The Washington herald., 1921-03-13

rider half across his little garden.
"Get your hat. you old dried-up
alligator 1 shouts, you ain't dead
yet. You're part human, anyhow. IL
you did get all begged up in matri-
mony. Well take this town to
pieces and see what makes It tick.
Well make all kinds Of pronigate
demands upon the science of cork
pulling. You'll grow horns yet. old
muley cow says j, punching Perry
in the ribs. II you trot around on
the trail of vice with yodr Uncle
Buck
"I'Il have to be home by Z. YOU
know says Perry again.
"'Oh, yes says I, winking to my
self, for knew the Kind of
o'clocks Perry Rountree got back by
after he once got to passing rcpar-
tee with the bartenders.
We goes down TO the Gray NIUE
saloon-that nld 'dobe bull ling by
the depot.
"'GJve II n name. says I. AZ soon
as we got one hoof on the foot-rest.
)" 'Sarsaparillas says Perry.
'l on could have knocked me
down with q lemon peeling.
"'lrsult me as much as you want
to- ] says to Perry. but don't
startIe the bartender. He may have
heart disease. Come on. now: your
tongue got twisted. The tall
glasses I orders, and the bottle
in the left-hand corner Of the ice
chest
'Sarsaparilla.' repeats Perry. ana
then hisN eyes get animated. and /
see he's got some great scheme In
his mind he wants to emit.
Buck, he says, all interested,
TIL tell you what! I want to make
this a red-letter day. I've been
keeping close at home. and ] want to
turn myself a-loose. Well have the
highest old time you ever saw.
Well 60 in the back room here and
play checkers till half-past six
Il leaned against the bar, and
says to Gotch-eared Mike, who was
on watch:
For Gods sake don't mention
this. You know what Perry used
to be. He's had the fever. and the
doctor says we must humor him
"'Give US the checker-board ana
the men. Mike says Perry. Come
on. Buck. I'm tuts wild to have some
excitement
"T went in the back room with
Perry. Before We closed the door.
says to Mike:
Don't let It ever straggle out
from under your hat that you seen
Buck Caperton fraternal with sar-
| saparilla or persona grata with a
checker-board. or I'll make swal-
low-fork in your other ear
he nA
Perry played checkers. To see the
poor old humiliated piece of house,
| hold bric-a-brac sitting there and
staggering out loud whenever he
| jumped a man, and all obnoxious
with animation when he got into
my king row, would have made a
sheep-dog sick with modification.
Him that was once satisfied onsy
when he was pegging six boards At
keno or giving the faro dealers
nervous prostration-to see him
pushing them checkers about like
Sally Louisa at a school-children's s
party-why. I was all smothered up
| with modification.
And / sits there playing the black
men. all sweating for fear somebody
knew would find it out. And i
thinks to myself some about this
marrying business, and how II seems
to be the same kind of a game as
that Mrs. Delilah played. She gave
her old man a hair cut, and every
body knows what mans head
looks like after a woman cuts his
hair And then when the Pharisees
came around to guy him he was so
'shamed he went to work and kicked
the whole house down on top Of the
whole outfit. Them married men.
thinks l, lose all their spirit and
instinct for riot and foolishness.
They won't drink, they won't buck
the tiger. they won't even fight.
What do they want to go and stay
married for?' i asks myself.
But Perry seems to be having
hilarity in considerable quantities.
Buck. old hoss.' says he. isn't
this Just the hell-roaringest time
we ever had in our lives? ! don't
know when I've been stirred up so.
You see, I've been sticking pretty
close to home since / married, and
haven't been on a spree in a long
time
"-Spree- Yes, that's what he
called it. Playing checkers in the
back room of the Gray Mule! l sup
pose II ulO SttUn " MIN lieSiC
moral and nearer to a prolonged
debauch than standing over six to-
mato plants with a sprinkling pot.
Every little bit Perry looks at
his watch and says:
I "T got to be home, you know,
Buck. at seven
"'All right I'd say. 'Romp along
and move. This here excitement's
killing me. II l don't reform some.
and loosen up the strain of this
checkered dissipation I won't have
a nerve left
"It might have been half-past six
when connections began to go on
outside in the street. We heard a
yelling and a six-shootering. and a
lot of galloping and manoeuvers.
whats thatr wonders.
oh, some nonsense outside says
Perry. It's your move. We just got
time to play this game
I'll just take a peep through the
window says !, and see. You can't
expect a mere mortal to stand the
excitement of having a king jumped
and listen to an unidentified con-
flict going on at the same time.
THE Gray Mule saloon was one
of them old Spanish 'dobe buildings,
and the back room only had two lit
tie windows a foot wide. with iron
bars in 'em. ! looked out one, and
see the cause of the rucus.
There was the Trimble gang
ten of 'em-the worst OUTFIT of des-
perado and horse-thieves in Texas,
coming up the street shooting right
and left. They was coming right
straight for the Gray Mule. Then
-
but we heard 'em ride up to the
fropf door and than fhav S0Ck cd