The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-01-26

-" INNE w 6D-C@N Chs III III
condition he struck a ranch belong
ing to an old granger, who, taking
pity on the poor, busted prod, gave
him a job of herding hogs. The
granger wasn't a bad old sample
in a general way, but he was in
clined to be kinder mean on the
feed, and so it came that often the
prod became so frighttully sharp
set for a mea', he had to 60 whacks
in the hog trough. You bet the
kid who IN his flush times had been
boozing around among the best OF
everything like a silver king or big
railway mon polist had now'plcn-
tv of time on his hands for doing a
tall lot Of thinking, and one day he
said to himself: I'll Just ding
this business. Why, sven the
mcanest.help in my old governors
hired service 7 living on square
grub, and plenty of it, while I'm
worrying along here on a shook
lunch. | know what I'll dO-Im
just skip back home to the old man
and ask for a new deal" SO away
he went but. he had a hard time
reaching the old ranch, and don't
you forget it. When you have
plenty of coin. my friends, every
body's pleasant, but when you're
on the borrow you don't find it SO
good. Finally he did strike the IA
miliar trail leading down to the
old home, and while crossing some
open lots the old man, as the beck
puts it, saw him a coming afar off.
Yes, that old mans eyes were
very dim, but he didnot fail to spot
his boy a-far off.
And what dye suppose that
prod's.tather dido Did he whistle
the dogs up to chase him off the
ranch! You bet he didn't. Did
he go and take down his shotgun
and wait till he gotta good drop
on him? You bet he didn't. NO.,
but I'll tell you what he did. He
Just waltzed right out of the gate to
meet him, and from to that poor
scarecrow right on the spot, and
fell to kissing of him and weeping
over him and calling him his poor.
long lost boy, until the prod got
broke all up and like a sluice dam
when the snow comes down off
Pixies peak under a July. sun. The
old man then took him right away
to a clothing store and rugged him
out in the nObbiest suit that could
be had for coin, ordered the latest
steer on the ranch to be slaughter
ed and all the neighbors was invit-
ed in and had the biggest blowout
that camp ever seen.
Now it appears the prod's elder
was ont at work with the teams. and
when he came in he asked some of
the help what was the meaning Of
the picnic they were having inside;
ana when he was told the reason
he Just got real mad. The old man.
hearing OF this, went ont to him
and said Come IN, lad, your
brothers come back and were
having 4 regular old-fashioned iu-
blIee now you come right along
like a good fellow and take a hand
in the break down But the
brother wouldn't bulge and said
"Look, here dad | have stuck to
the ranch and have never trans
crossed your orders, but it never
struck you to have a picnic of this
kind until You give it in honor of a
loater who has disgraced your
name But, my friends, you-
may make your bets on it that old
man had a level head and wasn't
to be easily bluffed. He says
my son, you say YOU have never
tr%ansgressed my orders, but are you
quite ure that's so | tell Won
that you have grievously trans