'lance committee;
but I'm yere to state that for painstakin' ardour an' a energy that
never sleeps, the Stranglers of Yellow City is a even break with the
best. They uses up a bale of half-inch rope a year; an' as for law an'
order an' a scene of fragrant peace, that outfit is comparable only
with flower gyardens on a quiet hazy August afternoon.

"'This Aaron Green who prounces thus on Yellow City, intendin' to
foment litigations an' go ropin' 'round for fees, is plenty young; but
he's that grave an' dignified that owls is hilarious to him. One after
the other, he tackles us in a severe onmitigated way, an' shoves his
professional kyard onto each an' tells him that whenever he feels
ill-used to come a-runnin' an' have his rights preserved. Shore! the
boys meets this law person half way. They drinks with him an' fills
him up with licker an' fictions alternate, an' altogether regyards him
as a mighty yoomerous prop'sition.

"'Also, observin' how tender he is, an' him takin' in their various
lies like texts of holy writ, they names him "Easy Aaron." Which he
don't look on "Easy Aaron" none too well as a title, an' insists on
bein' called "Jedge Green" or even "Squar' Green." But Yellow City
won't have it; she sticks to "Easy Aaron"; an' as callin' down the
entire camp offers prospects full of fever an' oncertainty, he at last
passes up the insult an' while he stays among us, pays no further heed.

"'Doorin' the weeks he harbours with us, a gen'ral taste deevelops to
hear this Easy Aaron's eloquence. Thar's a delegation waits on him an'
requests Easy Aaron to come forth an' make a speech. We su'gests that
he can yootilise the Burnt Boot Saloon as a auditorium, an' offers as a
subject "Texas: her Glorious Past, her Glitterin' Present, an' her
Transcendent Footure!"

"'"Thar's a topic!" says Shoestring Griffith to Easy Aaron--Shoestring
is the cha'rman of the committee,--"thar's a burnin' topic for you!
An' if you-all will only come surgin' over to the Burnt Boot right now
while you're warm for the event, I offers two to one you makes Cicero
look like seven cents."

"'But Easy Aaron waves 'em arrogantly away. He declines to go barkin'
at a knot. He says it'll be soon enough to onbuckle an' swamp Yellow
City with a flood of eloquence when proper legal o'casion enfolds.

"'In the room to the r'ar of the apartments where this Easy Aaron holds
forth as a practitioner, thar's a farobank as is nacheral enough. It'