Dave Baxter And Tom Hogaboom

"Have a nice time of it at the Cattle Men 's Conventlon ?" "Yes, purly mee. Mybarblll was only $75 a day, bilt I had a pretly tair time of it." "Saw your fneiid, Toni Hojraboom, I BUppOM ''" "Y-e-s, I sorter saw hlra." t'I expect you had a pretty good time, swapping war experienee, and the like?" "I saw Toui Hogabooin, but he didn't recosrnize me." "Perhaps he didn't see yon." "Yes, he saw rae, but I dldo't reoognize hini." "1 don't quite catcb on." The foregolDg oonrergatlon occurred between Dave Jíaxter, a Western Texas ¦tockmnn, and Saín Bermett, a San Antonio groter, tn the back pan nt tha htttvr! itore. TH jusL c'" .V(" '1OW 'l hspponedi Suin," siiid Baxter. "Aa you tnow, 1 didn't po to SI. Louis to altend the Cattle Jlcn's Convención as nimh ai I did to see iny old friend and cbum. Torn Hogv boom. Toni and me were aluiost aiü(l togftlK.T in Georgia. Our fatben' farm joint-d. We belonged to thu saine regiment during the war, and drank outer the same canteen, lie aavt-d BIT life at the battle of the Wllderne. After the wat we dritted apart. 1 CÑme to Texas, and now l'vu got atiout 35,000 he;id of cattle, 1 am reckoning." "Yes; one of your neighbors told me tlial you branded more mavericks tlian any "live men in Western Texas," said Sani Bennett. "He was jokin', Bam. 15ut as I was telling you, I came to Texas and raiscd oaltle, and llogaboom went to St. Louin, and uow he is one of the leadlng lawyerg uid poliliuiaii. We havent seen eacli ither sílice the break-up, but we have ottjn wiit so I lUouglit Id yo on to St. Lou s wliile the cattle men wrere iu conveulion and kill two birds with one stone; so I went on to St. Louis. As sooii as I ;.rot there I drore riglit to his house, as liehad writ me to do." "He was glad to see you, I siippose?" "He wasn't at. home, but liïs wife was very f rieiidly, and told me that she expected lier husband home pretty soou. Ue had to attend a meeting of tho bar. Well, lic didnt coiné lióme till eleven that night. In bet, he didn't come home at all. Bomeof bis friends broHght htm liOine In a hack. I saw that be didn't recognize rne. He was too drank. He told me to givo him live dollars' woith of chips." "Hogaboom must have taken you for a lumber dealer when he askcd you for chips,'1 remarked Sun, nnocently. "11e mistook me tor sorne kind of a dealer," continued Baxter. "Xext moniIng when 1 wanted to see Hogaboom, bis wife told me that be was fust askcp, so 1 thonght I would stroll down to the Cattle Men's convention. I got to tnlking about the national cattle trail, and the like. That was the day my bar bill ainounted to only $75. I dou"l reiiumber very well liow I got back to Ilogabooin's boute, but I got there. Bogabooa was waiting to see me. He was sober as a jiuljci! but I was too tiíjlit to recognize him. He was mighty aftuctlonate to me, so his wife told me, but I kept ou calling bim Mr. Barkeep." "Didn't you two ever get sober CDOiigu to recogni.e each other?" "O, yes, but not at the same time. Alter we'had kept that up lor a couple of days, I got a telegram sayin' tbc fencecutters were at work on my pasture feúco, so I lit out for home wlthoul ever aettin a chance to have a sociable talk witoTom Honboom."