It was a subject of common regret when Mr. Masterson, as Sheriff of Ford1, decided2 to resign. He had shown himself equipped for the position, being by nature cool and just and honest, and disposed to accuracy in all things, especially in his shooting. It was those laws prohibitive of the sale of strong drink throughout the State of Kansas that prompted the resignation of Mr. Masterson.
“The rounding up of horse thieves and hold-ups, Bob,” observed Mr. Masterson to Mr. Wright, “is legitimate3 work. And I don’t mind burning a little powder with them if such should be their notion. But I draw the line at pulling on a gentleman, and dictating4 water as a beverage5.”
Whereupon Mr. Masterson laid down his office, and Mr. Wright and Mr. Short and Mr. Kelly and Mr. Trask and Mr. Tighlman and Cimarron Bill sorrowfully gathered at the Wright House and gave a dinner in his honor. Following the dinner, Mr. Masterson translated himself to Arizona, while Dodge7 relieved its feelings with the circulation of a document which read:
“We, the undersigned, agree to pay the sums set opposite our
a saloonkeeper.”
The white American is a mammal of unusual sort. He doesn’t mind when his officers of government merely rob him, or do no more than just saddle and ride him in favour of some pillaging9 monopoly. But the moment those officers undertake to tell him what he shall drink and when he shall drink it, he goes on the warpath. Thus was it with the ebullient10 folk of Dodge on the dry occasion of Prohibition11. The paper adverted12 to gained many signatures, and promised a fortune to those mourning ones it so feelingly described.
When Mr. Masterson laid down his regalia as Sheriff and the public realised that he had pulled his six-shooters, officially, for the last time, a sense of loss filled the bosoms13 of those who liked a peaceful life. There was another brood which felt the better pleased. Certain dissolute ones, who arrive at ruddiest blossom in a half-baked Western camp, made no secret of their satisfaction. Withal, they despised Mr. Masterson for the certainty of his pistol practise, and that tacit brevity wherewith he set his guns to work.
Perhaps of those who rejoiced over the going of Mr. Masterson, a leading name was that of Bear Creek14 Johnson. Certainly, Bear Creek jubilated with a greater degree of noise than did the others. Having money at the time, Bear Creek came forth15 upon what he meant should be a record spree.
The joyful16 Bear Creek was fated to meet with check. He had attained17 to the first stages of that picnic which he planned, “jest beginnin’ to onbuckle,” as he himself expressed it, when he was addressed upon the subject by Mr. Wright. The latter was standing18 in the doorway19 of his store, and halted Bear Creek, whooping20 up the street. Mr. Wright owned a past wherein rifle smoke and courage were equally commingled21 to make an honoured whole. Aware of these credits to the fame of Mr. Wright, Bear Creek ceased whooping to hear what he might say. As Bear Creek paused, Mr. Wright from the doorway bent22 upon him a somber23 glance.
“I only wanted to say, Bear Creek,” observed Mr. Wright, “that if I were you I wouldn’t tire the town with any ill-timed gayety. If the old vigilance committee should come together, and if it should decide to clean up the camp, the fact that you owe me money wouldn’t save you. I should never let private interests interfere24 with my duty to the town, nor a lust25 for gain keep me from voting to hang a criminal. It would be no help to him that I happened to be his creditor26.”
This rather long oration27 threw cold water upon the high spirits of Bear Creek Johnson. He whooped28 no more, and at the close of Mr. Wright’s remarks returned to his accustomed table in the Alamo, where he devoted29 the balance of the evening to a sullen30 consumption of rum.
Several months elapsed, and Dodge had felt no ill effects from Prohibition. Whiskey was obtainable at usual prices in the Alamo, the Alhambra, the Long Branch, the Dance Hall, and what other haunts made a feature of liquid inspiration. Dodge was satisfied. Dodge was practical and never complained of any law until it was enforced. Since such had not been the case with those statutes31 of prohibition, Dodge was content. The herds32 as aforetime came up from Texas in the fall; as aforetime the cowboys mirthfully divided their equal money between whiskey, monte and quadrilles. The folk of Dodge thereat were pleased. No one, official, had come to molest34 them or make them afraid, and a first resentful interest in prohibition was dying down.
This condition of calm persisted undisturbed until one afternoon when the telegraph operator came over to the Alhambra, pale and shaken, bearing a yellow message. The message told how the Attorney General, and the President of the Prohibition League were to be in Dodge next day, with a fell purpose of making desolate35 that jocund36 hamlet by an enforcement of the laws. The visitors would dismantle37 Dodge of its impudent38 defiance39; they would destroy it with affidavits40, plow41 and sow its site with salt in the guise42 of warrants of arrest. When they were finished, the Alhambra, the Long Branch, the Alamo, the Dance Hall and kindred kindly43 emporiums would be as springs that had run dry, while, captives in the town’s calaboose, their proprietors44 wore irons and languished46. To add insult to injury, those exalted47 ones promised that when they had cleansed48 Dodge and placed it upon a rumless footing, they would address what citizens were not in jail and strive to show them the error of their sodden49 ways and teach them to lead a happier and a soberer life.
When Mr. Masterson withdrew to Arizona, he did not expect to soon return to Dodge. He found, however, that despite Tombstone and its pleasures he dragged a sense of loneliness about, and oft caught himself wondering what Mr. Wright and Mr. Kelly and Mr. Short and the rest of the boys were doing. At last, giving as excuse, that he ought to put a wire fence about a sand-blown stretch of desert that was his and which lay blistering50 on the south side of the Arkansas in the near vicinity of Dodge, he resolved upon a visit. He would remain a fortnight. It would be a vacation—he hadn’t had one since the Black Kettle campaign—and doubtless serve to wear away the edge of those regrets which preyed51 upon him when now he no longer conserved52 the peace of Dodge with a Colt’s-45. There comes a joy with office holding, even when the office is one attractive of invidious lead, and in the newness of laying down that post of Sheriff, Mr. Masterson should not be criticised because the ghost of an ache shot now and then across his soul.
The first day of Mr. Masterson’s return was devoted to a renewal53 of old ties—a bit parched54, with ten months of Arizona. The second day, Mr. Masterson invested in wandering up and down and indulging himself in a tender survey of old landmarks55. Here was the sign-post against which he steadied himself when he winged that obstreperous56 youth from the C-bar-K, who had fired his six-shooter into the Alhambra in disapproval57 of Mr. Kelly’s wares58. It was a good shot; for the one resentful of Alhambra whiskey was fully6 one hundred yards away and on the run. Later, the C-bar-K boy admitted that the Alhambra whiskey was not so bad, and his slam-bang denunciation of it uncalled for. At that, Mr. Masterson, first paying a doctor to dig his lead from the boy’s shoulder, gave him his freedom again.
“If Kell’s whiskey had been really bad,” said Mr. Masterson, “I would have been the last to interfere with the resentment59 of a gentleman who had suffered from it. But I was familiar with the brand, and knew, therefore, how that cowboy unlimbered in merest wantonness. Under such conditions, I could not, and do my duty, permit him to go unrebuked.”
Half a block further, and Mr. Masterson stood in front of the First National Bank. Mr. Masterson recalled this arena60 of finance as the place wherein he borrowed the shotgun with which he cooled the ardour of Mr. Bowman when that warrior61 made the long journey from Trinidad with the gallant62 purpose, announced widely in advance, of shooting up the town. Looking into the double muzzle63 of the 10-gauge, the doughty64 one from Trinidad saw that which changed his plans. Turning his hardware over to Mr. Masterson, he took a drink in amity65 with that hard-working officer, and then embarked66 upon a festival, conducted with a scrupulous67 regard for the general peace, which lasted four full days.
Across from the bank was the warehouse68, the wooden walls of which displayed the furrows70 ploughed by Mr. Masterson’s bullets on the day when he fought the three gentleman from Missouri. They were weather-stained, those furrows, with the rains that had intervened. Mr. Masterson being a sentimentalist sighed over his trademarks71, and thought of those pleasant times when they were fresh. Fifty yards beyond stood the little hotel where the dead were carried. It was a good hotel, and in that hour celebrated72 for its bar; remembering which, Mr. Masterson repaired thither73 in the name of thirst.
Mr. Masterson was leaning on the counter, and telling the proprietor45 that the lustre74 of his whiskey had been in no sort dimmed, when the word—just then delivered by the wires—reached him of that proposed invasion in the cause of prohibition. It was Mr. Wright who bore the tidings, and the face of that merchant prince showed grave.
“Well,” said Mr. Masterson, in tones of relief, “you see, Bob, that I was right when I resigned. I’d be in a box now if I were Sheriff.”
“What is your idea of a course?” asked Mr. Wright. “It stands to reason that the camp can’t go dry; at the same time I wouldn’t want to see it meander75 into trouble.”
It was thought wise by Mr. Wright, after exhaustively conferring with Mr. Masterson, to call a meeting of the male inhabitants of Dodge. There might be discovered in a multitude of counsel some pathway that would lead them out of this law-trap, while permitting them to drink.
Mr. Wright presided at the meeting, which was large. There were speeches, some for peace and some for war, but none which opened any gate. Dodge was where it started, hostile, but undecided. Somebody called on Mr. Masterson; what would he suggest? Mr. Masterson, being no orator76 and fluent only with a gun, tried to escape. However, over-urged by Mr. Wright, he spake as follows:
“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Masterson, “I was so recently your Sheriff that the habit of upholding law and maintaining order is still strong upon me, and it may be that, thus crippled, I am but ill qualified77 to judge of the wisdom of ones who have counseled killing78 and scalping these prohibition people who will favour Dodge to-morrow afternoon. My impression, however, is that such action, while perhaps natural under the circumstances, would be grossly premature79. It would bring down the State upon us, and against such odds80 even Dodge might not sustain herself. All things considered, my advice is this: Close every saloon an hour before our visitors arrive, and keep them closed while they remain. Every man—for there would be no sense in enduring hardships uselessly—should provide himself in advance with say a gallon. The saloons closed, our visitors would be powerless. What a man doesn’t see he doesn’t know; and those emissaries of a tyrannous prohibition would be unable to make oath. In the near finish, they would leave. Once they had departed, Dodge could again go forward on its liberty-loving way. Those are my notions, gentlemen; and above all I urge that nothing like violence be indulged in. Let our visitors enter and depart in peace. Do not put it within their power to say that Dodge was not a haven81 of peace. You must remember that not alone your liberty but your credit is at stake, and play a quiet hand according.”
While Mr. Wright and that conservative contingent82 which he represented approved the counsel of Mr. Masterson, there were others who condemned83 it. At the head of these latter was the turbulent Bear Creek Johnson. After the meeting had adjourned84, that riot-urging individual branded the words of Mr. Masterson as pusillanimous86. For himself, the least that Bear Creek would consent to was the roping up of the visitors the moment they appeared. They were to be dragged at the hocks of a brace87 of cow-ponies until such time as they renounced88 their iniquitous89 mission, and promised respect to Dodge’s appetites and needs.
“As for that Masterson party,” said the bitter Bear Creek, who being five drinks ahead was pot-valiant, “what’s he got to do with the play? He got cold feet an’ quit ten months ago. Now he allows he’ll come buttin’ in an’ tell people what kyards to draw, an’ how to fill an’ bet their hands. Some gent ought to wallop a gun over his head. An’ if some gent don’t, I sort o’ nacherally reckon I’ll about do the trick myse’f.”
Since Bear Creek Johnson reserved these views for souls who were in sympathy therewith, meanwhile concealing90 the same from such as Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright, there arose no one to contradict him. Made bold by silent acquiescence91, and exalted of further drinks, Bear Creek drew about him an outcast coterie92 in the rear room of Mr. Webster’s Alamo. It was there, with Bear Creek to take the lead, they laid their heads together for the day to come.
There be men on earth who are ever ready for trouble that, specifically, isn’t trouble of their own. They delight in dancing when others pay the fiddler. Numbers of such gathered with the radical93 Bear Creek; and being gathered, he and they pooled their wicked wits in devising fardels for those expected enemies.
When, next day, our executives of prohibition came into Dodge, they were amazed, while scarcely gratified, to find every rum shop locked up fast and tight. The Dance Hall, the Alhambra, the Long Branch and the Alamo, acting94 on the hint of Mr. Masterson, had closed their doors, and not a drink of whiskey, not even for rattlesnake-bite, could have been bought from one end of the street to the other. Not that this paucity95 of rum-selling seemed to bear heavily upon the community. There were never so many gentlemen of Dodge whom one might describe as wholly and successfully drunk. The boardwalks were thronged96 with their staggering ranks, as the visitors made a tour of the place.
The visitors were pompous97, well-fed men of middle age; and while they said they had come to perform a duty, one skilled in man-reading might have told at a glance that their great purpose was rather to tickle98 vanity, and demonstrate how unsparing would be their spirit when the question became one of moral duty.
When the duo first appeared their faces wore a ruddy, arrogant99 hue100. As they went about upon that tour of inspection101 they began to pale. There was something in the lowering eye of what fragment of the public looked to the leadership of Bear Creek Johnson, to whiten them.
Pale as linen102 three times bleached103, following fifteen minutes spent about the streets, the visitors—their strutting104 pomposity105 visibly reduced—made a shortest wake to Gallon’s, being the hostelry they designed to honour with their custom. Gallon’s was a boarding-house distinguished106 as “Prohibition,” and the visitors proposed to illustrate107 it and give it fashion in the estimation of sober men, by bestowing108 upon it their patronage109. Two hours later, the proprietor would have paid money to dispense110 with the advertisement.
Once the invaders111 were housed, by twos and fives and tens, the disengaged inhabitants of Dodge began to assemble in front of Gallon’s. Some came in a temper of curiosity. The band with Bear Creek Johnson, however, entertained a different feeling. Their taste was for the strenuous112. They set forth this fact with imitations of the yelp113 of the coyote. Withal, they were constantly closing up about the refuge of the visitors, until they stood, a packed and howling mob, with which it was no more than a question of minutes before ugly action would begin.
Bear Creek Johnson was in the van, fostering and fomenting114 a sentiment for violence. The unworthy Bear Creek was not lacking in qualities of leadership; he realised, as by an instinct, that a mob must have time to pen before it is put to work. Wherefore, Bear Creek, while cursing and threatening with the rest, delayed. He paused, as it were, with his thumb on the angry pulse of the multitude, waiting to seize the moment psychological.
Hemmed115 in by four hundred pushing, threatening, cursing, human wolves, those agents of prohibition whitely sat and shivered. They knew their peril116; also they felt that sense of utter helplessness which will only come to men when forced to face the brainless fury of a mob. What should be done? What could be done? In that moment of extremity117 the proprietor of the boarding-house, with the fear of death upon him, could think of nothing beyond sending for Mr. Wright.
To be courier in this hour of strain a girl of twelve was sent out by a rear door. There was craft in this selection of a messenger. No Western mob, however bloody118 of intention, would dream of interfering119 with a girl. Besides, Mr. Wright would never refuse a girl’s request.
Mr. Wright might have been as pleased had he not been called upon. To oppose the insurrectionists was neither a work of pleasure nor of safety, and the opportunity to thus put himself in feud120 with a half regiment121 of men whose blood was up, and with whom when the smoke of battle blew aside he must still do business, could not be called a boon122. But the little girl’s lips were blue with terror, and her frightened eyes showed round and big, as she besought123 Mr. Wright to save the life of her father—it was he to be proprietor of Gallon’s—and the lives of those visiting gentlemen, representative of prohibition. Getting wearily up from the poker124 game in which he was employed, Mr. Wright made ready to go with the little girl.
“You had better come too, Bat,” said Mr. Wright, addressing Mr. Masterson. “I think you can do more with a Dodge mob than I can. They’ve seen more of your shooting.”
“Of course I’ll go, Bob,” returned Mr. Masterson, laying down a reluctant hand in which dwelt a pair of aces—a highly hopeful pair before the draw!—“of course I’ll go. But it seems hard that I must leave just when the hands are beginning to run my way. I wish Bear Creek had put off this uprising another hour. I’d have been a mile on velvet125.”
When Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright arrived at the seat of war, the mob was more or less impressed and its howls lost half their volume. Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright walked through the close-set ranks, and went in by the front door. No back door for Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright; especially under the eyes of ones whom they must presently outface.
“What is your desire, gentlemen?” asked Mr. Masterson, when he and Mr. Wright found themselves with the beleaguered126 ones.
“There is a train in an hour and thirty minutes,” replied the Attorney General. He showed the colour of a sheet, but his upper lip was stiffer than was that of his companion, which twitched127 visibly. “Can you put us aboard?”
“Now I don’t see why not,” returned Mr. Masterson.
“Don’t see why not!” exclaimed the President of the Prohibition League; “don’t see why not! You hear those murderers outside, and you don’t see why not!” It should be mentioned in the gentleman’s defence that his nerves were a-jangle. “Don’t see why not!” he murmured, sinking back as a deeper roar came from without.
“Don’t let the racket outside disturb you,” said Mr. Masterson in a reassuring128 tone. “We’ll manage to get that outfit129 back in its corral.”
“As to that,” returned Mr. Masterson, “you gentlemen understand that I am not issuing life insurance. What I say is this: Whoever gets you will have to go over me to make the play.”
Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright conversed131 apart. There was no haste; the mob would confine itself to threats and curses while they remained in the house.
“Perhaps I’d better give ’em a talk, Bob,” said Mr. Masterson, at the close of their confab. “There are two things to do. We must get rid of Bear Creek. And we must let it look like the rest of ’em had taken a trick. I think I’ll suggest that we make our visitors give us those temperance speeches. They won’t want to do it; and if we let the boys sort o’ compel them to be eloquent132, they’ll most likely quit satisfied. If we don’t do something of the kind, it’s my opinion they’ll take a shot at us before ever we place these shuddering133 strangers on the train.”
“Do what you reckon best,” returned Mr. Wright. “I’ll back your game.”
Mr. Masterson opened the front door and, with Mr. Wright, stepped forth. He considered the mob a moment with a quiet eye, and then raised his hand as if to invite attention.
“Gentlemen,” said he, “if I talk to you, it’s on your account. The people inside, in whose honour you’ve assembled, intend to board the first train for the East.”
“Board nothin’! Let’s swing ’em off!” cried a cowboy from south of the river. He was carrying his lariat134 in his hand; as he spoke135 he whirled the loop about his head, knocking off the sombreros of those nearest him. “Let’s swing ’em off!” he shouted.
“I’ll swing you off, if you don’t give that rope a rest!” returned an irate136 one, unhatted, and with that he collared the child of cows, and threw him backward into the press. “Go on, Bat,” said this auxiliary137, having abated139 the cowboy and his rope; “give us the layout of your little game.”
“My little game,” continued Mr. Masterson calmly, “is this: I’ve passed my word that no harm shall come to these people. And for this reason. If they were even a little injured, the prohibition papers would make bloody murder of it. Inside of hours, the soldiers from the Fort would be among us, and the town under martial140 law. They would be sending you prairie dogs to bed at nine o’clock, with a provost marshal to tuck you in; and none of you would like that. I wouldn’t like it myself.”
“Let the soldiers come!” shouted Bear Creek Johnson from the extreme wing of the mob. Bear Creek had drawn141 from the whiskey under his belt a more than normal courage. Moreover, he felt that it was incumbent142 upon him to make a stand. Considering those plans he had laid, and which included driving Mr. Masterson out of town should he have the impudence143 to stand in their way, Bear Creek knew that otherwise he would be disparaged144 in the estimation of his followers145 and suffer in his good repute. He resolved to put forward a bold face, and bully146 Mr. Masterson. “Let the soldiers come!” Bear Creek repeated. “We won’t ask Bat Masterson to give us any help.”
Mr. Masterson stepped off the porch and walked down upon the grass. This brought Bear Creek clear of the herd33. No one, in case Bear Creek became a target, would be in line of Mr. Masterson’s fire. Bear Creek noticed this as something sinister148.
“I reckon now,” continued Mr. Masterson, still edging in between Bear Creek and his reserves, “that in case of trouble, you would take command, and run the soldiers out.” Then, solemnly, while Mr. Wright from the porch scanned those to the rear of Mr. Masterson for an earliest hostile sign: “Bear Creek, you’ve been holding forth that you’re a heap bad, but I, for one, am unconvinced. I understand how you snuffed out the soldier at Fort Lyons; but I also understand how that soldier was dead drunk. I’ve likewise heard how you bumped off the party on the Cimarron; at the same time that party was plumb149 tender and not heeled. Wherefore, I decline to regard those incidents as tests. You must give Dodge a more conclusive150 proof of gameness before you can dictate151 terms to the camp. You’ve got your irons! What do you wear ’em for?”
As though to point the question, Mr. Masterson’s six-shooter jumped from its belt, and exploded in the direction of Bear Creek. The big bullet tore the ground two inches from his right foot. With a screech152 of dismay, Bear Creek soared into the air.
Even while Mr. Masterson was talking, Bear Creek Johnson’s fortitude153 had been sweating itself away. The catlike creeping in between him and his constituents154 had also served to unhinge him. Indeed he was in such frame that the sudden explosion of Mr. Masterson’s pistol exploded with it his hysteria. Bear Creek could do nothing but make the shameful155 screeching156 leap described.
Away went his nerves like a second flock of frightened sheep when, just as he felt the grass again beneath him, there came a second flash, and a second bullet buried itself in the ground, grazing his left foot. Bear Creek made another skyward leap, and evolved another horror-bitten screech to which the first was as a whisper. When he came down, a third bullet ripped a furrow69 between his legs.
Bear Creek Johnson had so far recovered possession of himself that at the third shot he didn’t leap. He ran. The ignoble157 Bear Creek fled from the blazing Mr. Masterson with a speed that would have amazed the antelopes158.
“It’s as I thought!” remarked Mr. Masterson, regretfully; “quit like a dog, and never even reached for his gun!” Then, returning to the public, which had been vastly interested by those exercises in which Bear Creek had performed, Mr. Masterson resumed. “As I was saying, when Bear Creek interrupted me, I’ve given my word to the folks inside that they shall not meet with injury. But there’s one matter upon which, if you’ll back me up, I’d like to enter.” At this, certain scowls159 which wrinkled the brows of the more defiant160, began to abate138 by the fraction of a shadow. “These men,” went on Mr. Masterson, “made boasts before they came here that they would speak on temperance and prohibition. I understand, from what they now say, that they have given up this design. I don’t like that. I don’t want them running into the papers with a lie about the lawlessness of Dodge, and how we wouldn’t permit free speech. If I were you, I’d have these Ciceros out, cost what it might, and they’d either make those speeches or give a reason why.”
“You’re dead right, Bat,” cried one enthusiast161. “Smoke ’em out! Make ’em talk! If they’ve got anything ag’inst whiskey, let ’em spit it out. I don’t owe whiskey a splinter; an’, you bet! these trantlers ain’t goin’ back to Topeka, poisonin’ the public mind, and putting it up that Dodge wasn’t safe to talk in.”
“Taking the gentleman’s remarks,” observed Mr. Masterson gravely, “as reflecting the common sentiment, I move you that Mr. Wright be instructed to go to our visitors and say that we’re waiting with impatience162 to hear them on the dual85 topics of temperance in its moral aspects, and prohibition as a police regulation of the State. Those in favour say, Ay!”
There was a thunder-gust of Ays!
“The Ays have it,” confirmed Mr. Masterson. “Bob, will you go inside and get the muzzles163 off the orators164? When ready, parade ’em before this enlightened and sympathetic audience, and tell ’em they’ve never had such a chance to distinguish themselves since the Mexican War.”
Mr. Wright withdrew in submission165 to instructions. While he was absent, Mr. Masterson indulged his audience with a few more words, lowering his voice as though what he said were confidential166.
“Mr. Wright,” remarked Mr. Masterson, “will shortly appear with our visitors. During the exercises, I trust that nothing trenching upon disturbance167 will be indulged in. I shall preside; and I need not call attention to the fact that there are still three cartridges168 in my gun. Also, I might add that I don’t always shoot at a party’s moccasins and miss.”
It was the only thing they could do. With Mr. Masterson and Mr. Wright to give them courage, and despair to lend them grace, those visiting ones spake upon whiskey as the Devil’s broth169 and the hideous170 evils of intemperance171. All things considered, they made excellent addresses. Not the best that was in them, perhaps; but what then? Patrick Henry would have fumbled172 for a word were he to feel that at any moment an auditor173 might step forward and edit a faulty sentence with his Colt’s. It is to the glory of Dodge, that the orators were broken in upon by nothing more lethal174 than applause, while each was made prouder by a whirlwind of cheers when he closed.
It was evening in the Alhambra. Those prohibition folk were distant by one hundred safe and healthful miles, and Dodge had returned to the even tenor175 of its ways. Suddenly Mr. Wright delivered himself of this reproof176.
“There’s one fault I’ve got to find, Bat; there’s one thing I won’t get over soon. Why, I ask you, why, when you had him dead to rights, did you miss that Bear Creek?”
“I know how you feel, Bob,” returned Mr. Masterson in a manner of self-reproach, “and I despair of framing up an apology that will square me with Dodge. Why didn’t I down Bear Creek? It will sound childish”—here Mr. Masterson’s eye took on a twinkle that was sly—“but, Bob, I’m no longer sheriff; and, between us, I’m afraid I don’t shoot true in my private capacity.”
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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dictating
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的现在分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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6
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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pillaging
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的现在分词 ) | |
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ebullient
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| adj.兴高采烈的，奔放的 | |
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prohibition
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| n.禁止；禁令，禁律 | |
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adverted
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| 引起注意（advert的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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18
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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19
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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20
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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21
commingled
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| v.混合，掺和，合并( commingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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23
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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24
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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25
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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26
creditor
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| n.债仅人，债主，贷方 | |
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27
oration
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| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
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28
whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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29
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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30
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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31
statutes
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| 成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程 | |
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32
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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33
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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34
molest
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| vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏 | |
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35
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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36
jocund
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| adj.快乐的，高兴的 | |
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37
dismantle
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| vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消 | |
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38
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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39
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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40
affidavits
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| n.宣誓书，（经陈述者宣誓在法律上可采作证据的）书面陈述( affidavit的名词复数 ) | |
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41
plow
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| n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough | |
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42
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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43
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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44
proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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45
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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46
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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47
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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48
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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50
blistering
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| adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡 | |
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51
preyed
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| v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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52
conserved
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| v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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54
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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55
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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56
obstreperous
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| adj.喧闹的，不守秩序的 | |
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57
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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58
wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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59
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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60
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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61
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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62
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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63
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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64
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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65
amity
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| n.友好关系 | |
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66
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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67
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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68
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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69
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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70
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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71
trademarks
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| n.（注册）商标( trademark的名词复数 )；（人的行为或衣着的）特征，标记 | |
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72
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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73
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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74
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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75
meander
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| n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈 | |
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76
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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77
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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78
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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79
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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80
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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81
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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82
contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
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83
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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84
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
dual
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| adj.双的；二重的，二元的 | |
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86
pusillanimous
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| adj.懦弱的，胆怯的 | |
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87
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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88
renounced
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| v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃 | |
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89
iniquitous
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| adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的 | |
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90
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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91
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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92
coterie
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| n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体，小圈子 | |
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93
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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94
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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95
paucity
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| n.小量，缺乏 | |
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96
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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98
tickle
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| v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒 | |
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99
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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100
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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101
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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102
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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103
bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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104
strutting
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| 加固，支撑物 | |
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105
pomposity
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| n.浮华；虚夸；炫耀；自负 | |
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106
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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107
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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108
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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109
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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110
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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111
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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112
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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113
yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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114
fomenting
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| v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 ) | |
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115
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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116
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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117
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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118
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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119
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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120
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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121
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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122
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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123
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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124
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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125
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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126
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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127
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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128
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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129
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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130
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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131
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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132
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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133
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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134
lariat
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| n.系绳，套索；v.用套索套捕 | |
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135
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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136
irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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137
auxiliary
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| adj.辅助的，备用的 | |
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138
abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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139
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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140
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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141
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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142
incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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143
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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144
disparaged
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| v.轻视( disparage的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低；批评；非难 | |
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145
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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146
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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147
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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148
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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149
plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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150
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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151
dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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152
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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153
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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154
constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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155
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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156
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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157
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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158
antelopes
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| 羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革 | |
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159
scowls
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| 不悦之色，怒容( scowl的名词复数 ) | |
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160
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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161
enthusiast
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| n.热心人，热衷者 | |
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162
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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163
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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164
orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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165
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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166
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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167
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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168
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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169
broth
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| n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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170
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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171
intemperance
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| n.放纵 | |
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172
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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173
auditor
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| n.审计员，旁听着 | |
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174
lethal
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| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
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175
tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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176
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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