Colonel
Starbottle was at that time passing through the settlement on election
business, and it was part of his chivalrous admiration for the sex to
pay a visit to the pretty actress. The single waiting-room of the little
hotel gave upon the veranda, which was also level with the street. After
a brief yet gallant interview, in which he oratorically expressed
the gratitude of the settlement with old-fashioned Southern courtesy,
Colonel Starbottle lifted the chubby little hand of the "Pet" to his
lips, and, with a low bow, backed out upon the veranda. But the Pet was
astounded by his instant reappearance, and by his apparently casting
himself passionately and hurriedly at her feet! It is needless to say
that he was followed closely by Billy, who from the street had casually
noticed him, and construed his novel exit into an ungentlemanly
challenge.
Billy's visits, however, became less frequent, and as Rocky Canyon
underwent the changes incidental to mining settlements, he was presently
forgotten in the invasion of a few Southwestern families, and the
adoption of amusements less practical and turbulent than he had
afforded.
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