33 ° 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 29, 1908. 
.. infens mflai• auetn ^ 
Fitnieub incjlmuc aajlrifla, cpue premiere neuit- 
a'Mttre, Jed in r'tgas mjetre pnqmyuas, 
Euemere, eta, Indu . vie cum cenferre penta. 
From an old print 
CORMORANTS FISHING, 
in the possession of Russell W. 
Woodward. 
“She are,’ : 
he shoved a 
was Bill’s reply, as with one paw, 
wildcat Eastern magazine addressed 
fell upon the scene, 
had never tackled. 
to a sheepherder into the beer box, and with 
the other he waved at the row of bottles on the 
shelves. “She certainly are a saloon. There's 
old Eldorado and McBrayer. I have a cheaper 
and stronger grade that will make an Injun 
howl, a cowpuncher curse, and a tenderfoot 
tackle a grizzly bear with a pot-metal .22 pistol 
like most of ’em carries.” 
The stranger gazed at Bill’s unabashed face 
as if to impress him with the solemnity of the 
occasion and again inquired. 
“And this is also a post office?” 
“She sure is that,” was Bill’s confident reply. 
“The only post office between Helena and Cow 
Island. I was thinking of putting in Climax 
plug, and overalls soon. What can I do for 
you?” and Bill for the first time looked closely 
at his would-be customer. 
“I am an inspector of the post office depart¬ 
ment,” said the big man, drawing himself up 
to his full height and looking Bill full in the 
eye. “Don’t you know it is against the rules 
and regulations of the department to run a 
saloon and post office in the same building?” 
“You don’t say so!” was Bill’s reply as he 
sized up his man and took his measure in an 
instant. Bill had burned too much powder to 
have his nerve shaken by a white shirt. “You 
don't say so! I supposed the more business you 
crowd into an old shack the better the shack. 
I was thinking of putting in a faro table to keep 
the boys entertained while they was here, but 
you shake my nerve some, now.” 
The inspector moved up to the bar and glar¬ 
ing Bill full in the eye he struck the counter 
with his fist and roared: 
“You must either move this saloon or move 
this post office; and move it at once.” 
For an instant a silence 
This was something Bill 
Slowly he walked from behind the bar, care¬ 
fully and cautiously he took up the beer box 
post office; then walking to the door he heaved 
the post office into the middle of the road. 
“Partner,” said Bill with a gulp in his throat 
as he took his place behind the bar, “your bluff 
Ownership Not Questioned. 
A Californian who was out hunting one day 
was on his way home empty handed when he 
discovered a lot of tame pigeons on the roof 
of a barn. He offered the owner of the barn 
seventy-five cents for a single shot at them. 
The man took the money and the hunter blazed 
away, killing twelve birds. He was starting 
away with the birds when the owner of them 
happened along and told him he must pay five 
dollars for his fun or go to jail. The hunter 
began to berate the owner of the barn, but the 
latter said: 
“You did not ask me if I owned the pigeons, 
and when you offered seventy-five cents for a 
shot at the birds I simply told you I had no 
objection to your shooting at them once if you 
wanted to. And I didn’t.” 
EMPEROR CLAUDIUS COURT AND THE WHALE. 
From* the Woodward collection. 
is good, and your post office moved.” Pulling 
a bottle from under the bar he slapped it down 
on the counter and said: 
“Stranger, there is more good money in this 
old black bottle in one minute than there is 
in your post office in a year. Take your post 
office, and if you wish any help to keep it mov¬ 
ing. take a drink of this whiskey with me. She 
will brace your nerve and make your post office 
lighter.” 
The inspector had to eat crow and talk gentle 
to Bill for a whole day to get him to reconsider 
the post office business. He had supposed there 
were iadies in the community, and perhaps timid 
people who would hesitate to enter a saloon. 
However, under the conditions they would over¬ 
look the aforesaid rules and Bill could keep his 
beer box post office in the same old place if 
he would promise at some future time to erect 
a building, when his customers and patrons 
should get more particular. J. B. M. 
P 
