Sized Up As A Rustler

Ht? liad on i cowboy'8 Lat - he had long umi fierce black eyes- thore was'a claw 1 1 nu the foot of a grizzly bear dangliug trom his watch chain. Yon conld hiy.v him uj o:üy in one way - he hart killed his man. or perhaps half a dozen of theni. ü' he hadn't fought Indiana and stootl up to the bad, bad men of the far west, then his looks belied him. He was a quiet. unostentatioufl man, as all nervy men are. He was rpading a dinie novel, as all game men do when they travel. Now and then he feit down the back of his neck to see if his bowie knife was cuddling ap to his R.'.ne in a proper manner, and now and toen hé reachad down to his boot legs to see tlmt his cargo of revol vors hadu't sbifted. Three or (oor of us, aftèr taking plenty of time to size him up, decided to ask him how anrl where he got the wound which had left the acar clear ncross his Icft cheek. It lookod like the work of fitting Bull'a tomahawk, butwe wanted tho particulars. So it was agreed that 1 should work him up to teil hia story, una after a quarter of an hour of' diplomacy 1 had shaped mattersso I dared observe: "That is a bad scar yon havo on youi check, and there is no doubt a story conaected with it?" "Yes, sir, there is," he replied. "We should like to liear the particulars, if yon have no objection." "Oh, the story don'tamount tonrach," he modestly remarked. ' "But you certainly had a close cali. Eow many Indiaus were aronnd yon?" "Indians? 1 didn't see no Indians." "Oh! Perhaps you were in a western stage whcn it was hold up, and you got tliat scar in fighting olï the road agenta?" "Kever saw a road agent in my lif'e," he answered. "Tackled by a bad taan perhaps?" "Never saw a bad man." "But you had a ftght," i persisted. "No, 1 didn't." "Well, perhapsyoa'd be kind enough tö explain how you got thafr scar?" "1 will. 1 went hito a restaurant and ordered a pumpkin pie. The waiter brought me a squash pie instead. 1 kicked. The owner of the place, who was a woman, got mad and slashed me with an oíd caso knife. 1 afterward settled with her for three dollars in cash. That's tho story, sir.'' "But why- why are you wearingthat hat and other things belonging to a western terror?" I asked. "These th;gs? Oh, 1 got 'cm of an actor for four dollars. He had to sell out or walk home, and as tüe walking wnsn't goud he sold out." "And iriiiy I usk who yon are?" 1 inquired, as aa awl'ul silenes feil npon our crowd. "Oertainly you can. l'vo been working for a farmer near Monroe all summer for 'loven dollars a nionth and found, bnt 1 quit the other day and am going to Toledo to get a stock of stomach bitters to sell on the road. Meedn't nobody bo afraid of me. 1 ain't loaded, and i f l was 1 ain't got tho sand to go oif. Never tackled but ono man, and I lutin't got throagh running away from hini j'et." Then we went to the other end of the car and tried to cali the convention to order and do sorne resolving, but it was a failure. Everybody seemed to want to sit and think