The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-03-22

and this joint, Lefever had told him
was where the freighters and drivers
were not infrequently robbed of their
money. 1t was here that one of their
own men, Bill McCarty, once
scratched a mans neck" with a
knife-which, Bill explained, he just
happened" to have in his hand-for
cheating at cards. Lefever pointed out
the unlucky gamblers grave as he and
De Spain rode into the canyon toward
I the inn.
Not sign of any sort was displayed
about the habitatiOn. No man was in
yited to enter, no man warned to keep
out, none was anywhere in sight. The
stage men dismounted, threw their
lines, pushed open the front door of
the house and entered a room of per-
haps sixteen by twenty feet. A long,
high bar stretched across the farther
| side of the room. The left end, as they
faced the bar, was brought around to
| escape small window opening on a
court or patio to the rear of the room.
Back of the bar itself, about midway,
a low door in the bare wall gave en-
trance to a rear room. Aside from
this the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows thanking 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
glance. "Quiet around here, john" he
remarked casually.
This is the quietest place in the
Rocky mountains most of the time. But
when it is noisy, believe me, it 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 it, glanced at the low win
dow on his left, opening on the gray
eled patio. He peered, In the semi
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
Henry" observed Lefever, eff you
are looking for a drink, it would only
be fair, as well as polite, to call the
Mexican"
De Spain, turning, looked all
around the room again. you wouldn't
think" he said slowly, from looking at
the place there was road-agent with
in thousand miles"
you wouldn't think, from riding
through the Superstition mountains
there was a lion within a thousand
miles. I've hunted them for eleven
years, and l never saw one except
when the dogs drove 'em out; but for
eleven years they saw me. If we
haven't been seen coming in here by
some of this Calabasas bunch, 1 miss
my guess" declared Lefever cheer
fully.
The batten door behind the bar now
began to open slowly and noiselessly.
Lefever peered through it. Come in,
Pedro" he cried reassuringly, "come
in, man. This is no officer. no revenue
agent looking for your license. Meet
a friend, Pedro" he continued encour-
agingly, as the swarthy publican, low
browed and sullen, emerged very de-
from the inner darkness into
the obscurity of the barroom, and bent
his one good eye searchingly on De
Spain. This" Lefever's left hand lay
Familiarity on the back of De Spain's |
shoulder, "is 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; at |
least if he did so, he extended, through |
habit long Injured, his left hand, with |
an excuse for the soreness of his right. |
Pedro did not even bat his remaining |
eye at the invitation. The situation, as
Lefever facetiously remarked re
NAMED about where it was before he |
spoke, when the sound Of galloping
horses came through the open door. A
moment later three men walked, sin
gle file, into the room. De Spain stood
ut the left end of the bar, and Lefever
introduced him to Gale Morgan, to
David SassoOn, and to SassoOn's crony,
Deaf SandusIiy, as the new stage-line
The later arrivals lined up
before the bar. Sandusky next to Lee
fever and De Spain, so he could hear
what was said. Pedro from his den
two queer-looking bottles and
/ supply of glasses.
"De SPAIN" Gale Morgan began
lluntly, zone of our men was put off a
stage Of yours last week by Frank Ell
1aso." He spoke without any pre-
iminary compliments, and his heavy
roice was bellicose.
De Spain, regarding him undis-
urbed, answered after a little pause
'EIpasO told me he put a man off his
.tage last week for fighting"
NO" contradicted Morgan loudly.
not for fighting. Elpaso was drunk"
"Whats the name of the man Ell
,aso put off, John? asked De Spain,
ooking at Lefever.
Morgan hooked his thumb toward
he man standing at his side. Here's y
he man right here, Dave Sassoon."
Sassoon never looked man in the