第37章

"But on account of the hole through which Steve emerges, an' which he makes liberal an' big, the calaboose is a mighty commodious place.So Jack beds down the Yallerhouse man all right an' starts in to bringin' him through.The rest of us don't crowd 'round none to watch the play, don't hover over it that a-way, 'cause we ain't aimin' to acquire nothin' ourse'fs.

"Jack has a heap of trouble an' worry.Never sees no smallpox do you? Folks locoed most usual,--clean off up in the air an' pitchin'

on their ropes.Of course the Yallerhouse gent has all he needs.

That rake on tens-up them days would have took care of a fam'ly.But he keeps Jack herdin' him all the time.Otherwise, not bein'

watched, an' crazy that a-way, he's liable to come stampedin' over to the Red Light, or some'ers else, any time, an' skeer us up some.

"'He's a world-beater,' says Jack one day, when he comes over for a drink.'He's shorely four kings an' an ace.You can't ride him with buckin'-straps an' a Spanish bit.It's got so now--his disease bein'

at a crisis like--that I simply has to be with this Yallerhouse party day an' night.He'd shorely lay waste this camp if I didn't.'

"At last the Yallerhouse party an' Jack somehow beats the smallpox, but Yallerhouse comes out shy an eye.The smallpox gouges it out one of them times when Jack ain't lookin' out his game sharp.It's his pistol eye, too; which makes him feel the loss more keen, an'

creates general sympathy.The Yallerhouse man gets some morose over it, which ain't, after all, onnacheral.A gent ain't got so many eyes he can afford to go short one on every little game he plays.So he finds fault with Jack a lot, an' allows if he has him back in the States he'd sue him for neglect of dooty.

"'Which, I shorely likes that!' says Jack to the Yallerhouse party, gettin' peevish over his fault-findin'.'Don't you know it's merely owin' to the mercy of hell an' my watchful care, you-all ain't bustin' your harp-strings an' raisin' all round discord among the heavenly hosts on high right now, instead of bein' safe an' well yere in Wolfville? You don't act like a gent who saveys when he makes a winnin'.S'pose you be an eye out; you're still lookin' at things terrestrial with the other.You talks of gross neglect of dooty! Now let me inform you of somethin': You come pesterin' 'round me some more an' I'll bend a gun over your head.'

"'Which if it ain't my six-shooter eye which's out,' says the Yallerhouse party, mighty ugly, 'do you know what I'd do? Well, this yere would be the basis of a first-class gun-play.You can gamble thar wouldn't be no jim-crow marshal go pirootin' 'round, losin' no eye of mine an' gettin' away with it, an' then talk of bendin' guns on me; none whatever.'

"But it all preys on Jack.An' a-seein' of this Yallerhouse gent 'round camp a-lookin' at him in a fault-findin' way outen his one eye sorter aggravates Jack like it's a nightmare.

"'I wouldn't mind it so much,' says Jack to me, confidential, 'if this Yallerhouse gent quits a laig or an arm behind, 'cause in which event we pieces him out with wood, easy.But about eyes, it's different.An eye out is an eye out; an' that settles it.'

"One day Jack can't b'ar it no longer, an', resolvin' to end it, he walks up to the Yallerhouse party in the Red Light, all brisk an'

brief.

"'It's a rough deal on a one-eyed gent,' says Jack, 'an' I shore asks pardon an' states regrets in advance.But things has got to a show-down.I'm slowly becomin' onfit for public dooty.Now yere's an offer, an' you can have either end.You-all can get a hoss an' a hundred dollars of me, an' pull your freight; or you can fix yourse'f with a gun an' have a mighty stirrin' an' eventful time with me right yere.As an outcome of the last, the public will have one of us to plant, an' mebby a vacancy to fill in the post of kettle-tender.Which is it, an' what do you say?'

"'What for a hoss is she?' asked the Yallerhouse party.

"'Which she's a pinto,' says Jack; 'as excellent a paint pony as ever is roped.'

"'Does this yere threat you-all makes incloode a saddle an' spurs?'

asks the Yallerhouse party.

"'It shorely does,' replies Jack.'Is it a go?'

"'Well,' says the Yallerhouse man, after ponderin' it up one way an'

down the other, 'this idee of settlin' for eyes for a hoss an' a hundred dollars is far from bein' usual with me.If I has my eye ag'in, I'd shorely stay an' shoot it out, an' admire to be present.

But now sech thoughts is vanity.So round up your money an' your pony at the Red Light in fifteen minutes by the watch, an' as soon as I gets a bottle filled I'm ready to go.I shorely should not regret leavin' an' outfit which puts folks in jail for bein' sick, an' connives by reckless an' criminal neglect of dooty at their bein' blinded for life.'"