that lady withdraws, mollified an' subdooed by the money,
he creeps out, Bowlaigs does, an' cries an' licks Enright's hand. Oh,
he's a mighty appreciative b'ar, pore Bowlaigs is; but his nerves is
that onstrung by the perils he passes through with Missis Rucker it
takes two big drinks to recover his sperits an' make him feel like the
same b'ar. It's Texas Thompson who buys the drinks:

"'For I, of all gents, Bowlaigs,' says Texas, as he invites the
foogitive to the bar, 'onderstands what you-all's been through. It may
be imagination, but jest the same thar's them times when Missis Rucker
goes on the warpath when she reminds me a lot of my divorced Laredo
wife.' With that Texas pours a couple of hookers of Willow Run into
Bowlaigs, an' the latter is a heap cheered an' his pulse declines to
normal.

"It's rum, however, which final is the deestruction of Bowlaigs, same
as it is of plenty of other good people who would have else lived in
honour an' died respected an' been tearfully planted in manner an' form
to do 'em proud.

"Excloosive of that casooalty which marks his wind-up, an' which he
combines with Major Ben to commit, thar's but one action of Bowlaigs a
enemy might call a crime. He does prounce on a mail bag one evenin'
when the post-master ain't lookin', an' shore rends an' worrits them
letters scand'lous.

"Yes, Bowlaigs gets arrested, an' the Stranglers sort o' convenes
informal to consider it. I allers remembers that session of the
Stranglers on account of Doc Peets an' Colonel William Greene Sterett
entertain' opp'site views an' the awful language they indulges in as
they expresses an' sets 'em forth.

"'Which I claims that this Bowlaigs b'ar,' says Peets, combatin' a
suggestion of Dan Boggs who's sympathisin' with an' urges that Bowlaigs
is 'ignorant of law an' tharfore innocent of offence,' 'which I claims
that this Bowlaig b'ar is guilty of rustlin' the mails an' must an'
should be hanged. His ignorance is no defences, for don't each gent
present know of that aphorism of the law, _Ignoratis legia non
excusat_!'

"Dan, nacherally, is enable to combat sech profound bluffs as this, an'
I'm free to confess if it ain't for Colonel Sterett buttin' in with
more Latin, the same bein' of equal cogency with that of Peet's, the
footure would have turned plenty dark an' doobious for Bowlaigs. As
Dan sinks back speechless an' played from Peet's shot, the Colonel, who
bein' eddicated like Peets to a feath