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Show A CHAPTER OF BETWEENS. 185 tie den back of Joe's gun- shop. So as soon as he conceited what was up, he gathered a dornick, and was just drawin' back to send the strange dog where they's no fleas, when the stranger saw him and went one better. He had a fist like the hand o' Providence, and when it landed behind Joe's ear some folks thought it was a fresh blast down at the quarry ; even old Chew heard it, an' folks say Joe doubled on himself twice as he went through Abraham Miller's big winder. Well, Miller run out and first tried to stop the dogs, when the stranger yells out : "' Let ' em fight ! My dog can whip any dog in town, an' I can whip the owner.' " He'd better not a said that last, for just then Bob Stevens run up, rarin' mad about his wife's scar, and just in time to hear them words, and " the next minute he let out that blacksmith's right o' his'n, and cut a calfs nose on that stranger's jaw. So they went at it, fist and skull, and in about four minutes you couldn't a told that stranger's face from a map o' this territory, it was so full of red buttes and black deserts. "' Friend, perhaps thee is equally mis-taken as to thy dog,' was all that Abraham Miller said, for he was a real quiet man, but he did have some pride about his town, so << AND THEY CLINCHEI). he went into the back- yard and onloosed a regular old English bull that he kept in the store nights, and it was just beautiful to see that dog go to the relief of Tucker's, an' between ' em they soon put the strange dog to his trumps. As Abraham stood over ' em to see fair play, the Methodis' preacher come up, and sez he, ' Fie on you, men, citizens of Union Flats, to get up a dog- fight right in the face of day,' and was raisin' his cane when Abraham gave him a gentle shove, and he yelled out that he was struck them Boston chaps is so tender. "' I struck thee not, friend,' said Abraham. " ( You did, sir.' " ' But thee draws wrong conclusions.' " f Sir, you mistake facts.' " ( Thee utters a mendacious assertion.' " ' You tell an infernal lie,' bawled the preacher, and they clinched. Well, of course a thin Boston bran- bread chap had no show agin one o' our corn- fed men, and Abraham was about to mash him, when most o' the men in town bein' there by this time, the preacher's con- |
