The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-12-29
THE IDYL OF RED GULCH,


Sandy was very drunk. He WAS lying under
An a1alsa BUSH in pretty much the same atti
tude in which he had fallen some hours be-
fore. How long he had been lying there he
could not tell, and didn't care; how long he
would lie there, was . matter equally iudef.
mite and uncon'idered. A tranquil philosophy
born Of his physical conditien, sS6 used and
saturated his mort al being.
The spectacles Of drunken man-.nd of
this drunken man in particular-was not of
sufficient novelty in Red Gulch to attract at.
| tention. Earlier IN the 0ay some local s.t
lrist had erected temporary Tombstone,
bearing the inscription Effect Of McCorkle's
whisky-kills at forty rods" with a hand
pointing to Mccorkle's saloon. But this,
imagine, was like most local satire personal;
and was process, rather than . CONNIE ntAry
upon the improperly Of the result. With this
facctious exception Sandy had been undis-
turbed. wandering mule released from
his pack, had cropped the scant herbage be-
side him, and shifted curiously the pr ostrated
man; vagabond dog with that deep sympa-
thy which the species have for drunken men,
licked his dusty boots, and curled himself up
at his feet, and lay there, blinking one eye in
the sunlight, with . stimulation Of dissipation
that was ingenious and dog-like in its implied
fattery of the unconscious nan beside him.
Meanwhile the shadows Of the pine trees
had slowly swung around until they crossed
the road, and their trunks barred the open
meadows with gigantic rarrallels Of black and
yellow. Little puffs of red dust lifted BY the
plunging hoofs of passing teams, dispersed in
grimy shower upon the rscumbent man The
sun sank lower and lower, and still Sandy
stirred not. And then the repose Of this
philosopher was disturbed, - other philoso-
piers have been, by the intrusioa Of IN un-
philosophical sex.
''Miss Mary as sLe was known to the
little flock that she had just dismissed from
the log school house beyond the pines, was
taking her afternoon walk. Observing An
unusually fne cluster Of blossoms on the
aralsa bush opposite. she crossed the road to
pluck it, picked her way through the red dust,
not without certain fierce little shivers Of
disgust, and some feline circumlocution. And
then she suddenly came upon Sandy.
OF eouras she uttered the little staeesto cry
Of her sex. But when she had paid that trib-
ute to her physisal weakness, she became
ovorbold, and halted for moment with her
white skirts gathered in her haad ready for
fight. But neither sound nor motion came
from the bush. With one little foot she then
overturned the satrieal hesdbsard, and NUT.
tered "Beas,!'' an epithst which probably At
that moment, conveniently classified in her
mind the entire male population Of Red Guleh.
For Miss Mary, being possessed Of certain
rigid notions sf her own, had not perhaps,
properly appreciated the dsmeastrstive gall
lantry for which the Californian has been %
ju,tly celebrated BY his brother Californiaus !,
and had, A. newcomer. perhaps, fully earn
ed the reputation Of being "stuek up.'
A she stood there, she noticed, also, that
the slant sunbeams we're heating Sandy's
head to what she judged to Be IN unhealthy
temperature, and that his hat was lying use
less 1t his side. To pick il up was work requir-
ing some courage, particularly - his eyes
were open. Yet she did it aAd made good
her retreat. But she was somewhat concern
ed. on looking back to sss tAas Tie hat was
rsnoved, and that Sandy vss sitting up and
saying something. --el 1a
The truth was, in the calm depths Of Sam
dy's mind he Was satif6ed that the rays Of the
sun were beneficial and hsalthful; thst from
childhood he had ohjested 10 lying down in .
hat. that NO people bnt cnndsm nd faols N st
redemption, ever wore hats; and that he had .
right to dispense with then When he pleased.
This was ths statement Of His in.sr conscious
ness. Unfortunately in s1tvard sxprsssieu
] yaa raana heinI HnaifnA IA . naneAi4iAa ef n 4