the Transcontinental Hotel.

"Hadds worked at me to start a drug store with him. He'd saved
some out of his wages, and he knew I had a fluctuatin' roll. He
says, 'You're goin' bust some day, young man--why don't you quit
it? You come with me and we'll make a decent thing. It's mighty
lucky for the gang that they swill patent medicines instead of
lettin' that Jones up the street give' em a quick finish over the
prescription counter. That pill-wrangler couldn't tell the
difference between an auger-hole riffle-board and a porous plaster
if there wasn't a label on the box. Jeeminnetticus!' says Hadds,
'when he mixes coffin varnish for a man you'd think he was
scramblin' eggs. Come on, Washy,' he says, 'while you got the
price. You'd like the business.'

"One night it happened Bitter Water Simpson was borne on the wings
of evening to my place of business, and he calculated that the last
two cards in the box would come out, queen first, trey next. He
was so sure he inquired about the theory of limits.

"'The limit,' says I, 'is the clothes and contents, body and
immortal soul of E. G. W. Scraggs. You slam your wad down and I'll
cash it.'

"It had occurred to me there was no use foolin' longer. If I
busted this gun-fighter I went into the drug business; if he busted
me I'd take a walk.

"He laid down one thousand dollars' worth of Government promises,
and I took a long breath, drew forth, first trey, next queen,
removed his money from the table with a light, sure touch, threw
the layout in the stove, blew out the lamp, remarked that the bank
was closed, and stood prepared to deal in chemicals instead of
playin'-cards.

"Simpson was surprised. 'Ain't I goin' to get satisfaction?' says
he.

"'If it's to be had on the prescription counter you do,' says I.
'Otherwise, I prefer to stay satisfied myself.'

"It would have been better if he'd refrained from abusing me. I
was younger then, and while not in the least quarrelsome, yet such
talk as Simpson talked to me was entirely uncalled for. Besides
that, he got festive with guns. I relieved him of his guns and sat
him on the stove till he promised to behave. Nobody ever heard me
kick when them fellers nailed me to the burnin' oak for anywhere's
up to five hundred a night. Howsomever, it wound up amiable; I
staked Simmy to a new pair of pants, and kept him in spendin' money
till ridin' again appeared among the possibilities. I never could
get used to peo