Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-02-04
THE VANISHING
COWBOY
BY R. W. HoFFLUND



ter where these card-sharps and ma
gicianS was goin' through their
tricks; but when il comes 10 maxim
your eyes bulge, / never yet see a
man that could touch young teller
that struck the Alta Vista six years
ago this summer.
Charley Bangs, foreman of the big
| Alta Vista range, was man whose
twenty years of life as a cow-punch-
er had led him into many a strange
experience.
HE was sure a wonder" Charley
went on. He was straight from the
Bowery, and tougher than any bad
cowman west of the Rockies. Gully.
we called him. Well, he'd been thar
about a week when the boys learned
that he was amazin quick. with his
fingers He was always dom little
| tricks
THE boys got to be so interested
in his antics that they'd stay home
from the saloon ON Sundays to watch
him do card tricks.
| We'll, when Christmas cone on,
the Colonel was kind O worried fer
fear the boys would 60 up TO town an
get so full o tanglefoot thar they'd
forget to come back, That happens
regular every year. SO the Colonel
he calls me into his Office one mornin'
an says:
Charley. I've been fggerin on
how to avoid the annual celebration this
year. and it seems TO me that you
ought to be able to rig UP little
home-talent show. Do you think you
can do it?'
"Of course | thinks of Curly first
off. him bein' our leadin' light. as the
papers say.
AZ tell you what, Colonel. | says
you know that New York boy that's
wOrkin in the stables? Well, he's been
a amachoor Professional actor an
bet he could rig up a speciality enter
tainment that would beat the min
strels seen in Ghe big opery-housf
last year up ~ denver.
I'm make him stage-foreman an
general manager. an let him boss the
whole show
"Just then Curly hove in sight in
the garden out behird the house.
opened the door an give him shout
an when he cnr,e into the Office
| told him the game we was fggerinl
| on. He endorses il hearty.
Sure, Mike, he says The
Colonel's safe was open. and inside
was a big roll o. bills an pile o.
double-eagles all stacked up neat and
ready fer payday.
"1ll woik up show dat1l make
| Weber an Fields look like clloich
sociable,' says he.
$50 Curly and me get to work an
rugged up a stage in one end of the
| big room upstairs in the hay-bhrn.
christmas Eve every man on the
ranch was thar, even the colonel an
/ Hop Lung; an thar was several in
vited guests from round about the
country
AN l tell you the show was
good one.
Jake. he played till his breath give
out. an English sang like thousand
| dollar tenor.
"Then Curly come on fer the wind
UP, an everybody sat up an got ready
fer a spell o. hair-raisiE' wonder.
"First off he went through lot O.
tricks with cards an coins Then he
comes up to the front o tle stage an
made a little speech about how he
was goin' TO show us a trick that he'd
learned straight from a Hindoo ma
gician that was the special performer
to the Emperor of India. and that he'd
paid big money TO learn.
HE said thar want nobody in this
country that knew how the trick was
worked but him.
Its called mental telgraphy, "
says Curly, AN by the POKER of a
secret charm which this Hhdoo Gull
give me / will woik a mirpcle. To
show how de mind kin opeFate from
a distance, ! will take dis little iron
box which locks wit dis key. I al
now ask one O youse gents TO take
de box an lock it,
HE give me the box with looked
like a toy bank, an I locked T. He
told me to try to open it again with
out unlockin It, l tried <. an the
door wouldn't bulge it was fastened
as tight as drum.
"He says a lot o queer words an
tells me to try again. This time the
door opened, an the lock was turned
back.
Then Curly sets down-the box an
tells us this was only trial trip, 10
see how the charm was wOrkin.'
Colonel, he asks, does any guy
but youse know de combination OF
yer safe wot's in de officer
THE Colonel looks kind O startled.
Z hope not he says; no one ! know
Of
"well. den. says Curly, I viii ask
youse to write de combination on dis
slip O. poipe an seal ii up in dis
envilup. No one win see 1t er read it,.
81 viii den put de envilup agin ne