Nobody knew where he came from   They only knew he came in   Slowly he walked to the end of the bar   And he ordered up one slug of gin.      Well, I could see that he wasn't a large man   I could tell that he wasn't too tall   I judged him to be 'bout five-foot three   And his voice was a soft Texas drawl.      Said he was needin' some wages   'Fore he could ride for the west   Said he could do most all kind of work   Said he could ride with the best.      There in his blue eyes was sadness   That comes from the need of a friend   And tho' he tried, he still couldn't hide   The loneliness there, deep within.      Said he would work thru the winter   For thirty a month and his board   I started to say where he might land a job   When a fellow came in thru the door.      And I could tell he was lookin' for trouble   >From the way that he came stompin' in   He told me to leave Shorty there by himself   Come down and wait on a man.      The eyes of the little man narrowed   The smile disappeared from his face   Gone was the friendliness that I had seen   And a wild look of hate took its' place.      But the big one continued to mock him   And he told me that I'd better go   Find him a couple of glasses of milk   Then maybe Shorty would grow.      When the little man spoke, there was stillness   He made sure that everyone heard   Slowly he stepped away from the bar   And I still remember these words.      Oh! it's plain that you're lookin' for trouble   Trouble's what I try to shun   If that's what you want, then that's what you'll get   'Cause cowboy, we're both packin' guns.      His hand was already positioned   Feet wide apart on the floor   I hadn't noticed but there on his hip   Was a short-barreled Bass Forty-Four.      It was plain he was ready and waitin'   He leaned a bit forward and said   When you call me Shorty, say Mister, my friend   Maybe you'd rather be dead.      In the room was a terrible silence   As the big one stepped out on the floor   All drinkin' stopped and the tick of the clock   Said death would wait ten seconds more.      He cussed once or twice in a whisper   And he said with a snarl on his lips   Nobody's Mister to me, little man!   And he grabbed for the gun on his hips.      But the little man's hands was like lightning   The bad Forty-Four was the same   The Forty-Four spoke and it sent lead and smoke   And seventeen inches of flame.      For the big one had never cleared leather   Beaten before he could start   A little round hole had appeared on his shirt   The bullet went clear thru his heart.      The little man stood there a moment   Then holstered the bad Forty-Four   It's always this way so I never stay   Slowly he walked out the door.      Nobody knew where he came from   They won't forget he came by   They won't forget how a Forty-Four gun   One night made the difference in size.      As for me, I'll remember the sadness   Shown in the eyes of the man   If we meet someday, you can bet I would say   That it's me, Mr. Shorty, your friend.