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Chapter 19

           Thehotel,ortavern,"RoughandReady,"thoughdifferingbutlittlefromotherTexanhousesofentertainment,hadsomepointsinparticular.Itsproprietor,insteadofbeingaspeculativeYankee,wasaGerman—inthispartoftheworld,aselsewhere,foundtobethebestpurveyorsoffood.Hekepthisownbar;sothatonenteringthesaloon,insteadoftheelegantyounggentlemanwithruffledshirtandodorouschevelure,your"liquor"wasmixedforyoubyastaidTeuton,wholookedassoberasifhenevertasted—notwithstandingthetemptationofwholesaleprice—thedeliciousdrinksservedouttohiscustomers.Oberdofferwasthenamehehadimportedwithhimfromhisfatherland;transformedbyhisTexancustomersinto"OldDuffer."

           Therewasoneotherpeculiarityaboutthebar-roomofthe"RoughandReady,"thoughitscarcedeservedtobesodesignated;sinceitwasnotuncommonelsewhere.Asalreadystated,thebuildingwasshapedlikeacapitalT;thesaloonrepresentingtheheadoftheletter.Thecounterextendedalongoneside,thatcontiguoustotheshank;whileateachendwasadoorthatopenedoutwardintothepublicsquareoftheincipientcity.

           Thisarrangementhadbeendesignedtopromotethecirculationoftheair—amatterofprimaryimportanceinanatmospherewherethethermometerforhalftheyearstandsat90degreesintheshade.

           ThehotelsofTexasortheSouth-WesternStates—ImaysayeverypartoftheAmericanUnion—servethedoublepurposeofexchangeandclub-house.

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