t mentioned it to six or eight intimate
personal friends."

"Go on," I responded, somewhat overcome by this instance of the
primitive simplicity with which New Mexico matrimonial disputes were
managed, and he continued:

"Well, two men come ridin' in to see me to borrow my guns. My guns was
Colt's self-cockers. It was a new thing then, an they was the only ones
in town. These come to me, and 'Simpson,' says they, 'we want to borrow
your guns; we are goin' to kill Fowler.'

"'Hold on for a moment,' said I, 'I am willin' to lend you them guns,
but I ain't goin' to know what you 'r' goin' to do with them, no sir;
but of course you can have the guns.'" Here my friend's face lightened
pleasantly, and he continued:

"Well, you may easily believe I felt surprised next day when Fowler come
ridin' in, and, says he, 'Simpson, here's your guns!' He had shot them
two men! 'Well, Fowler,' says I, 'if I had known them men was after you,
I'd never have let them have them guns nohow,' says I. That wasn't true,
for I did know it, but there was no cause to tell him that." I murmured
my approval of such prudence, and Simpson continued, his eyes gradually
brightening with the light of agreeable reminiscence:

"Well, they up and they took Fowler before the justice of the peace. The
justice of the peace was a Turk."

"Now, Simpson, what do you mean by that?" I interrupted:

"Well, he come from Turkey," said Simpson, and I again sank back,
wondering briefly what particular variety of Mediterranean outcast had
drifted down to New Mexico to be made a justice of the peace. Simpson
laughed and continued:

"That Fowler was a funny fellow. The Turk, he committed Fowler, and
Fowler, he riz up and knocked him down and tromped all over him and made
him let him go!"

"That was an appeal to a higher law," I observed. Simpson assented
cheerily, and continued:

"Well, that Turk, he got nervous for fear Fowler he was goin' to kill
him, and so he comes to me and offers me twenty-five dollars a day to
protect him from Fowler; and I went to Fowler, and 'Fowler,' says I,
'that Turk's offered me twenty-five dollars a day to protect him from
you. Now, I ain't goin' to get shot for no twenty-five dollars a day,
and if you are goin' to kill the Turk, just say so and go and do it; but
if you ain't goin' to kill the Turk, there's no reason why I shouldn't
earn that twenty-five dollars a day!' and Fowler, says he, 'I ain't
goin' to touch the Turk; you ju