Show e mm i 1 One Give Athletes Athlete's I ITom Downfall A 7 illi mee Tom Atwood was an athlete and a good one He had played left guard on the varsity in a year when that meant a good deal he was the best boxer in college altogether he would have been picked out as a a. a man eminently able to take care of himself Yet he fell And his fall was partly due to the pride which h notoriously precedes a fall and partly to the fact that Tom had read too many tales about the manner in which the husky young tenderfoot from the east treats the western bad badman badman badman man when the latter attempts to Impose impose impose Im im- pose on him bim In stories the plucky and virtuous tenderfoot is asked to drink refuses to take anything stronger than mineral mineral min min- eral water the bad man Is enraged and starts to draw his gun but before he Be can use his weapon the tenderfoot lands on his jaw and follows this up by giving the floor a general polishing with the aforesaid bad man Of course this procedure is the rule But But- there are exceptions to every rule After leaving college Tom took a no ajob ajob job of mining engineering in the Black Hills HilIs For about a month things san Ban Banon sanon n non on on with the even tenor of the east The nearest saloon nearest saloon was miles away so sono sono sono no one even asked Tom to drink let alone forcing him at the point of a pistol to imbibe red eye against his wishes Tom wasn't exactly looking for trouble but he began to think things might be too much the other way At At the end of the first month it was wasn n necessary to go to the nearest town for supplies Arriving In town toWI after a long dusty ride Tom sought a place where he might obtain something to eat and at the same time tine wash down some of the western dust which had accumulated In his throat during the thelong thelong thelong long mornings morning's ride There wasn't any trouble finding such a place In fact the main street of the town on both sides was crowded with them After his his' months' months experience In thirsty places Tom struck for the nearest It was here that here that he put to the test the truth of the current Tenderfoot versus versus versus ver ver- sus Bad Man tales which he had read from his youth up up The test I proved a thorough if not a satisfactory satisfactory tory one Standing In front of the bar when Tom entered was a gentleman who l seemed the perfect type of ot the bad badman badman man dear to readers of western stories stories' stories sto sto- ries ries' He had bad the had the broad brimmed sombrero sombrero som som- brero the leggings the 6 a 4 I I f 01 X ure are supposed to go with the typical killer Lots of men who have bave never killed anything fiercer than a cow wear this outfit But it happened that Mr Ike Williams the gentleman in question really was a man with a bad record in the use of his shooting Irons frons At that he was a pleasant affable affable af at- fable sort of man until some one else seemed inclined to look for trouble In that case Mr Ike Ilee Williams made madeno no attempt to sidestep the trouble He was more likely to go toward it on the gallop Mr Williams was just ordering a drink as Tom entered the barroom Western etiquette is decidedly ly against a man drinking alone Step u up stranger strang r said Ike affably affably af af- and have something with with- me Ill have ginger ale replied Tom in an unnecessarily aggressive tone Ike Williams made no reply to this He ordered whisky for himself The bartender started to prepare the drinks Tom Atwood didn't understand under under- stand stanCl In all the stories he he had read the demand of a tenderfoot for a a a- soft drink always met with the most dec decided decided deci- deci ded remonstrance I said Id I'd tak take ginger ale le he repeated repeated repeated re re- somewhat in the t tone tone tone- ne of a aman aman aman man who was looking for trouble No whisky for me Mr Ike lIte Williams glanced up in surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise at the tone As long as he lie got his ow own whisky it was a matter of indifference to him whether Tom drank ginger ale or coal oil But he didn't approve of the tone in which the order was given He jerked his head toward the bartender as if to indicate that he was wail the man taking the order But he said nothing and andin andin andin in Tom Atwood's Atwoods short Atwoods short career he never never nev nev- er had a better opportunity to mind his own business He didn't appreciate ate this fact Its soft drinks for me he reit reit- No living man can make me drink whisky Ordinarily Ike Williams was one of the last men in the world to waste good liquor by forcing it down the throat of an unwilling imbiber In Toms Tom's last words however there was wasa a distinct challenge Mr Air Williams was not the man man to pass a challenge unheeded Oh I dont don't know a out that he replied in a soft drawl If Tom Atwood Atwood At At- wood had been more more experienced he would have recognized a danger signal signal signal sig sig- nal In that drawl I I guess after all you had better take whisky Drink Drink- it he shouted his voice rising as the bartender placed the bottle on the bar Drink it or it'll be the worse for you As he said this Ikes Ike's hand slipped to the revolver in his belt But now Tom Atwood felt at ease Everything was going according to program The next move would be for the bad man manto to draw his gun Then before he could get the drop Tom Would knock the revolver out of his hand lead for his jaw and proceed to pummel him himIn himin himin in the good old way But this time things didn't go according according according ac ac- cording to the well worn well worn program Ike Williams did draw his revolver But Buthe Buthe Buthe he did not make the slightest effort to get the drop on Tom Ike never would have been a successful candidate candidate candi candi- date for Sunday Sunday school school superintendent but he had a well well defined defined creed of right and wrong and stuck to it One of pf the principles of this creed was that that It was not the square thing to shoot at an unarmed man At the same time Mr Air Williams did not propose propose pro pro- pose to let himself be knocked about by an impudent but brawny young athlete from the east east So he shifted his revolver from his right to his bis lefthand left lefthand lefthand hand and aimed a blow at Toms Tom's head with the butt The blow was delivered deliver d with a quickness which no no stranger would have supposed the affable affable affable af af- fable Mr Air Williams capable of Tom was speedy with his hands and a good boxer boxe but he wasn't looking looking looking look look- ing for tor any move of this sort The result wa WM was that Instead of landing on onIke onIke onIke Ike Williams Williams' Jaw taw with his right the butt of the revolver landed on Toms Tom's head with stunning force torce Then Mr Air Williams followed up his advantage by punching Tom In the stomach stomach and and then striking him hima a second time on I 7 IL Jt c- c 4 r J t h j. j t l. l i I I j f i the head hend with with the butt buttof oi of the revolver Incidentally he did a lot of other p. p but d did d not interest in- in things to him they A A terest Tom after he received the second second sec- sec 10 ond blow on the head hE j When Tom opened his eyes the bartender bartender bartender bar bar- tender was bending over over him bim bathing his hen head with with cold water Tom gave rave j ja a sigh Ho Ile had expected that experience expert expert- t ence would change some of leis his lis id ideas as of western life but but- the change had been too sudden to be pleasant Then he looked at the tho bright side of it Anyhow he didn't make me drink the whisky he murmured to the bar bar- tender He didn't want to answered that worthy gruffly Ike just mixed it up with you because he thought you were looking fo foj fow trouble tro Hes He's always always al al- ways accommodating accommodating about helping a a. man in a search of that kind But Buthe he wouldn't waste good stuff by forcing forcing forcing forc forc- I ing it on a man who didn't want it It After he had bad polished you up he drank your whisky and went off as quiet and peaceable as a lamb Iamb iR j This This- was the unkindest cut of all As Tom Atwood rose wearily to his feet and felt doubtfully of his head to s see e If it was all there he said he-said said aid with I j ja a little groan J J If I could get hold of some of those s' s j people who tell tales about the way the tenderfoot wipes up the bad man man Id I'd polish them up worse than Ike Ike- j jWilliams Williams did me N. 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