Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-04-05

about the habitatiOn. No man was IN
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 a 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 q rear room. Aside from
this the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows f1anking 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 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 grav-
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
Henry" observed Lefever, eff you
! are looking for d drink, it would only
be fair, as we'll 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 a Thousand 12f!ez''
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 | 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, I miss
my guess" declared Lefever cheer
| fully.
The batten door behind the bar now
| began to open slowly and noiseiessly.
! Lefever peered through it. "CCme 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 public2n. low
| browed and sullen, emerged very de
| liberately from the inner darkness into
! the obscurity Of the barrOom, and bent
his one good eye searchingly on De
! Spain. This" Lefevers left hand lay
| Familiarity on the back of De Spain'S
! shoulder, sis our new manager, Mr..
Henry de Spain. Henry, shake hands
with Mexico"
! L
seemed an empty formaIity. 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
| at the left end Of the bar, and Lefever
introduced him to Gale Morgan, to
! David Sassoon, and to SassOon's crOny,
Deaf SapduskE-. aS the new stage-line
| manager. Inc later arrivals nned up
before the bar, Sandusky next to Lee
fever and De Spain, so he could hear
what was said. Pedro from his den
produced two queer-looking bottles and
a supply Of glasses.
"De Spain" Gale Morgan began
bluntly, zone of our men was put off &
! stage of yours last week by Frank Ell
paso." He spoke without any pre-
Iiminary compliments, and his heavy
voice was bellicose.
De Spain, regarding him undis-
turbed. answered after a little pause
"Elpaso told me he put man off his
stage last weeiz for fighting"
"No," contradicted Morgan loudly
mot for fighting. Elpaso was drunk"
whats the name of the man Ell
paso put off, John?" asked De Spain
looking at Lefever.
/ Morgan hooked his thumb toward
the man standing at his side. Here's
the man right here, Dave Sassoon."
Sassoon never looked a man in the
face when the man looked at him, eX
cept by implication; it was almost i'm
possible, without surprising him, II
catch his eyes with your eyes. HI
seemed. now to regard De Spain keen