The morning call., 1892-12-19
THATTHERE DICKH OSS.

Yes stree, madame. that there Dick boss
Is fat, an he deserves ter be. He gifts all
ne wants ter eat, an allus will while hem /
or alive. an be don't do any work ter hurt
hisself, either, you can bet"
/ had missed my train while on trip
"up country" and was forced to wait sew
eral hours at little station In the middle of
great alkali plain in Colorado. The sta
tiOn-master and yellow dog were the only
living objects In sight. after the stage had
left me at the little matchbox Of station.
aud | had become thoroughly familiar with
every landmark on the treeless plain. the
outlines OF the purple hills in the distance.
and even the shapes of the great masses of
clouds that hung overhead, and was begin
niDg TO find the hours growing cruelty long,
when little mite of girl, about years
old. came galloping over the white road, en-
the back OF a clever-looking gray horse,
carrying on her arm two-stoTy Tin pail,
which proved TO contain the statlon-master's
dinner.
AS she played about. waiting for her
father to dispatch his meal, / made her ac-
quaintance, and presently commented to
the father upon the plump. well-kept con-
ditlon OF the horse she bad ridden I'D. His
reilly l have quoted.
You must be pretty fond Of the pony"
said. surveying the gray's sleek sides.
Now you're talking, madame, an IL you
knew the reason | have ter love that fat
rascal You wouldn't wonder AT IL"
Evidently there was story connected
with the gray, and equally evidently he was
aching to tell il, and forthwith l invited
him 10 do so.
you see," he said. between great bites
OF pie, and tossing q bit of bread to the
horse, who caught IL as dog would, and
ate 1t with great relish. at was when
Babe there was toddling. Me an Kittie,
that's my wife, we'd never had but the one.
was brakin' In them days, an hadn't come
20 this here peg. glancing down at the
wooden leg that did duty for a lost one Of
flesh and bone. ~ allus had a derned
fools temper. an that morning I'd got mad
at klttle COS somethln' or other went wrong
an siung of out the house an up the
road 10 ketch No. for the junction, where
my train lay, without even sayin good-by.
hadn't more n got out of sight the house
when l looked round an there was Babe
s-iOddlln' alter me. ! started first to take
her back ter he house, but | was madeira
q hornet, an without airy a thought Of the
meanness OF the thing l Jest reasoned I'd
take her along as fur's the station an let
kIttie have a scare for not ioOkin' after the
kid better. | eaPlated she'd miss Babe in a
minnit an come a-rushiu' up the road after
ner. Twas only q mile TO the station.
Wen, picked Babe up an was a-carryIn'
her, when along come Joe Lacy In a spring.
Vaughn, a-drivln' this here Dick boss. Joe
was station agent there, an he uSt to drive
Dick boss down an onhitch an tie him to
that there post 10 the shade till nighttime,
when he went home. Well, he picked US
up an give US lift to the station. told
him Kittie was a-comn' down later after
the Kid. We was early, an No. 1 hadn't
crme up yet. She came Down from La
Junta every morning, an l allus ust to
ketch her an make my train at the junction.
They was a frelghtear shunted on
that siding, over there, an No. i was 10
haul IT down TO the junction, Joe told me-
an just as he got Dick boss unhitehed an
was a-tyin' him he remembered the switch
wasn't set right, an leavin' the boss united
be run on to see about II, Tor the train was
Jest a-whistlin' round the bend there
remember what, but he called me to come
an help him. an tellin' Babe to sit still In
the Vaughn, trOtted over to see
what vas wanted. / had to hunt
stone an knock a bolt loose
while Joe held the switch lever, an we'd
Jest about got it right when / heard three
short. blood-curdlin' whistles that l knew
meant danger an hurry up, an looked
round 10 see Babe on the track, an the
train jest haulin' in round the curve. l
couldn't git to her nohow, but started to
run toward her, jest the same, an as I run
tell you / did heap of thinkin'.
realized what durn mean cuss I'd bin to
git mad in the fust place an play Kittie
sech an an ornery trick in the second place,
an I'd got my hand in my hip-pocket
10 pull my gun an Jest blow
my brains out there 'longside OF Babe, fer
knew never could face Kittie agin. Then
saw that there Dick boss dash in Ike a
gray streak, an | amt givin' you no josh
now, SO strike me dead, but he got that kid
by the petticoats in his teeth an snaked
her up and wheeled like flash Jest In time
to 'scape the engine. | remember hea ring
Joe sayin'. My God. look a. that an /
Jest keeled over in dead fainl.
when j come to Kiitie had come along
a-lookln' for Babe, an the whole freight
crew was a-standin' round. and that there
DICK boss was a-eomin' in fer sech praise
as no human bein' ever got / didn't praise
BIN none, but / got my arms round his
neck, an round Kittie an Babe all In q
bunch, an busted cut a-crvin' worse'n ever
Babe done in her life. You bet, ! want
long a-gittin' enough cash together to buy
that there Dick boss, an he's been mine
ever sense ride him up here every morn
Ing with Babe up IN front, an she takes
him home again, COS he's kind o. company
for Kittie when Pm gone. Kttie an /
made 1t up. tell you, an 1t put dead sure
quiet on that temper of mine somehow. /
got caught coupling a year or two ago /;
slipped While l was standin' CD one bumper
waitln' for the other car TO come up, an
when IL came 1t jlst naturally crushed thu
there leg. Then l got this here BERTH I
don't make as much as / did brakin', an
me'n KIttie always gets enough together to
keep that there Dick boss in hay an OATS I"
his story and bis lunch ended together
The station-master handed the pail back to
Babe, lifted the child on the saddle and
that there Dick boss" canlered proudly
away with her down the long white road
-pr,--