St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-27
The UNDRESSED KID.

Hank Barr, the veteran cow-puncher
on the range, gave the youth his desig-
nation. The Kid, who was also referred
to as the Brat, the infant and "that
young cub,' had been playing some
prank on the grzzled and testy Mr.
Barr, and Hank, by way of delicate
reference to the palpable fact that the
parental bedslat or trunk-strap had been
allowed to get dusty between "whal-
ings," when the infant had been of yet
more tender years, bestowed upon his
tormentor the sobriquet by which lie
was ever after known.
1t was not that the Kids years were
so few-he was twenty-twO-but he
was, oh! such ''kid." He had evil
IDENTIFY mingled with men for several
years, but the association did not seem
to have rubbed off any of the marks of
extreme youth, at least in his behavior.
and no one ever thought of smiling,
even when Shorty Fleming, the boss
youngest brother, aged eighteen, adj
dressed the Kid by any one of his nu-
merous diminutives.
OHC COuiO llOt hNlp tiO Niu, III
spite of his pranks, for he was always
so good-natured and obliging. If he
was ready to cut up hairbruSh and
scatter the briStles in some tired fell
lows bunk about bedtime he was just
as ready to do double duty in case his
victim happened to be ILL.
There were few chickens at the
ranch, and one of the undressed's chief
est joys was to feed them corn with
string and stick attachment, and laugh
himself almost to death at their frantic
efforts TO kick themselves loose. But if
one of those same chickens happened
to be hurt or i'll he would nurse it just
as woman might.
On the occasion when he stuck shoe
makers wax on Hank Bars saddle,
and Hank came in to supper without
the basement of his jeans and made
sarcastic remarks, the Kid felt himself
a born humOrist, and one would have
thought that caperS of this sort were
his highest aim in life; but it was he
who, after cold. hard days work, rode
twenty miles on stormy night to get a
surgeon TO set the leg Hank had
broken in the evening. But pranks
are pranks, and the prankee sell
dom takes the same view of them
as does the prankist; and thus it came
to pass that the Kids Observation-Disclosures
together with his everlasting jokish-
ness, brought upon him the scorn of his
fellow laborers at the INK" They all
liked him we'll enough, that was all.
They never considered him or included
him in their plans, except when there
was some uncomforta Die duty to per-
form. In fact, they paid very little at
tention to him. Brieflyyhe acted like a
ffteen-yearold, and was so treated.
The next spring Miss Mary Brooke
appeared On the scene as visitor to
Col. Hanford's, six miles south of US.
She came, she saw-and the rest Of it.
Women were very scarce in our vicin
ity, especially young and pretty ones,
and to our unaccuStOmed eyes Venus
and the three GraceS and all the rest
weren't in it with Mary Brooke, and we
bowed down and worshiped like a lot of
half-fedged idiots.
We were all serious, too. 1t was re-
markable how many business transac-
tiOns Boss Fleming had to talk over
with the colonel all of sudden, and
how |, the scribe, took such fancy TO
reading and discussing Browning with
Mrs. Hanford, who was slightly deaf,
and, therefore, not easy to converse
with. 1t was not long, however, before
Boss Fleming and had the running all
to ourselves. Fleming, as near neigh
Dor. big ranch owner, and wealthy
man, had a strong hold on the colonel,
and |, the scribe, having stuck to my
desk in early youth, and being, there
fore, able to talk little on such sub
jects as interested Mrs. Hanford, had
quite captivated her, and the boys, per-
ceiving this state of affairs, diScreetly
withdrew and spent their evenings as
of yore.
All but the Undressed Kid He, being
from Boston-Miss Brooke's home-alSo
came in for a share of her smiles and
conversation; but. as he showed no
signs of change in his youthful ways,
we didn't pay much attention to him,
except to consider him much in the
same light as one might nuisance in
kits. He was in the way, of course,
but he didn't cause us any worry.
To be sure, we wondered how it was
that Miss Brooke could tolerate his nom
sense and chatter, for she was somewhat
staid in her ways, and a person whom
one would scarcely suspect of a liking
for levity. The boss and | were both
sure that the Kids constant presence
would begin to pail very soon-briefiy,
he would make Miss Brooke tired, and
we two could fight it out solely between
ourselves.
But, somehow. this state Of things
didn't come to pass. The Kid managed
to get in as many calls as did the boss
and |, and, what was worse. usually had
Miss Brooke pretty much to himself,
worse luck to the old folks; and it made
Fleming and myself very weary to hear
her laughing at his timeworn Jokes
until the tears rolled down her cheeks.
That the Infant had serious intentions
never entered our heads. OF course, it
was undeniable that Miss Brooke liked
him: but that, we assured ourselves,
was in spirit of mere good-natured
tolerance. Beside, who ever knew of
the Kid ever having a sWeetly solemn
thought?
Providence came to our aid, about the
middle of July, in the shape of tele-
gram, stating that the KIDS wealthy
father, with whom he had not been on
very good termS-that is, no terms at
all-had gone the way of all humanity,
and that the Kid must come home at
once to look after affairs.
We were at the Hanfords', Fleming
and l. that evening, when the Kid, who
had preceded us by an hour or so, took
leave of Miss Brooke. He was not going
back to the ranch, having had his things
sent to town, in order to start early in
the morning, and he left shortly after
we arrived.
Even if we had expected otherwise,
there was nothing touching in the KIDS
leave-taking. While not so quiet in
speech as usual. he could hardly have
been accused of seriousness, and he
shook hands with Miss Brooke in the
same hearty way as with the rest of us.
Well, the Kid was Off not for good,
for several weeks at least. and the boss
and were alone in the field and both
resolved to make hay while there were
no clouds OlSclIrinp Sol Na cnant q