Year: 1879



 the pile either. 1 reckon the old man

 was purty well fixed, an when he

 died he intended to give all his

 wealth to this kid an his brother.

 Prod give the old man little game

 O talk one day, and injuced him to

 whack up in advance O the death

 racket. He'd no sooner got his divy

 in his fist than he shook the old man

 an struck out to take in some O the

 other camps. He he'd a way-up time

 fur while, an slung his cash to the

 front like he owned the best payin' lead on airth but hard luck hit him

 lick at last an left him fiat. The

 book don't state what he went broke on, but reckon he got stcered up agin some brace game. But anyhow. he got left without chip, or 6 four bit piece to go an eat on. An old

 granger then tuk him home an set him to herdin' hogs. an here he got so hard up an hungry that he piped off the swine while they were feedin' an he stood in with lem on a husk lunch. He soon weakened on such plain provender an says he to him. self, says he: Even the old mans hired hands are livin' on square grub while I'm worrying along here on corn husks straight. I'll just take a grand tumble to myself an chop on thls racket to once. I'll skip back to the governor and try to fix things up, and call fur new deal SO of he started

 'The old man seed the kid a com ing and what do ye reckon he done. Did he pull his gun and lay for him. intending to wipe him as soon as he got into range? Did he call the dogs to chase him off the ranch? Did he rustic around for a club and give him a standoff at the front gateG Eh, Not to any alarming extent he didn't. No, sir. The Scripture book says he waltzed out to meet him, and froze to him on the spot, and kissed him, and then marched him of to cloth ing store and fitted him out in the nobbiest rig to be had fur coin. Then the old gent invited all the neighbors and killed fat calf, and give the biggest blowout the camp had ever seed.n

 At the conclusion of the narrative the speaker paused, evidently fram- ing in his mind proper application of the story. Before he could resume 8 tall, blear-eyed gambler, with 8 fierce moustache, arose and said,

 "Taint me as would try ter break up meeting, or do anything disre- igious. No, sir, am not that sort 0f citizen. But in all public hoe loos it is a parliamentary rule for as wants to ax questions to U rise up and fire them off I do lot want ter fool away time ques- ioning the workings of religion; oh, lo- As long as it is kept in proper pounds, and does not interfere with he boys at their games, do not see IS it can do harm. I just want to ax he honorable speaker if he has not tive himself dead away? Does it tand ter reason that a bloke would eed upon corn husks when there vas hash factories in the campp Would anybody hev refused him the rice of a square meal if he had truck them fur it? Would any of he dealers that beat him out of his oin see him starve? As I remarked fore, I do not want ter make any isrespectable breaks, but must say hat have got it put up that the peaker has been trying ter feed us T cussed thin taffy, and no one but silly would take it in"

 Bill glared upon the speaker and lirly hissed-

 DO you mean to say that 1 am 8 ar?''

 ''Wal, you can take it just as you loose. Some folks would swalleE in that shape"

 Bill pulled his revolver, and in an stant the bright barrels of nnmer- IS weapons flashed in the air as the tends of each party prepared for tive duty. The brevet preacher as the first to fire, and the rash 'ubter of spiritual truths fell dead the ground. Shot followed shot quick succession and when quiet IS again restored a score or more dead and wo Inded men were car d from the tent. Having secured ention Bill said: Further proceedings are adjourned the day. You will receive the xology."

 The audience arose.

 May grace, mercy and peace be tn you. now and forever, Amens [ l want it distinctly understood It am going ter maintain a prop. respect for the Gospel if have ter 'ak every dirty son-of-a.gnn of g ner in the mines. Meetin' is out.'' The crowd filed from the tent as ply as if nothing extraordinary had ,nrred, and as 1 gained the side k heard a man remark: