The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-03


| ing of going back east after this season,
and we shall want you to take his place.
Il reckon l knowthe brands as well as
most of 'en. But Mac is a material born
cowman. That rheumatic is a pesky
thing, amt it?''
"Cattle looking weIl?"
"Fairish. Range is gettin' pretty crowd
ed. Well, so long"
GOOD night, jim"
From there he went down to Yves Moy-
er's The proprietor of the Diamond Pal
ace saloon was watching a monte game,
but assented to Jim's proposition to have
bottle of wine"
Over the champagne Jim eaid: ''Look
! here, Yves, want a couple O. men to go
out to Mac. Is there any good hands
| here?'
Eyes; there's Tex-he's broke already
| and Heifer Jack; we'll about get his wages
cleaned up tonight. He's piayin' five dol
| lar chips
"All right. Now l want you to put me
| onto little racket, Yves, on the quiet.
want to run up agin' busted preachers
preacher that wants stuff pretty bad.
| Savvyg"
II don't worry with that brand much
But most O. them bucks is pretty well
fixed, Jim. There's that Noyes chap,
though, him as the Methodist fired out o.
| Denver-he's up to Dyer's hotel, an if he's
busted he's SOBER Round him up any
way"
"-AlI right, I will. So long"
''See- you agin fore you hit the breeze?"
81 reckon"
$50 long"
The Rev. MIR. Noyes proved to be reason
ably sober, and accepted the strangers in
vitation to drink with alacrity.
You're preacher, amt your said Jim.
81 have that honor. l am glad to look
like it. Malicious men have limited that
my presence was not too clerical Mine,
sir, has been a checkered career-monk,
spiritualist, niger minstrel and canine
surgeOn''--
mot interruptin'-d you want couple
of twenties?" asked Jim, displaying the
coins in question with ingenious sagacity
The Rev. Mr. Noyes abruptly deposited
his tumbler on the bar and answered, II
should smilep'
kin [ dicker with you, straight"
"Go ahead"
"Will you stop budgin' fer two or three
days and take trip out Fort Laramie way
with me. It's ten dollars a day, and ten
dollars extry for the wear o. your tools,
Bible and SIGH"
go ahead"
"NIy sister an her Teller wants to git
married. You're to meet 'em at an empty
ranch an hitch 'em."
Shake"
"Only you see this Teller he has a grudge
agin' preachers. I reckon one of 'em
sinched him playin' monte or somethin',
an might have to hold him down like
while you do the marryin', so he can't
crawl your hump"
Il think we understand each other, Mr..
Mason"
"All right. Pm goin' to sleep with you
tonight, SOS to know you amt a-drinkin',
and we want to start about half-past g.
got to do little somethin' here first"
Don't you want to buy a wedding
ring?"
Eyes, reckon 1 dul"
Sell you the ticket for one cheap. Uncle
Jake's got it down Is the railroad"
Fix that in the mOrnin'. Come to bed
now. amt slep' in sheets fer tarnation
time. FL git you stiddy horse to ride
out, preacher"
When the Rev. Mr. Noyes dismounted
at Mountain Lion ranch the next day he
was weary and bruised, but cheerful.
"Quiet sort of place, this" he remarked.
"IOu mightn't think it, Mr.. Mason, but I
was once a hermit. | set up "a cell about
three miles out Of San Francisco and peo-
pie used to drive out there with offerings.
In the flush times, that was, and I've had
as many as four boxes OF cigars brought to
me in one day"
''YOu wouldn't drive much Nv trade
here" said jim, grimly. You can see
this cabins only used when the outfit gifts
round here on the calf gather and wants
the corrals to brand in. Used to keep a
ranchman here to hinder fellers from
burnin' the corrals for firm, but it's so
out o. the way they don't do it now. l got
the hotel folks to put up ten lunches in
this sack-One NV 'em is fur the gal, but
you kin tackle the balance. I'll git fire
in the stove fur you, an then | got to light
out again. You JUS eat an pound yer ear
till | stir you up agin tomor' IF anybody
comes along, tell en- you got smallpox
an run 'em off Reckon you won't be
bothered. Give me that flask out o. your
coat fust-'d Yer think l wasn't onto it?
Well, amt 'nOugh there to git tight on,
guess. So long, preacher"
At midnight Jim reached Burton's
ranch, turned his tired and hungry pony
into the pasture, and picked his way into
the bunk room through the group Of beds
about the door. Hairy Mike, who was
sleeping by the stove, rolled over. and sa-
luted him with You back again? SIAM
pede over there?"
stampede nuthin'. Where's them wad-
dies beds that went over with me?'
'Tn the corner where them brides is
hangin';" and Mike went tn sleep again,
while Jim unstrapped aud rolled out bed
In the morning he waited about the cor
raj until he saw Scranton, and then said:
"Say, Pluctooth, WAS il you WIS wanting
to buy thet black horse O. French Charley's,
the one as ne broke ter leap fences?"
Yes"
well, If you're kind O. slick about it
you kin get him fer fifty. French owes
me some dust, an | got to get it. He's
over ter Mountain Lion with the horse
now. If you kin. come ri ht over an I'll git
him to dicller Ony he don't want none o.
this Burton gang to know nothin' bout it
till the horse is sold. He owes the ole man
some stuff b'lieve"
Scranton's eyes glistened - the black
horse was worth a hundred, and he hastily
saddled pony. They rode over to Noun
tain Lion together, Jim's horse beginning
TO need the spur toward the end Of the
journey. Entering the corral they dis /
mounted, and IS Scranton was about to
pull the knot of his ladiCO linn Mason