He Met His Match

There was a hardy fellow named Bronston who lived in a shack on a desert olaim just at the edge of the Wyoraing hunting grounds who had a reputation for being abont as handy with his flsts as the next comer. Bronston hud an especial dislike for the "dude" hunters, and it was his boast that in a fair encounter he could best anything wearing good clothes and carrying 57 pounds of variegated ammunition. He was kept fairly busy. The hunting grounds, despite the presence of Broustou, became moro popular year afteryear, until finally he had to be a little more select in his operatious, as there veere altogether too many visitors to allow him time to do the ■whole lot justice. He finally announced that in future he was going to whip nobody under the rank of colonel iu military life and uobody who in civil life wasn't at least a ma or of a big town or a president of a railroad. By following this plan he succeeded in filling his time comfortably withoïit overworking himself. He was uniformly successful until one day a party stopped at his ranch and introduced themselves as eastern tourists bent on doing some elk extermination. They asked if they might stop overnight with him. "Gentlemen," said Bronston, "do it happen that they's a giniral among yon?" No, there didn't happen to be. "A judge, mebbe, or a vice president?' ' There was not. It was an unofficial party. The only man with anytbing approaching an official designation was a young fellow who was Portuguesa consul in a seafiort town down east. He wasn't a native of Portugal himself - ust a plain American citizen, who had been appointed to the place because he had the time to attend to the few duties. "Concernin a consul," said Bronston reflectively, "I don 't know. I never heard of sich. Doubtless, rnebbe, it's a responsible an honorable job." He was answered that it was. " Well, " he suggested, "mebbe he'll do. Come out here in the yard, gentlemen, an the exercises will begin." They had no idea what was coming, )ut Bronston explained briefly, and the young man seemed perfectly willing to take his part in the melee, though the others, terrified, tried their best to argue Bronston out of it. The desert claim settler made a rush at his victiin and found he wasn't there. He had care'ullystepped aside, and as the mouutain ïghter thundered past hiui the consul hit himon theear. Theu the Portuguese representative followed up his advan:age, and leaping upon the prostrate Bronston battered his hearl against the ;round until he had worn a hole in the hard soil. He picked Bronston up and threw him out iuto the road, and then went out and threw him back again. The Portnguese consul, it may be rernarked, had spent the better part of his life learuing how to box and wrestle, and this was his first opportunity to let himself out. In an hour Bronston came back to life. He wearily looked about him and said, "Gentlemen, did a dozen or two supreme court judges sueak up -while I wan't lookin an tackle me?" He was told that 110 snch thing bad happened. "P'r'aps it was a state legislater?" No, itwas just a young man whowas a Portuguesa consul. He drew a sad sigh. "I wouldn'fc 'a' believed it, " he said. "I had more confidence in the institutions of this land of freedom of ourn. To think that a man who has licked governors au state 'torneys an sherifïs an congressmen should be whooped till he's half dead by a furriner that cau't talk the laugwidge of his own furrin country! Gentlemen, they ain't no use bein patriotic no more. The republican form of gov'nient is cruinblin an sbe'sgoin to fall. Dog it all, I beat the daylights out of a reg'lar United States senator wunst, an here I am on the broad of ruy back with two ribs broke by a emissary of despotism! The game's over, an the U. S. of Americky ain't got a chip to cash in." The speaker of the house of representatives went up that way to hunt afterward, but when somebody suggested to the desertclairnant that here was an excellent chance to give greatness a fitting pugilistic reception he said it was no use. He would very likely whip the statesman, but what would be the good? Since the young men of the country had got to prostitutiug their great talents to the service of foreign dynasties he feit that the country had gone to the dogs and that there would be no substantial joy even in blacking the eye of the dent bimself.'