er. "Well, it ain't
likely that you can find a man in the West who wouldn't recognize that
pony by the description. That there pony was in the Custer Massacre."

"The gentleman what owns him is goin' to shoot him," sez the tourist.

"Well, perhaps it's all for the best," sez the sad one. "I ain't no
millionaire, but I offered him thirty-seven dollars for that pony. He
doubted that I'd take good care of him, so he wouldn't sell him to me.
He said he didn't think I'd abuse the pony when I was sober, but I'll
have to own up that when a friend--when a friend invites me to have a
drink, I can't say no--an' I got a darn sight o' friends in this
country."

The' ain't no use in draggin' this out. After that tourist had agreed
to treat that pony like the saints of glory, Bill, he finally sold him
to him for an even fifty dollars--an' it was me that bought the liquor
for the crowd.

I'm good-natured enough to suit any one reasonable, but I own up I was
sore. Here I'd started out with the best intentions in the world, with
my mind all made up not to be led into temptation or turned from a set
purpose, an' what was the first result? I had simply given my entire
stock in trade away to a worthless loafer, an' had seen him sell it for
fifty dollars after he had made all manner of fun of me for offerin'
one fourth of all he made over ten. Why, the pony was worth seven
dollars, an' I could have sold him for that money myself if I hadn't
let them laugh me into showin' of. Then to top off with, I'd blown in
about a month's wages just to show the gang I was able to take a joke
when it was measured out to me.

I was ready right at that minute to own tip that business didn't come
natural to me; but I enjoyed myself plenty enough until along toward
mornin', an' then the penjalum begun to swing back. I sat over in the
corner kickin' myself purty freely, when a funny, twisted little man
came over an' sat across from me. He had pink-like cheeks an' shiny
little eyes, an' he was middlin' well crowded with part of the wet
goods I had been payin' for. "It was one o' the smoothest business
deals I ever saw put through--on a small scale," sez he.

"Oh, hang business," sez I.

"Well, it's a hangin' matter often enough," sez he. "Do you know the
reason why the' 's so much devilment in this world?"

"It's 'cause the' 's so many people here," sez I; "that's easy enough."

"It's 'cause the preachers ain't got the nerve to explain what the
comma