第5章

\"\'Thisyeremeetin\'，\'saysEnright，meanwhilebeatin\'withthebuttofhissix-shooteronthepoker-table，\'issomesuddenan\' permiscus；buttheobjectsiseasyan\'plain。We-allsconvenesourse\'fstoconsiderthephysicalconditionofthispartyfromYallerhouse，whichreportsaysislocoedan\'can\'ttalknoneforhimself。Tomakethisinquiryasuccess，we-allsoughterseethisYallerhousegent；an\'astharisfewerofhimthanofus，Iapp\'intsJackMoore，DanBoggs，an\'ShortCreekDave，acommittee，ofthree，tobringhimbeforeusinabody。Pendin\'thereturnofthecommitteethemeetin\'willtakeadrinkwiththechair。\' \"Inaboutnotimebackcomestheoutfit，packin\'theYallerhousemanalleasyenoughinablanket，an\'spreadshimoutonthefloor。Helookssorterred\'roundinspots，likesomethin\'sbeenstingin\'ofhim，butit\'sevident，asBoggssays，he\'slocoed。Helaysthar，rollin\'hiseyesan\'carryin\'ontohimse\'f，buthedon\'taddressthechairoroffertotakenopartinthemeetin\'。Enrightquaffshisdrinkallslowan\'dignified，an\'gazesattheYallerhousemanonthefloor。 \"\'Well，gents，\'saysEnrightatlast，settin\'downhisglass，an\' givin\'thepoker-tablealittletapwithhisgun，\'yere\'stheparty，an\'thequestionisnow:\"What\'shegot？\"DoIhearanyremarks？\' \"\'Bein\'inthelines，MisterPres\'dent，\'saysBoggs，\'ofpreviousassertion，an\'forthepurposeofbringin\'thequestionsquar\' beforethishouse，InowmovesyouthisyereYallerhousepartyhasthesmallpox。Iain\'taimin\'hereinatplayin\'itlowonTutt，an\' su\'geststhatthechair，inputtin\'thequestion，alsoinformsthemeetin\'astothemwagers；whichthemoneytharofisnowinthewar- bagsofthebarkeep。Ibelievesingivin\'everygentallnecessarylightwhereintomakeuphismind；an\'，asIsays，toopenthegamealllogical，Iag\'inmovesthisYallerhousemanhasthesmallpox。\' \"\'Yotambien，\'yellsaMexicanovernearthedoor。 \"\'PutthatGreaserout!\'shoutsEnright，atthesametimebangin\' thetable。\'Thisain\'tnointernationalincidentatall，an\'nothin\' buttheclean-strainAmericanwolfiseligibletohowl。\' \"TheGreasergoesoutonhissaddle-coloredhead，an\'EnrightputsBoggs\'smotion。 \"\'Everygent，\'saysEnright，\'infavorofthisYallerhousemanhavin\'thesmallpox，say\"Aye\"；contrary\"No。\"\' \"Everybodyshouts\'Aye!\' \"\'Whichthe\"Ayes\"hasitunanimous，\'saysEnright。\'TheYallerhousepartyhasthesmallpox，an\'thenextchickenontheparliamentaryroostisthequestion:\"Whateveristobedonetomakethisyeremaladyasuccess？\"Istharanysu\'gestions？\' \"\'MisterPres\'dent，\'saysTexasThompson，risin\'inhisplace，\'I\'vedonetooknohandintheseproceedin\'ssofar，throughignoranceofthepurposesofthisyereconvocation。Saidpurposesbein\'nowforthefirsttimelinedoutallrightinmymind，an\'thequestionbein\'，\"What\'stobedonewithourcaptive？\"Iasksyourindulgence。 Myfirstideeisthatourdootyan\'ourpathisplain；thesamebein\'simplytotakealariatan\'hangthisYallerhousepersontothedance-hallwindmill；butthiscourse，onsecondthought，seemsprematooran\'theoffspringsofnacheralimpulse。Still，somethin\' mustbedone；an\'whilemymindisbynomeanscl\'ar，Isu\'gestsweturnthegentovertoJackMoore，whichisthemarshalhereof，torideherdonhimtillfurtherorders；an\'Imakesamotiontothateffect。\' \"\'Secondsthemotion!\'saysShortCreekDave。 \"\'Youdon\'thavetoputthatmotion，MisterPres\'dent，\'saysJack； \'I\'vebeencirelin\'theideesomemyse\'f，an\'Ireckonsit\'smydootytotakechargeofthisYallerhousegent。Youcanbetanythin\' whichgetssawedontomeasmydootygoes，an\'don\'tmakenodoubtaboutit。Yere\'showItrailsoutonthis:Ifitain\'tmydootytotakecareofthisperson，whosedootyisit？\'Tain\'tnobody\'s。 TharforeIplaysthehand。\' \"\'Whichthesamebein\'eminentsatisfactory，\'saysDaveTutt，risin\'，asifhethinksofsomethin\'speshul，\'InowinquireswhetherthisyereishelddecisiveofthembetsImakeswithBoggs。 Iholdin\'，meanwhile，contraryviewsemphatic。\' \"\'Thisbein\'aquestionofpriv\'lege，\'saysEnright，\'thechairwillanswerit。Theseproceedin\'sdecidesyourbetswithBoggs，an\'thebarkeeppaysBoggsthedinero。Thisisagov\'mentofthepeople，forthepeople，bythepeople，an\'foundedonavoxpopulibluff。Thevoiceofthemajoritygoes。YoutharforeloseyourbetstoBoggs； drinksonBoggs，ofcourse。Tharisanothermatter，\'continuesEnright，\'abetweoverlooks。Takin\'careofthisYallerhousegentwillcostastackortwo，an\'meansmustbeprovided。Itharforemakesasanorderthatyereafterthar\'stobearakeontens-uporbetter，showed，tomakeafundtobackthisplay；saidraketogoontilMisterMoorereportssaidYallerhousegentassafeorceasedtobe。\' \"JacktakesthisYallerhousepartyovertothecalaboosean\'layshimawayonsomeblankets。Thecalabooseisdry，an\'whatyou-allsmightcall，commodious。It\'saslam-upcamp；yesindeed!NeverhasbutSteveStevensoninit。PutsSteveinonenightwhenhe\'sdead- drunk。Thecalabooseisnewthen，an\'we-allsisthatproudan\' anxioustotryitan\'putittosomeuse，wecouldn\'tresist，soinStevegoes。 \"AboutfourhourslaterStevecomesbackuptotheRedLight，hotter\'naburntboot。Seemslikehecomesto，an\'isthatoutragedan\'indignantaboutbein\'corralledthata-way，hebuststhecorneroutenthecalaboosean\'issuesforthawholelottofindwhodoesit。 \"WhenhecomesintotheRedLighthereviveshimse\'fwithadrink，an\'theninquireswhetherit\'shumorous，ordowemeanit？Seein\' howspeshullowStevetakesit，we-allsallowsit\'sajoke；an\' Steve，whileheevidentfeelssomefretted，concloodstoletitgoatthat。 \"ButonaccountoftheholethroughwhichSteveemerges，an\'whichhemakesliberalan\'big，thecalabooseisamightycommodiousplace。SoJackbedsdowntheYallerhousemanallrightan\'startsintobringin\'himthrough。Therestofusdon\'tcrowd\'roundnonetowatchtheplay，don\'thoveroveritthata-way，\'causeweain\'taimin\'toacquirenothin\'ourse\'fs。 \"Jackhasaheapoftroublean\'worry。Neverseesnosmallpoxdoyou？Folkslocoedmostusual，——cleanoffupintheairan\'pitchin\' ontheirropes。OfcoursetheYallerhousegenthasallheneeds。 Thatrakeontens-upthemdayswouldhavetookcareofafam\'ly。ButhekeepsJackherdin\'himallthetime。Otherwise，notbein\' watched，an\'crazythata-way，he\'sliabletocomestampedin\'overtotheRedLight，orsome\'erselse，anytime，an\'skeerusupsome。 \"\'He\'saworld-beater，\'saysJackoneday，whenhecomesoverforadrink。\'He\'sshorelyfourkingsan\'anace。Youcan\'tridehimwithbuckin\'-strapsan\'aSpanishbit。It\'sgotsonow——hisdiseasebein\' atacrisislike——thatIsimplyhastobewiththisYallerhousepartydayan\'night。He\'dshorelylaywastethiscampifIdidn\'t。\' \"AtlasttheYallerhousepartyan\'Jacksomehowbeatsthesmallpox，butYallerhousecomesoutshyaneye。ThesmallpoxgougesitoutoneofthemtimeswhenJackain\'tlookin\'outhisgamesharp。It\'shispistoleye，too；whichmakeshimfeelthelossmorekeen，an\' createsgeneralsympathy。TheYallerhousemangetssomemoroseoverit，whichain\'t，afterall，onnacheral。Agentain\'tgotsomanyeyeshecanaffordtogoshortoneoneverylittlegameheplays。SohefindsfaultwithJackalot，an\'allowsifhehashimbackintheStateshe\'dsuehimforneglectofdooty。 \"\'Which，Ishorelylikesthat!\'saysJacktotheYallerhouseparty，gettin\'peevishoverhisfault-findin\'。\'Don\'tyouknowit\'smerelyowin\'tothemercyofhellan\'mywatchfulcare，you-allain\'tbustin\'yourharp-stringsan\'raisin\'allrounddiscordamongtheheavenlyhostsonhighrightnow，insteadofbein\'safean\'wellyereinWolfville？Youdon\'tactlikeagentwhosaveyswhenhemakesawinnin\'。S\'poseyoubeaneyeout；you\'restilllookin\'atthingsterrestrialwiththeother。Youtalksofgrossneglectofdooty!Nowletmeinformyouofsomethin\':Youcomepesterin\'\'roundmesomemorean\'I\'llbendagunoveryourhead。\' \"\'Whichifitain\'tmysix-shootereyewhich\'sout，\'saystheYallerhouseparty，mightyugly，\'doyouknowwhatI\'ddo？Well，thisyerewouldbethebasisofafirst-classgun-play。Youcangambletharwouldn\'tbenojim-crowmarshalgopirootin\'\'round，losin\'noeyeofminean\'gettin\'awaywithit，an\'thentalkofbendin\'gunsonme；nonewhatever。\' \"ButitallpreysonJack。An\'a-seein\'ofthisYallerhousegent\'roundcampa-lookin\'athiminafault-findin\'wayoutenhisoneeyesorteraggravatesJacklikeit\'sanightmare。 \"\'Iwouldn\'tminditsomuch，\'saysJacktome，confidential，\'ifthisYallerhousegentquitsalaigoranarmbehind，\'causeinwhicheventwepieceshimoutwithwood，easy。Butabouteyes，it\'sdifferent。Aneyeoutisaneyeout；an\'thatsettlesit。\' \"OnedayJackcan\'tb\'aritnolonger，an\'，resolvin\'toendit，hewalksuptotheYallerhousepartyintheRedLight，allbriskan\' brief。 \"\'It\'saroughdealonaone-eyedgent，\'saysJack，\'an\'Ishoreaskspardonan\'statesregretsinadvance。Butthingshasgottoashow-down。I\'mslowlybecomin\'onfitforpublicdooty。Nowyere\'sanoffer，an\'youcanhaveeitherend。You-allcangetahossan\'ahundreddollarsofme，an\'pullyourfreight；oryoucanfixyourse\'fwithagunan\'haveamightystirrin\'an\'eventfultimewithmerightyere。Asanoutcomeofthelast，thepublicwillhaveoneofustoplant，an\'mebbyavacancytofillinthepostofkettle-tender。Whichisit，an\'whatdoyousay？\' \"\'Whatforahossisshe？\'askedtheYallerhouseparty。 \"\'Whichshe\'sapinto，\'saysJack；\'asexcellentapaintponyaseverisroped。\' \"\'Doesthisyerethreatyou-allmakesincloodeasaddlean\'spurs？\' askstheYallerhouseparty。 \"\'Itshorelydoes，\'repliesJack。\'Isitago？\' \"\'Well，\'saystheYallerhouseman，afterponderin\'ituponewayan\' downtheother，\'thisideeofsettlin\'foreyesforahossan\'ahundreddollarsisfarfrombein\'usualwithme。IfIhasmyeyeag\'in，I\'dshorelystayan\'shootitout，an\'admiretobepresent。 Butnowsechthoughtsisvanity。Soroundupyourmoneyan\'yourponyattheRedLightinfifteenminutesbythewatch，an\'assoonasIgetsabottlefilledI\'mreadytogo。Ishorelyshouldnotregretleavin\'an\'outfitwhichputsfolksinjailforbein\'sick，an\'connivesbyrecklessan\'criminalneglectofdootyattheirbein\'blindedforlife。\'\" CHAPTERXIII。 JACKSUPONEIGHTS。 \"No；youcanhazardyourwealthalot，thar\'snosooperstitionlurkin\'\'roundinmeormyenvirons；nonewhatever。Iattachesnoimportancetowhatyou-allcallsomens。\" Somebodyhadundertakenadisquisitionondreams，andattemptedtociteinstanceswherethefuturehadbeenindicatedinthesehazyvisionsofoursleep。ThishadservedtoturntheOldCattleman\'strainofthoughtupontheweird。 \"Thar\'ssigns，ofcourse，towhichI\'dshorelybow，nottosaypayabsorbin\'heed。IfsomegentwithwhomIchoosestodiffertouchin\' somematterthat\'saheaprelevantatthetime，upsan\'reachesforhisgunabrupt，itfillsmefullofpreemonitionsthatthenearfutureismightyliabletobecomeloadedwithleadan\'interestforme。Nowthar\'sanomenIdon\'tdiscount。ButafterallIain\'tconsentin\'tocallthemapprehensionsofminethefrootofnosooperstition，neither。I\'mmerelychary；that\'sall。 \"It\'sCherokeeHallwhoiswhatIonhesitatin\'lydescribesassooperstitious。Cherokeeisafflictedbymoresignsan\'omensincarryin\'onhisbusinessthananalmanac。It\'sawaykyardsharpsgetsinto，Ireckons；sortergrowsoutentheirtrade。LeastwiseI nevercreepsupononeyetwhoain\'tbein\'guidedbyallsortsofmiraclesan\'warnin\'sthata-way。An\'sometimesitdoeslookliketheyacquiresap\'interthatcomesto\'emonstraightlines。As\'llustratin\'thisyerelast，itreturnstomesomevividhowCherokeean\'Boggsgetstoprophesyin\'oneday，an\'howtheycallsofftheplaybetween\'emsoplumbc\'rrectthata-way，it\'smorethanamazin\'；it\'ssinister。 \"It\'sahotAugustday，thisoccasionIhasinmind，an\'whilenotpossessin\'oneofthemheat-gaugestosayackerate，I\'mallowin\' it\'sridin\'hardonsechweatherasthis。Abandofusisatthepost-officea-wrastlin\'ourletters，whenintrailsCherokeeHalllookin\'somemoody，an\'setshimse\'fdownonabox。 \"\'Whichyou-allnodoubtallowsyou\'lltakesomemissivesyourse\'fthismornin\'，\'saysDocPeets，a-noticin\'ofhisgloom，an\'aimin\' top\'inthisideesupsomeothertrail。Doc，himse\'f，isfeelin\' somegala。\'PassoverthemdocumentsforCherokeeHall，an\'don\'tholdoutnothin\'ontous。We-allsis\'waytoopeevishtostandanyoffishulgaietiesto-day。\' \"\'Thar\'snooneweak-minded\'noughtowritetomenone，\'saysCherokee。`WhichIremarksthisyerephenomenonwithpleasure。Mail- bagspacksmoregriefthanjoy，an\'Iain\'thonin\'fornohandinthegamewhatever。It\'sfifteenyearssinceIbuysastamporgetsaletter，an\'allthirsttharforisassuagedcomplete。\' \"\'Fifteenyearsisshorealongtime，\'saysEnright，sortertohimse\'f，an\'thenwe-allshopsintoourlettersag\'in。FinallyCherokeebreaksinoncemore。 \"`Iain\'taimin\'toinvestWolfvilleinnosooperstitiousfears，\' saysCherokee，\'an\'ImerelychroniclesasacurrenteventhowIwassettin\'intoalittlepokerlastnight，an\'threetimesstraightI picksup\"thehandthedeadmanheld，\"jacksuponeights，an\'itwinseverytime。\' \"`Wholosetoit？\'asksDanBoggs。 \"\'Why，\'saysCherokee，\'it\'severytimethatoldlonghornascomesinfromTucsonbacksometwoweeksago。\' \"\'Thatsettlesit，\'saysBoggs，mightydecided。\'Youcanbetyoursaddlean\'throwtheponyin，Deathisfixin\'hissightsforhimrightnow。It\'sshorelyawarnin\'，an\'I\'mplumbgladitain\'tnoneoftheboys；that\'sall。\' \"YouseethisyerestrangerwhoCherokeealloodsatcomesoverfromTucsonalittlewhilebefore。Hehaslongwhiteha\'ran\'beard，an\'，jedgin\'fromtheringsonhishorns，he\'smebbya-comin\'sixty。Heseemslikehe\'splentyofmoney，an\'wetakesithe\'sallright。Hisleavin\'Tucsonshowshehassense，sowecasheshiminathisfigger。Ofcoursewe-allsneveraskshisnamenone，asaskin\'namesan\'lookin\'atthebrandsonaponyisspeshulroodeintheWest，an\'showsyourbringin\'up；butheallowshe\'scalled\'OldBillGentry\'totheboys，an\'hean\'FaroNell\'spartic\'larfriendly。 \"\'Talkin\'tohim，\'saysNell，\'islikelayin\'intheshade。Heknowseverythin\'，too；allaboutbooksan\'thingsallovertheworld。Hewasa-tellin\'me，too，ashowhehadadaughterlikemethatdied\'waybacksome\'ersaboutwhenIwasayearlin\'。Hefeelsaheapbadaboutityet，an\'Igetssosorryforhim；sooldan\' white-ha\'red。\' \"\'An\'youcangamble，\'saysDaveTutt，\'ifNelllikeshim，he\'sallright。\' \"\'IfNelllikeshim，thatmakeshimallright，\'saysCherokee。 \"We-allsisstilltalkin\'an\'readinoverourmailinthepost- office，whenallatoncewehearsJackMooreoutside。 \"\'What\'sthisyereliteratoorasaffrontsmyeyes，pastedontotheoutsideofUncleSam\'swickeyup？\'saysJack，mightytruculent。We。 allsgoesout，an\'thar，shore-\'nough，isanoticeofferin\'fifteenhundreddollarsrewardforsomesharpwho\'sbeena-standin\'upthestageovertowardsPrescott。 \"\'Whoevertacksthisup？Iwonder，\'saysEnright。`Itneverisyeretenminutesago。\' \"\'Well，jestyou-allhover\'roundan\'watchthegloryofitscomin\' down，\'saysJack，a-cuttin\'ofitloosewithhisbowie，an\'tearin\' itup。\'Iyerewithfurnishestheinformationcold，thiscampofWolfvilleknowsitsbusinessan\'don\'thavetobenotifiedofnothin\'。Thisyereoutfithasavig\'lancecommitteeallreg\'lar，whichI\'mkettle-tendertharfor，an\'whenitcomesnacheraltoannouncesomenoticetothepublic，you-allswillperceivemea- pervadin\'ofthesceneryonahossan\'promulgatin\'ofsaidnoticevivervoce。AmIright，Enright？\' \"\'Rightaspreachin\'，Jack，\'saysEnright。\'Youspeakstroothlikearunnin\'brook。\' \"\'Butwhoeversticksthatnotice？——that\'stheinformationIpantsfor，\'saysBoggs，pickin\'upan\'readin\'ofthepiece。\"\'IreckonsI poststhatnoticesomemyse\'f，\'saysabig，squar\'-builtgentwe- allsdon\'tknow，an\'whocomesintheothermornin\'withOldMonteonthestage。Ashesaysthishe\'ssa\'nterin\'aboutthesuburbsofthecrowd，listenin\'tothetalk。 \"\'Well，don\'tdoitnomore，partner，\'saysJack，mightygrave。\'AsacommoonityWolfville\'snodoubt\'waywrong，butwe-allshasourpridesan\'ourownpecooliarlittlenotions，thata-way，aboutwhatlooksgood；so，afternow，don\'talterthelandscapenone\'roundyeretillyouc\'lectsourviews。\' \"\'I\'mofferin\'evenmoney，postin\'noticesdon\'thurtthisyerecampalittlebit，\'saysthestranger。 \"\'Comin\'righttocases，\'saysEnright，\'itdon\'thurtnone，butitgratesawholelot。Theideeofamerestrangera-strollin\'inan\' a-pastin\'upofnotices，likehe\'sstandin\'apathandonwhatheknowsan\'wenotinit，isaheaponpleasant。Sodon\'tdoitnomore。\' \"\'WhichIdon\'taimtodoitnomore，\'saysthesquar\'-builtgent，\'butIstillclingstomyideethatnoticesain\'tnoset-backtothiscamp。\' \"\'Thesamebein\'ameretheery，\'saysDocPeets，\'personaltoyourse\'f，Iholdsitwouldbeonp\'litetodiscussit；solet\'sallwheelondercoverforadrink。\' \"Atthiswe-allslinesupontheRedLightbaran\'nacherallydrinksendsthetalk，astheyallersought。 \"Alongtowardssundownwe-allsgetssomecooler，an\'bysecond-drinktimeintheevenin\'everyoneismovin\'about，an\'，asithappens，quiteabandisintheRedLight；somedrinkin\'an\'exchangin\'ofviews，an\'somebuckin\'thevariousgameswhichisgoin\'wideopenall\'round。Cherokee\'ssettin\'behindhisbox，an\'FaroNellisupathisshoulderonthelookoutstool。Thegame\'sgoin\'plentylivelywhenalongcomesOldGentry。Cherokeetakesaglanceathiman\' seemsworriedalittle，reflectin\'，nodoubt，ofthem\'handsthedeadmanheld，\'buthegoesondealin\'withoutaword。 \"\'Where\'syou-alldonebeenallday？\'saysNelltotheoldman。\'I ain\'tseenyounonewhateversinceyesterday。\' \"\'Why，Igetstiredan\'doneupalot，settinag\'instCherokeelastnight，\'saystheoldman，\'an\'soIprowlsdowninmyblanketsan\' sleepssometillaboutanhourago。\' \"Theoldmanbuysastackofbluesan\'sets\'emontheten。It\'sjestthenincomesthesquar\'-builtgent，who\'sbeenpostin\'ofthenoticeformer，an\'p\'intsasix-shooteratGentryan\'says\"\'Putyourhandsup!put\'emupquickorI\'lldrillyou!Oldasyoube，Idon\'ttakenochances。\' \"\'AtthefirstwordNellcomesoffherstoollikeasmalllandslide，whileCherokeebringsagunintoplayontheinstant。Theoldman\'supevenwiththeproceedin\'s，too；an\'standsthar，hisguninhishand，hiseyesa-glitterin\'an\'hiswhitebearda-curlin\'likeacat\'s。He\'scleanstrain。 \"\'Letmegetawordin，gents，\'saysCherokee，plentyca\'m，\'an\' don\'tnoonesetinhisstackon。lesshe\'sgotahand。Idoesbusinessyeremyway，an\'I\'mduetodownthefirsthold-upwhoshootsacrossanylayoutofmine。Don\'tmakenomistake，orthenextcensus\'llbeshy，shore。\' \"\'Whatbeyou-allsaimin\'tocel\'brateanyhow？\'saysJackMoore，gettin\'thesquar\'-builtgent\'sgunwhileBoggscorralsGentry\'s。\' Who\'sWolfvilleentertainin\'yere，I\'dlikefortoknow？\' \"\'I\'maWells-Fargodetective，\'saysthesquar\'-builtgent，\'an\' thisyere，\'p\'intin\'toOldGentry，\'isJimYates，thebiggesthold- upan\'stage-robberbetweenhellan\'\'Frisco。Thatoldtarrapin\'llstopastagelikeayoung-onewouldaclock，merelytoseewhat\'sintoit。He\'sthepartyI\'mpastin\'upthenoticeforthismornin。\" \"\'He\'saliar!\'saystheoldman，a-gettin\'ugliereveryminute。 `Giveusoursix-shootersanthrowusloose，an\'ifIdon\'tlancetheroofofhislyin\'mouthwiththefrontsightofmygun，I\'llcashinforahold-uporwhateverelseyou-allssays。\' \"\'Whatdoyousay，Enright？\'saysJack。\'Let\'sgive\'emtheirjewelryan\'let\'emlope。I\'vegotmoneyassaystheWells-Fargobill-pastercan\'ttakethisold\'Cimmaronalittlebit。\' \"\'WhichItrailsin，\'saysBoggs，\'withafewchipsonthesamekyard。\' \"\'No，\'saysEnright，\'ifthisyereparty\'srustlin\'themails，we- allscan\'tcallhishandtooquick。Wolfville\'sastraightcampan\' don\'tbacknocrim\'nalplays；nonewhatever。\' \"Enrighttharuponcallsameetin\'oftheStranglers，an\'we-allslinesoutfortheNewYorkStoretotalkitover。Beforewedonepow-wowstwominutesupcomesOldMonte，withthestage，alldustan\'cuss-words，an\'allowshe\'sbeenstoodupoutbythecowspringssixhoursbefore，an\'isbehindthemail-bagan\'theAdamsCompany\'sboxonthedeal。We-allslooksatOldManGentry，an\'heshorelyseemstocrippledown。\"\'Gentry，\'saysPeets，afterOldMontetellshisadventures，\'IhearsyoutellNellyouwassleepin\'allday。 S\'poseyoutakesthisyerecommitteetoyourbudweran\'exhibitstoushowitlookssome。\' \"\'Theturn\'sag\'inme，\'saystheoldman，\'an\'Ilose。I\'llcutitshortforyou-alls。Iholdsupthatstagethisafternoonmyse\'f。\' \"\'Thisyere\'sstraightgoods，Itakesit，\'saysEnright，\'an\'ourdootyisplain。Goovertothecorralan\'getalariat，Jack。\' \"\'Don\'tletEnrighthangtheoldman，Cherokee，\'saysNell，beginnin\'toweepawholelot。\'Pleasedon\'tlet\'emhanghim。\' \"\'Thisholdin\'agunonyourfriendsain\'tnopicnic，\'whispersCherokeetoNell，an\'flushin\'upan\'thenturnin\'pale，\'butyourwordgoeswithme，Nell。\'ThenCherokeethinksaminute。\'Now，thisyereisthewaywedoes，\'hesaysatlast。\'I\'llmake\'emalongtalk。You-allrunovertothecorralan\'bringthebesthossyouseessaddled。I\'llbetalkin\'whenyoucomesback，an\'youcreepupan\'whispertotheoldmantomakeajumpfortheponywhileI coversthedealwithmysix-shooter。It\'splayin\'itlowonEnrightan\'DocPeetsan\'therest，butI\'lldoitforyou，Nell。Itallcomesfromthemjacksuponeights。\' \"Withthis，CherokeetellsNell\'good-by，\'an\'squar\'shimse\'f。Hebeginstotalk，an\'Nellmakesaquietlittlebreakforthecorral。 \"Butnohossiseverneeded。Cherokeedon\'ttalkaminutewhenOldGentrycomesbuckin\'offenhischairina\'plepticfit。A\'plepticfitispermiscusan\'tryin\'，an\'whenOldGentrygetsthroughan\' comestohimse\'f，he\'scampedjestthissideofthedeadline。Hecanonlywhisper。 \"\'Comeyere，\'sayshe，motionin\'toCherokee。\'Thar\'sastackofblueswhereIsets\'emonthetenopen，whichyouain\'tturnedfornoneyet:TakeallIhasbesidesan\'putwithit。Ifitlose，it\'syours；ifitwin，giveittothelittlegirl。\' \"ThisisallOldGentrysays，an\'hecashesintheverynextsecondonthelist。 \"Enrightgoesthrough\'em，an\'thar\'sovertwothousanddollarsinhiswar-bags；an\'，obeyin\'themlastbehests，we-allsgoesovertotheRedLightan\'putsitonthetenalongofthestackofblues。 It\'soverthelimit，butCherokeeproceedswiththedeal，an\'whenitcomesI\'mblessedifthetenain\'tloseran\'Cherokeegetsitall。 \"\'ButIwon\'twinnoneag\'inadeadman；saysCherokee。An\'hegivesittoNell，whoain\'tsooperstitious。 \"\'Doyou-allsb\'arinmind，\'saysBoggs，aswetakesadrinklater，\'howIforeseesthisyererackettheminuteIhearsCherokeea- tellin\'abouthis\"Jacksuponeights\"——the\"handthedeadmanholds？\"\'\" CHAPTERXIV。 THERIVALDANCE-HALLS。 Itwassweetandcoolaftertherain，andtheOldCattlemanandI，movedbyanadmirationfortheopenairwhichwasmutual，foundourselvestogetherontheporch。 Asinpartrecompenseforhisreminiscencesoftheseveraldaysbefore，Iregaledmyoldfriendwiththehistoryofabank-failure，thedetailsaswellasthecausesofwhichwerejustthenforcingthemselvesuponmeintheguiseofbusiness。 \"Thefactis，\"Isaid，asIcametotheendofmystory，\"thefactis，thetruecauseofthisbank\'sdownfallwasarivalry——whatonemightcallabusinessfeud——whichgrewintobeingbetweenitandasimilarinstitutionwhichhadopenedasitsneighbor。Inthecompetitionwhichfellouttheyfairlycuteachother\'sthroat。Theybothfailed。\" \"An\'Itakesit，\"remarkedtheOldCattlemanincomment，\"oneoftheseyeretradedooelsthata-waygoesonvindictivean\' remorseless，sameasifit\'sapersonalfightbetweencow-folksovercattle。\" \"Quiteright，\"Isaid。\"Moneyisoftenmorecruelthanmen；andabusinessvendettaisfrequentlymeremurderwithouttheincidentofblood。Idon\'tsupposethelifeofyourArizonatownwouldshowthesetradewars。ItwouldtakeEastern——thatis，older——conditions，toprovokeandcarryoneon。\" \"No，\"repliedtheoldgentleman，withanairofretrospection，\"I don\'trecallnothin\'ofthesortinWolfville。We\'retoomuchinahuddle，anyway；tharain\'troomfornosechfracas，nohow。Nowthenearestwe-allscomestoanythin\'ofthekindiswhenthenewdance- hallstartsthattime。 \"WhichIreckons，\"continuedtheOldCattle。man，ashebeganarrangingasmoke，\"whichInowreckonsthisyereistheonlycatyclismintradeWolfvillesuffers；theonlytimeitcomestowhatyou-allEasternsportswouldcallashowdownincommerce。Ofcoursethar\'sthelaundrywar，butthat\'sbetweenfemalesan\'don\'tcount。 Females——whileit\'snosorterdoubtthey\'sthenoblestan\'mostexhilaratin\'workoftheirRedeemer——isnervousthata-way，an\'dueanytimetolettheirha\'rdowntheirbacks，emitascreech，an\' clawan\'layforeachotherforluck。An\'，asIsays，ifyouconfinesthefestivitiestothemfemalesengaged，an\'preventsthemenstandin\'inontheplay，it\'sshoretowindupinsobsan\' forgiveness，an\'tharforeitdon\'tgo。 \"AsIsays，whatInowrelatesistheonlyindustrialtroubleI recallsinWolfville。Iallersremembersit，\'cause，bein\'ashowI knowsthepartywho\'stheaggravatin\'causetharof，itmortifiesmethewayhejumpsintocampan\'carrieson。 \"WhenIseeshimfirstisagesbefore，whenIfreightswitheightmulesovertheOldFortBascometrailfromVegastothePanhandle。 Thissharp——whichhe\'satenderfootatthetime，butplumbwolfbynacher-trailsuptomeintheEarlyRoseSalooninVegasoneday，an\'allowshe\'dliketomakeadealan\'goprojectin\'overintothePanhandlecountrywithmeforatrip。\"Freightin\'thata-waythreeweeksaloneonthetrailissomeharrowin\'tothesperitsofagentwholovescompanylikeme，soIagrees，an\'nodelaytoit。 \"WhichI\'myeretomentionIregretslaterI\'mthateasyItakesthispersonalong。Notthatheturnshostile，buthe\'sallershavin\' adventures，an\'thingskeepshappenin\'tohim；an\'final，Ithinkshe\'sshorelydeadan\'gonecomplete——thesame，asIafterwardlearns，bein\'error；an\'，takin\'ituponetrailan\'downanother，thattripbreaksmeoffenfoolin\'withshorthornscomplete，an\'I don\'tgonear\'emforyears，more\'nifthey\'sstingin\'lizards。 \"Whateverdoesthisyeremaverickdotome？Well，nothin\'muchtomepersonal；buthekeepsa-breedin\'ofeventswhichpestersme。 \"We\'reoutaboutfourdayswhenthemmishapsbegins。IcampsoveronesunontheConchatorestmymules。I\'mloadedsomeheavywithsixthousandpoundsinthelead，an\'mebbyfourthousandpoundsinthetrailwagon；an\'Istopsadaytogivemystockachancetorollan\'breathean\'braceup。Myoff-wheelmule——areg\'larshave-tail—— isbadmed\'cine。Whichhe\'snotonlyeagertokicktoweristsan\' othershetakesanotionag\'inst；buthe\'slikewisewhatyou-allscallsakleptomaniac，an\'isouttostealan\'sim\'larlow-downplays。 \"Iwarnsthisyeretenderfoot——hisname\'sSmith，butIpullsonhimwhenconversin\'as\'Colonel\'——Iwarnsthisshorthornnottofuss\'roundmyJerrymule，bein\'，asIstates，amulewhosemoodisornery。 \"\'Don\'tgonearhim，Colonel，\'saysI；\'an\'partic\'lardon\'tgocrowdin\'\'roundtogetnor\'arviewsofhim。You-allhasnoideeoftheradiusofthatmule；whatyoumightcallhissweep。Youneverwilltillhe\'skickedyouonceortwice，an\'theinformationain\'tworthnosechprice。SoIdon\'treckonI\'dfoolwithhim，nonewhatever。 \"\'An\'speshul，Colonel，\'Igoeson，forIshoreaimstodomydootybyhim，\'don\'tlaynothin\'\'roundloosewherethisyereJerrymulecangrabitoff。I\'mthelastfreighteronthePlainstogoslanderin\'an\'detractin\'ofaporehe\'plessmuleonlessit\'sstraight；butifyou-alltakestoleavin\'keepsakesan\'mementoeslayin\'aboutcasooalan\'carelessthata-way，Jerry\'lleat\'em；an\' thefirstyousaveysyourkeepsakesiswithinJerry\'sinterior，an\' tharyoube。 \"\'Thefactis，stranger，thisJerrymule\'sathief，\'Isays。\'Ifhe\'sahuman，Jerrywouldbelynched。Butotherwisehe\'sasincere，earnestmule；anuphillorataquicksandcrossin\'Jerrygoesintohiscollarlikealion；soIforgiveshimbein\'athiefan\'allowsit\'sapeccadillo。\" \"\'Well，youbet!\'saysthistenderfootColonel，\'thisyereJerrybetternotcomenopeccadillosonme。\' \"\'Ifyou-allmaintainsabouttwentyfeet，\'Ireplies，\'betweenJerry\'shind-Hocksan\'you；an\'ifyoukeepsyourbric-a-bracinyourwar-bags，youan\'Jerry\'llgetalonglikelambs。Now，Iwarnsyou，an\'that\'sgottodo。IfJerryan\'yougetstangledupyereafteryou-allain\'tgoin\'toharbornorevengesag\'inhim，normakenoranikabooplaystogeteven。\' \"AsIstates，I\'mcampedontheConcha，an`theColonel，who\'sallersouttotryexperimentsan\'newdeals，putsituphe\'llgodowntotheriveran\'takeaswim。Tharuponhelinesoutforthewater。 \"Jerry\'shangin\'aboutcamp——forhe\'ssorterapetmule——allowin\' mebbyIsubmitsaham-rindorsomesechdelicacytohimtochewon； an\'hehearstheColonelsu\'gesthe\'llswimsome。SowhentheColonelp\'intsfortheConcha，Jerrysa\'ntersalongafter，figgerin\'，mightylikely，ashowhe\'llpassthehoura-watchin\'theColonelswim。 \"I\'mbusyonflapjacksatthetime——whichflapjacksisshoregoodfood——an\'Idon\'tobservenothln\'ofJerrynortheColonelneither。 They\'sawayhalfanhourwhenIoverhearsejac\'lations，thoughI can\'tmakeoutnowords。Idon\'thavetogetcaughtinnolandslidetotumbletoagame，an\'I\'mawareatoncethatJerryan\'theColonelhasgottheirdestiniesmixed。 \"Nacherally，Igoesovertotheheldofstrife，aimin\'tosaveJerry，orsavetheColonel，whicheverhastheotherdown。WhenI burstsonthescene，theColonelstartsforme，splutterin\'an\' makin\'noisesan\'p\'intin\'atJerry，whostandstharwithanairofinnocence。TheColonel\'supperliphangsdownqueer，likeanant- eater\'s，an\'hecan\'ttalk。It\'sallmightyamazin\'。 \"\'What\'sallthistoomultabout？\'Isays。 \"Theshortoftheriotisthis:TheColonelgoesinforaswim，an\' helaysouthisfalseteeththata-wayonastone。Whenhecomesforhisteeththey\'sshorelygone，an\'tharstandsJerryputtin\'itonhe\'sasleep。ThemteethisfiledawayinJerry。 \"WhichtheColonelraves\'roundfrightful，an\'wantstokillJerryan\'amputatehim，an\'scoutfortheteeth。ButIwon\'thaveit。I\'mgoin\'toneedJerrydownfurtheronthequicksandfordsoftheCanadian；an\'，asIexplains，themteethisawreckbynow，an\'nogoodifheget\'s\'emag\'in；Jerrymunchin\'ofhisfoodpowerful。 \"AfterawhileIroundsuptheColonelan\'herdshimbacktocamp。 Jerryhasshoresawedoffasoreafflictiononthattenderfootwhenhetakesinthemteeth；Icanseethat。Hisliphangslikeablacksmith\'sapron，an\'hecan\'ttalkalittlebit；jestmakessignsormotions，likehe\'sInjunordeef。 \"It\'smebbytwoweekslaterwhenJerrygetsanothershotattheColonel。It\'stheevenin\'afterthenightJerrysneaksintocamp，soft-footasacoyote，nosesopenthegrub-box，an\'eatsfivebottlesofwhiskey；allwehas。We\'vepitchedcamp，an\'I\'vehobbledthisJerrymulean\'hismate——theotherwheeler——an\'throwed\'emloose，an\'isbusyhobblin\'mynigh-swingmule，whentroublebeginsfomentin\'betweenmytenderfootan\'Jerry。 \"Thefactisit\'sdonefomented。ThisColonel，bein\'someheatedaboutthatwhiskey，an\'plumbsoreonJerryonaccountofthemteeth，allowstohimse\'fhe\'lltakeatrace-chainan\'warpJerryonceforluck。 \"Ifthisyeretenderfoothadbeenfreewithme，an\'invitedmeintohisconfidencetouchin\'hisdesigns，I\'dtookalariatan\'ropedan\' throwedJerryforhim，an\'tiedthefelondown，an\'lettheColonelwallophimanhourorso:buttheColonel\'sfullofvarietythata- way，ormebbyhethinksI\'llsidewithJerry。Anyhow，heselectsatrace-chain，an\'，withoutsayin\'aword，dancesallcautioustowardshisprey。WhichthisisrelaxationforJerry。 [drawingofJerrykickingtheColonelwithcaption:\"Thathe\'plessshorthornstopsbothheels。] \"WhilethatColoneltenderfootisarodaway，Jerryturnshistailsomesuddeninhisdirection，an\'thenextinstantthathe\'plessshorthornstopsbothheelssome\'ersaboutthesecondbuttonofhisshirt。Thatsettlesit；theColonel\'saninvalidimmediate。I shorelyhasatimewithhimthatnight。 \"Thenextdayhecan\'twalk，an\'hecan\'trideinthewagon\'causeofthejolts。Italltouchesmyheart，an\'atlastIupsan\'makeahammockoutenaNavajoblanket，whichisgoodan\'strong，an\'swingstheColoneltothereachofthetrailwagon。 \"It\'smostlyagoodscheme。Wheretheground\'sleveltheColonelcomesonallright；butnowan\'then，whenawheelslumpsintoarut，theColonelcan\'the\'pnonebutsmitethegroundwherehe\'sthelowest，an\'italldrawsgroansan\'lamentsfromhimaheap。 \"Onetime，whentheColonel\'sagonymakeshimgroanspeshulstrong，IseesJerrybathiseyeslikeheenjoysit；an\'thenJerrymentionssomethin\'tohismateoverthechain。We\'retrottin\'alongthetrailatthetime，an\'，bein\'he\'sthenigh-wheeler——whichisthesaddle- muleofateam——I\'mridin\'Jerry\'scompadre，an\'whenInoteshowJerryisthatjoyousaboutitIreachesacrossan\'beltshimsomeabruptbetweenthey\'earswiththebuttofashot-filledblack- snake。ItratherletsthewheyoutenJerry\'sglee，an\'hedon\'tgetsomuchblissfromthattenderfoot\'smisfortunesashedid。 \"ItgoesalongallrightontilIswingsdowntothecrossin\'oftheCanadian。It\'saboutfourth-drinktimeintheafternoon，an\'I\'mallowin\'tofordtheCanadianthatevenin\'an\'campont\'otherside。 Theriverishighan\'rapidfromrainsome\'ersbackonitsheadwaters，an\'it\'swidean\'ugly。Itain\'tmore\'nfourfootdeep，butthebottomisquicksand，an\'thatfalse，ifIletsmywagonsstoptensecondsanywherebetweenbankan\'bank，I\'mgoin\'tobeshywagonsattheclose。I\'llbeluckyifIwinoutthemules。It\'sshoreahard，swiftcrossin\'。 \"Iswingsdown，asIsays，totheriver\'saigewithmymindfilledupabouttherushI\'vegottomake。It\'sgothroughontherunorbogdown。FirstIsettlesinmysaddle，givestheoutfittheword，an\'then，pourin\'thewhipintothetwoleaders，Isendsthewholeeightintothewateronthejump。Theriverisrunnin\'likeascaredwolf，an\'thelittleleadmuleshardlytouchesbottom。 \"Asthetrailwagontakesthewater，an\'thetwoleadersisplumbintothey\'ears，ahowldevelopstother\'ar。It\'smyporetenderfootinhishammockonderthetrailwagon。Heshrieksasthewatergetstohim；an\'itallhitsmelikeabullet，forIplumboverlookshim，thinkin\'ofthatquicksandcrossin\'。 \"It\'sshoretoolatenow；I\'min，an\'Ican\'tstop。Tomakethingsmorecomplex，asthewatercutsoffthetenderfoot\'syelllikepuffin\'outacandle，alittleoldblackmule，whichismyoff- p\'inter，loseshisfeetan\'goesdown。Ipourstheleatherintotheteamtheharder，an\'theotherssoarsintotheircollarsan\'drugmyblackp\'interwith\'em；onlyhe\'sonderwater。OfcourseIallowsboththeblackp\'interan\'theColonel\'sshorelyduetodrownawholelot。 \"Wegetsacross，thesevenothermulesan\'me；an\'thesecondhe\'sskatedoutonthesandonhisside，thedrownedmulegetsupan\' singsastriumphantasIeverhears。Swimmin\'ondertheriverdon\'twearonhimabit。 \"ThenIgoesscoutin\'fortheColonel，buthe\'svanishedcomplete。 Nacherally，Itakeshimforadead-an\'-gonegent；an\'figgersifsomeeddyorcounter-currentdon\'tgethim，orhedon\'tgoagroundonnosand-bar，hisfellow-menwillfishhimoutsome\'ersbetweenmean\'NewOrleans，an\'planthiman\'holdservicesoverhim。 \"Bein\'asIcan\'tbeofnousewhereit\'saclean-sweepplaylikethis，IdismissestheColonelfrommymind。Afterhobblin\'an\' throwin\'loosemyteam，Ilugsoutthegrub-boxallsorrowfulan\' goesintocamp。 \"WhichIshouldallershaveplayedtheColonelfordead，ifitain\'tthatyearslaterheonedaycomeswanderin\'intoWolfville。Heain\'ttendernow；he\'sashardasmoss-agates，an\'asworthless。 \"Irenewsmyacquaintancewithhim，an\'hetellshowhegetsoutentheCanadianthatday；butbeyondthatweconsoomesadrinkortwotogether，Iratherpasseshimup。Thar\'saheapabouthimIdon\'ttaketo。 \"TheColonellays\'roundWolfvillemebbyit\'saweek，peerin\'an\' spyin\'about。Hesayshe\'slookin\'foranopenin\'。An\'Ireckonsheis，forattheendofaweekheslapsupajointoutentent-clothan\'fence-boards，an\'opensadance-hallsquar\'ag\'instJimHamilton\'swhichisalreadythar。 \"Thisyerealoneislikelytobroodan\'hatchtrouble；but，asiftakin\'astraightheaderintoHamilton\'sgameain\'tenough，thisColonelofminedon\'tgetnopianer；don\'tround-upnomusicofhisown；butstandspatan\'pullsoffreels，an\'quadrilles，an\'green- corndancestoHamilton\'smusicgoin\'onnextdoor。 \"I\'mthroughtheLincolnCountywar，an\'hasbeenromancin\'aboutthefrontierforyears；butInevertracksuponnosechoutrageinmylifeasthisdisgracefulColonelopenin\'ahurdy-gurdyag\'inHamilton\'s，an\'maverickin\'hismusicthata-way，an\'dancin\' tharunto。 \"It\'sthesecondnight，an\'Hamiltonconcloodshe\'llseeaboutitsome。HecomesintotheColonel\'sjoint，ca\'man\'considerate，an\' givesitoutthar\'sgoin\'tobetroubleiftheColoneldon\'tclosehisgameorplayinhisownfiddlers。 \"\'Whichifyou-alldon\'tcloseyourgameorhuntoutyourownmusic，\'saysHamilton，\'I\'mmightylikelytogetmysix-shooteran\' closeitforyou。\' \"\'Seeyere，\'saysmyColonel——whichhe\'sshorebeenlearnin\'sinceI partswithhimontheCanadian——\'thefirsthold-upwhocomesfoolin\' \'roundtobreakupabaileofmine，I\'llshorelymakehimhardtofind。Whatbusinessyougotfillin\'upmyplacewithyourmelodies？ Yourollsyourtunesinyerelikeyouownstheranch；an\'thenyoucomescurvin\'overan\'talksofagun-play\'cause，insteadoflayin\' foryouforthatyoudisturbsmypeacewiththemharmonies，I\'mthatgood-nacheredIyieldsthep\'intan\'dancesto\'em。You-allpullyourfreight，\'saystheColonel，\'orI\'llfillyoufulloflead。\' \"ThisargumentoftheColonel\'sdazzlesHamiltontothatdegreehedon\'tknowwhetherhe\'sgotthehighhandornot。Hethinksaminute，an\'thenp\'intsovertotheRedLightforEnrightan\'DocPeets。Asheleavestherivaldance-hall，theColonel，who\'scallin\' offhisdances，turnstothequadrille，whichispausinpendin\'thedispoote，an\'shouts: \"\'YoubetIknowsmybusiness!Righthandtoyourpartner；grandrightan\'left!\' \"WhenHamiltonturnsawaythey\'sshoremakin\'thingsrockan\' tremble；an\'alltothestrainsof\'TheArkansawTraveller，\'whichisbein\'evolvednextdooratHamilton\'sexpense。 \"Whichsomethin\'sgoin\'topop；saysHamilton，mightyuglytoEnrightan\'therestofus，ashepoursadrinkintohisneck。\'I allowsintheinterestsofpeacethatIcantersoveran\'seesyou- allsfirst。Iain\'touttoshakeupWolfville，norgiveRedDogachancetocriticiseusnoneasadisorderlycamp；butIasksyougents，ascitizensan\'membersofthevig\'lancecommittee，whetherI\'mtostandan\'letthisyeresharpround-upmymusictoholdhisrevelsby，an\'putitallovermenightly？\' \"\'Idon\'tseenodifference，\'saysDanBoggs，\'betweenthisconvicta-stealin\'ofHamilton\'smusic，thanifhegoesan\'standsupOldMontean\'thestage。\' \"\'Thesamebein\'myideeexact，\'saysTexasThompson。\'Yere\'sHamiltoncaterin\'tothiscampwithadance-hall。It\'sapublicgoodthing。Ifagent\'smorose，an\'hiswhiskey\'sslowplacin\'itse\'f，hegoesovertoHamilton\'shurdy-gurdyan\'findsrelaxationan\'relief。 Nowyerecomesthisstranger——an\'Imakesitfiftydollarsevenhe\'sfromMassachusetts——an\'whatdoeshedo？Neverantesnorsticksinawhitechip，butpurloinsHamilton\'sstrains，an\'pullsoffhisdancestharby。It\'splumbwrong，an\'whatthispartyneedsishangin\'。\' \"\'Oh，Idon\'tknow，\'saysCherokeeHall，who\'sinonthetalk。 \'Hamilton\'sallright，an\'asquar\'man。Allhewantsisjestice。 Now，whileIdeemstheconductofthisstrangerlowan\'ornery； still，comin\'downtotheturn，he\'sonhistrailallright。Asthissharpsays:WhogivesHamiltonanylicensetogofillin\'hishurdy- gurdyfullofdance-music？S\'posethisgentwouldcomecaperin\'overan\'setinastackag\'inHamiltonforoverloadin\'hisjointwithpianeran\'fiddlenoiseswithouthisconsent；an\'puttin\'ituphe\'souttodragthecampifHamiltondon\'tcease？TheonlywayHamiltongets\'roundthatkindofcomplaintis，hedon\'townthemwalsesan\' quadrillesaftertheyfetchesloosefromhisfiddle；thattheyain\'thisquadrillesnomore，an\'he\'snotresponsibleaftertheystampedesoffintospace。\' \"\'That\'sstraight，\'saysDaveTutt，\'you-allscan\'trunnobrandonmelodies。Agentcan\'townnomusicafterhecutsitloosethata- way。Theminuteitleavesthebosomsofhisfiddles，that\'swhereheletsgo。Afterthatitbelongstoanygenttodanceby，cryby，setby，orfightby，ashedeemsmeetan\'pleasantatthetime。\' \"\'Whatdoyou-allssay？\'saysHamiltontoEnrightan\'Peets。\'Doesthisyerepieceofoppressiononaleadin\'citizen，perpetratedbyarankoutsider，go？Ishorewaitsforyourreplywithimpatience，forIeetchestogobackan\'shootupthisnewhurdy-gurdyfromnowtillsun-up。\' \"EnrighttakesDocPeetsdownbytheendofthebar——an\'thar\'snodoubtaboutit，thatPeetsisthewisestlonghornwestoftheMissoury——an\'theyhasadeepconsultation。We-allsiswaitin\'。someinterested，toseewhattheysays。It\'sshoreafinep\'intthisColonel\'smakin\'tojestifyan\'backhisgame。 \"\'Getamoveonyou，Enright!\'atlastsaysDanBoggs，whoisahasty，eagerman，wholikesaction；\'getamoveonyou，youan\' Peets，an\'settlethis。You\'requeerin\'thekyardsan\'delayin\'theplay。\' \"\'Well，gents，\'saysEnrightatlast，comin\'backwherewe-allsisbythedoor，\'Peetsan\'meseesnoneeddecidin\'onthemquestionsaboutwhoownsatuneaftersaidtunehasbeenplayed。Buttharisasubject，thata-way，whichrequiresconsideration；an\'whichmostlikelysolvesthisdance-halldeadlock。Inalltrademattersinagrowin\'camplikeWolfville，it\'sbettertopreserveaequilibrium。 It\'sag\'inpublicinteresttohavetwoorthreedance-halls，ortwoorthreesaloons，allinabunchthata-way。It\'sbettertheybespraddled\'roundwideapart，whichismoreconvenient。SoPeetsan\' meproposesasarooleforthisyerecampthattwohurdy-gurdiesbeforbidtobecarriedonwithinfivehundredfeetofeachother。Asitlookslikenobodyobjects，weconcloodsit\'sadopted。Nacherally，thelasthurdy-gurdyuphastomove，whichdisposesofthisyeretrouble。\' \"\'BeforeIendswhatIhastosay，\'goesonEnright，\'Iwantstothankourtownsman，MisterHamilton，forconsultin\'oftheStranglerspriortoakillin\'。Itshowshe\'salaw-abidin\'gentan\' acredittothecamp。An\'mightylikelyheprolongshisstayonearth。Ifhe\'dprancedinan\'skelpedthismaraudin\'stranger，I don\'treckonwecouldavoidswingin\'himattheendofalariatwithoutmakin\'adangerouspreceedent。Asitis，hisrivalwillberoutedan\'hislifemadesereenasyeretofore。\' \"\'Astotheexecutionofthisnewroole，\'concloodsEnright，\'weleavesthattoJackMoore。Hewillwaitonthispartyan\'explaintheplay。Hemustupstakesan\'movehiscamp；an\'ifhecallsonanothershindigafterhe\'swarned，we-allstakesourponiesan\'ourropesan\'yankshisoutfitupbytheroots。Agentofhisenterprise，however，willcometoadeadhalt；an\'hispersecutionsofHamiltonwillcease。\' \"\'An\'you-allcallsthisyereafreeAmericanoutfit!\'saysmyColonel，mightyscornful，whenJackMoorenotifieshim。\'IfIdon\'tlineoutfort\'otherendofcampyou-allsisallowin\'toropemyjointan\'pullitdown!Well，thatletsmeout；Iquitsyou。I\'dbeshorelydegradedtoputinmytimewithanysechlow-flungpasselofsports。You-allmaygobackan\'tellyourfolksthatasyouleavesyouhearsmegivethecalltomyguests，\"Allpromenadetothebar\"； an\'thedancin\'isdone。To-morrowIdepartsforRedDogtobeginlifeanew。Wolfvilleistooslowacampforanygentwithanyswiftnesstohim。\'\" CHAPTERXV。 SLIMJIM\'SSISTER。 \"Whichthar\'sfolksinthiscaravansaryIdon\'tlikenone，\"remarkedtheOldCattleman，asIjoinedhimoneafternoononthelawn。Histonewasasofonehalfsullen，halfhurt，andashejerkedhisthumbtowardthehotelbehindus，itwasagesturefullofscorn。 \"Thar\'sfolksthar，takin\'\'emupan\'down，horns，hide，tallow，an\' beef，whoain\'tworthheatin\'arunnin\'-irontobrand。\" \"What\'sthetrouble？\"Iinquired，asIorganizedforcomfortwithmybackagainsttheelm-treewhichshadowedus。 \"Notroubleatall，\"repliedmyoldfriendsourly，\"leastwisenothin\'poignant。It\'sthatyoothfulpartyintheblacksurtootwhocomespesterin\'meamomentagoabouttheWestbein\'，ashesays，aroodean\'irreligiousoutfit。\" \"He\'sayoungpreacher，\"Iexplained。\"Possiblyhewasmovedbyananxietytouchingyoursoul\'swelfare。\" \"Well，ifhe\'souttosavesouls，\"retortedtheoldgentleman，\"heoughterwhirlabiggerloop。No，no，hewon\'tdo，\"hecontinued，shakinghisheadwithanairofmournfulyetresentfuldecision，\"thisyeregent\'stoonarrow；whichhisheadisbuilttoomuchtheshapeofaquail-trap。Hemaydotochasejack-rabbitsan\'sech，buthe\'sasizetoosmallforgamelikeme。Savesouls，saysyou!Why，ifthatonp\'liteyoungpersonwastomeetasoullikeminecomin\'upthetrail，he\'dshorelyomitwhattodoentire；he\'dbethatstampeded。He\'dbesomehardtolocate，Itakesit，afterhemeetsupwithasoullikemineawholelot。\" TheOldCattlemanmadethisproclamationrathertohimselfthanme，butIcoulddetectanairofpride。Thenhewenton: \"\'ThisyereWestyouemanatesfrom，\'saysthisyoungpreacher-sharptomethata-way，\'thisyereWestyouhailsfromisroode，an\'don\'tyieldnonetoreligiousinflooences。\' \"\'Well，\'Isaysbacktohim，fillin\'mypipeatthesametime，\'I reckonsyoushorelycanc\'llectmorewithagunthanacontreebutionboxintheWest，ifthat\'swhatyou-allisaimin\'at。Butifyoufiggerswedon\'tmakeourownlittlereligiousbreaksoutinArizona，stranger，youfiggersaheapwrong。YououghterhaveheardShortCreekDavethattimewhenheturns\'vangelistan\'prancesintothewarehousebackoftheNewYorkStore，an\'showsWolfvilleshe\'sshoreh\'ar-hungan\'breeze-shakenoverhellthata-way。ShortCreekhasthecampallspraddledoutbeforeheturnshisdeal-boxupan\' closeshisgame。\' \"\'ButthisyereShortCreekDave，\'heremonstratestome，\'ain\'tnoreg\'larlicenseddivine。Heain\'tworkin\'inconjunctionswithnoshore\'nough\'sociation，Itakesit。ThisShortCreekpersonismostlikelyoneofthemirrelevantexhortin\'folks，an\'thatmakesadifference。Hedon\'tbelongtonoreg\'lardenom\'nation。\' \"\'That\'stroo，too，\'Isays。\'ShortCreekain\'tworkin\'withnoreg\'larreligiousround-up；he\'ssorterrunnin\'afloatin\'outfit，criss-crossin\'therange，prowlin\'formavericksan\'straysonhisowngame。Butwhatofthat？He\'sshorelytyin\'\'emdownan\'brandin\' \'emrightalong。\' \"\'Oh，Idon\'tdispootenonetheefficacyofyourfriend\'sworkthata-way，\'repliestheyoungpreacher-sharp，\'butit\'sirreg\'lar；it\'splumboutofline。Nowwhatyou-allsneedsintheWestisrealchurches，sameaswe-allshasintheEast。\' \"`Iain\'tnoneshoreofthat。\'Isays，\'an\'I\'mgettin\'alittlewarmonderthecollarsomewiththemfrillsheputson；\'Iain\'tnoneshore。TheEastneedn\'tdeemitse\'ftheonlykinginthedeck； nonewhatever。TheWestcanaffordtheusualroolesan\'letallbetsgoastheylays，an\'stillgetupwinneronthedeal。Itakesityou-allsnevernotestheWestsendin\'Eastforhe\'p？\' \"\'Butthatain\'ttheidee，\'heurges。\'Churchesthata-wayistherightthing。Theymoldsacommoonity，churchesdoes。Youb\'arswitnessyourse\'fthatwherechurchesexiststhecommoonityisthemostorderlyan\'fullerofquietoodan\'peace。\' \"\'NotnecessarilyIdon\'t，\'Irepliesback，forI\'mgoin\'toplaymyhandoutifitgetsmylastchip，\'notnecessarily。WhatIb\'arswitnesstoisthatwherethecommoonityisthemostorderlythata- wayan\'fullerofquietoodan\'peace，thechurchesexists。\' \"\'WhichI\'mshorelysomeafraid，\'hesays，——an\'hislooksshowshe\'sgettin\'ahorrorofme，——\'youbelongstoaperversegeneration。You- allisvainofyourownevil-doin\'。LookatthemmurdersthatreddenstheWest，an\'thensityerean\'tellmeitdon\'tneednoinflooences。\' \"\'Themain\'tmurders，\'Ianswers；them\'skillin\'s。An\'asforinflooenccs，ifyou-alldon\'treckonthepresenceofavig\'lancecommitteeinacampdon\'tcauseagenttopausean\'pondernonebeforehepullshisgun，youdwellsinignorance。However，I\'myeretoadmit，Idon\'tdiscernnosechsin-encrustedplayinakillin\' whenthepartiesbreaksevenatthestart，an\'bothgentsisworkin\' tothesameendunanimous。Itdoessomefolksaheapofgoodtokill\'emalot。\' \"It\'satthisp\'inttheyoungpreacher-sharppullshisfreight，an\' Iobserves，bythewayhestacksmeupwithhiseyesthata-way，heallowsmebbyI\'mlocoed。\" TheOldCattlemansaidnomoreforamoment，butpuffedathiscobpipeinthoughtandsilence。Ihadnonotionofinvolvingmyselfinanycombatofmoralsortheology，soIdidnotinvadehismood。AtlastIsuggestedinahalf-toneofinoffensivesympathythattheWestwasnodoubtmuchmisunderstood。