The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-25

uhpropltlous season and tho rfd;cnia -
:. os', Win her by persisting that She liked
i;,tia - NaS taxing II for pleasure il was as
W as ne could do to welcome her gladly
" ny should she go hanginr after = , 800.
ant sultor here where the hest in thar Iiyo
go a-Degglhg. She turned sharply and
interested herself violently in the carnp
GU Us equipments. Fortunately. the
- announced that they had brought
sau9 Win them, or don't know how they
rn.. n.d nave sapped. Amallo had not yet
dc'4lieo from his last trip for supplies.
ana We were pretty nearly reduced To eat
ing sotol with the sheep
flnaliy, when had seen the lot Of them
MIN Coro TO help. at work opening cans
,poiilhg coffee and frying ham. and the
~ with their habits tucked up. fussing
over the campfire and looking wonderfully
pretty ana sweet in their uncouth sur
Touhalngs, / strollcd down 70 the thicker
70 see how Jared the old man.
ne had seen VINO our visitors were and
ne was the NEST woe-begone, forsaken-
ioohlng creature you ever saw
PAD my needle and thread with me.
and I've logged Up my clothes so they look
some better" he said. Couldn't YOU.
please, give me just little bit OF water?'i
Can you, friends, refuse me water
Can You, when die 50 soon?
quoted Coro, who had followed me in
hendish enjoyment OF this abiect re0uest.
>
TO my heart Poor, laundering old black
moth, nuttering after star For I had
no doubt MISS Belle merely wanted
to see HIM 10 assure herself that
she could justly hang his scalp among the
many other trophies of that nature She
was taxing nome TO Galveston from the
plans, and l sharply told Corb to 90
ABOUT his proper business-entertainin
the Vlsltors-and, though ii went against
my conscience, for the supply was fear
iuiiy low tand suppose something DELAYED
Amaiio), | wet one end of towel
ana conveyed II to the Old Man,
and sauntered back to the merry
picnicklng group at the fire, rejecting
on the folly OF all mankind in general and
young folks In particular. What madness
made the Old man set mis- fancy on a girl
Ike That belle, a beauty, a petted.
spoiled child of fortune, who would only
look al him. | was firmly convinced tn
count him oil as lone MORE" as the knit
ting women counted heads at the guiIIo-
tine IN the Reign of Terror. Not hut what
ne was good enough-and doublv good
ehough-for any woman, and a tolerably
good match; but coud | blame a mere
woman, without the chance had for know
ing, II she should rate Corh's sleepv eyes
ana inches above the old mans heart of
golG2
Poor old mani When he came tagging
and shambling into camp he was any.
thing but your notion of a successful
wooer. His face was red with bashful
misery, and had never known before how
white his eyes could CLEAN from the
thicket of a six-weeks' beard. Miss
Belle completed his discontinue by nod
ding to him over her shoulder. and then.
as II struck by sudden thought offering
her hand and saying: Il forgot; believe
didn't see you when we first came"
This, when we were but three men in
gratuitous; but it did for the old man. He
subsidized by the campfire and toasted bits
of bread and strips of bacon for folks in
such reckless way that he half baked his
face and brought the water 10 his eyes,
saying never word 10 anybody.
On the heels of this why should the old
mans evil destiny have suggested to him
10 propose 70 Miss Belle now? | can't
say, and you can't. Rank desperation. I
suppose, and the frantic thought that she
was going away and he might never see
her again. Anyhow, / knew he meant to
do it, for | heard them, when the party
was saddllng up and getting ready for de-
parture. He had evidently asked her if
he might ride little way with her, as he
had something special to say TO her. and
heard her reply: "0f course you can ride
with me If you want to; but anything you
have to say can just as well be SAID here
and now, and have IL over. :"
| fancy he must have mentioned to her
the suspicion we all had. and said some
thing to the effect that he had hoped she
came down TO the camp especially 10 bid
him good-by before she left; perhaps there
had been something between them that
justified him in thinking so. Whatever he
had said he had succeeded in making her
blazing mad, and before the cool insoence
OF that speech of hers he turned away
hesrt-broken, saying:
81 guess you don't care for me to ride
with you. and what had thought to say
had better remain unsaid."
She looked after him, as he went TO help
the others with the saddling, very regret
fully
Aha, Mistress Pussy" thought, lyon
clawed your mouse little too hard that
time. Anyhow, added, virtuously. you
know enough about the poor fellows de-
votion now, and YOU shan't have the salts
faction of refusing him In so IN any words"
And / myself rode with her as far as the
dry arroyo, told the party 10 ride brskly,
as some of Us thought there was q noriher
coming. and was turning back when Miss
Belle stopped me. Her eyes were large
and frightened.
"DO YOU really think there will be
storm?" she said. Il am such a baby
about storms. Great, grown woman as |
am. | always break for mamma and hide
my head in her lap when one comes up at
home. and cut here on the prairie know
IL would scare me 10 death.
| treasured her, told her that the squall.
If il came at all, would hardly strike be-
fore morning, and rode back through the
iioCks 70 the camp.
That was Christmas picture not TO be
forgotten. The sleeping herds couched
peacefully beneath the white wonder of a
Texas moonlight night; the sweep and
swell OF the low, grassy hills and plain,
very ike, fancy. TO that country where
The shepherds watched their Hooks at
night nearly 1000 years ago, when the an
gel OF the Lord awakened them and sung
To their raYished ears the Hrst Christmas
carol
| found the two boys very low in their
minds We al! had the feeling a prisoner
must have when the visitors 60 out and
leave him alone again with his four walls,
and as We were al dead beat, We prepared
silently ana expeditiously 10 turn in.
That was the worst mIscaiCulation |
ever made on uUriher. W had barely
closed our ewes when IL was on Us; urst
with rafting dash of rain ike a dis
charge OF Inusketry, then the Ne. tent was
yanked from above Us by spltefGl gust
and dashed dripping upon the campfire,
and we we're IN pitChy biaCkness, no hint
ef moon, and in the middle of a splitting.
cIawiug norther. Fortunately the temper
AZURE fell less than in any such storm !
have ever experienced, and we We're not
SO desperately cold.
Our first thought. Of course-or mine,
anyway-was FOR the sheep. These
worthless who are undoubtedly NJ once the
most idiotic and obstinate Of brute beasts.
always break for the open when 4 storm
comes on. there IN wander about tail their