Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-02-22

hapS sixteen by twenty rect. n long,
high bar stretched across the farther
side of the room. The left end, as they
faced the bar, was brought around to
escape a small window opening on Il
court or patio to the rear of the room.
Back of the bar itself, about midway,
low door in the bare wall gave en-
trance to rear room. Aside from
this the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows flanking the front |
door helped to light it, but not 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 1t 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 1t, glanced at the low win
dow on his left, opening on the grav-
eled patio. He peered, in the semi
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
Henry" observed Lefever, 'if 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 q road.agent with
in a thousand miles"
"You wouldn't think, from riding
through the Superstition mountains
there was lion within q thousand
miles. I've hunted them for eleven
years, and / 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, miss
my guess" declared Lefever cheer
fully.
! The batten door behind the bar now
: began to open slowly and nOiselessly.
Leftover peered through it. "COme in,
: Pedro" he cried reassuringly, "come
in, man. This is no officer, no revenue
, agent looking for your license. Meet
friend, Pedro" he continued encour-
agingy, as the swarthy publican, low
: proved and sullen, emerged very de-
liberately from the inner darkness into
: the obscurity of the barroom, and bent
7 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 ar empty formality. De Spain
never shook hands with anybody; at
= least If he did so, he extended, through
1 habit long Injured, his left hand, with
4 an excuse for the soreness of his right.
: Pedro did not even pat his remaining
:, eye at the invitation. The situation, as
e Lefever facetiOusly remarked, re-
= manned about where 1t was before he
f spoke, when the sound of galloping
: horses came through the open door. A
6 moment later three men walked, sin.
t gle file, into the room. De Spain stood
# at the left end of the bar, and LefeveI
a introduced him to Gale Morgan, t.
David SassOOn, and to Sassoon's crOny
e Deaf Sandusky, as the new stage-llnC
e manager. The later arrivals lined VI
le before the bar, Sandusky next to LIE
lie fever and De Spain, so he could heal
lie what was said. Pedro from his del
lg produced two Queer-loolling bottles anC
De supply of glasses.
lg "De SPAIN" Gale Morgan began
e. bluntly, tone of our men was put off
S, stage of yours last week by Frank Ei
n, paso." He spoke without any pre-
RS liminary compliments, and his heav,
ir voice was bellicose.
ir De Spain, regarding him undis
&c turbed, answered after a little pause
n ''Elpaso told me he put a man off hi
st stage last week for fighting"
or mo-" contradicted Morgan loudly
ut mot for fighting. Elpaso was drunk"
nd whats the name of the mar r.
rd paso put off, John?" asked De SpaiI
looking ut Lefever.
ed Morgan hooked his thumb town
In the man standing at his side. "Here
ep the man right here, Dave Sassoon."
ne SassOOn never looked q man in til
cir face when the man looked at him, e,
of cept by implication; 1t was almost In
ar DOSSiblp NithOut Surnrfcin0 hin, 4