Page 5 - lw3216
P. 5

"TRAVELIN'  ON"                3
              on.  The  eloquence  of  the  preacher,  while  diametri-
              cally  opposed  to  all  of  their  views,  is  winning  out
              sufficiently  to  hold  their  attention for  the time  being.
              Dandy  Allen  McGee  comes  out  also  and  listens  with
              a  satirical, smile  on  his  face,  and  then  suddenly  his
              eyes  go  fixed  and  intent  and  he  half  turns  and  gazes
              away,  and  he  sees  a  stage  coach  upon  a  lonely  trail
              being held up by two masked men.  He sees the coach
              depart and he sees  the bandits pull their masks down
              from  their faces,  one  is  himself,  Dandy Allen  McGee,
              and  the  other  is  Hi  Morton.  And  he  sees  stretched
              across  the  road  in  front  of  the  horses  a  lariat,  the
              rope  upon  which  the  horses  have  stumbled,  and  in
              this manner caused  confusion  and allowed  the bandits
              to have the upper hand in their work.

                And  then  Dandy  Allen  McGee  turns  and  looks  at
              Morton,  beads  of  perspiration  are  standing  out  upon
              his forehead,  his  hickory shirt is open at the neck and
              he is preaching the word of God in such a manner that
              no  one  on  earth  could  doubt  his  sincerity.  Dandy
              Allen  McGee  cannot  understand;  he  is  bewildered,
              but his  face  never  loses  the satirical  smile,  for  Dandy
              Allen  McGee  doesn't  propose  that  any  evangelist
              shall  come into Tumble Bluff and even in the slightest
              degree  interfere  with  his  profession,  and  he  involun-
              tarily  utters  the  words,  "Well,  I'll  be  damned."
                Among  the  characters  that are  assembled,  listening
              to  this  unusual  happening  is  a  habitue  of  the  Palace
              of  Dandy  Allen  McGee,  known  as  "Know-It-All-
              Haskins,"  and  when  the  preacher  in  an  impassioned
              utterance  speaks  of  the  Lord  and  says,  "We  are  all
              His  children,"  Haskins,  resenting  the  fact  that some-
              one  is  attempting  to  infringe  upon  his  territory,  ob-
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