“It's a delicate deal,” replied that philosopher, “to go tamperin' 'round a lady for the secret of her soul. But I shorely deems the occasion a crisis, an* public interest demands somethin' is done. I wish Doc Peets was yere; he knows these skirted cattle like I does an ace. But Peets won't be back for a month; pendin' of which, onless we-alls interferes, it's my jedgment some of this yere amorousness 'll come off in the smoke.”
“Thar ought to be statoots,” observed Texas Thompson, with a fine air of wisdom, “ag'in love-makin' in the far West. The East should be kept for sech purposes speshul; same as reservations for Injuns. The Western climate's too exyooberant for love.”
“S'pose me an' you an' Thompson yere goes to this young person, an' all p'lite an' congenial like, we ups an' asks her intentions?” remarked Enright. This was offered to Cherokee.
“Excuse me, pards!” said Texas Thompson with eagerness, “but I don't reckon I wants kyards in this at all. 'The Cactus' is a mighty fine young bein', but you-alls recalls as how I've been ha'ntin' 'round her somewhat in the past myse'f. For which reason, with others, she might take my comin' on sech errants derisive, an' bust me over the forehead with a dipper, or some sech objectionable play. I allows I better keep out of this embroglio a whole lot. I ain't aiming to shirk nothin', but it'll be a heap more shore to win.”
“Thompson ain't onlikely to be plenty right about this,” said Cherokee, “an' I reckons, Enright, we-alls better take this trick ourse'ves.”
The mission was not a success. When the worthy pair of peace-preservers appeared in the presence of “The Cactus,” and made the inquiries noted, the scorn of that damsel was excited beyond the power of words to describe.
“What be you-alls doin' in my kitchen?” she cried, her face a-flush with rage and noonday cookery. “Who sends you-alls curvin' over to me, a-makin' of them insultin' bluffs? I demands to know!”
“An' yere,” said Cherokee Hall, relating the exploit in the Red Light immediately thereafter, “she stamps her foot like a buck antelope, an' lets fly a stovelifter at us; an' all with a proud, high air, which reminds me a mighty sight of a goddess.”
At the time, it would seem, the duo attempted to show popular cause for their presence, and made an effort to point out to “The Cactus” the crying public need of some decision on her part.
“You-all don't want the young male persons of this village to take to shootin' of each other all up none, do you?” asked Enright.