Returning to his room after a late visit to a local saloon, he was startled by a gruff voice calling to him from the vicinity of a lamppost: "Short Pants! Oh, Short Pants—can't you tell a lady where she lives?"

"Show me where the lady is, and I'll try," he replied.

"She's me, Short Pants—Martha Canary—Martha Burke, better known as 'Calamity Jane.'"