2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

58 2-GUN WESTERN thing over, of course comin’ in strong with Sweet Adeline.” “We'll sernade her,” with a laugh. K Bd NEXT day I had to go out with the stage. When I was al- most to Arvada, a wheel got wedged in a rut and the darn thing broke at the hub. Almost tipped over. Was held up for three or four days, to get a new wheel made, When I got back to Deadwood, Pop Woodie cornered me in the barn the first thing. “Hank,” he says, “I got troubles. Addie says she is goin’ to marry this young Andy feller. He’s asked her right and proper and is havin’ a house built about two miles out, gettin’ ready for it. There’s something about him I don’t take to. Always fiddle- footin’ around. Claims to be from Silver City. Always makin’ talk to Addie about back East. He wa’nt brung up in the West like us. Where’s his money come from, and where’s this mine he claims to own some of? I come right out and told Addie she couldn’t marry him.” “What did she say?” I asked. Pop looked like a sheep that’s just been whacked over the rump with a barrel stave. | “She said, ‘Pop, you’re a silly old darling. You know very well I'll do just as I please—just like Mother did.’ Hank, what am I goin’ to do?” I looked at this stocky man with his powerful arms, the man I’d seen pick up a feller bigger than himself and throw him ten feet against a hitch rail, yet he couldn’t handle a slip of a girl! “Pop,” I says, “It looks like you couldn’t do nothin’.” About two weeks later when I got back to Deadwood they got married. Andy grabbed me by the hand and says, “Hank, I’ve been waiting for you. I want you to stand up at my wedding—be best man, and Addie wants it too.” I had never seen a wedding before but it went off pretty nice. They had a preacher and all and it was held right there in the tavern. Pop was pretty good natured about it too. Af- ter the ceremony Addie came up to me and kissed me on the cheek and Andy said said, “You were supposed to do that, — you big know-nothing, so Ill have to do it for you.” Well, the boys all hollered and some of them put a few bullets in the ceiling, and Pop offered free drinks at the bar. We all sung “Sweet Ade- line” for the last time. Andy had rented the only buggy Smitty had in his stable—a carryall, and I can see them now as they rode away; Addie all smiles and waving her hand and Andy flourishing the whip in the air. T WAS ABOUT a month Iater in Arvada, when I was waiting in the stage office and readin’ a notice about a reward offered by some bank that had been held up, when this fel- ler come up to me. He asked me if I knew a lot of people in Deadwood. I said, “Sure, about all of them, I guess.” I looked him over. He was kind of short and stocky, about 40 I judged. He was wearing store clothes with big pockets on the sides, and a little hard round hat, His whiskers was all shaved off clean and he had a funny way of looking right past you when he was talkin’ and keeping his hands in his side pockets. “I’m looking for a relative,” he said. “My wife’s younger brother. My name is William Brown. Did you ever notice a young fellow down your way, fellow about 20, curly brown hair, about six foot tall, likes to sing when he’s feeling good?” “Why yes,” I said. “I know such a feller.” And then I wished I hadn’t, for I noticed he was looking right past me at a notice’ on the wall that said something about a $500.00 re- ward, dead or alive. “What do you want to find him for?” I asked. He looked at me quick-like, and his eyes got kind of squinty. He said, “Oh, nothing much. Just a family affair. The boy quarreled with his mother over money—wanted to bor- row some but she wouldn’t give in. He got made and run away from home. That was four years ago. His mother is sick now and can’t last much longer, and I told her and my wife I would do my best to find him. We think he is around these parts someplace. Is he living in Dead- wood?” econnicoookks.Ccon