It's a success,
this piece of wit is, up to this juncture, an' Jaybird puts a heap
of zest into it.
"'The weak spot in all this yere humor grows out of the idees this
tenderfoot's been gainin', an' the improvements he's been makin',
while stragglin' about in our s'ciety. I onhesitatin'ly states that
if this yere joke is pulled off by Jaybird when Todd first enters
our midst, it might have been the vict'ry of his life. But Jaybird
defers it too long. This tenderfoot has acquired a few Western ways;
enough to spoil the fun an' send pore Jaybird a-curvin' to his home
on high.
"'This is what that shorthorn does which teaches me he's learnin'.
While he's humpin' off up the canyon, an' me an' Jaybird an' Tutt is
stampedin' along in pursoot, the fugitive throws loose his six-
shooter, an' without even turnin' his head or lookin' back at us, he
onhooks the entire bundle of lead our way.
"Which the worst feature of it is, this backhanded, blind shootin'
is a winner. The very first shot smites Jaybird plumb through the
hat, an' he goes off his pony without even mentionin' about it to
either Tutt or me.
"`That's all thar is to the report. Dave an' me pulls up our
broncos, abandons the joke, lays Jaybird across his saddle like a
sack of corn, an' returns to state the case.
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