[Illustration: O. Henry in Austin, Texas, 1896]




THE ATAVISM OF JOHN TOM LITTLE BEAR


[O. Henry thought this the best of the Jeff Peters stories,
all the rest of which are included in "The Gentle Grafter,"
except "Cupid à la Carte" in the "Heart of the West." "The
Atavism of John Tom Little Bear" appeared in _Everybody's
Magazine_ for July, 1903.]


I saw a light in Jeff Peters's room over the Red Front Drug Store. I
hastened toward it, for I had not known that Jeff was in town. He is a
man of the Hadji breed, of a hundred occupations, with a story to tell
(when he will) of each one.

I found Jeff repacking his grip for a run down to Florida to look at an
orange grove for which he had traded, a month before, his mining claim
on the Yukon. He kicked me a chair, with the same old humorous, profound
smile on his seasoned countenance. It had been eight months since we
had met, but his greeting was such as men pass from day to day. Time is
Jeff's servant, and the continent is a big lot across which he cuts to
his many roads.