l the wolves you'll ever kill an' skin,' says
Doc Peets, as he asks Coyote to forgive an' forget, 'that this yere is
the last time I embarks in jests of a practical character or gives way
to humour other than the strickly oral kind. Barkeep, my venerated
friend, yere will have a glass of water; but you give me Valley Tan.'"

CHAPTER XXI.

Long Ago on the Rio Grande.

"Which books that a-way," observed the Old Cattleman, "that is,
story-books, is onfrequent in Wolfville." He was curiously examining
Stevenson's "Treasure Island," that he had taken from my hand. "The
nearest approach to a Wolfville cirk'latin' library I recalls is a copy
of 'Robinson Crusoe,' an' that don't last long, as one time when Texas
Thompson leaves it layin' on a cha'r outside while he enters the Red
Light for the usual purpose, a burro who's loafin' loose about the
street, smells it, tastes it, approoves of it, an' tharupon devours it
a heap. After that I don't notice no volumes in the outfit, onless
it's some drug books that Doc Peets has hived over where he camps.
It's jest as well, for seein' a gent perusin' a book that a-way,
operates frequent to make Dan Boggs gloomy; him bein' oneddicated like
I imparts to you-all yeretofore.

"Whatever do we do for amoosements? We visits the Dance Hall; not to
dance, sech frivol'ties bein' for younger an' less dignified sports.
We goes over thar more to give our countenance an' endorsements to
Hamilton who runs the hurdy-gurdy, an' who's a mighty proper citizen.
We says 'How!' to Hamilton, libates, an' mebby watches 'em 'balance
all,' or 'swing your partners,' a minute or two an' then proceeds.
Then thar's Huggins's Bird Cage Op'ry House, an' now an' then we-all
floats over thar an' takes in the dramy. But mostly we camps about the
Red Light; the same bein' a common stampin'-ground. It's thar we find
each other; an' when thar's nothin' doin', we upholds the hours tellin'
tales an' gossipin' about cattle an' killin's, an' other topics common
to a cow country. Now an' then, thar's a visitin' gent in town who can
onfold a story. In sech event he's made a lot of, an' becomes promptly
the star of the evenin'.

"Thar's a Major Sayres we meets up with once in Wolfville,--he's thar
on cattle matters with old man Enright--an' I recalls how he grows
absorbin' touchin' some of his adventures in that War.

"Thar's a passel of us, consistin' of Boggs, Tutt, Cherokee, an' Texas
Thompson, an' me, who