UNFAIR COMPETITION 107 



blamed Neok for this trick, without hesitation. 

 To me it made no difference who had done the 

 shooting; it was getting altogether too warlike 

 for my comfort, and I told Asa that I was going 

 to leave for more peaceful fields. He begged me 

 to remain; he even cried, but I went. 



The finish of this veterinary war in Abilene I 

 can only tell from hearsay. It seems that after 

 I left Neok sent for reinforcements in the form 

 of another quack by the name of Stables. The 

 two of them finally harassed Asa into open war- 

 fare. For a number of days Neok and Asa 

 endeavored to ambush one another with sawed-off 

 shotguns. Some friends on both sides were suc- 

 cessful in preventing bloodshed by negotiating a 

 meeting between Neok, Stables and Asa, at 

 which meeting Asa sold his practice and office to 

 Neok for the sum of eighty-five dollars. 



So ended Dr. Asa's career as a veterinary 

 practitioner in Texas. 



I heard of many instances which were as bad, 

 if not worse, as the competition between Asa and 

 Neok. Texas was a great state from a veteri- 

 nary standpoint in those days. 



