and the storekeeper still in the
game. Curly was off the scene temporarily, but the other two were riding
their best horses to a shadow. Miss Sallie's folks were pulling like bay
steers for the merchant, who had some money, while the young doctor had
nothing but empty pill bags and a saddle horse or two. The doctor was
the better looking, and, before meeting Curly Thorn, Miss Sallie had
favored him. Knowing ones said they were engaged. But near the close of
the race there was sufficient home influence used for the storekeeper to
take the lead and hold it until the show down came. Her folks announced
the wedding, and the merchant received the best wishes of his friends,
while the young doctor took a trip for his health. Well, it developed
afterwards that she was engaged to both the storekeeper and the doctor
at the same time. But that's nothing. My experience tells me that a girl
don't need broad shoulders to carry three or four engagements at the
same time.

"Well, within a week of the wedding, who should drift in to spend
Christmas but Curly Thorn. His cousins, of course, lost no time in
giving him the lay of the land. But Curly acted indifferent, and never
even offered to call on Miss Sallie. Us fellows joked him about his girl
going to marry another fellow, and he didn't seem a little bit put out.
In fact, he seemed to enjoy the sudden turn as a good joke on himself.
But one morning, two days before the wedding was to take place, Miss
Sallie was missing from her home, as was likewise Curly Thorn from the
neighborhood. Yes, Thorn had eloped with her and they were married the
next morning in Nacogdoches. And the funny thing about it was, Curly
never met her after his return until the night they eloped. But he had
a girl cousin who had a finger in the pie. She and Miss Sallie were as
thick as three in a bed, and Curly didn't have anything to do but play
the hand that was dealt him.

"Before I came to Las Palomas, I was over round Fort McKavett and met
Curly. We knew each other, and he took me home and had me stay overnight
with him. They had been married then four years. She had a baby on each
knee and another in her arms. There was so much reality in life that
she had no time to become a dreamer. Matrimony in that case was a good
leveler of imaginary rank. I always admired Curly for the indifferent
hand he played all through the various stages of the courtship. He never
knew there was such a thing as difference. He s