ch notch meant a man killed face to face--there
was only one thet I was ashamed of. Thet one was fer an express
messenger who I hit on the head most unprofessional like, jest because
he wouldn't hand over a leetle package. I hed the kind of a reputashun
thet made all the fellers in saloons smile an' buy drinks.

"Well, I dropped into a place named Taylor's Bend, an' was peaceful
standin' to the bar when three cow-punchers come in, an', me bein' with
my back turned, they didn't recognize me an' got playful. I didn't stop
drinkin', an' I didn't turn square round; but when I stopped shootin'
under my arm the saloon-keeper hed to go over to the sawmill an' fetch
a heap of sawdust to cover up what was left of them three cow-punchers,
after they was hauled out. You see, I was rough them days, an' would
shoot ears off an' noses off an' hands off; when in later days I'd jest
kill a man quick, same as Wild Bill.

"News drifts into town thet night thet a gang of cut-throats hed
murdered ole Bill Warren an' carried off his gurl. I gathers up a few
good gun-men, an' we rid out an' down the river-bottom, to an ole log
cabin, where the outlaws hed a rondevoo. We rid up boldlike, an' made a
hell of a racket. Then the gang began to throw lead from the cabin, an'
we all hunted cover. Fightin' went on all night. In the mornin' all my
outfit was killed but two, an' they was shot up bad. We fought all day
without eatin' or drinkin', except some whisky I hed, an' at night I was
on the job by my lonesome.

"Bein' bunged up some myself, I laid off an' went down to the river to
wash the blood off, tie up my wounds, an' drink a leetle. While I was
down there along comes one of the cutthroats with a bucket. Instead of
gettin' water he got lead, an' as he was about to croak he tells me a
whole bunch of outlaws was headin' in there, doo to-morrer. An' if I
wanted to rescoo the gurl I hed to be hurryin'. There was five fellers
left in the cabin.

"I went back to the thicket where I hed left my hoss, an' loaded up with
two more guns an' another belt, an' busted a fresh box of shells. If I
recollect proper, I got some cigarettes, too. Well, I mozied back to the
cabin. It was a boo-tiful moonshiny night, an' I wondered if ole Bill's
gun was as purty as I'd heerd. The grass growed long round the cabin,
an' I crawled up to the door without startin' anythin'. Then I figgered.
There was only one door in thet cabin, an' it was black dark inside. I
jest