dining-room while the train
was waiting, and prances up and down the platform ready to shoot all
antelope, lions, or private citizens that might endeavour to molest
or come too near him. He was a good-looking kid; only he was like all
them tenderfoots--he didn't know a law-and-order town when he saw it.

"By and by along comes Pedro Johnson, the proprietor of the Crystal
Palace _chili-con-carne_ stand in Bildad. Pedro was a man who liked to
amuse himself; so he kind of herd rides this youngster, laughing at
him, tickled to death. I was too far away to hear, but the kid seems
to mention some remarks to Pedro, and Pedro goes up and slaps him
about nine feet away, and laughs harder than ever. And then the boy
gets up quicker than he fell and jerks out his little pearl-handle,
and--bing! bing! bing! Pedro gets it three times in special and
treasured portions of his carcass. I saw the dust fly off his clothes
every time the bullets hit. Sometimes them little thirty-twos cause
worry at close range.

"The engine bell was ringing, and the train starting off slow. I goes
up to the kid and places him under arrest, and takes away his gun. But
the first thing I knew that _caballard_ of capitalists makes a break
for the train. One of 'em hesitates in front of me for a second, and
kind of smiles and shoves his hand up against my chin, and I sort of
laid down on the platform and took a nap. I never was afraid of guns;
but I don't want any person except a barber to take liberties like
that with my face again. When I woke up, the whole outfit--train, boy,
and all--was gone. I asked about Pedro, and they told me the doctor
said he would recover provided his wounds didn't turn out to be fatal.

"When Luke got back three days later, and I told him about it, he was
mad all over.

"'Why'n't you telegraph to San Antone,' he asks, 'and have the bunch
arrested there?'

"'Oh, well,' says I, 'I always did admire telegraphy; but astronomy
was what I had took up just then.' That capitalist sure knew how to
gesticulate with his hands.

"Luke got madder and madder. He investigates and finds in the depot
a card one of the men had dropped that gives the address of some
_hombre_ called Scudder in New York City.

"'Bud,' says Luke, 'I'm going after that bunch. I'm going there and
get the man or boy, as you say he was, and bring him back. I'm sheriff
of Mojada County, and I shall keep law and order in its precincts
while I'm able to draw a gun.