Page:Mexico, California and Arizona - 1900.djvu/515

 Rh There is a grimly humorous element in it all. It seems such an excellent joke to idly snuff out the most precious of human possessions. A cow-boy shoots a tumbler from the hand of another, just raised to his lips, saying, "When you drink with me I will teach you to take whiskey plain, and no mixtures."

A group of others sit around in a saloon where lies a fresh-made corpse. An officer of the law enters, and says, "Who claims this man?" whereupon all jump to their feet to dispute the honor.

There is a large supply of these amusing stories. To kill your man seems a way of winning your spurs, as it were, and establishing yourself on a proper footing in the community. Even the defunct, in various cases, could he be heard from, would probably find no great fault with the manner of his taking off, but only with the "luck" of it which had gone against him.