THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Augf't 



— it sho''dicl — th' way that there couple 

 spooned round. They was sev'ral o' th' 

 boys th't jest ached t' git Sherman iutuh 

 a argymint an kill 'im up a lot, but 

 they never got no chance — th' Jedge 

 was too foxy, he was, an too smooth t' 

 get intuh open trouble. 



' 'Jest about Chris 'mas time th' In- 

 juns let up a few an lays low, th' 

 weather bein soitie cold an too many 

 sojers found them parts, an one moruiu 

 th' widder gives it out th't she lays t' 

 go over t' Green River an enjoy 'erself 

 a lot — she was fever beefiu 'bout 'all 

 work an no play. ' So, next day, off she 

 an th' Jedge goes, with a greaser named 

 Manuel drivin th' muel team. They'd 

 jest got acrost th' South Fork an was, 

 persoomable, quite ccmf table an happy, 

 w'en, all of a suddint, Manuel lets out 

 a screech an jumps out of th' wagon, 

 hollerin th't Injuns was comin. Sher- 

 man looks out an sees a cloud o' dust 

 'bout two mile away (they wa'n't no 

 snow on th' grcn.nid), an he jumps out, 

 too, an in a holy second him an that 

 greaser had them niuels cut loose an 

 was aboard 'em hittin the trail real 

 swift f 'r Green River. 'Course th' wid- 

 der screeched after 'em, but, turn 

 round? — none whatever. VV'y, that tar- 

 nal skunk didn't even wave 'is hand! 



"Well, th' widder sits an weeps 

 quite copious f 'r awhile, an then makes 

 up 'er mind th't she don't perpose t' 

 stay there an get scalped — none what- 

 ever. So she piles out o' th' wagon an 

 makes a sneak t' git under th' bank an 

 then travels up toward th' dus' cloud, 

 figgerin th' Injuns 'd be most likely t' 

 look down stream instead of up, but 

 w'en th' Injuns comes clost, high, low 

 andb'hold! They hain't no Injuns at 

 all, but some o' Geu'ril Augur's troops 

 a-drivin in strap stocK, an Ben vras 

 with 'em. 



"Well, o' course they tackles on t' 

 th' widder's wagon an heads f 'r Green 

 River, mad a hull lot t' think a male 

 critter callin 'isself a man 'd run away 

 an leave a woman t' be scalped by Oga- 

 lallas — an they all agrees t' make it dam 

 hot f'r Sherman ef he'sketchable. Ben, 

 he didn't say much, but purty quick 'e 

 rides alongside th' sergeant an speaks t' 

 'im, real quiet, an 'fore long he's a 

 chasin off on a side trail t' git intuh 

 Green River first, 'fore th' trooper.'- 



"Sherman was in th' barroom o' th' 

 hotel, tellin how the'd be'n ambushed 

 an th' widder killed at th' first shot 

 an how him an th' gseaser'dfit an tried 

 t' save 'er body, w'en in walks Ben, 'is 

 face's white's Sherman's an 'is eyes 

 a-blazin. Sherman knowed in a minute 

 th't Ben was after him, an he reached 

 f'r 'is gun, but Ben was too quick, an 

 covered 'im. 



" 'Hoi' on, ' says he. 'You dam scoun- 

 drel, I ought t' kill ye where ye set, but 

 I hain't no coward, an I fights fair 

 whoever with — even a cur th't runs 

 away an leaves a woman t' be scalped 

 an murdered by Indians. ' And he goes 

 on an tells th' crowd about wh't Sher- 

 man had did. O' course ev'rybody want- 

 ed t' hop in an do s'm' ropework, wi' 

 th' jedge figgerin as 'It,' but Ben 

 wouldn't have it, none at alL 



" 'No, gents,' says he, 'it don't go. I 

 b'lieves in givin all kinds a fair shake. 

 I gives it out th't I perpose t' git th' 

 gent, but I does it fair, an gives him 

 th' same show as me. Step outside yere, 

 dam ye, an fight!' 



"Sherman begged an pleaded a hull 

 lot, but it didn't go, an after gittin a 

 few Bwift kicks fr'm some o' th' gang, 

 out he walks, wobblin lots in th' knees 

 and shakin all over, an lines up in th' 

 street. Cheyenne Pike was master o' 

 ceremonies. 'Twenty paces, gents, ' says 

 he. 'Shoot an advance a shootin. Air 

 ye ready? One, two, three — fire!' 



"How 'tvras did, nobody ever even 

 guessed. Ben was 's good a shot as they 

 was in Wyoming. Maybe th' Jedge 

 was, too ; but he was so shaky they say 

 he c'd hardly hold his gun. Anyways, 

 they was only four 'r five shots took — 

 then pore ole Ben throws up 'is ban's 

 an drops — Sherman'd got 'im in th' 

 forehead, slick an clean. 



"While they was pickin Ben up an 

 carryin 'im inside, Sherman got lost in 

 th' shuffle. Ef he hadn't, he'd 'a' sho' 

 be'n killed. But he sneaks off an lays 

 low som'eres an nobody sees 'im ontell 

 late that day. 



'"Bout supper time one o' th' boys 

 comes rushin intuh th' Eagle Bird c'n- 

 sid'ble flustrated. 'Wha' d'ye think, 

 boys?' says he, w'en he ketched 'is 

 breath. 'Th' Widder Buck and that 

 skunk Sherman is spliced!' 



"O' course th' gang thinks he's jo.shin 



