The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-12-22
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cursed his day. Indeed, he may have
done so literally. for all remember;
what l know is that he pronounced
some formula to the effect that man
might as we'll be dead as spend his
Christmas in a sheep camp.
couldn't help laughing at him, he
seemed in such deadly earnest about it,
though the thought of the wife and
babies down at the ranch house on the
Rio Pecos went to my heart, and the
sight of the Old Mans hopeless eyes
moved my sympathies great deal more
than CORDS loud lamentations.
COrb was our Adonis; a big, straight
young fellow, with hair like curly corn.
silk, a way that took with all the
women, and rowing fancy, and 1
knew he was signing to think of the
feminine worlds he might have con-
quered during the Christmas festivities;
but the Old Man-it was easy to guess
that his faithful heart was very sore
for somebody in particular.
We three had been drifting sheep for
some six weeks down toward the Devil
river. The spot we were now on had
plenty of sotol, but no water anywhere
near. Sheep will live very we'll, you
know, without water, and get fat if
they have sotol; so our Mexican hauled
us barrel whenever he could; and we
used it to drink and to cook with, and
the man who washed his face too much
vas considered unpatriotic 1t is, no
doubt, very shocking to relate, but we
were all extremely patriotic, and, the
water supply CHANGING to be just then
very low, there hadn't been a face
ashed in camp for week. The work
OF sheep-camp is killingly hard, and
it is dirty. Travelling as we must, no
man carries more clothing than he car
ries on him, and sotol, catclaw and
mesquite thorn soon make rags of
them. Corb was always handsome
dirty or clean, whole or ragged. His
good looks lay in his lines and propor-
tions, and were ineffaceable; but the
poor Old Man-never beauty at his
best-grew simply hideous. He had,
with his clear, honest, light-gray eyes,
stiff black beard which, if left un-
shaven for two weeks, transformed him
into ferocious brigand.
We had been hard at it slashing sotol
all day. and were sitting, unusually
tired, ragged and dirty, around the
campfire when Corb filed his protest.
''Boys,' said I, after the manner of
. Santa Claus, ''what'll you have for
Christmas?'
"A big bath-tub full of water, u half
gallon of cologne, a new suit of clothes,
and dance to go to-" answered Corb,
promptly.
We both laughed; the wish was such
> photograph of the boy and his ambi-
TONS
''What'll I do for you, Old Man?" I
"Well," said the Old Man, modest,y,
and quite as if he expected me to produce
them from somewhere, ''Td like pair
q breeches-these are most too bad
and some decent grub for the crowd"
That was the Old Man all over. A
little for himself and great deal pro
bono publico. That, with many other
unobtrusive good points, was why
those who knew the bashful old fellow
well--he was younger, BY the way.
than Corb, l think-loved him.
Suddenly Corb stood up again. "De-
.liverancen's he said, dramatically, and
pointed to the horizon, where we saw
group of horsemen making for us.
THAT'S something new for Christmas,
anyhow" he added, triumphantly.
Then, with, . sudden change of tone:
Hide me; there's a couple of riding
habits in the layout. " 49,
It was all very well for me to laugh
ut the discontinue of Corb and the Old
Man. The wife and babies are just as
glad to see me dirty as clean, and my
capital prize is drawn; but we consider
it, all the same, a mean thing to bring
ladies to sheep-camp when the outfit
has been out q long time and may be
safely reekoned to have reached the
acme of restitution. They come limo:
Gently enough, bless their hearts, and
confident that you'll be glad to sec
them; but the boys who engineer suc'
pleasant surprises" usually know bet
tol. s,