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Show 33 ! r rlj r OGERS had been called w CnfXA "Texas" so long that he a" """ j ) himself had almost forgot- sS Jy ten that he had a moro es - refined cognomen. Ho was T Known for his honesty, ?! v"""- I ncrvo and fair dealings, r y and distinguished becauso ho was the sole proprietor of one of the gaudiest . saloons In New Mexico. Had his early surroundings been different his tastes might have led to the esthetic, for he Inclined strongly to the artistic. But he was it born on a AVest Texas ranch, grew to early manhood man-hood thero and when he left the paternal roof ; to see something of tho world his stops led ; westward instead of fb the effete East. After some ups and downs the latter predominating, 31 ho gave up seeking fortune through prospecting 6 for uncertain mines, and planted himself near j ono that had an assured future, with the laud-31 laud-31 : able Intention of taking advantage of the weak-gj weak-gj nosses and fallings of his fellow-men. r Ho opened a bar room at Magdalena, and, owlnx to tho proverbial thirst and sporting J . ! tastes o'f tho pioneers, prospered wonderfully, '? 60 much eo that in an incredibly short tlmo ; "Texas" was enabled to indulge In those artistic I ; tastes already referred to. I : Ho caused to be built the gaudiest saloon In l j New Mexico, by far the most attractive feature l of which was a mirror 'that covered the wholo ; side of the room behind the rosewood bar, which - mirror had primarily cost a small fortune to buy 5 'i and another to transport over tho mountains and ', put int place. Paradoxical as it may appear, u ' 1 that mirier was rendered moro attractlvo by the I V fact that It waa somewhat disfigured by hnvlng- '. several holes In Its otherwise smooth surluco, near each being pasted a slip of paper on which was written Its history. For instance, right in tho center of tho glass ' was a hole slightly larger than any other slnglu i one, about tho size of a silver 10-cent picec. Tho slip of paper near it had the following1 scrawled on It: "Did by Ben Thompson on a bet. Ben stanaa across the room with his hands hanging down by his sides. At the word Ben draws his gun and empties her In two seconds andf a half by my stop watch, all six balls going in ono hole, ' nearly." Further down and to tho left of Bon's rc-i rc-i ' markablo exhibit, wcro three holes about breast , i hich to a man Htandlng in front of tho bar, all 5 three within a space that might be easily cov-; cov-; 1 ored with the half of a dollar bllL The lnscrlp- tlon near It read: 1 "Did by King Fisher, Just aftor ho downs ; I Cherokee Bill outside tho saloon. King comes ) In for a drink and mistakes hlssclf in tho lookln' ' glass for the sheriff coming Into tho bar from ; another room. No questions asked and King shoots on sight," ; Ono day "Toxas" was seated In tho little holo i next to the bar, which ho called his ofllco, when a stranger, followed by a crowd of excited cow-i cow-i boys and citizens, stopped tho first automobile i over seen In that part of Now Mexico, directly ' ' In front of his place. Tho stranger got down, bowed to tho crowd and Invited everybody in to tnk a drink. That established his standing at i once, for It proved him to be not Ignorant of Western courtesy. 5 His car was a small one, but ho had cata-i cata-i logues showing others of all sixes and styles. After a drink or two. ho Invited "Texas" to take a spin with him, and before they returned re-turned that individual had becomo so enamored en-amored with the thing that the stranger had : ! uold him a car. "Texas" picked out a big ono ' of high power and ordered It painted red. The 3 agent promised to 1111 tho order, absolutely. ' tc deliver It himself and to remaia with "Texas" K until he had taught him.-to run It as well as (he himself could. Tho contractwas carried out to the letter, and a month later "Texas" had become something some-thing of an export in handling the big, red car i p which, tho agent told him, had been built especially espe-cially for him. "Texas" Invited several of his friends to go on an excursion to tho springs that wore located lo-cated about twenty-live miles nway. He was really sorry that tho distance was not greater, for he wanted to show his friends how easily his car could annihilate distance. . There was a generous lunch and a baskot of champagfio taken along, and tho party arrived at tho springs In safety and loud In their praise of the remarkable performance of tho car; also of tho skillful driving of "Texaa." Tho lunch was eaten, the wine drunk, and late in tho afternoon tho party, feeling much elated, started for homo. "Texas" was feeling particularly good and, In order to show off the remarkablo virtues of his car, "pulled her wide open" and began a race against time and space that enabled tho wheels to touch the earth only in the high places. When ubout half of tho distance homo had been covered thero suddenly appeared, standing stand-ing defiantly, right In tho middle of tho road, a big, red bull, almost aa largo as tho big, red car Itsolf. "Texas," even had ho desired to check his speed or turn his car aside In order to avoid tho bull, could not have dono so, for almost coincident with tho first vlow of tho bull tbj car was right on him. For a moment the bull stood, with lowered head, lashing his sides angrily an-grily with hla tall, and tho next, crumpled up. with his neck broken, ho was hurled to the side of the road, whllo the uninjured car aped on with unabated speed. It was simply a miracle, nothing else, that tho Uvea of tho men were spared and that only that of tho bull was offered up on the altar of tho speed king. Artcr that performance "Texas" became something -f a nuisance In proclaiming tho virtues vir-tues of his car. "Look at her," ho would say. "She killed the lnggest bull In New Mexico with one sln-glo sln-glo butt and nftver even scratched herself In doing it. You can't beat it any way you try." Ho kept on bragging and boasting about his car until tho boys got tirod of it and deter-mined deter-mined to play a Joke on him that would divert hlH mind, for a tlmo at least, from that wonderful wonder-ful red car and the unfortunate red bull. They took advantage of tho presenco In town of a farmer who lived In an adjoining county, who. after having the situation explained to him, agreed to act the part of the owner of tho bull and to collect its price from "Toxas," agroelng, also, to spend every cont of the money over the bar In "Texas' " saloon. "vHion everything was ready tho stranger entered the saloon, asked for "Texas." and when that gnntleman appeared, ho explained that he had como to collect the price oi tho bi.:i he had killed. "I'm glad to sco you," said "Toxas." "Como right In and have a drink with mo. I've been oxpoctlng you for some time, and would have hunted you up, only nobody knew who owned the bull. Come out and look at that machine yourself, and If you find a dent In her any-whores any-whores I'll pay you double for your bull. Sho crumpled him up and laid him out on tho sldo of tho road that easy it waa beautiful to look nt. Nothing can stand against her, and I'm thinking of taking her out and knocking oft somo corners of the road that aro blocked by big rocks. Sho can do It easy." "I know to my sorrow what sho can do," nald the man, "but I wish you'd trlea her on tho rocks Instead of on my bull, which cost me a lot of money and a heap of time, too." . "How much did he cost you?" asked 'Texas. "I paid '$300 for him In San Antono two yeara ago and It cost me $75 more to get him out horo.'" was the reply. Without hosltatlng, "Texas" opened his safe, counted out tho money and handed It to tho -fK - USF Wk stranger, who gave him a roccipt, signed "John S" HIgglns." Then "Hlgglns" Invited overybody li up to tho bar, and for several hours tho work K of spending the prico of tho bull went merrily ILI Tho boys were beginning to feel ashamed of VH themselves for tho way they had treated KH "Texas," and were on tho point of telling him Ej'l long-legged, long-whlskcrcd stockman rodo Into Rl town, hitched his horse and went into "Texas' " r l "Mr. Texas," he said. "I'vo como to collect ft'H for that bull of mine you killed," but ho got no hl further, for "Texas" arose and, without a word, ( seized him by tho beard, and thon began a battlo 1 It was an old-fashioned rough and tumble, cucb as had not been witnessed in that land of H knives and guns for years. The two men wcro jl evenly matched and each fought furiously. They H knocked down tables and chairs, and beforo they got through had pretty well wrecked tho iH place. Finally they were pulled apart and when jH they had quieted down a little, explanations Hl were in order. .-1 It was made plain to 'Toxas" .that tho real j owner of tho bull was the gentleman with whom jH he had just fought, and It was explained to that gentleman that ho and "Texas" together had Ll dostrojod about $500 worth of bar dxturos. I Hl It was argued that, uny way It was figured 1 out, "Toxas" was a big loaor, for he 'hnd il already paid for two bulls, had anoir.er s-'.i -o Sl pay for, and had a wrecked saloon on hi t IH The argument was spec.ou.s, of co.nw ftl naa weight with the sto k.n.wi, w.,o .'-a Rl -nigh sport, ao he generously suggest i i: JC iH Texas" would set 'cm up he wouU ca.l f thing square. IH "Texas" was equally generous, and vaiiin. to t f( pay for tho third bull, but thocrowd overruled if'V'fll him, so he set them up so generously that a FKI third bbj celebration resultcd.i.' jfll |