gum, Taterleg."

"It is chewin' gum, Duke. A wad of it as big as my fist gluin' down the
hammer of that gun. That girl put it on there, Duke. She knew Jedlick
wouldn't have no more show before me, man to man, than a rabbit. She
done me that trick, Duke; she wanted to kill me off."

"There wasn't no joke about that, old feller," the Duke said seriously,
grateful that the girl's trick had not resulted in any greater damage
to his friend than the shock to his dignity and simple heart.

"Yes, and it was my own gum. That's the worst part of it, Duke; she
wasn't even usin' his gum, dang her melts!"

"She must have favored Jedlick pretty strong to go that far."

"Well, if she wants him after what she's saw of him, she can take him. I
clinched him before he could waste any more ammunition, and twisted his
gun away from him. I jolted him a couple of jolts with my fist, and he
broke and run. You seen him hop his horse."

"What did you do with his gun?"

"I walked over to the winder where that girl was lookin' out to see
Jedlick wipe up the porch with me, and I handed her the gun, and I says:
'Give this to Mr. Jedlick with my regards,' I says, 'and tell him if he
wants any more to send me word.' Well, she come out, and I called her on
what she done to my gun. She swore she didn't mean it for nothin' but a
joke. I said if that was her idear of a joke, the quicker we parted the
sooner. She began to bawl, and the old man and old woman put in, and
I'd 'a' slapped that feller, Duke, if he'd 'a' had two arms on him. But
you can't slap a half of a man."

"I guess that's right."

"I walked up to that girl, and I said: 'You've chawed the last wad of my
gum you'll ever plaster up ag'in' your old lean jawbone. You may be some
figger in Glendora,' I says, 'but anywheres else you wouldn't cut no
more ice than a cracker.' Wood he took it up ag'in. That's when I come
away."

"It looks like it's all off between you and Alta now."

"Broke off, short up to the handle. Serves a feller right for bein' a
fool. I might 'a' knowed when she wanted me to shave my mustache off she
didn't have no more heart in her than a fish."

"That was askin' a lot of a man, sure as the world."

"No man can look two ways at once without somebody puttin' something
down his back, Duke."

"Referrin' to the lady in Wyoming. Sure."

"She was white. She says: 'Mr. Wilson, I'll always think of you as a
gentleman.' Them was her last words, Duke."

They were w