2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A LITTLE CLOUD GF DUST could curl on her finger, and dimples when she smiled—which was most of of the time. Addie helped her pa run that tav- ern pretty nice, her ma being dead some four years. Looked after the folks that stayed in the rooms, sold tickets for the stage, and in the eve- ning, tended bar with her pa. Of course all the boys was gone on her and showed it, and some that wasn’t boys any more too, but she treated them all alike, like each was the greatest scalawag she ever knew. Everything run smooth until that slick feller came along. He hitched his sorrel and come ambling into the bar one evening, looking around sharp at everone. When Addie turned around he looked at her like he'd néver seen a pretty girl bfore. Addie give him her nice smile and says, “Can I serve you?” He smiled right back, showing some awful nice teeth, under a little moustache, “Yes,” he finally said, “An ounce of redeye in a glass of water.” HE WAS A mighty nice-looking young feller, especially when he off his hat and showed a lot of brown curly hair. He couldn’t have been more’n 19 or 20. I couldn’t figure him out. He was man grown all right, six foot of long shanks and wide shoul- ders. He was wearing a buckskin jacket fringed around the top and a shiny-handled gun stuck handy-like in his belt. I could tell by the worn look on his pants and the shine on the insides of his boots that he’d been trail-riding a-plenty, but he didn’t look tired, especially after he saw Addie. Everyone was looking at him and pretty soon he turned around, still holding his hat and said, “Boys, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Andy Parker from Silver City, bought an interest in a mine down that way. I was just riding through, but I like the looks of this town and the people in it, and maybe I'll stay a spell. Everybody have a drink on me.” When Addie started to fill his glass he just put his hand over it and gave her a smile along with a twenty- dollar gold piece and told her to keep the change. Afterwhile he got in ona — Eomichoo 57 card game with three of the boys, but I could tell by the way he handled the cards he was no gamblin’ shark. He won a little money then lost it. After a ‘time he shoved his chair back, put his hat on the table and stood up. “I feel like singing,” he said. “Anyone got an objection?” No one said anything so he started. ‘He had a real nice voice and sung some old song I’ve forgot. When it was finished there was quite a lot of handclapping and he sung another. Then he said, “Here’s one you all know. Why don’t you pitch in and help me out with it? Come on, all of you.” He started singing Old Black Joe, and before everyone quite realized it they was hummin’ and singin’ it with him, includin’ me. We sung it again, him waving his hands. Finally he said, “Here’s one we sing a lot back East, if any of you boys know it, go ahead and sing. I’ll sing this especially for the charming Miss Adeline.” He had learned her name by this time, and he sung one of the pret- tiest songs you ever heard. I want try to sing it for you, but I can still remember some of the words, they went like this, “Sweet Adeline, for you I pine, You’re the idol of my heart, Sweet Adeline.” I looked at Addie. She was smil- ing and there was a light in her eyes the likes of which I had never seen before. Andy said, “We need a quartette to properly sing that,” and he started picken’ us out, “Come over here, you, and you too, big feller. I heard you singin’ a good bass.” He beckoned to each of us. “Name is Hank,” I said. “All right, Hank, come over here T’ll teach you how to harmonize.” He had such a nice friendly way about him, and I could tell he had lots more learning than the most of us, Well sir, we kept at it and had a lot of fun, The crowd got bigger at the bar everyone was laughing and clapping their hands at us. People seemed to forget their troubles and grudges, and before the evening was over we was doing pretty well. The next night we done the same <SGOm