The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-12-22

Answering the mute appeal In the
Old Mans eyes, / said, as the approach
Ing party dipped into the draw east of
the camp: Yes, you hide out. Corb
and can entertain them-git!" and he
got. There was a tangled thickst of
scrub and mesquite west 81 the camp,
and he made for it and was out Of sight
by the. time the crowd came up over the
divide.
When they came in among dis We
had no one to blame with the inoppof:
tune visit; they were all tendcrfeet,
Austin and Galveston people, the lead
ing spirit a young lady. q Miss Belle
Hardin, who had been visiting at the
ranches above, and few days at my
place, and was now riding down to
Jake the Galveston, Harrisburg & San
Antonio road home, her baggage hav-
ing preceded her. They intended to
stop and take supper with us, and then
ride on ten miles to the ranch below in
the moonlight. which was very fine.
How should l know that the whole
wild excursion-for it was q wild one
for ladies at that time of the year-had
been undertaken at the command of
! one imperious young woman, because
she wanted to see the Old Man before
she left? But did know it, as we'll as if
she had told me in so many words, by
the time Miss Bellies disappointed eyes
had roamed ever the entire camp, taken
| in the inside of the tent, cruelty turned
open to their gaze, and turned inquir-
| ingly to me.
would have told her, instinctively,
that the Old Man was busy about some.
| where, and would be in directly; but
the devil counseled Corb to SLY, in a
most aggravating and public manner:
''The Old Man-that's what we call Mr..
Bassett down here-cut and run when
he saw who you folks were. He's not
fixed for company, you see, and he's
not very sociable, anyhow; guess we
won't miss him.
The flush that rose on Miss Bellies
cheek BODIED i'll for the Old Man. Isaw
Che thought rise in her pretty, angry
face, that if she could brave long,
! hard ride in an unpropitious season,
and the ridicule of those with her, by
peIsisting that she liked it and was
taking it for pleasure. it was as little
as he could do to welcome her gladly.
Why should she go hanging after a rec
reant suitor, here, where the best in
t''at line goes a-begging? She turned
Sharply and interested herself violent.
ly in the camp and it's equipments.
Fortunately, the crowd announced that
they had brought grub with them, or l
don't know how they would have
supoed. Amalio had not yet returned
FROM his last trip for supplies, and we
were pretty nearly reduced to eating
! sotol with the sheep.
Finally, when had seen the lot OF
them, with Corb to help, at work open
ing cans, boiling coffee and frying ham,
and the ladies, with their habits tucked
up, fussing over the campfire and look
ing wonderfully pretty and sweet in
their uncouth surroundings, strolled
down to the thicket to see how Jared
the Old Man.
He had seen who our visitors were.
and he was the most Woe begone, for
| saken-loolxing creature you ever saw.
81 had my needle and thread with
me, and I've toggled up my clothes so
they look some better,'' he said.
Couldn't you, please, get me just lit
tie bit of water?''
"Can you friends, refuse me water
Can you, when die SO oon:''
quoted Corb, who had followed me, in
ticndish enjoyment of this abject re-
quest-but something in the Old Mans
eyes went to my heart. Poor blunder-
ing, old black moth, futtering after a