the inner darkness into
the %obscurity Of the barroom, and bent
his one good eye s%earchingly on De
Spain. "This," Lefever's left hand lay
Familiarity on the back Of De SPANS
shoulder. us our new manager, Mr..
Henry de Spain. Henry, shake hands
with Mexico"
This Invitation to shake hands
seemed an empty formality. De Spain
never shook hands with anybody; ut
least II he did so. he extended, through
habit long Injured, his left hand, with
IN excuse for the soreness Of his right,
Pedro did not V e bat his remaining
eye Mt the invitation. The situation, az
Lefever facetiously remarked, re.
NAMED about where 1t was before he
spoke, when the sound Of gallopins
horses came through the open door. A
moment later three men walked, sin.
gle 6le. into the room. De Spain stood
at the left end Of the bar, and Lcfever
introduced him to Gale Morgan, IA
David Sassoon, and to S%assoon's crony,
Deaf Snndusky, az the new stage.linp
manager. The later arrivals lined IN
before the bar, Sandusky next to lie.
fever and Dc Spain, so he could hear
what was said. Pedro from his den
produced two queer-looking bottles and
a supply Of glasscs.
"Dc SPAIN" Gale Morgan began
bluntly, zone Of our men was nut OF q
stage Of yours Inst week by Frank ri.
paso." lie spoke without any pre-.
iimlnary compliments. and Ills heavy
voice was bellicose.
De Spain, regarding him undis.
turbcd, answered after a little pause
"Elpaso told me he put a man Off hIs
stage last week for fghting."
"No," contradlctcd Morgan loudly,
mot for fighting. Elpaso was drunk
"What's the name Of the mar ri.
paso put Of, JohnT" asked De Spajn.
looking at I.efever.
Morgan hooked his thumb toward
TIE man standing at his side. Here's
the man right here, Dave Sassoon."
Gannoon. nayar looked man In iha