\"ButthisyereyoungMoonisobduratean\'goesoveran\'giveshimse\'ftotheagent，whoputsituphe\'llsendhimtoPrescotttobetriedinco\'tforbeefin\'themule-thiefApachethata-way。
\"Shore!itturnsoutjestasCaptainMoonsays。Beforethey\'dgoneahalfmile，themwardsofthegov\'ment，asIoncehearsabigchieffromWashin\'toncall\'em，takesthenephyfromthisyerefallaciousagentan\'byfourthdrinktimethatmornin\'，orwhenit\'sbeensun-
upthreehours，thatnephyisnothin\'butamem\'ry。
\"Howdotheykillhim？Inafashionwhich，fromthecoigneyourApacheviewsthings，does\'emproud。Thatnephyisimmolatedasfollows:Theyropeshimout，wristan\'ankle，withfourlariats；
pegshimoutlikehe\'sahidethey\'regoin\'todry。Thar\'sabiganthillcloseathand；it\'swithreferencetothisyereantcolonythatthenephyisstakedout。InthreehoursfromthetunethemantsgetsthewordfromtheApaches，they\'vedoneeatthenephyup，an\'thelastvestitchofhimplumbdisappearswiththelastant，asthelatterresoomeshislaborsondertheearth。
\"Why，shore!theseyereants\'lleatfolks。Theyre-yardssechreepastsasfestivals，an\'seasonsofreelaxationfromthesternerdootiesofaant。IrecallsoncehowwelosesLocoedCharlie，whichdementedpartyIb\'lieveImentionstoyouprior。ThisyereCharlietakesadayofffromwherehe\'sworkin\'——atleasthecallsitlabor——
atthestagecorrals，an\'goescurvin\'overtoRedDog。Charlietanksuponthewhiskeyofthathamlet，comparedtowhichtheworstnose-painteversoldinWolfvilleisnectar。Theypalmsoffmebbyit\'saquartofthisjooceonCharlie，an\'thenhep\'intsoutforWolfville。
\"That\'sthelastoftheporedrunkard。Hisponyisnickcrin\'aboutthecorralgates，pleadin\'withthemulesinsidetoopen\'em，inthemornin\'，butnosignorsmokeofLocoedCharlie。An\'heneverdoesshowupnomore。
\"Ifit\'sEnrightorCherokeeHall，oranyvalyooedcitizen，tharwouldhaveissooedforthawarparty，an\'RedDogwouldhavebeensackedan\'burnedbutwhatthemissin\'gentwouldhavebeenturnedout。Butit\'sdifferentaboutLocoedCharlie。Hehadn\'tthatholdonthepop\'larheart；didn\'tfillsechaplaceinthegen\'raleye；an\'
so，barrin\'awordortwoofwonder，overtheirdrinkattheRedLight，Idon\'treckonnowtheWolfvillefolksdisturbsthemse\'fspartic\'laraboutthecampbein\'shyCharlie。
\"It\'stheseconddaywhenateamster，trackin\'overfromRedDog，developeswhat\'sleftofLocoedCharlie。Hefallsoffhishoss，withthatloadofRedDogwhiskey，an\'everynotionorideeorsensationabsolootelyeffaced。An\'whereCharlielosesis，hefallsbyaanthill。Yes；theyshorelytakesCharliein。Thar\'snothin\'leftofhimwhentheteamsterlocatestheremainder，buthisclothes，hisspursan\'his\'natomy。Ther\'argyardofthemantshaslongsinceretiredwiththefinalfragmentsofLocoedCharlie。\"You-allmighto\'seenthestory。ColonelSterettwritesitupintheCoyote，an\'headsit，\'HungerisaTerribleThing。\'ThissotCharliecomin\'tohisdeaththata-wayputsaawfulscareoverHugginsan\'OldMonte。Itreforms\'emformore\'ntwohours。Huggins，whoisallersfrontin\'upasonewhopossessespublicsperit，triestolookplumbdignifiedaboutit，an\'remarkstoDaveTuttintheNewYorkStoreashowhethinksweoughterthrowinaroundan\'buildamonumenttoLocoedCharlie。Daveallowsthat，whilehe\'swithHugginsinthemprojecks，hewantstoaddamonumenttotheants。Thefoundersoftheschemesorto\'
splittin\'atthego-inthata-way，itdon\'tgetnofurther，an\'themonumenttoLocoedCharlie，asaenterprise，bogsdown。ButtocontinyooonthetrailofCaptainMoon。
\"Mooncomesrumblin\'intoWolfville，over-doomebbyit\'stwoweeks，bringin\'bothteams。Thar-uponherelatesthemoutrages。Thar\'sbutonethought，thatagenthaslivedtoolong。
\"\'Ifhewastheusualcommonformoffelon，\'saysEnright，\'ondoubted——foritwouldbetheirdooty——thevig\'lancecommitteelocaltothempartswouldstringhimup。Butthatain\'tpossible；
thisyeremiscreantisagov\'mentofficialan\'wearsthegov\'mentbrand，an\'eventheStranglers，ofwhatevercommoonity，ain\'tstrongenough，an\'wouldn\'tbejestifiedinstackin\'inag\'inthegov\'ment。
CaptainMoon\'sonlyshowisafeud。Heoughtercaperoveran\'，asprivateaspossible，arrogatetohimse\'ftheskelpofthisyereagentwhoabandonshisrelatiftothemhostiles。\'
\"WolfvillelistenstoCaptainMoon\'shist\'ryofhiswrongs；butasidefromthemeloocidationsofEnright，nogentsaysmuch。Thar\'ssomegameswheretroop\'litenessconsistsinsayin\'nothin\'an\'
knowin\'less。ButthemostcarelesshandincampcanseethatMoon\'saimin\'atreprisals。
\"ThisCurlyBenistrackin\'aboutWolfvilleatthetime。Curlyain\'twhatyou-allwouldcallaelevatedcharacter。He\'sarustlerofcattle，an\'asmugglerofMexicangoods，an\'Curlyan\'theYoonitedStatesmarshalshashadmoreturn-upsthanone。ButCurlyisdeadgame；an\'sofar，hemanagestoeitherout-luckorout-shootthemmagistrates；an\'，asIsays，whenMooncomeswanderin\'inthattimemournin\'forhisnephy，Curlyhasbeenprojectin\'aboutcampforlikeit\'saweek。
\"Moonsorto\'roominatesontheplay，upan\'down，foradayorso，makin\'outaplan。Hedon\'twanttogobackhimse\'f；theagentknowshim，an\'themInjunsknowshim，an\'it\'sevenmoney，ifhecomespokin\'intotheirbailiwick，they\'lltumbletohiserrant。Insechevents，they\'reshoredootocorralhiman\'givethemantsanotherholiday。It\'stheantpartthatgivesporeCaptainMoonachill。
\"\'I\'lltakeachanceonabowieknife，\'saysMoontoDanBoggs，——
Dan，bein\'asympatheticgentan\'takin\'nacherallytofolksintrouble，hasMoon\'sconfidencefromthejump；\'I\'lltakeachanceonabowieknife；an\'asforagun，Isimplycourtstheresk。Butthenantsdazzlesme——Ilaydowntoants，an\'Ilooksonitasnodisgracetoagenttosayso。\'\"\'Antsshorelydosoundpoignant，\'
admitsDan，\'speshullythembigblackan\'redantsthathasstingerslikehornetsan\'pincherslikebugs。Sechinsecks，armedtotheteethastheybe，an\'laidouttofightbothwaysfromthemiddle，islikewisetoomanyforme。Iwouldrefoosebattlewith\'emmyse\'f。\'
\"Itain\'tlongbeforeCaptainMoonan\'CurlyBenisseenconfidin\'
an\'conferrin\'withoneanother，an\'drinkin\'bythemse\'fs，an\'noonehastobetoldthatMoon\'smakin\'negotiationswithCurlytorideoveran\'downtheagent。TheideeispecooliarlygratefultoWolfville。Itstandstowinnomatterhowthekyardslayinthebox。
IfCurlyfetchestheagentflutterin\'fromhislimb，thar\'sonemiscreantlessinArizona，iftheagentgetsthedropan\'putsoutCurlyBen，itcomesforthjestthesame。It\'sthecamp\'stheerythat，inallthatentitles\'emtodeath，thecasestandshossan\'
hossbetweentheagentan\'CurlyBen。
\"\'An\'iftheybothgetsdowned，it\'sawhip-saw，wewinbothways；\'
saysCherokeeHall，an\'therestofusfilesawayournose-paintinsilentassenttharwith。\"ItcomesoutlaterthatMoonagreestogiveCurlyBenfifteenhundreddollarsan\'apony，ifhe\'llgooveran\'
killofftheagent。CurlyBensaystheprop\'sitionisthepleasantestthinghehearssinceheleavesthePanhandletenyearsbefore，an\'soheacceptsfivehundreddollarsan\'thepony——thesamebein\'thenacherofpaymentsinadvance——an\'goesclatterin\'
offupthecanyononeevenin\'onhismissionofjestice。An\'thenwehearsnomoreofCurlyBenforaboutamonth。Noonemarvelsnoneatthis，however，asdownin\'anygivengentisaprop\'sitionwhichinworkin\'outislikelytoinvolvedelays。
\"Oneday，withunruffledbrowan\'anairallcarelessan\'free，CurlyBenridesintoWolfvillean\'beginsorderin\'whiskeyattheRedLightbeforehe\'shardlycl\'arofthesaddle。Tharain\'tnobodyincamp，fromDocPeetstoMissisRucker，butwhat\'seagertoknowthefinishofCurly\'sexpedition，butofcourseeverybodyhobbleshisfeelin\'sinthembehalfs。It\'sCaptainMoon\'sfooneral，an\'heoughterhaveafirst，oninterruptedsay。MooncomesuptoCurlyBenwhereCurlyiscuttin\'thealkalidustoutenhisthroatattheRedLightbar。
\"\'Didyougethim？\'Moonasksafterafewp\'litepreeliminaries。
\'Didyoubringbackhisha\'ran\'y\'earslikeweagrees？\'
\"\'Haveyou-allgottheotherthousandready，\'saysCurlyBen。\'intheeventIdo？\'
\"\'Rightyereinmywar-bags，\'saysMoon，\'awaitin\'tomakegoodforyourtinean\'talentan\'troubleinrevengin\'myporenephy\'sdeemisebywayoftheminsecks。\'An\'Moonslapshispocketaslocatin\'thedinero。
\"\'Well，Idon\'tgethim，\'saysCurlyBenca\'mly，settin\'hisglassonthebar。
\"Thar\'sapauseofmebbytwominutes，doorin\'whichMoonlookscloudy，asthoughhedon\'tlikethewaythekyardsiscomin\'；CurlyBen，onhispart，issmilin\'likewhatHugginscalls\'oneofhissongstresses\'overintheBirdCageOp\'ryHouse。Afterabit，Moonresoomestheminvestigations。
\"\'Don\'tIgiveyoufourstacksofredsan\'apony，\'hesays，\'toreepairtothatmurdereran\'floor-managehisobsequies？An\'don\'tI
promiseyoueightstacksmorewhenyoureportswiththatoutcast\'sy\'earsan\'ha\'r，asshowin\'goodfaith？\'
\"\'C\'rrect；everyword，\'saysCurlyBen，lightin\'aseegyaranthenleanin\'hiselbowsonthebar，aheaponmoved。
\"\'WhichIwouldadmiretoknow，then，\'saysMoon，an\'hiseyesisgettin\'littlean\'hard，\'whyyou-alldon\'tmadegoodthemcompacts。\'
\"\'Well，I\'llonfoldthereasonsan\'makeitasplainan\'cl\'aran\'
convincin\'asaspadeflush，\'saysCurlyBen。\'WhenIgetstothisyerevictimofours，Ifindshimtobeamightyprofoosean\'lavishformofsport。ThemomentI\'mfinishedexplainin\'tohimmymission，an\'jestasIonlimbersmysix-shootertogethimwherehelives，heoffersmefivethousanddollarstocomebackyerean\'killyou。
Nacherally，afterthat，mean\'thisyeresubjectofourplottakesafewdrinks，talksitover，an\'yereIbe。\'
\"\'Butwhatbeyouaimin\'todo？\'asksMoon。
\"\'Whatbeyouaimin\'todo？\'respondsCurlyBen。AsIstates，he\'sshorethemostornerycoyote!
\"\'Idon\'tonderstand，\'saysMoon。
\"\'Whyit\'sasobv\'ous，\'retortsCurlyBen，\'astheFenceRailbrand，an\'thattakesupthewholesideofacow。Thequestionnowis，doyouraisethisyeregent？HeraisesyouasIexplains；nowdoyouquit，ortilthim，say，athousandbetter？\'
\"\'An\'supposeIdon\'t？\'saysMoon，sorto\'figgerin\'foramomentorso。\'Whatdoyoureckonnowwouldbeyournextmove？\'
\"\'Tharwouldbebutonethingtodo，\'saysCurlyBenmightyplacid；
\'I\'dshorelytakehim。Iwouldproceedwithyourdestructionatonce，an\'returntothisagentgentan\'acceptthatfivethousanddollarhonorariumheoffers。\'
\"CurlyBenis\'bad\'plumbthrough，an\'thesights，astheysaysinthepicturesquelanguageoftheSouthwest，hasbeenfiledfromhisgunsformanyyears。Whichthislastisrunnin\'inMoon\'sheadwhilehetalkswithhisdisgustin\'emmissary。Moonain\'touttotakechancesongettin\'theworstofit。An\'tharfore，Moonatoncewaxescunnin\'awholelot。
\"\'I\'maporeman，\'hesays，`butifittakesthemteamsofmine，tothelasttirean\'thelasthoof，I\'vegottohavethisagent\'sha\'ran\'y\'ears。YoucamparoundtheRedLightawhile，Curly，tillIgoovertotheNewYorkStorean\'seeaboutmoremoney。I\'llbebackwhileyou\'relayin\'outanotherdrink。\'
\"Nowit\'snottothecreditofCurly，asacrim\'nalwhoputsthoughtintohislabors，thatheletsCaptainMoonturnhisflanktheeasywayhedoes。ItdisplaysCurlyaslackin\'aheapinmil\'tarygenius。
Idon\'tpresoometoexplainit；an\'it\'sallsodeadonnacheralatthisjuncturethattheonlys\'lootionI\'mcap\'bleofgivin\'itisthatit\'spreedestinatedthata-way。CurlynotonlyletsMoonwalkoff，whichafterhehangsupthatbluffabouttakin\'themtermsoftheagent\'sismightyirreg\'lar，buthe\'sthatobtoosehesitsdowntoplaykyards，whilehe\'swaitin\'，withhisbacktothedoor。Why!
it\'slikesooicide!
\"Moongoesouttohiswagonsan\'gets，an\'buckleson，hisguns。
Quick，crafty，briskasacatan\'withnomorenoise，Mooncomeswalkin\'intotheRedLightdoor。HeseesCurlywherehesitsatseven-up，withhisbackturnedtowardshim。
\"\'Oneforjack!\'saysCurly，turnin\'thatfav\'ritekyard。Moonsorto\'driftstohisr\'ar。
\"\'Bang!\'saysMoon\'spistol，an\'Curlyfallsfor\'ardsontothetable，an\'thenontothefloor，thebulletplumbthroughhishead，asIinformsyou。
\"CurlyBenneverhastheshadowofatip，he\'soutoftheRedLightan\'intotheregionsbeyond，likesnappin\'yourthumban\'finger。
It\'sassharpasthebuckofapony，he\'sMoon\'smeatinaminute。
\"No，thar\'snothin\'forWolfvilletodo。Moon\'sjestified。Whichhisplayistheonetrailout，foruptothatp\'intwhereMoononhookshisguns，Curlyain\'tdonenothin\'toputhiminreachoftheStranglers。Committeesofvig\'lance，thata-way，likeshore-enoughco\'ts，can\'tpreventcrime，theyonlypunishit，an\'uptowhereMoongetsdecisiveaction，thar\'snoopenin\'bywhichtheStranglerscouldcutinonthedeal。Yes，Enrightconveneshiscommitteean\'
goesthroughthemotionsoftryin\'Moon。Theydoesthistopreserveappearances，butofcoursetheythrowsMoonloose。An\'asthar\'sreasons，asanygentcansee，whynoonecarestohavethestoryasitis，bemadeasubjectofinvidiousgossipinRedDog，an\'otheroutfitsenviousofWolfville，atEnright\'ssuggestion，theStranglersbasestheacquittalofMoononthefactthatCurlyBendeloodesMoon\'ssister，backintheStates，an\'thendesertsher。
MooncutsthetrailofthebasesedoocerinWolfville，an\'gathershiminaccordin\'，an\'asabrotherpreyedonbyhissister\'swrongsisshorelyexpectedtodo。\"
\"ButCurlyBenneverdidmisleadMoon\'ssister，didhe？\"Iasked，fortheconfidentfashionwhere-withmyoldfriendreeledoffthefindingofWolfville\'svigilancecommittee，andthereasons，almostimposedonme。
\"Whichyoucanbetthelimit，\"heobservedfiercely，ashepreparedtogointothehotel，\"whichyoucangothelimitopen，son，Curlyain\'tnonetoogood。\"
CHAPTERIX
ColonelSterett\'sReminiscences\"An\'whoisColonelWilliamGreeneSterett，youasks？\"repeatedtheOldCattleman，withsomeindignantelevationofvoice。\"He\'sthefounderoftheCoyote，Wolfville\'sfirstnewspaper；isascultivatedagentthata-wayasacquireshisnose-paintattheRedLight\'sbar；
an\'comesofasgoodaKaintuckyfam\'lyaseverdistilsitsownwhiskeyorlosesitsmoneyonahoss。Son，Itellsyouthisprior。\"
Thislastreproachfully。
\"No，ColonelSterettain\'toldnone——notwhatyou-allwouldcallaged。Whenhecomesweavin\'intoWolfvillethattime，IreckonsnowColonelSterettismightylikelyabouttwenty-oddyearsyoungerthanme，an\'atthattimeIshowsaboutfiftyringsonmyhorns。Asforeddication，he\'sshoreaevenbreakwithDocPeets，an\'asIremarksfrequent，InevercallsthehandofthatgentinArizonawhoforalib\'ralenlightenmentisbullsnakestorattlesnakeswithPeets。
\"Speakin\'aboutwhoColonelSterettis，heonfoldshispedigreeinfulloneevenin\'whenwe\'reallsorto\'self-herdedintheNewYorkStore。Whichhisstoryisaproudone，an\'I\'majedgebecausecominasIdofromTennesseemyse\'f，nacherallyIsaveysallaboutKaintucky。Thar\'sthreegradesoffolksinKaintucky，thesamebein\'
contingententireonwhereaboutsthemfolksiscamped。Thar\'stheBlooGrassdeestrict，thePennyr\'yaldeestrict，an\'thePurchase。
TheBlooGrassfolksisthe\'ristocrats，whilethemlow-flungtrashfromthePurchaseisaheapplebeian。ThePennyr\'yaloutfitiskindo\'hesitatin\'\'roundbetweenabalkan\'abreak-downinbetweentheothertwo，an\'ispart\'ristocraticthata-wayan\'partmud。AsforColonelSterett，he\'spurestrainBlooGrass，an\'heshowsit。I\'llsaythisfortheColonel，an\'itshorelyknitsmetohimfromthefirst，hecouldtakeabiggerdrinkofwhiskeywithoutsugarorwaterthaneverIseesagenttakeinmylife。
\"ThattimeIalloodsto，whenColonelSterettvouchsafesthemrecollections，we-allisinther\'arwareroomoftheNewYorkStorewherethewhiskeybar\'lsbe，samplin\'someValleyTanthat\'sjestbeenfreightedin。Asshe\'snewgoods，thatValleyTan，an\'asourtrooviewstouchin\'itsmeritsisimportanttothecamp，we\'retestin\'thebeverageplentyfreean\'copious。Noexpertgentcangiveopinionsworthawhitechipconcernin\'nosepaintshorto\'sixdrinks，an\'wewasn\'touttomakenoerrorsinourfindin\'saboutthatValleyTan。So，asIrelates，we\'reallmebbysomefivedrinkstothegood，an\'atlastthetalk，whichhasstrayedoverintothehighgrassan\'isgettin\'awholelottoolearnedan\'profoundformostoftheherdtocutinon，settlesdownbetweenDocPeetsanColonelSterettasbein\'theonlytwosportsabletoprotecttheirplaytharin。
\"An\'youcangoasfarasyoulikeonit，\'saystheColoneltoPeets，\'I\'mplumbwisean\'fullconcernin\'thetransmigrationofsouls。Igivesitmyheartybeliefs。IcancountagentupthemomentIlooksathim；alsoIknowsexactlywhatheisbeforehe\'sahoomanbein\'。\'
\"\'That\"transmigration\"thata-way，\'whispersDanBoggstoCherokeeHall，\'ain\'tnofoolofaword。I\'llpranceoveran\'pullitonRedDogto-morry。Whichit\'sshoredootostrike\'emdumb。\'
\"\'Nowyere\'sHoppin\'Harry，\'goesontheColonelp\'intin\'toathin，blacklittlefelonwithlongha\'rlikeapony，who\'sstrayedoverfromTucson；\'Igivesitoutcold，meanin\'tharbynooffencetoourTucsonfriend——IgivesitoutcoldthatHoppin\'Harryusedtobeat\'rant\'ler。First，\'continyoostheColonel，stackin\'Harryupmightyscientificwithhisopticjestshowin\'overhisglass，\'firstI
allowshe\'satoad。Notahornedtoad，whichisavalyooedbeastan\'
hasamission；butoneoftheseyereorneryformsoftoadswhichinfeststheEast。Thislastreptileisvulgar-sluggish，aanamileoffewifanyvirchoos；whilethehornedtoad，socalled，comerightdowntocases，ain\'tnotoadnohow。It\'safalsebrand，an\'hedon\'tbelongwiththetoadherdatall。Thehornedtoadisalizard——abroadkindo\'lizard；an\'asforbein\'sluggish，youlethimhavesomethingonhismindspeshul，an\'he\'llshoregocareerin\'aboutplumbswift。Moreover，hedon\'thop，yourhornedtoaddon\'t，likethemEasterntoads；hestandsuponhistoesan\'paces——he\'swhatwe-allcallsontheOhioRiverbackinmychildhood\'ssunnyhours，\"aside-wheeler。\"Also，he\'sgotatail。An\'asforsperit，letmetellyouthis:——IhasahornedtoadwhereI\'mcampedoverbytheTresHermanas，whereI\'mdeer-huntin\'。Iwinsthattoad\'slovefromthejumpwithhunksofbreadan\'salthossan\'kindreddel\'cacies。
Hedotesonme。Whentimehangsheavy，Ientertainsmyse\'fwithadooelbetweenAugustus——Augustusbein\'thehornedtoad\'sname——，an\'
aemptysardineboxforwhichheentertainsresentments。
\"\'\"Layforhim，Augustus!\"I\'dsay，atthesameinstantbattin\'himinthenosewiththebox。
\"\'Ofcourse，Augustusain\'tgotsaveyenoughtorealizeIdoesit。
Heallowsit\'stheboxthata-waymakin\'malev\'lentbluffsathim。
An\'say，pards，itwouldhavemadeyouproudofyourcountryan\'itsstarryflagtoseeAugustusarchhimse\'fforwaronthemo\'casions。
\"\'NotthatAugustusismalignantorevildisposed，nacheral。No，sir；I\'veyettomeetupwiththetoadwhohashissimple，even，gen\'roustemperorlovin\'heart；astrustfultoo，Augustusis，asthebabejestborn。Butlikeallnoblenachers，Augustusissensitive，an\'heregyardsthembatsinthenoseasinsults。AsI
says，you-allshouldhaveseenhim!He\'dpoisehimse\'fonhistoes，erectthehornonhisnose，sameasoneoftheseyererhinocerosesofholywrit，an\'thenthewayAugustushooksan\'harassesthatoffensivesardineboxaboutthecampisalessontofolks。\'
\"\'Where\'sthisyereAugustusnow？\'asksDanBoggs，who\'sgotallwroppedupintheColonel\'snarratifs。
\"\'Petered，\'saystheColonel，an\'thar\'sfeelin\'sinhistones；
\'poreAugustuscashesin。He\'sfollowin\'meaboutonemornin\'
watchin\'mehookup——wewasgettin\'readytomovecamp——an\'allinadvertentIbacksthewagonontoAugustus。Thehindwheelgoessquar\'overhiman\'flattensAugustusoutcomplete。Hedieswithhiseyesfixedonme，an\'hislookssaysasplainaslanguage，\"Cheerup，Colonel!Thisyerecontreetempsdon\'tchangemyaffections，forIknowsit\'samisdeal。\"You-allcangambleIdon\'tdonothin\'morethatdaybutmourn。\'
\"\'WhichIshouldshorelysayso!\'saysDanBoggs，an\'hisvoiceisshakin\'；\'a-losin\'ofagiftedhornedtoadlikeAugustus!I\'da-
howledlikeawolf。\'
\"\'ButasI\'msayin\'，\'resoomestheColonel，aftercomfortin\'himse\'fwithaboutfourfingers；\'speakin\'ofthetransmigrationofsouls，I
goesoffwrongaboutHoppin\'Harrythattime。Itakesit，heusedtobeoneoftheseyereEasterntoadsonaccountofhisgait。ButI\'merroneous。Harry，whoislittlean\'spryan\'fullofp\'isenthata-
way，usedtobeat\'rant\'ler。Anygentwho\'lltakethetroubletorecalloneofthesehairy，hoppin\'t\'rant\'lerspiderswhojumpssidewaysatyou，fullofragean\'venom，isboundtoberemindedpartic\'larofHoppin\'Harry。\'
\"\'Whatdidyou-allusetobeyourse\'f，Colonel？\'asksEnright，whonoticesthatHoppin\'Harryisbeginnin\'tobristlesome，likeheain\'tpleasednonewiththeseyererevelations。\'Whatforaanamilewasyoubeforeyou\'reahooman？\'
\"\'Iwasagood-nacheredhoss，\'saystheColonelmightyconfidentan\'
prompt；\'I\'magood-nacheredhossinacountryneighborhood，an\'
everybodyridesmethatwantsto。However，Iallowswebettershiftthesubjectsome。Ifwe-alltalksabouttheseyereinsectsan\'
reptilesalittlelonger，Hugginsoverthar——whoseoneweaknessishe\'stoofrankwithan\'putstoomuchconfidenceinhislicker——willhaveanotheroneofthemattacksofsecondsight，whichPeetscureshimofthattime，an\'commenceseein\'amultitoodofheinousvisions。\'
\"\'Ofcourse，\'saysEnright，plumbp\'lite，\'ofcourse，Colonel，Icantellawholelotaboutyourfam\'lybyjestlookin\'atyou；
partic\'larwhereasatpresentyou\'reabouttendrinksahead；stillthar\'snothin\'givesmemorepleasurethanhearin\'aboutthesirefromthecolt；an\'ifyouwon\'treceiveitresentful，I\'daskyouastoyourfolksbackinKaintuck。\'
\"\'Asyou-allknows，\'observesColonelSterett，\'IwasfoaledinKaintucky；an\'Imustadd，Ineverrecallsthatjestlycel\'bratedcommonwealthwith-outasigh。Itsglories，sechastheywasbeforethewar，isfastdepartin\'away。Inmyyooth，tharisnothin\'butanobilityinKaintucky；leastwiseintheBlooGrasscountry，whereofI\'maemanation。Webredhossesan\'cattle，an\'madewhiskeyan\'
playedkyards，an\'theblackfolksdoesthework。Wedescendsintonothin\'solowaslaborinthemhalcyondays。Oursocialexistenceismadeupofweddin\'s，infaresan\'visitin\'\'round；an\'lifeintheBlooGrassisapleasantroundofchickenfixin\'san\'flourdoin\'sfromoneChristmastoanother。\'
\"\'Sechdeescriptions，\'remarksEnrightwithemotionan\'drawin\'thebackofhishandacrosshiseyes，\'bringsbackmyyearlin\'daysingoodoldTennessee。We-allisaheaplikeyouKaintucks，downourway。Wewasaroode，exyooberantoutfit；butmanlyan\'sincere。It\'stroolyaregionwheremenismen，asthatsportcommontoourneckoftimberknownas\"thefirsteyeoutforaquartofwhiskey\"
testifiestoample。Thar\'smyolddad!Icanseehimyet，\'an\'yereEnrightcloseshiseyessomeecstatic。\'Hewasashoreman。Hestoodahundred-footwithoutaknotorlimb；couldwrastleorrunorjump，an\'wasgoodtocuta4-bitpieceatonehundredyards，offhand，withhisold8-squar\'rifle。Henevershootssquirrels，myfatherdon\'t；hebarks\'em。An\'fortoseetheskincracked，orsomuchasadropofbloodononeof\'em，whenhepicksitup，wouldhavemortifiedtheoldgenttodeath。\'
\"\'Kaintuckytoahair，\'assentedtheColonel，wholistenstoEnrightplentyraptthata-way。\'An\'thingsissoArcadian!Ifagenthasahouroffan\'feelsfriendlyan\'likeminglin\'withhiskind，allhedoesissa\'nteroveran\'ringthetownbell。Nacherally，thecommoonityletsgoitsgripan\'comestroopin\'upallspraddledout。
Itdon\'tknowifit\'safire，itdon\'tknowifit\'safight，itdon\'tknowifit\'sabirth，itdon\'tknowifit\'sahossrace，itdon\'tknowifit\'sadrink；an\'itdon\'tcare。Thecommoonitykeepsitse\'fframedupperpetyooaltoenjoyanyoneofthefive，an\'
tharforeatthesaidsummonscomestroopin\'，asIsay。\"\'MygrandfatheristhefirstSterettwhoinvadesKaintucky，an\'mynotionisthatheconiescurvin\'inwithHarrod，Kenton，Boonean\'
SimonGirty。Nooneknowswhereverdoeshecomefrom；an\'noone\'sgotthesandtoask，he\'sthatdeadhaughtyan\'reserved。Formyse\'f，I\'mnotfreightedtothegyardswithdetailstouchin\'onmygrandfather；hepassesinhischipswhenmebbyI\'mtenyearsold，an\'theonlythingsabouthimI\'mshoreofasachild，isthathe\'sthegreatestmanonearthan\'ownsallthelandsouthoftheOhioriver。
\"\'ThisyeregrandfatherI\'mtalkin\'of，\'continyoostheColonelafterag\'inrefreshin\'himse\'fwithsometwentydrops，\'livesinabighouseonabluffover-lookin\'theOhio，an\'callshisplace\"TheHill。\"Upacrossoneofthebigstonechimleysiscarved\"JohnSterett，\"thata-way；whichImentionsthesameasgoin\'toshowheain\'tafeardnoneofbein\'followed，an\'thatwhereverhedoescomep\'intin\'outfrom，thar\'snorewardofferedforhisreturn。\'
\"\'Iain\'tsoshoreneither，\'interjectsTexasThompson。\'Hemighthaveshiftedthecutan\'changedhisname。Sechfeatsisfrequentdown\'roundLaredowhereIhailsfrom，an\'noquestionsasked。\'
\"\'Upontheroofofhisranch，\'goesontheColonel，forhe\'ssoimmersedinthemmem\'rieshedon\'thearTexaswhereheringsinhistheeries，\'upontheroofmygrandfatherhasabigbell，an\'theropeisbroughtdownan\'fetchedthroughaaugerholeinthesideofthehouse，sohecanlayinbedifhefeelslikeit，an\'ringthisyeretocsinofhiswhilesominded。An\'youcanbetheshorelyringsher!Manyatimean\'oftasachildaboutmymother\'sknees，thesoundofthatringin\'comesfloatin\'touswheremyfatherhashishousefourmilesfurtherdowntheriver。Onsecho\'casionsI\'dupan\'ask:
\"\'\"Whateveristhisyereringin\'？\"
\"\'\"Hesh，mychild!\"mymotherwouldsay，smotherin\'mymouthwithherhand，hervoicesinkin\'toawhisper，forastheheadoftheHouseofSterett，everyoneofthetribeisplumbscaredofmygrandfatheran\'mentionshimwithawe。\"Hesh，mychild，\"saysmymotherlikeIrelates，\"that\'syourgrandfatherringin\'hisbell。\"
\"\'An\'fromcalf-timetobeef-time，fromthefirstkyardoutoftheboxdowntotheturn，nooneeverknowswhymygrandfatherdoesringit，forhe\'stooonbendin\'totellofhisownaccord，an\'asI
statesprior，nooneonearthhasgotnervean\'forceofcharacterenoughtoaskhim。
\"\'Myownfather，whosenameisthesameasmine，bein\'WillyumGreeneSterett，istheoldestofmygrandfather\'schil\'en。He\'sastern，quietgent，an\'allusyoung-onesiswonttostephighan\'
softlywheneverhe\'spesterin\'\'round。Herespectsnobodyexceptmygrandfather，fearsnothin\'butgettin\'outoflicker。
\"\'Likemygrandfatherupat\"TheHill，\"myfatherdevotesallhistalentstoraisin\'runnin\'hosses，an\'theoldfaunwouldhavebeenaheaplonesomeifthar\'sfewerthanthreehundredheadanickerin\'
aboutthebarnsan\'pastures。Shore!wehasslavestoo；wehasniggerstoastand-still。
\"\'AsIlookr\'arwardtothemdaysofmyinfancy，Ibringstomindastaggerin\'blowthatneighborhoodreceives。Astern-wheelersinksabouttwohundredyardsoffourlandin\'withonethousandbar\'lsofwhiskeyonboard。Whenthenewsofthatwhiskeycomesflyin\'inland，itain\'tacaseofindividyooalsnorneighborhoods，butwholecountiescomesstampedin\'totherescoo。It\'snouse；theboatbogsrightdowninthesand；inlessthananhourhersmokestackisonderwater。Allweevergetsfromthewrackisthebell，thesamenowadornin\'aPresbyter\'anchurchan\'summonin\'folkstothemservices。Itellsyou，gents，thethoughtsofthatWillowRun，an\'
wenotabletosavesomuchasaquartofit，putsacrimpinthatcommoonitytheyain\'tyetoutlived。It\'mostdrives\'emcrazy；theywalksthembanksformonthsa-wringin\'theirhandsan\'wishin\'theimpossible。\'
\"\'Isanyonedrowned？\'asksFaroNell，whocomesin，amomentbefore，an\'asusualplantsherse\'fclosttoCherokeeHall。\'Istharanywomenorchildrenaboard？\'
\"\'Nell，\'saystheColonel，\'Iapol\'gizesformyignorance，butI\'mboundtoconfessIdon\'tknow。Thar\'snooneknows。Theawfulfactofthemonethousandbar\'lsofWillowRunperishin\'beforeourveryeyes，swallowsupallelse，an\'minordetailsgetslostintheshufflean\'stayslostforalltime。It\'saturriblejolttothegeneralsensibilities，an\'anygentwho\'llgobacktharyetan\'lookhardinthefacesofthempeople，canseetracesofthatc\'lamity。
\"\'Asachild，\'resoomestheColonel，\'I\'mromanticawholelot。I\'mcarriedawaybymusic。Myfav\'riteairsis\"Smith\'sMarch，\"an\'
\"CeaseAwhileClarion；ClarionWildan\'Shrill。\"Ieitherwantssomethingwithasobinit\'like\"CeaseAwhile，\"orIdesiresWarwithallherhorrors，sameasagentgetsdisheduptohimin\"Smith\'sMarch。\"
\"\'Also，IreadsScott\'s\"Ivanhoe，\"ainlongstobeacroosader，an\'
slayPaynims。IusedtolieonthebankbytheoldOhio，an\'shetmyeyesag\'inthebrightnessofthesky，an\'figgeronthemsetbackswe\'dmeteouttoaPayaimifonlywemighttreeoneonceinoldKaintucky。WhichthatSaracenwouldhaveshorelybecomethebasisofsomeceremonies!
\"\'MostlikeIwasaboutthirteenyearsoldwhentheConfederacydeclar\'sherse\'fanation，electsJeffDavisPresident，an\'frontsupfortrouble。Formyse\'fIconcedesnow，thoughIsorto\'smothersmyfeelin\'sonthatp\'intatthetime，seein\'we-allcouldlookrightoverintothestateofOhio，saidstatebein\'heatedlyinimicaltorebellionan\'pawin\'fortroublean\'rappin\'itshornsag\'inthetreesatthemereidee；formyse\'f，Isay，InowconcedesthatIwasheartan\'soulwiththeSouthinthemonhappyruptures。I
breathedan\'livedwithbutoneambition，whichistotearthisdevotedcountryintwointhemiddlean\'leavethefragmentsthata-
way，inoppositefields。Myfather，stern，ca\'m，c\'llected，don\'tsharethevoylenceofmysentiments。Hetookthemiddleag\'intheendsforhis。Theattitoodeofourstateisthatofnootrality，an\'
myfatherdeclar\'dfornootralitylikewise。Mygrandfatherisdeadatthetime，sohisexampleslosttous；butmyfather，sorto\'
projectin\'\'roundforp\'sition，decidesitwouldbeonfairinhimtothrowtheweightofhisvalortoeitherside，sohestandsapathandonthatembroglio，declineskyards，an\'asIstatesisnootral。
WhichIknowhe\'snootralbyonething:
\"\'\"Willyum，\"he\'dsaythata-waywhenhe\'dnoticemeorganizin\'togodowntothevillage；\"Willyum，\"he\'dsay。\"ifanybodyasksyouwhatyoube，an\'speshulifanyofthemYankeesasksyou，youtell\'emthatyou\'reUnion，butyourememberyou\'resecesh。\"
\"\'TheSterettfam\'ly，ondoubted，isthesmartestfam\'lyintheSouth。MybrotherJeff，whoisfiveyearsolderthanme，givesproofsofthis，partic\'lar。It\'sJeffwhoinventsthatenterpriseinfishin\'，whichforidleness，profitan\'pastime，ain\'tneverbeenequalledsincetheflood，called\"Juggin\'forCats。\"It\'sJeff，too，oncewhenheupsan\'jinesthechurch，an\'istharafterpreyedonwiththefactthatthechurchowestwohundreddollars，andthatitlookslikenobodycaresatwo-bitpieceaboutitexceptjesthim，whohiresamerry-go-round——oneoftheseyerecontraptionswithwoodenhosses，an\'ahewgagplayin\'toonesinthecenter——fromCincinnati，setsherupontheGreeninfrontofthechurch，makestheantetencents，an\'paysoffthechurchdebtintwomonthswiththerevenoostharof。
\"\'AsIsitsyere，arelatin\'ofthemexploits，\'an\'ColonelSteretttipsthecanteenforanotherhooker，\'asIsitsyere，gents，allfreean\'sociablewithwhat\'s，barnone，thefinestbodyofgentsthateveryanksacorkordrainsabottle，I\'veseenthenobilityofKaintucky——theBlooGrassVere-de-Veres——rideuponabloodhoss，hitchthecrittertothefence，an\'throwawayafortunebuckin\'
Jeff\'smerry-go-roundwiththemwoodensteeds。It\'sasIsays:thatsanctooaryisplumboutofdebtan\'onvelvet——hasabankrollbigenoughtostoppera2-gallonjugwith——ineightweeksfromthetimeJeffonfurlshislay-outan\'opensuphisgame。\'
\"Thar\'sonething，\"suddenlyobservedmyagedcompanion，asheeyedmenarrowly，pausingintheinterestingColonelSterett\'srelationconcerninghisfamily，andbecomingdoublyimpressivewithanupliftedfore-finger，\"thar\'sonethingIdesiresyoutofullygrasp。AsIreelsoffthisyerechronicle，you-allisnottoconsidermeasrepeatin\'theColonel\'swordsexact。Iain\'tgiftedliketheColonel，an\'myEnglishain\'tamarkertohis。TheColonelcarriesthelanguagequiledupan\'hangin\'atthesaddlehornofhisintelligence，likeacowpuncherdoeshislariat。An\'whenhe\'sgotreadytoropean\'throwafactortwo，youshouldoughterseehimtakeherdownan\'gotowork。Hornorneckoranyfootyousays；
it\'sallonetotheColonel。Bigorlittleloop，inthebreshorintheopen，it\'sacinchtheColonelfastenseverytimehethrowshisverbalrope。Thefacthe\'safterthata-way，isshoretheColonel\'s。
DocPeetsinformsmeprivatethatColonelSterettisthegreatestartist，oral，ofwhichhis\'tryrecordsthebrand，an\'youcangobrokeonPeets\'sknowin\'。An\'thar\'sothertest\'mony。
\"\'Idon\'tlaydownmyhand，\'saysTexasThompson，onetimewhenhiman\'meisalone，\'toanygentbetweentheRioGrandean\'theOregon，onsizin\'upaconversation。An\'I\'llimparttoyou，holdin\'nothin\'
back，thattheColonelisshorelythelimit。Merelytolisten，isanembarrassmentofgoodthings，likeopenin\'afive-handjack-potonaace-full。Hecanevenout-talkmyformerwife，theColonelcan，an\'
thatesteemableladypackstherecordasaconversationistinLaredoforfiveyearsbeforeIleaves。She\'sadmittedlytheshorestshotwithhermouthonthatrange。Talkin\'atamark，orinaction，allyouhastodoisgivetheladythedistancean\'letherfixhersightsonce，an\'she\'llstandthar，withoutarest，an\'slamobservationafterobservationintothebull\'seyetillyou\'llbeabashed。An\'yet，comparedtotheColonelyere，thatladystutters!\'
\"Butnowtoresoome，\"saidmyfriendwhenhehadsufficientlycometotherescueofColonelSterettandgivenhimhisproperplaceinmyestimation；\"we\'lltakeupthethreadoftheColonel\'sremarkswhereIleavesoff。
\"\'Mygrandfather，\'saystheColonel，\'isagentofiron-boundhabits。Hehashisroolesan\'henevertransgresses\'em。Thefirstfivedaysoftheweek，helimitshimse\'ftofifteendrinksperdiem；
Saturdayherideseightmilesdowntothevillage，castsasiderestraints，an\'goesthedistance；Sundayhedevotestomeditations。
\"\'Thar\'stimeswhenIinclinestothenotionthatmygrandfatherpossessespartic\'laraptitoodesforstrongdrink。ThisI\'llsaywithoutnothoughtsofboastin\'，he\'stheonelonegentwhereofI
hasaknowledge，whocangiveathree-ringdebauchonderonecanvasinoneevenin\'。AsIstates，mygrandfather，reg\'lareverySaturdaymornin\'，ridesdowntotheCenter，fourmilesbelowourhouse，an\'
beginstocrookhiselbow，keepin\'noaccountsan\'permittin\'nocompunctions。This，iftheoldgentisfeelin\'fitan\'likely，keepsupaboutsixhours\'atwhichepock，mygrandfatherisbeginnin\'tofeellikehislaigsisaburdenan\'walkin\'alostart。That\'swherethepop\'lacegetsaction。Theonlookers，whentheynoteshowmyancestor\'slaigsthata-wayisattemptin\'toassoomethesoopremedirectionofaffairs，sorto\'c\'llectshiman\'putshiminthesaddle。Settin\'tharonhishoss，mygrandfatherisallright。Hiscenterofgrav\'tyisshiftedan\'locatedmoretohisadvantage。I
esteemsitoneofthemevidencesofasooperiordesignintheyooniverse，an\'aplainproofthatthingsdon\'tcomebychance，thatlongafteragentcan\'twalknone，he\'splumbabletoride。
\"\'Oncemygrandfatherissafeinhissaddle，asIrelates，he\'sdue——
himan\'hishoss，thislastbein\'anonusualsagaciousbeastwhichecallshis\"Saturdayhoss\"——tolingeraboutthestreets，an\'
collab\'ratewiththepublicformebbyfivemoredrinks；followin\'
whichlastlibations，hegoesrackin\'offfor\"TheHill。\"
\"\'UpatourhouseonSaturdays，myfatherallersthrowsaskirmishlineofniggersacrosstheroad，withorderstocapturemygrandfatherashecomesromancin\'along。An\'themfaithfulservitorsneverfails。Theyswarmsdownonmygrandfather，searcheshimoutofthesaddlean\'packshimexultin\'lyan\'lovin\'lyintocamp。
\"\'Oncemygrandfatherisplantedinacha\'r，withacoupleofminionsoneachsidetosteadythedeal，theothersbeginstolineouttofetchreestoratifs。I\'mtoolittletotakeatrickmyse\'f，an\'Icanrememberhowonthemimpressifoccasions，Iwouldstandan\'lookathim。I\'dthinktomyse\'f——Iwasmebbyeightatthetime，——\"He\'sondoubtedthegreatestmanonearth，butmy!howblurredheis!\"
\"\'WhichasIstatesyeretofore，theSterettsystemisthepatriarchalsystem，an\'onean\'allweyieldsdeferencetomygrandfatherastheonchallengedchiefofthetribe。To\'llustratethis:Onedaymyfather，who\'sbeentryin\'outatwo-year-oldonourlittleoldquarter-miletrack，startsforTheHill，takin\'mean\'aniggerjockey，an\'a-leadin\'ofthesaidtwo-year-oldraceralong。
Oncewearrivesatmygrandfather\'s，myfatherleavesusallstandin\'intheyardandreepairsintothehouse。Thenextminutehiman\'mygrandfathercomesout。Theydon\'tsaynothin\'，butmygrandfathergoesalloverthetwo-year-oldwitheyesan\'handformightylikelytenminutes。Atlasthestraightensupan\'turnsonmyfatherwithafaceloadedtothemuzzlewithrage。
\"\'\"WillyumGreeneSterett，\"hesays，conferrin\'onmyparenthisfullname，thesamebein\'aheapominous；\"WillyumGreeneSterett，you\'vebroughtthatthingtoTheHilltobeatmyGolddust。\"
\"\'\"Yes，\"saysmyfather，mightysteady，\"an\'I\'llgorightoutonyourtracknow，father，an\'letthatblackboyridehiman\'I\'llgambleyouallathousanddollarsthatthattwo-year-oldbeatsGolddust。\"
\"\'\"WillyumGreeneSterett，\"saysmygrandfather，lookin\'atmyfatheran\'beginnin\'tobile，\"I\'veputupwithaheapfromyou。Youwasowdaciousasachild，worthlessasayooth，an\'aspend-thriftasayoungmangrown；an\'ascoreoftimesI\'vepaidyourdebtsaswasmydootyastheheadoftheHouseofSterett。Butyoureservesitforyourforty-ninthyear，an\'whenI\'minmyseventy-ninthyear，toperformyourcrownin\'outrage。You\'vebroughtthatthingtoTheHilltobeatmyGolddust。Nowletmetellyousomethin\'，an\'it\'llbewateronyourwheelawholelot，togiveheedtothatIsays。Yougetontoyourhoss，an\'yougetyourchildWillyumontohishoss，an\'yougetthatniggerboyontohishoss，an\'yougetoffthisHill。An\'asyougo，letmegiveyouthiswarnin\'。Ifyou-allevermakesamoccasintrackinthemudofmypremisesag\'in，I\'llfillyoufullofbuckshot。\"
\"\'An\'asIsays，toshowthevenerationinwhichmygrandfatherisheld，thar\'snotanotheryeepouto\'anyofus。Withmyfatherinthelead，wefilesoutforhome；an\'tharaftertheeepisodeisnevermentioned。
\"\'An\'now，\'saysColonelSterctt，\'aswe-allisaboutequippedtoreportjoodiciouslyastothemeritsofthespeshulcaskofValleyTanwe\'vebeensamplin\'，I\'llbringmynarratiftotheclosin\'
chaptersinthelifeofthisgrandoldman。Thar\'sthistobeobserved:TheSterettfam\'lyiseminentfortwothings:itgetseverythingitneeds；an\'itnevergetsittillitneedsit。Doesitneedagun，orahoss，oradrink，theSterettfam\'lyproceedswiththeround-up。Itbefallsthatwhenmygrandfatherpasseshiseightiethyear，hedecidesthatheneedsreligion。
\"\'\"It\'sabouttime，\"hesays，\"formetobeginlayin\'upatreasureabove。I\'mgoin\'oneighty-onean\'myluckcan\'tlastforever。\"
\"\'Somygrandfatherhesetsupinbedan\'heperoosesthemscripturesforfourmonths。Itellyou，gents，heshorelysearchesthatholybookawholelot。An\'thenheputsituphe\'llbebaptized。Also，thathe\'llenterdownintothewateran\'riseupoutofthewaterlikeit\'sblazonedinthemtexts。
\"\'Seein\'she\'sJanyooaryatthetime，withtwofootofsnowontheground，itlookslikemygrandfatherwillhavetopostponethemrites。Buthecouldn\'tbebluffed。Mygrandfatherreachesoutofbedan\'heringsthatbellItellsyou-allof，an\'proceedstoconvenehisniggers。Hecommands\'emtocutdownabigwhitewoodtreethatlivesdowninthebottoms，hollowoutthebuttlogforatrough，an\'
haulherupalongsidether\'arveranda。
\"\'Foraweekthar\'saincessant\"chip!chop!\"oftheaxes；an\'thenwithsixyokeofsteers，thetroughisbroughtintocamp。It\'slongenoughan\'wideenoughan\'deepenoughtoswimacolt。
\"\'Thedayforthebaptizin\'isset，an\'theSterettfam\'lycomestrackin\'in。Thar\'stwohundredof\'em，corralcount。Thewholeoutfitstands\'roundwhilethewaterisheatin\'fortocliptheoldgent。Myfather，whoisthedep\'tychiefan\'nextincommand，istyrannizin\'aboutan\'assoomin\'todealthegame。\"Thar\'sabigfireatwhichthey\'reheatin\'therockswherewithtoraisethetemperatoorofthewater。ThefireisonderthepersonalchargeofafaithfuloldniggernamedBen。Whenoneofthemstonesisredhot，Bentakestwosticksfortongsan\'dropsitintothetrough。Thar\'sabilean\'abuzzan\'ageyserofsteam，an\'nowan\'thentherockexplodesalotan\'sendsthewaterspoutin\'totheeaves。It\'sallplentythrillin\'，youcanbet!\"Myfather，asIstates，ispervadin\'
about，soclothedwithdignity，bein\'aftermygrandfatherthenextchickenontheroost，thatyoucan\'tgetnearenoughtohimtoborryaplugoftobacco。Onceinawhilehe\'dshaseeupan\'stickhishandinthewater。Itwouldbetoohot，mebby。\"\'\"Yere，youBen!\"he\'droar。\"Whatbeyouaimin\'at？Doyou-allwanttokilltheoldmanDoyouthinkyou\'rescaldin\'ahawg？\"\"ThenthisyereBen；wouldgetconscience-strickenan\'pourinabar\'lortwoofcoldwater。Inaminutemyfatherwouldtestitag\'inan\'say:
\"\'\"Ben，youshorelyarefailin\'inyourintellects。Yerethisisascoldasice；you\'llgivetheoldmanachill。\"\"Final，however，thewaterisdeclar\'dright，an\'thenoutcomesabraceofniggers，packin\'mygrandfatherinablanket，withthepreacherpreevail。inoverallasoffishulfloor-managerofthefestiv\'ties。That\'showitends:mygrandfatherisbaptizedan\'getsreligioninhiseighty-
firstyear，A。D。；an\'twodayslaterhesetsinhischips，shoveshischa\'rbackan\'goesshoutin\'home。
\"\'\"BeIcertainofheaven？\"hesaystothepreacher，whenhe\'sdowntotheturn。\"BeIwinneraccordin\'toyourroolesan\'tenets？\"
\"\'\"Yourplaceisprovided，\"saysthepreacher，thata-way。\"\'\"Ifit\'sasgoodaplaceasoldKaintucky，theyshorelyain\'tgoin\'tohavenofussnortroublewithme，an\'that\'swhatever!\"\'\"
CHAPTERX。
HowtheDumbManRode。
\"Now，Idon\'treckonnone，\"remarkedtheOldCattlemanwithaconfidentialair，\"thisyeredumbman\'incidenteverarisestomymindag\'in，ifitain\'tforagentwhosetrailIcutswhileI\'mprojectin\'\'roundthepost-officeforletters。
\"It\'sthismornin\'，an\'I\'mgettin\'letters，asIstates，whenI
catchesthisoldpartysorto\'beamin\'onmefrankan\'free，likehe\'sshoreafriendlyInjun。Atlasthesa\'ntersoveran\'remarks，\'Whateverisyourcallin\'，pard？\'orsomesechbluffasthat。\"I
seeshe\'sgoodpeoplefastenough；stillIallowsasmall，briefjoltmebbydoeshiregood。
\"\'Well，\'Isays，intendin\'tolethimknowI\'malivean\'wakefulthata-way；\'well，whatevermycallin\'is，atleastitain\'tbeennopartofmybringin\'uptoletmerestrangersstrollintothecorralan\'cinchasaddleontomeforaconversationalcanter，jestbecausethey\'redisp\'sitionedthata-way。\"\'Nooffencemeant，\'saystheoldparty，an\'Iobserveshegrowsredan\'ashamedplumbuptohiswhiteha\'r。\"Excuseme，amigo，\"Isays，handin\'outmypaw，whichheseizesallradiantan\'soon，\"Iain\'tintendin\'nothin\'blunt，nortoslamnodooronbetteracquaintance，butwhenyou——allropesatmeaboutwhatyoureferstoasmy\"callin\"\'thattime，Iain\'tjestlookin\'forastrangertotakesechinterestinme，an\'I\'mstartledintobein\'onp\'lite。Itharforetendersregrets，an\'，startin\'allover，stateswithoutreservethatI\'macowman。\"An\'now，\'I
retorts，further，\"merelytoplaymyhandout，an\'notthatIlookstotakeatrickatall，letmeaskwhatpursootsdoyoup\'intoutonasapretextforlivin\'？\"
\"\'Me？\'saystheoldparty，stabbin\'athisshirtbosomwithhisthumb；\'me？I\'mascientist。\'\"\'Whichthenewsisexhilaratin\'an\'
interestin\'，\'Isays；\'shakeag\'in!Ifthar\'sonethin-Iregyardshigh，it\'sascientist。Whateverpartic\'larwagon-trackdoyou-allfollowoff，mayIask？\'\"It\'sthenthisoldgentan\'Ila\'nchesintoagen\'raldiscussionondertheheadofmes\'lancousbusiness，I
reckons，an\'lieputsituphislongsuit，ashecallsit，is`moralepidemics。\'Hesayshe\'swroteonebookonto\'em，an\'sw\'ar:；he\'llwriteanotherifnobodyheadshimoff；thesamebein\'on-likely。AsheseeshowI\'minterested，theoldsportsetsdownan\'laysitouttomehowsentimentsgoesinherdsan\'droves，sameasweatheran\'
thingslikethat。\"\'Onedayyourollsoutinthemornin\'，\'thisoldgentdeclar\'s，`an\'tharyoureadshoweverybodycommitssooicide。
Thensomeotherdayit\'smurder，thenrobbery，an\'ag\'in，thewholeround-upgoestoholdin\'themchurchmeetin\'san\'gettin\'religion。
Them\'swaves；moralepidemics，\'hesays。
\"Whichthisdon\'tlooksoegreegiousnoneasastatement，neither，an\'soafterpow-wowin\'alot，allcomplacentan\'genial，Itellstheoldgenthe\'sgotagoodgame，an\'Ithinksmyse\'fhissystemhasp\'ints。Atthis，headmitshe\'sflattered；an\'then，aswe\'regettin\'totheendsofourlariats，wetipsoursombrerostoeachotheran\'letsitgoatthat。To-morryhe\'sgoin\'toconferonmehisbook；whichImeanstoreadit，an\'thenI\'llsaveymoreabouthislittleplay。
\"But，\"continuedmyfriend，warmwithhisnewphilosophy，\"thisyereisallpreelim\'nary，an\'bringsmebacktowhatIremarksatthejump；thatwhatthatoldgenturgesrecallsthisdumban\'deefmanincident；whichitsorto\'backshisplay。It\'satimewhenapasselofusgetsovercomebywavesofsentimentthata-way，an\'notonlyturnsahoss-thieflooseentire，afterthefelon\'sdonebeenrundown，butBoggswaxesthatsloppyhelavishesahossan\'saddleontohim；likewisesympathy，an\'wisheshimluck。
\"Thewholeracket\'sthatonnacheralIneverdoesquitwonderin\'
aboutit；butnowthisoldsciencesharpexpoundshistheoryof\'moralepidemics，\'itgetscl\'aredupinmymind，an\'Ireckons，ashesays，it\'sshorelyoneofthemwaves。
\"Tellthestory？Thar\'snothin\'muchtosaidyarn，onlytheonpreecedentedleeniencywherewithwewindsitup。Inthefirstplace，Idon\'tknowwhatthishoss-thief\'snameis，forhe\'splumdeefan\'dumb，an\'ain\'tsayin\'aword。Iseeshimhoverin\'\'round，butIdon\'tsaynothin\'tohim。Iobserveshimonceortwicewritethingstofolkshehastotalkwithonapieceofpaper，butit\'stooslowaracketforme，toomuchlikeconversin\'byfreightthata-way，an\'Ideclinestostandinonit。Idon\'tliketowritewellenoughtogoopenin\'acorrespondencewithstrangerswho\'sdeefan\'
dumb。
\"Whenhefirstdawnsonthecamp，hehasmoney，moderateatleast，an\'hegetsinonpoker，an\'stud，an\'otherdeviceswhichisopenan\'common；an\'gentswho\'swithhimatthetimesayshehasalevelnotionofhands，an\'inthelongrun，mebby，amassesalittlewealth。
\"WhileIain\'tpayin\'muchheedtohim，Idoheartowardsthelastofhisstayashowhegoesbrokeag\'instfaro-bank。Butasgentsoftengoesbrokeag\'instfaro-bank，an\'as，introoth，Itastessechreversesonceortwicemyse\'f，theinformationdon\'texcitemenoneatthetime，norlateron。
\"It\'smightylikelysomelittlespacesincethisdumbpersonhitscamp，an\'thar\'sanoutfitofusramblin\'\'roundintheRedLight，which，sotospeak，istheWolfvilleClub，an\'killin\'timebytalkin\'。DaveTuttan\'TexasThompsonisholdin\'forthateachotherontheefficacyofpray\'r，an\'thebalanceofusisbein\'edified。
\"ItlookslikeTexashasbeentellin\'ofaMexicanheseeslynchedatLaredoonetime，an\'howatendergentringsinsomeorisonsbeforeevertheyswingshimoff。Texasobjectstothempray\'rsan\'
brands\'emashypocrisies。Ashappensfrequent——forbothispowerfuldebatersthata-way——DaveTuttlockshornswithTexas，an\'theybothprances\'roundoratoricalateachothermightyentertainin\'。
\"\'Nowyougentsonderstand，\'saysTexasThompson，\'Iain\'tsayin\'awordaboutthempray\'rsasmeresupplications。I\'myeretostateI
regyards\'emasexcellent，an\'thar\'sgentsatthattimepresentwho\'sexpertsinsechappealsan\'whoknowswhatprayin\'is，whoallowsthatforfervency，bottoman\'speed，theyshorelymakestherecordforwhatyoumightcalloff-handpray\'rsinSouthernTexas。
Tharain\'tapreachershortofWacoorDallascouldhaveturnedasmoothertrick。ButwhatIcomplainsofis，it\'sonconsistent。\'
\"\'Howeverisprayin\'thata-wayonconsistent，I\'dshorelyliketoknow？\'saysTutt，stackin\'inag\'inTexasplentyscornful。
\"\'Why，thisa-way，\'saysTexas。\'Yere\'sagentwhoassembleswithhispeerstohangaMexican。Asafirstflashoutenthebox，heputsupastrongpray\'rtalktogetthiscrim\'nalbytheheavenlygate。
Now，whateverdoyoureckonasaintwhoknowshisbusinessisgoin\'
tosaytothat？YerestandsthisconceitedLaredopartyrecommendin\'
foradmissiononhighaMexicanhe\'she\'pin\'tolynchasnotgoodenoughforTexas。Ifthempowersaboveain\'tallowin\'thatprayin\'
party\'sgothisnervewithhim，theyain\'tgivin\'thecasethestudywhichisshoreitsdoo。\'
\"\'WhichIdon\'tknow!\'saysTutt。\'Idon\'tacceptthemviewsnohow。
Prayin\'islikegoin\'blindinpoker。Allyoudoishopeawholelot。Iftheangelstakesstockinyourapplications，wellan\'good。
Iftheydon\'t，youcangambleyourspursthey\'replentyabletoprotectthemse\'fs。Allyoucandoisfilethemsupplications。Theangelslets\'emgoorturns\'emdownaccordin\'。Now，IholdsthatthisLaredosportwhopraysthattimedoesright。Thar\'snothin\'
likeashowdown；an\'hisplay，sincehevolunteerstorideherdontheGreaser\'ssoul，istodoallheknows，an\'winoutifhecan。\'
\"\'That\'swhatever!\'saysDanBoggs，who\'slistenin\'fullofinterest，an\'whoallowshe\'llbuttinonthetalk。\'Ij\'ineswithTuttinthis。Mynotionis，whenitcomesagent\'sturntopray，lethimpray，an\'notgopesterin\'himse\'fwithvainsurmisesastohowit\'sgoin\'tostrikethemhostsonhigh。Youcanwageryouain\'tgoin\'toride\'roundOmnipotencenone。Youcandrawuptothelayoutoflife，an\'fromthecradletothegrave，you\'llnotpickupnosleepersonProvidencethata-way。Now，once，whenI\'moveracrosstheMogallonPlateau，I——\'
\"ButweneverdoeshearwhathappenstoBoggsthattimeoveracrosstheMogallonPlateau；forwhenhe\'sthatfaralong，oneoftheniggersfromthecorralcomesscurryin\'upan\'asksTexasThompsondoeshelendhispintoponyanhourbacktothepartywho\'sdeefan\'
dumb。
\"\'WhichIshorelydon\'t，\'saysTexas。\'Youdon\'taimtotellmenonehe\'sdonegotawaywithmypintohoss？\'
\"Theniggersayshedoes。Heannouncesthatmebbyanhourbefore，thispartycomesovertothecorral，makesamotionortwowithhishands，cinchesthehullontothepinto，an\'linesoutforthenortheastontheSilverCitytrail。He\'sbeenplumboutensightformore\'nhalfanhour。
\"\'WhichIlikesthat!\'saysTexasThompson。\'Forbroad，open-air，noon-dayhoss-stealin\'，Ioffersevenmoneythisdumbgent\'senterpriseisentitledtotheredticket。\'
\"Whichweain\'tstandin\'thartalkin\'long。Ifthar\'sonereformtowhichtheentireWestdevotesitse\'f，it\'sbreakin\'peopleofthishabitofhoss-stealin\'。Itain\'tnotimewhenfourofusisoffonthedumbparty\'strail，an\'halfofthatisconsoomedintakin\'adrink。
\"WhyeverbegentsintheWestsosotag\'inhoss-thieves？Son，youabidesinaregionatoncepop\'lousan\'fertile。Butifyouwastoputinthreemonthsonacactusdesert，withwaterholesfiftymilesapart，itwouldbegintoglimmeronyouastowhatitmeanstofindyourse\'fafoot。Itwouldcomeoveryoulikealandslidethatthepartywhostealsyourhosswouldhaveimprovedyourconditioninlifeaheapifhe\'dplayedhishandoutbyshootin\'aholethroughyourheart。
\"No，Iain\'tinnosechhurrytohangpeopleforstandin\'inonsomekillin\'。Thar\'stwosidestoakillin\'；an\'ifdeceasedisframedupwithagunallreg\'laratthetime，itgoesalongwaytowardexculpatin\'ofthesportwhooutliveshim。Buttharain\'tonlyonesidetohoss-stealin\'，an\'thesoonertheparty\'sstrunguporplugged，thesoonerthar\'savict\'ryfortheright。
\"AsIremarks，itain\'ttwominuteswhenthar\'sfourofusgoneswarmin\'offafterthedumbmanwho\'sgotTexasThompson\'spintopony。Fromthetracks，heain\'tmakin\'noplaytothrowusoff，forhemaintainsastraight-awayrundowntheSilverCitytrail，an\'
neverleavesitordoublesonce。
\"Runnin\'ofthedumbmandowndon\'tturnoutnoarduoustask。It\'sdoomainly，however，becausethepintosticksacactusthorninitshoofan\'goeslameinlesstimetharafterthanittakestoturnajack。
\"\'Handsup，\'saysTexas，gettin\'thedropasweswingsuponthedeefan\'dumbfoogitive。
\"Butthar\'snoneedofsechpreecautions，asthedumbpartyain\'tpackin\'noweepons——notsomuchasaknife。
\"Thar\'snothin\'tosay，notalktomake，whenwetakeshim。Texasheftshimoutenthesaddlean\'ropeshiselbowsbehindwithalariat。
\"\'Whatdoyou-allsu\'gest，gents？\'saysTexas。\'Is\'posenowthedeecorouswayistogoonwiththisyereaggressivean\'energeticpersontothempinontreesahead，an\'hanghimsome？\'
\"\'Whichthar\'snodoubtsfloatin\'inanybody\'smindonthatsubject，\'saysDanBoggs，\'butI\'dshoreadmiretoknowwhothispartyis，an\'wherehe\'sheadin\'to。Idislikestostretchtheneckofstrangersthata-way；an\'ifthar\'sanygent，now，whocanaskthisyerepersonwhoheis，an\'whathe\'sgottosay，I\'dtakeitasafavor，personal，ifhe\'dbeginmakin\'oftheneededmotions。\'\"Buttharain\'tnoneofuscaninstitootethemgestures；an\'whenthedumbman，onhisside，putsupafewbluffswithhisfingers，it\'saheaptoocomplicatedforusasameansofmakin\'statements。\"\'I
shorecouldn\'ttell，\'saysDaveTutt，ashesetswatchin\'thedumbman\'splay，\'whetherhe\'scallin\'usnamesoraskin\'forwhiskey。\'
\"\'Whichifwe\'dthoughttobringsomestationery，\'saysTexas，afterwe-allgoesthroughourwar-bagsinvain，\'wemightopensomesuccessfulnegotiationswiththisperson。Asitis，however，we\'replumbupag\'instit，an\'Ireckon，Boggs，he\'llhavetohangwithoutyouan\'himbein\'formallyintrodooced。\'\"\'Jestthesame，Iwishes，\'
saysDaveTutt，\'thatDocPeetsorEnrightwasalong。They\'dshoredigsomethin\'outenthiscitizen。\'\"\'Mebbyhe\'sgotpapersinhiswamus，\'saysBoggs，\'whichonfoldsconcernin\'him。Gothroughhim，Texas，anyhow:\"AllTexascanfindonthedumbmanisoneletter；
thepostmark:whenwecomestodecipherthesame，showsheonlygetsitthatmornin\'。Besidesthisyeresinglemissifthata-way，tharain\'tascrapofnothin\'elsetohim；noryetnowealth。
\"\'Telluswhat\'sintheletter，\'saysTexas，turnin\'thedocumentovertoBoggs。\'Readherout，Dan；I\'dplaythehand，butIhastorideherdontheculprit。\'
\"\'Ican\'treadit，\'saysBoggs，handin\'thenotetoTutt；\'Ican\'treadreadin\'，letalonewritin\'。ButI\'mfreetosay，evenwithouthearin\'thatdocumentnone，thatIshorelyhesitatestostringthispartyup。Bein\'tongueless，an\'nothearin\'alickmore\'nadders，somehowhekeepsappealin\'tomelikehe\'slocoed。\'
\"\'Whichifyoueverhasthepleasuretoplaysomepokerwithhim，\'
saysTutt，asheonfoldsthepaper，\'likeIdothreenightsago，youwouldn\'tbeannoyin\'yourse\'fabouthisbein\'locoed。Ifindshimplentydeepan\'wary，nottosayplumbcrafty。Anotherthing，it\'splainhenotonlygetsletters，butwe-allseeshimwriteabouthisdrinkstoBlackJack，theRedLightbarkeep，an\'sim\'larplays。\'
\"Bythistime，Tutt\'sgottheletteropen，an\'isgettin\'readytoread。Thedumbman\'sbeenstandin\'tharallthetime，withhisarmsropedbehindhim，an\'lookin\'likehopehasdied；an\'alsolikeheain\'tcarin\'muchaboutitneither。WhenTuttturnsopentheletter，Inoticesthetearskindo\'startinhiseyes，sameasifhe\'ssomeaffectedsentimental。
\"\'Whichthisyerecommoonicationisplentybrief，\'saysTutt，asherumshiseyeoverit。\'She\'sdated\"CasaGrande，\"an\'readsasfollows，towit:
\"\'DearBen:Myraisdyin\'；comeatonce。A。\"\"\'Now，whoeverdoyoureckonthisyereMyrais？\'asksTutt，lookin\'\'round。\'she\'scashin\'
in，that\'sobvious；an\'I\'mputtin\'itupshe\'smightylikelyawifeorsomethin\'ofthisyeredumbparty。\'\"\'That\'sit，\'saysBoggs。\'HegetsthiswordthatMyra\'sgoin\'overthebigdivide，an\'bein\'he\'sgonebrokeentireonfaro-bank，heplungesovertothecorralan\'
rustlesThompson\'shoss。Ondersechcircumstances，Iain\'tnoneshorehe\'srespons\'ble。Itake-ittharain\'tmuchdoubtbutMyra\'shiswifethata-way，inwhicheventmyideeisheonlyborrysThompson\'spinto。Whichnacherally，asIfreelyconcedes，thislastdependsonMyra\'sbein\'hiswife。\'\"\'Oh，notnecessarily，\'saysTexasThompson；\'thar\'saheapofwiveswhodon\'tjestifyhosstealiil\'alittlebit。NowIplaysitopen，Myra\'sthisdumbgent\'smother，an\'onsechatheeryan\'thatalone，Iremovesthelariatfromhisarmsan\'throwshimloose。Butdon\'ttrytorunnowifebluffonme；I\'vebeenthroughthewifequestionwithablazin\'
pine-knotinmyhand，an\'thar\'snothin\'worthwhileconcealedtharin。\'\"\'WhichIadoptstheainendiricnt，\'saysBoggs，\'an\'onsecondthought，IstringsmychipswithTexas，thatthisyereMyra\'shismother。I\'vegotthemoneythatsaysso。\'\"\'Atanyrate，\'saysTutt，\'fromallIsees，Ireckonsit\'sthegeneralnotionthatwecallsthisthingadraw。Wecan\'taffordtogomakin\'apreecedentofhangin\'agentforhoss-stealin\'who\'sonlydoin\'hisbesttobepresentatthisMyra\'sfooneral，whoevershemaybe。It\'saheapdisgustin\'，however，thatwecan\'topenupatalkwiththisparty。
WhichInownotesbytheaddresshisnameisMcIntyre。\'\"An\'soitturnsoutthatinnotime，fromfourgentswho\'sdeadsettohangthisdumbmanasaboss-thief，weturnsintoasympatheticoutfitwhichisdiggin\'holesforhisescape。Italldovetailsinwithwhatmyscientistsaysthismornin\'aboutthemmoralepidemics，\'an\'
thingsgoin\'thata-wayinwaves。For，afterall，MyraornoMyra，thisyeredumbmanstealsthatpintohoss。\"However，whetherit\'srightorwrong，weturnsthedumbmanfree。Notonlythat，butBoggsgetsoutofthesaddlean\'giveshimhisponytopursoothemrambleswith。\"\'Igivesittohimbecauseit\'sthebestponyintheoutfit，\'
saysBoggs，lookin\'savageatus，asheputsthebridleinthedumbgent\'shands。\'Itcanrunlikeaantelope，thatponycan；an\'that\'swhyIdonatesittothisdumbparty。Oncehe\'sstarted，evenifwe-
allchangesourmoods，he\'sshorean\'safeawayforgood。Moreover，agentwhosemother\'sdyin\'，can\'thavetoogoodahoss。Ifhedon\'tsteponnomorecactus，an\'halfrides，he\'sdootogochargin\'intoCasaGrandebeforetheylosesMyra，easy。\'\"
CHAPTERXI。
HowPrinceHatGotHelp。
\"Comeyere，youboyTorn。\"ItwastheOldCattlemanaddressinghisblacksatellite。\"Stampedeuptotheirroomsofminean\'fetchmemyhat；theonewiththesnakeskinband。Myheadain\'tfeelin\'nonetoowell，owin\'tothebarkeepofthishostelrychangin\'mydrinks，an\'
thatrattlesnakebandoughterabsorbthemachesan\'clar\'fymyroominationsaheap。Now，vamos!\"hecontinued，asTomseemedtohesitate，\"thebigStetsonwiththesnakeskinontoit。
\"An\'howbeyoustackin\'upyours\'ef？\"observedtheoldgentleman，turningtomeashisdarkagentvanishedinquestofhead-bear。
\"Whichyoushorelylooksaswornan\'wearyasacalfjestbranded。
It\'lldoyougoodtowalkalot；bettercomewithme。Isorto\'
orig\'natesthenotionthatI\'llgoswarmin\'aboutpermiscusthismornin\'forahourorso，ancirk\'latemyblood，an\'you-alliswelcometoattachyourse\'ftothescheme。Thar\'snothin\'likeexercise，thata-way，asGriefMudlowallowswhenheurgeshiswifetotakeinwashin\'。You\'vedoneheardofGriefMudlow，thelaziestmaverickinTennessee？\"
IgavemywordthatnotsomuchasarumorofthepersonMudlowhadreachedme。Myfriendexpressedsurprise。ItwasnowthattheblackboyTomcameupwiththedesiredhat。Tommadehisapproachwithaqueerbackwardandforwardshuffle，crooningtohimselfthewhile:
\"Raincomewetme，suncomedryme。
Takekeer，whiteman，don\'tcomenighme。\"\"Stopthatdouble-
shufflin\'an\'wingdancin\'，\"remonstratedtheoldgentlemanseverely，ashetookthehatandfixeditonhishead。\"Idon\'twantnofrivolitiesan\'merry-makin\'s\'roundme。Whichyou\'realwaysjumpin\'an\'dancin\'likeoneoftheseyeresnapjackbugs。Iain\'taimin\'atpompousnessnone，butthar\'sasobrietygoeswiththemyearsofminewhichIproposestomaintainifIhastodoitwithablacksnakewhip。Soyou-allboyTom，youlookoutawholelot!I\'mgoin\'tobreakyouofthemhurdy-gurdytendencies，ifIhastomakeyouwearhobblesan\'fralethedudsoffyourbackbesides。\"
Tomsmiledtoothfully，yetinconfidentfashion，asonewhoknowshismasterandisnotafraid。
\"SoyouneverhearsofGriefMudlow？\"hecontinued，aswestrolledabroadonourwalk。\"Ireckonsmebbyyouhas，fortheyshoreputsGriefintoabookonce，commemoratin\'ofhislaziness。Howlazyishe？Well，son，hecouldbeatMexicansan\'let\'emdeal。He\'sraisedawayoffcast，overamongtheknobsofoldKnoxCounty，Griefis，an\'he\'sthatlazyhehastoleaveitonaccountofthehills。