lip lipI
I
j MEN MENO OF F ALL SORTS SO R T S
Why do you come in a mob when you wish to speak with ladies 1 she he asked ked smiling and each man felt that his hi soul oul was slipping out through his hi boots
Men of all sorts we meet scattered abroad abroadGamesters abroadGamesters abroadGamesters
Gamesters and jesters and heroes outlawed outlawedRough outlawedRough outlawedRough
Rough men and tenderness cowards and strife tUrifiMen litrifeMen strifeMen
Men of all sorts play the game of life
HE hot sunlight hung down about Carsons and andits andits andIts
THE T its huddle of limewashed lime washed sheds The ranch ranchhouse ranchhouse ranchhouse
house was a vivid splotch of white against a ablue abluQ ablue
blue sky The thick yellow haze of noon could not notentirely notentirely notentirely
entirely veil the brilliancy of either though the thegolden thegolden thegolden
golden motes danced bewilderingly until the snakey snakeycorral snakeycorral snakeycorral
corral fence wavered and danced too and the sheds shedsseemed shedsseemed shedsseemed
seemed aquiver Away stretched the undulating lev levels levels levols ¬
els like sunbrowned billows shimmering in the heat heatand heatand heatand
and a 0 shadowy strip of pointed vapors in the west westshowed westshowed westshowed
showed where the range lifted and where the sun sunwould SUIlwould sunwould
would spill its gentler colors later laterThe laterThe laterThe
The two black specks coming from the corral corralwhich corralwhich corralwhich
which wore plainly Big Ed Edwards and Dutch from fromthe fromthe fromthe
the very size of them seemed lazily animated and andgrotesque andgrotesquo andgrotesque
grotesque It was a day to weight the wings of offlies of111os offiles
flies Between Carsons and the dry river bed there thereshowed theroshowed thereshowed
showed but one other bit of life a growling man manwho mallwho manwho
who mopped his head with a wet bandana and andheeled andheeled andheeled
heeled his horse toward the buildings Dust caked cakedthe cakedr cakedr
+ r r the sopping flanks of the beast and Its head lolled lolledwearily lolledwearlly lolledwearily
wearily wearilyWhen wearllyVhen wearilyWhen
When he pulled up before Carsons there was the theusual theusual theusual
usual outpouring of all present A welcome came in Sna ina ina
a deep hearty chorus chorusl proving I > foving that this was no ex expected expected expected ¬
pected visitor He received at least two dozen em emphatic emphatic emphatic ¬
phatic invitations Uto to llgt an have one and It Itappeared itappeared itappeared
appeared from from his sudden alacrity that he meant to toaccept toaccept toaccept
accept them all allCarsons allCarsons allCarsons
Carsons was the cross roads from everywhere everywhereMen everywhereMen everywhereMen
Men riding up from the Red Dog country bided there thereawhile thereawhile thereawhile
awhile before going on to Lone Hill the nearest nearesttown nearesttown nearesttown
town of size and other men heading southwest stop stopped stopped stopfed ¬
ped at Carsons to see Dutch or Pap Jenkins or to tomeet tomeet tomeet
meet these celebrities over a friendly glass if not notalready notalready notalready
already acquainted No one ever thought of going goinganywhere goinganywhere goinganywhero
anywhere through that country without including includingCarsons includingCarsons includingCarsons
Carsons and the distances were measured to It and andbeyond nndbeyond andbeyond
beyond If there was anything dolnt doin or to be dis discussed discussed discussed ¬
cussed after having been Irrevocably done Carsons Carsonswas Carsonswas Carsonswas
was the gathering place If a man simply wished to toget toget toget
get drunk he began or finished there and was sat satisfied satisfied satisfied ¬
isfied that he had not neglected friends Often one onecould onecould onecould
could find entertainment and welcome at Lovells Lovellsor
or the Circle N ranch if the boys were not too busy busywith busywith busywith
with the cattle he could always find It at CarsonsThis Carsons CarsonsThis CarsonsThis
This was an off day however Heat swathed the thewhole thewllole thewhole
whole country In a hot embrace OFlynn and the thehalf thehalf thehalf
half dozen from t e Circle N had found Carsons Carsonssweltering Carsonssweltering Carsonsswoltering
sweltering and stagnant Along with them had come comeMartinettI comeMartlllettl comeMartinetti
MartinettI subject to his usual proportion of chaff chaffand chaftand chaffand
and accepting all of It with his unusual good nature natureMartinettI natureMartincttl natureMartinetti
MartinettI thus encouraged friends That they would wouldfind wouldfind wouldfind
find Big Ed Edwards and Dutch holding forth they theyhad theyhad theyhad
had expected but to meet with the Jedge was wassomething wassomething wassomething
something out of the ordinary even at Carsons CarsonsThey CarsonsThey CarsonsThey
They urged him to come inside and to accept every everything everything everything ¬
thing they owned ownedWell ownedVeIl ownedWell
Well VeIl boys he said pleased at the attention attentionshown attentionshown attentionshown
shown him Im jest riding past A lootle l < uIUe business businessover businessover businessover
over to Lone Hill way Didnt expect to hit such a 0 0Ii
Ii
By LEO CRANE CRANEAuthor
Author of Three Flights Up and Back etc
gang of yen yeh though cause I thought youd all be bestarted bestarted bestarted
started for the show showShow showShowl showShow
Show exclaimed OFlynn What show showOpry showOpryover showOpryover
Opry Opryover over at the opry house houseOpry houseOpry houseOpry
Opry repeated OFlynn eyeing the theJedge Jedge as asIf asif asif
If he suspecteu a joke Come now Jedge whats whatsthe whatsthe whatsthe
the answer I heerd one of them when I was in inthe inthe inthe
the big town last year but oprys dont travel in this thiscountry thiscountry thiscountry
country countryCording countryU countryCording
U Cording to the hand bills my friend they do dosaid dosaid dosaid
said the other agreeing by a nod to accept another anotherjust anotherjust anotherjust
just like the last They expect some someopry opry over at atLone atLone atLone
Lone Hill tonight but Ir sorry to say the hopes of ofthat ofthat f fthat
that gentle community wont be realized Also Im Imglad Imglad Imglad
glad you boys didnt know about It cause yen you would wouldhave wouldhave wouldhave
have started an certain you would have been some somedisappointed somedisappointed somedisappointed
disappointed Now wouldnt yen yenDisappointed yeb yebDisappointed yehDisappointed
Disappointed Why Jedge anything that war warbles warbles warbles ¬
bles Is a go with us Theres MartinettI MarUnettlwe we actual actually actually actually ¬
ly stand for him constant constantMARTINETTIS constantM
MARTINETTIS M 7 ARTINETTrS singing always good was never neverthe neverthe neverAV
AV the subject of praise Out of sheer love for forhim forhim forhim
him they bedeviled his melodies with criticism criticismBut criticismBut criticismBut
But Jedge queried Dutch if its advertised advertisedwhy advertisedwhy advertisedwhy
why dondt Idt habben please pleaseThe pleaseThe pleaseThe
The folks that does the singing didnt square all allaccounts allaccounts allaccounts
accounts at their last stoppln place an Its my duty dutyas dutyas dutyas
as the law to attach their scenery sceneryWhy sceneryVhy sceneryWhy
Why thats downright tough on em Jedge said saidOFlynn saidOFlynn saidOFlynn
OFlynn OFlynnThe OFlynnThe OFlynnThe
The laws the law lawBut lawBut lawBut
But see here hereyell yen dont mean that youll prevent preventthe preventthe preventthe
the show altogether asked Big Ed EdCertain EdCertainif EdCertainif
Certain Certainif if I can make Lone Hill fore the curtain curtaingoes curtaingoes curtaingoes
goes up upWhy upVhy upWhy
Why the boys 11 be ridin In from all over overJedge overJotlge overJedge
Jedge an thats a mean trick to play on a man who whowants whowants whowants
wants to hear good opry opryTho opryThe opryThe
The law cant cantFiddlesticks cantFlddlestlcles cantFiddlesticks
Fiddlesticks an law be damned roared out outOFlynn outOFlyun outOFlynn
OFlynn suddenly Here we boys have been work workin worlein workIn
in like llkeslaveshere slaves slaveshere here weve been longin for some somegood SODlegood sonicgood
good moosic durin the last six months an being beingcompelled beingcompelled beingcompelled
compelled all that time to listen to MartinettI MartinetUand MartinetUandlere Martinettiandhere and andhere
here lere you come along long to spoil it all Jedge It aint aintfriendly aintfliendly aintfriendly
friendly of you youIt it aint the thing thingBut thingButbut thingButbut
But Butbut but gasped the astonished visitor you youdidnt youdidnt youdidnt
didnt know anything bout It till I told yob yobWell yen yenWell yehVell
Well that ony makes It worse Here you come comealong comoalong conicalong
along an set us all expecting Then you drop a asobsed asobsed asobsed
sobsed blanket over tho whole thing All of which whichI
I say aint friendly to us usI usI usI
I wouldnt have thought it of you lodge J dge myself myselfchimed myselfchimed myselfchimed
chimed to Duffy who being Irish too deadly de rlY loved lovedan Jovedan lovedan
an argument argumentDon1 argumentDon argumentDon
Don min Mestairo Judge spoke up a strangely strangelysoft strangelysoft strangelysoft
soft and different voice that had a note of foroign foroignpathos foroignpathos foreignpathos
pathos Tho Jedge turned to regard Martinetti MartinettiLending Martlnottlbending Martinettibending
bending his steolrimmad spoctaolos on him as he
would guns Eet ees what they gife to me al always alwayswhat ¬
ways wayswbat what you call heem he heemthe emthe the josh eh I Ising Ising Ising
sing in ze opera once but Hah zat ees ze zelong zelong nolong
long time gone You know what zay sing to tonight tonight tonight ¬
night
Martinettis goin over to help out called a voice voiceHe voiceHe voiceHe
He drew himself up evidencing a certain distainThis distain distainThis distainThis
This MartinettI of the ranch a slender man with withlarge withlarge withlarge
large oval eyes set beneath charcoal brows had been beenmistaken beenmistaken beenmistaken
mistaken by many for a Mexican on his first ap appearance appearance appearance ¬
pearance Swarthy skin and glossy hair aided the thodeception thedeception thedeception
deception gay kerchiefs and a fondness for theatric theatricattire theatricattire theatricattire
attire lent tone to the error But Martinettis scorn scornwas scornwas scornwas
was of the fine Italian sort He had drifted to the theranch theranch theranch
ranch in search of health healtha a shadowlike man then thenand thenand thenand
and had become one of them in all save tempera temperament temperament temperament ¬
ment voice and gesture No one had doubted his hisgentleness hisgentleness hisgentleness
gentleness no one had asked for bis story storyMeestalre storyMecstalre storyMeestaire
Meestalre cowpunchaire exclaimed MartinettI MartinettIyou MortlnettlUyou Martinettiyou
Uyou you do not know what eet ees to lose ze voice eh ehWell ebVell ehWell
Well Vell zen zenBagh zenBaghI Bagh Baghout
I N answer to the query the Jedge had drawn drawnout
out a crumpled poster unfolding it to display a alithograph aI1thograph alithograph
lithograph of many colors It showed a fascinating fascinatingSpanish fascinatingSpanish fascinatingSpanish
Spanish girl puffing a cigarette the smoke wreath wreathing wreathing wreathing ¬
ing the red poppies caught In her hair hairHa hairRo hairHa
Ha ze Carmen exclaimed MartinettI raptur rapturously rapturously rapturously ¬
ously ouslyThats ouslyThats ouslyThats
Thats the opry I saw announced OFlynns big bigvoice bigvoice bigvoice
voice Its all about a Mexican girl that makes cig cigarettes cigarettes cigarettes ¬
arettes an spends her off time keepln two fellers fellersbusy tellersbusy fellersbusy
busy guessing where theyre at Both dead sweet sweeton sweeton
on her an she knows It Ones a soldger antoth antothers an antothers totb totbers
ers a 0 Whats the other one you Eyetalian EyetalianMartinettI Eyetallan1Iartlnettl EyetalnanMartinetti
MartinettI smiled on him with a n subtle tenderness tendernessof
of contempt contemptZe
Ze toreador he said bowing gracefully gracefullyA
uA A bull fighter eh ehSure ehSure ehSure
Sure thing echoed Duffy anxious to explain A Ahigh Ahigh Ahigh
high class cowpuncher cowpuncheronly only he goes after the thE cat cattle cattle cattle ¬
tle with a skinny sword stead of a rope an lies a abrutal abrutal abrutal
brutal cuss too when hes working earnest earnestAlso earnestAlso earnestAlso
Also continued OFlynn he sings a smashing smashinggood smashinggood smashinggood
good song Its me for the show right off Whod Whodgoin Whosgoin Whodgoin
goin along alongThe alongThe alongThe
The Jedge was now on his feet with a mild pro protest pratest prctest ¬
test testBut
But boys boysthere there aint going to be no show over overthere overthere overthere
there thereNow
Now Jedge OFlynn argued beaming on him himlike himlnte himlike
like a younger brother You aint that cussed you youaint youaint youaint
aint Why not give us a chanct Well start over overget overget overget
get a peep at that show and along towards ten tenoclock tenoclock tonoclock
oclock you arrive You stay right lere ere an make makeyourself makeyourfle1f makeyourself
yourself comfortable Ten oclock 11 do jest as well wellas wellas wellas
as six an also youll earn the good will of every everyman everyman everyman
man in five townships townshipsThats townshipsThats townshipsThats
Thats the talk Persuade him Flynn persuade persuadehim persuadehim persuadehim
him whispered Duffy encouragingly In his ear earMeantime earMeantime earMeantime
Meantime we get the bosses ready readyBy readyBy readyBy
By twos anu threes they slipped away until only onlythe onlythe onlythe
the big foreman was left pleading with the obdurate obduratelaw obdprote obdprotelaw obdpratelaw
law Gradually the grim law weakened as theJedge tHe tileJedge tHeJedge
Jedge thought of the heat and tine tn long bottlo lottIoabove bottloabove QottleobO
above obO e him on the shelf