Meanwhiles, the buck Vanderbilt is drivin' the
outfit all over an' 'round the cantonments, the entire bunch as
sassy an' as flippant as a coop o' catbirds. It's all the Astors can
do to keep from goin' plumb locoed. The Vanderbilts win.
"One mornin', when Florer an' me has jest run our brands onto the
fourth drink, an old buck comes trailin' into the store. His blanket
is pulled over his head, an' he's pantin' an' givin' it out he's
powerful ill.
"'How is my father?' says Johnny in Osage.
"'Oh, my son,' says the Injun, placin' one hand on his stomach, an'
all mighty tender, 'your father is plenty sick. Your father gets up
this mornin', an' his heart is very bad. You must give him medicine
or your father will die.'
"Johnny passes the invalid a cinnamon stick an' exhorts him to chew
on that, which he does prompt an' satisfactory, like cattle on their
cud. This cinnamon keeps him steady for 'most five minutes.
"'Whatever is the matter with this savage?' I asks of Johnny.
"'Nothin' partic'lar,' says Johnny. 'Last night he comes pushin' in
yere an' buys a bottle of Worcestershire sauce; an' then he gets
gaudy an' quaffs it all up on a theery she's a new-fangled fire
water.
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