The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-02-05
TWO LESSONS.
Bl s. ID. BARNES.

by S. d. BARNES.
at won't do to bet on another mans
game, remarked one of the group gath
cred around the fire in Dutch Johns
grocery. 81 learned that years ago, and
the fellow that cut my eye-teeth for me-
was the same Alb Skinner who was elect
ed to the last Legislature from Rawhide
County"
We sat and smoked in silence. We
were all old acquaintance of the speaker,
and knew that there was story forth
coming, and it would be related without
any urging from us.
81 met Alb first the winter / came
down from the North" continued the
narrator, after slight pause. '>We were
both young fellows, then-I was visiting
at Uncle Dick Scofeld's ranch, and Alb
was one of the cowboys-and we two
were together a good deal, hunting and
knocking around, and all our spare time
we put in playing cards and shaking dice.
"Ab was fair player, but was fresh
from Chicago, and up to all the lodges
OF professional; and gradually pocketed
all the loose change that he could rake
and scrape; until finally, got him down
to bedrock, and had to hold up until Uncle
Dick paid him his next quarters salary.
Then | fully intended to wade in and
gobble the entire hundred and fifty, and
pull back for civilization.
at was pretty scheme, but somehow
it failed to work. Alb Skinner was do
ing little scheming at the same time,
and his brain was clearer than mine.
"a week before payday, he went
over to the circle bar ranch, and when
he came back / saw that he had been
drinking and was as happy as wolf In
sheep-pen; but he simmered down
again, and so things rocked on for few
days longer.
"Wc had just moved our cattle in
from the upper range and throwed 'em
In on little valley west of the shantv,
where not blade of grass had been
nipped all summer long, and there they
were feeding-fodr thousand head of
EN-; and as wild a lot as ever waved
horn IN stampede. One day, about
noon, as Uncle Dick was coming in from
town, the whole herd lit out after him,
crippled his horse, and nearly scared the
old man to death.
Them cattle are terrors, he said. as
he slid off his horse, and spread himself
out on the vcranda, when Alb and were
talking to the Deputy Sheriff, who was
down looking up some stolen stock-I
thought oil Dick was gone coon, sure.
" They didn't like your looks, said
Alb with Il laugh. You couldn't git 'em
to run a genuine cowboy. I'll bet could
walk clean across to that knot wander,
and he indicated little hill entirely be-
yond the herd; walk over, understand,
afoot, and alone, and never get scratch
from n horn or hoof
% i would like to bet you something
on that, said /; and | had hardly spoken
the words before Alb drew a buckskin
bag from his pocket, and shook out pile
of silver and gold.
" The is fifty dollars said hes If
you want to make some money easy here's
your chance, The Sheriff will hold the
"Fi ollars was just the size of my
pile, an hb knew it. l was positive
that ii Skinner made break out in that
prairie, one of them old Spanish steers
would run him down in three minutes
but still hesitated.
"'Stick him, Charley said Uncle
Dick; 'the dad-blamed fool will be
killed, but that amt your lookout. If
you don't bet, Twill"
81 went over and handed Sheriff Smith
the money, and as he put it in his hat |
along with Abs fifty, the old man chippcd |
in again.
'Bein' as you're throwin' away your
money, Alb, why not give me some of it? |
Thar's that hundred and fifty l was goin'
to pay you to-night-suppose put it in
the hat with as much more, an if you
get through to the knot Smith kin ride
over an give you the hull wad.
Good enuff, replied Alb, and in
three minutes the Sheriff's old sombrero
was looking like a second edition of the
treasury.
'Le's understand this thing, said
Smith. 'Ab lights out afoot, right now,
and goes straight to the knot, and if he
gifts thar the dust is his; is that rightH
"'Au' if he gifts the hull side of his
head horned of, or anything like that
happens tew him, he don't git it, said
lncle. Shake hands, Alb, before you 90.
You've bin a mighty good hand with the
'attlc, but I'll be pow'rful glad to assist
1t your funeral
Z" Give me good one, old man,
grinned Alb, as he jumped off the YER
lnda and started for the knot
"'Come back, said Uncle Dick If
Tou'll forfeit one-third, and own you're
DOL, wen let you off,
"But Alb went ahead as though he had
never heard him.
"The wind was blowing straight to
he herd, and though the nearest steer