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Show . L. - . v.-^-r..jr~-rp • YJ*^ for myself, I said, "Well, Dan, it is still pretty early in the _ H Si ]i''^.°.KJ}tV morning, so if it's the same to you, I'll have a ginger ale." Staring at me, he said, "What's that?" "Well," I responded, "it's a pretty good early-morning drink." "You're nominatin' your pison, so order what you please." Dan watched with rapt attention as the barkeep filled my glass with the fizzing concoction, whereupon he remarked, "What did you call that stuff?" "Ginger ale," I answered. Dan took the glass, parted his piratical mustachios with one hand and with the other took a gulp of my drink, which he immediately spat on the floor. "That's the damnedest stuff I ever tasted!" he ejaculated. "When I take a drink I want something with matches or currycombs in it!" The day ended in a "banquet" to which Dan invited us in his home. I believe that almost every Mexican woman in Gallup must have been requisitioned to prepare that splendid meal, for when it was served, only the three of us sat at the long table laden with all the food that Gallup and Dan could offer. There must have been half a dozen tall layer cakes, which Dan restored to their vertical state when the warmth of the room threatened them with collapse. But the piece de resistance was a lard bucket of whiskey flanked by three new tin cups, two of which Winship and I had great difficulty in surreptitiously disposing of by casting their contents over our shoulders" when Dan wasn't \ looking, because the meal had not proceeded very far when he became too woozy to see much more than a blur. I recall a significant incident during the early part of the performance when one of the many women poked her head into our banquet hall, whereupon Dan whispered aloud to me: V "See that gal? Well, she has always thought she's my daughter, but she's really the daughter of Charlie [not Lucien] Maxwell!" This was the Lupe who married a Navaho and lives near the Pyramid Springs ranch. She is still called Lupe Maxwell by the family, notwithstanding Dan's assertion years before that she believed she was his daughter. Dan was almost as fond of food as he was of his drink. One of his intimates believes that the phrase "Bring on the dinner, this sample tastes fine," originated with him; but of this I leave you to judge. When Dan visited Gallup for the purpose of replenishing the supply of goods for his little trading post, which he purchased chiefly from C. N. Cotton, the first thing he did was to pay his bills. After that he proceeded to take in the town in a big way- perhaps for a week at a time. When anyone suggested that he go home, Dan would say that he had only just begun to taste his whiskey. The late Don Lorenzo Hubbell of Ganado said that one time at Fort Wingate Dan became completely spiflicated and lay on the ice in an arroyo. Being bitterly cold, Lorenzo feared that Dan would freeze to death, so he took him home. In a temporary repentent |
