Show I TENDERFOOT MADE GOOD Touted as a Tough Proposition by a Really Bad Man lan J He Gingerly Shot Up the Town Torn I Somebody In the parly party got cot off that old threadbare about a man heln being known by the company compan he Keeps leePs when tho the reserved man with wih the gray crY hair hall about hi his spoke up UD That r reminds me of oC a little Itc experience experience expert expert- ence enee 1 I had In the callow calow days of at m my youth he said ld I 1 say youth althou although al- al thou though h I Was v.-ns In my early manhood and quie old enough to know tr anti and nl that tha t brings me to the other old saying abouL the exorbitant rates rats charged I by hy experience for tor tuition My trouble was that I 1 n needed del experience experience 1 hut but didn't know it U. You lou couldn't tell tel mo me 00 many things s that tha I 1 didn't already claim caim a n familiarity wit with wih when I set et out on this little Western trip that I am ant about to tell tel of ot I was as bound from Crom New fork ork to San Francisco and antI In order to dip a n little Into the ways wn's of oC the Western border horder town I had concluded to stop off of for Cor a da day or two In El EI Paso which at nt the time of ot which I speak had a 1 considerable reputation In the tho line lne of ot social social informality I didn't expect to learn lear a great deal about border horder civilization cl mind you OU for Cor forI CorI I had lone hong ceased taking an Interest In Inthis inthis this sort sorl of thing as depleted depicted In the books and anti magazines magazine having ln come to the thc conclusion that It had been over over- o er don done I figured that after aler the veneers of the story honk book bok had b been n scraped from th the tho average a Western bad man manlie he lie would amount to about one rough un uneducated blustering son of or a a gun ln In Inne ne need ll of or a and carrying about hout a n aI nI agun I gun un because the laws lawn lawI of ol the far Car VestI West Vest were rather lax as S to the carrying of or I wea weapon po as I made my little trip over the thC Southern South South- ern era Pacific antI and th the further West est I 1 got ot I the the more Imminent became the explosion explosion sion of or the frontier myth mth I talked the matter mater over with wih a young oung fellow who II had got sot aboard the tho train at Ahlene Abilene on the edge of ot the cow country countr anti and he said Id he hI had lived In tho the had bad lands hands since h ho be was 20 O and he was then 30 10 and he hadn't seen any devilishness worth of ot lie He le explained that he came from rom St. St St Louis Loul and with wih a n lot of oC money given en to him by hy his father lather who was wag In the tho grocery business there he hail had bought a bunch of cattle catte and had han settled down downto to roaming the Texas plains as ns a sort of boss hoss cowboy the cowboy being heIng he- he Alt All AI this rot about ing such a tough proposition said aid he with wih a peculiar sort of or accent imbibed Iron from the plains Is la Just a n lot hot of ot airy talk I ought to know for Cor or rye hen hei kicking around here In the grass crass grassor cass cassor for or ton ten years Ive I've I e had a a little trouble of course but hut worth speaking of and your our talk taik about the had bad men of the tho West being played out Is right all al right O Exactly I replied gratified at this Indorsement of or m my views by an expert ex ex- pert exactly so 80 There arc are a lot of or winded long hanging around here yet I suppose who ml might ht give a tenderfoot the Im Impression r that the they were had hd but ut I dare say that they're thero simply a lot hot of ot Imitators who want to keep ur un Ur old traditions and who would dodge If I a real loaded gun were pulled on them them U Exact Exactly said 0 my new friend whose hose name by hy the way was William Wit Wil Un liam lians nn We 0 seemed to a agree ree on everything and b became fast fiends friends I acknowledged edged eM that I was a pretty nervy proposition proposition In the East anti and showed Williams a superb Smith Wesson long Ion range which I 1 had hd boucht bought on Broadway es especially es- es for this trip I told him that I 1 always alwa's carried one and he said that he Hd did Id also as al a a matter mater oC of ton tion Well cl he was going to 10 El EI Paso and ando of o course two such kindred spirits ar arranged arranged ar- ar ranged to go over the town lown to together ether a bit hit Williams Ilams said he would show me meth methe methe th the sights of ot the place which were not much except for a lot of faro are houses 1 along the main street and a fandango o e over In Paso del Norte across the Rio Grande in the e evening Well eli Wel I 1 found Williams a first class fellow In ever every respect quiet and Inoffensive InoC- InoC and yet tt I wondered that he was not more popular than that he lie appeared to be In the tho houses gambling houses In every everyone everyone one of oC which he seemed to be- be be bewell bowell well wel ac ac- ac Everybody nodded to him re respectfully respectfully re- re but rather darkly and tho the bartenders seemed to he be Intent on I keeping keeping keep keep- cep- cep ing Inz their e eyes es on him And the way that man could hold liquor was won won- I had already alread besun heun to spend pend money mone Yer very freely rely and to keep up my self-described self reputation of ot being a sort ort of an Eastern bad man began to swagger a little l te I 1 was somewhat astonished while standing at a bar har on San Antonio avenue avenue av av- as' as to observe Williams draw his drw gun un and put ut a bullet bulet Into a a small mirror hanging jU Just junt t back of o the bar I was equally sur surprised but hut relieved beyond words to observe the bartender smile a fick sickly smile Amle ns as he came out from under under under un un- un- un der the bar and accept a a ten dollar ten ten-dolar bill bi fim Williams In payment for Cor the tile broken mirror Line U UP here you OU and have a t drink with your our Uncle Dickey shout shouted my Inoffensive friend to a as rou rough h a 1 looking lot hot of oC gents cents as ever congregated in a a. saloon Waltz Walls al up op and anti let me Introduce you ou to my from the East and hes he's not one of your our I damned tenderfeet either This last referred to me but what surprised me and lifted a a. n load hand oft off m mr mind at the same fame time was that this mob moh of ruffians promptly lined up and shook hook me b by the hand Williams bought the drinks and paid with wih a 0 twenty dollar bill bil spurning spurning spurn spurn- In ing the change Now ow It struck me that I would have have to make good In some Mme way and then In a a grand nn finale le o of fierceness and genero generosity t break brenk n a away from Williams who was fast rant becoming too strenuous for Cor meI meI meI me I essayed a number of ot picturesquely violent expressions and while ordering up lit the next round of oC drinks drew my revolver I had hal picked out a n small glass pitcher standing behind the bar br which I figured fig 0 op costing costne mo me 00 about 15 5 i and Intended to put a bullet bulet Into It I. I but my nerve f failed Jed me rae at the tile last moment and I another round of oC drinks Instead Well cl things went from bad to wor worse c that tha Is Is Williams did He lie became wildly hilarious and careless the more sober and careful I he became am I wanted fo to eo go 10 home hut but Williams wouldn't hear of or It He lie le even en e he began an to 10 get uc ugly with me and threatened ened to shoot me If Ir I dC him 0 my old pal pal The word soon got cot ot around that Jack Williams from rom Sa Sage e river rl er was wason wason wason on the rampage rampa c and that there was wa a devil devi of an Eastern highbinder with wIh o hir and I had 1 to live l e up to my reputation tation I found out that Williams when drunk In which condition he got goton goton goton on each annual vl visit 1 to El EI Pa Paso o. o was about as wild ld and vicious an Indian as aser ever r e came out of ot the sagebrush and he was such a good god chat that It was generally agreed gr ed among the men In the town to let Jet him alone Well nob nobody d will wi over r realize e the horrors of ot that nl night ht Williams shot at something In about e cr every place we got Into and li In order to save my life I 1 was compelled at times to follow Collow suit and nd f times came near taking off or bartenders bartenders' heads head A number of or men I coul could see wanted to kill kl me mt but they were vere afraid of oC 1105 Williams who was sing sing- IngIn In tag ing and and shouting and shooting antI and nd spending monc money like a crazy man I followed cult with wih hollow holo mockeries of defiant bellowing and during the course cours of or the evening c paid for or two windo win yin do dow panes two mirrors mirror and nd a dog log which had hd fallen a victim to my unwilling un Un- willing villing shooting arm aria I was fast fant taft going broke broke with wih the tho enormous drain drin on 0 my finances finance Williams raid I 1 was WIS all allright allright al right not knowl knowing how little lite Interest I was taking takinG In the proceedings I 1 finally got It Williams to bed In an nn hotel an entire entre floor foor of oC which we had engaged engaged en en- and In the quiet Culet of oC the night I told the clerk Cerk of or I my ny troubles and bribed him to send end me over o to the iho station sta sta- tion lon where I took tok the first train out of ot El EI Paso a n sadder der and n a wiser wiper man New ew York Times |