Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-18

cursed his day. Indeed. he may nave
done SO literally, for all i remember;
what l know is that he pronounced
some formula to the effect that man
might as well be dead as spend his
Christmas in sheep camp.
Icouldn't help laughing at him, he
seemed in such deadly earnest about 1t.
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 a great deal more
than CORDS loud lamentations.
Corb was our Adonis; big, straight
young fellow, with hair like curly corn
silk, q way that took with all the
women, and a rowing fancy. and /
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
come 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 well, 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
was considered unpatriotic- II 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 face
washed 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 proper
tions. and were ipeffaceable: bat the
poor Old Man-never a beauty at his
best-grew simply hideous. He had,
with his clear, honest, iight-gray eyes,
a stiff black beard which. if left I'M
shaven for two weeks, transformed him
into a ferocious brigand.
We had been hard a: it slashing sotol
all day. and were sitting, unusually
tired. ragged and dirty, around the
campfire when Corb filed his protest.
Boys said l, after the manner OF
Santa Claus, "whatll you have for
Christmasy'
"A big bath-tub full of water, half
gallon of cologne. a new suit of clothes,
and a dance to go to-" answered Corb,
promptly.
We both laughed; the wish was such
photograph of the boy and his ambi-
tons
"Whatll do for you. Old Man?"
said.
Well said the Old Man, modestly.
and quite as il he expected me to produce
them from somewhere. sd like pair
of 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
unohtrusivc good points, was why
those who knew the bsshfnl old fellow
wcll--he was younger. by the way.
than Corh. think loved him.
Suddenly Corb stood up again DE
liverancel" he said, dramatically, and
pointed 70 the HORIZON. where we saw a
gronp OF borsemen making for us.
That's something new for Chris tmas.
anyhow he added, triumphanily.
Then. with a sudden change Of tone:
Glide me: there's couple OF r.ding 2
faiits in the lav-ont~
Il rrs- al very well FOR me 20 sss;rh
a. the discontinue OF Corb and the I'D
Man. The svifc ard babies arc Just as
glad 20 see RE dirty as clean. and nv
capital prlzr Is drawn. but We CONSIDER
/ St. al the same. a mean fhinvft 10 b~inr
lanieS 20 n s1eep-eamF when fne cptii
fes haea out \ lonr time and ms9 ba
safelv reclaimed 10 have reached The
scTne Il dcs,is ution. They come innn
certlf eaonzh. bless their sesrts snd
Confident that you'll be glad e 80
ihem: hut ihe boys who enxinee~ auet
'r,easant sarr-sses" usually know bet
knsg~er-nr TIRE sanfe appezl n 10
osa Mans eyes. T-said- as the approach
5rr party dipped into the draw east O.
the e>n11r "1es ron hide o0t Cori
ana Gao eatertain them gitt7 and y,
ga. There was n tangled thieEsef q
scrub end mesquite west Ct TIE ee7nn
Ard he MAKE Tor It and was cat Of si1a