crime. Why, gentlemen, our profession is more respectable than
that of the man who is appointed administrator of the estate of
his dead friend, and who blows in the money and lets the widow
and orphan go to the poorhouse, or the officer of a savings bank
who borrows the money of the poor and when they hear that he
is flying high demand their money, and he closes the bank, and
eventually pays seven cents on the dollar, and is looked upon
as a great financier. It has been a pleasure to us to have this
kindly old man visit us, and by his example of the Golden Rule,
to do to others as you would be done by, make us contented with
our lot. We are not the kind of business men who try to ruin the
business of competitors by poisoning their wells, or freezing them
out of business. If any other train robbers want to do business in
our territory, they have the same rights that we have, and the
world is big enough for all to ply their trade. Now I am going to
call upon our friend, Buckskin Bill, my associate in crime, who
was wounded by a misdirected load of buckshot in our latest raid,
which buckshot were so ably removed from his person by our
distinguished friend who is so soon to leave us, "and the leader
again passed the loving cup and gave way to Buckskin Bill, who
said:

[Illustration: Dad among the cowboys.]

"Pals--I do not know if you have ever suspected that before I
joined this bunch I was steeped in crime, but I must confess to
you that I was a Chicago alderman for one term, during the passage
of the gas franchise and the traction deal, but I trust I have
reformed, because I have led a different life all these years, I
like this free life of the mountains, where what you get in a