Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-03-11

w oC<i1, iiloCutl. tCl btli Il . w uSS II
yer bite. You couldn't git ra'al
mad at me if you tried. But you
/ never cuss yer-oI dad. do you.
Maryl"
! The girl put her hand on each of
his cheeks and gave him a kiss either
Of the boys would have given al ann
for.
| No, pop, but git mighty ri'e:l
| sometimes. though. Yet ! always
excuse you, cause know you don t
know no better.
He slapped her playfully, and they
all surrounded the table and did full
justice to the excellent meal the wo-
man had prepared.
When the boys rode away, they
traversed quite distance in silence
Finally Mat said:
That gal makes me feel queer in
side, Tony A sort of hankelin feel
in. you know. Fust gal ever seed |
thought I'd like to have pack my
brand"
She's sumner Mat, dead sure. l
war just a thinkin I'd sort O like to
git a matermonial rope on her my
self"
Reckon she wouldn't l1eer fur
either one O. US to come nosin round
the home ranch Reckon she's al
ready got a feller staked out some
whar"
You can't always tell. Mat. Girls
is queer critters.
Time passed. and one day Tony
was sent down the river to look for
saddle horses that had drifted off the
range, and on the trip again visited
the Rogers ranch. When he returned
he said to his chum:
Il TUX in the ranch down the river
again. Mat, an | swar I'm getting
stuck on that gal down thar. She
war sweetesn pie. an the ol woman
treated me like she'd known me all
my life. The gal said the T X allus
had such nice felle!s workin fur it,
an Jest as much as to me she thought
a heap o my company.
Mat said but little. His compan-
ions words did not greet his ears
pleasantly, for q very tender feeling
toward the little ranch girl had taken
possession Of the citadel of his own
heart. Ere many days the fates
seemed to smile on him. for his duties
took him to the mouth of Sand creek
alone. When he returned Tony asked:
Wizard you ride to, Mat2''
Down to Sand creek and round
the neigh hborhcod.
See TIE Rogers folks?''
Course did. You don't reckon a
fellers agoin to peep over the bars
into heaven 'thout tryin to climb EN-.
do you? Had stick time down thar"
Did Mary ak about me?'
mo. never heard her mention
nothin bout you. Don't reckon she
ever thought o you ! b'lieve she's
sort O stuck on me. fur she said |
war the most entertaiEin feller she'd
ever talked to. l aSed whose com
pany she liked best 'mong all the fal-
lers she lnowed, an she looked down
at the floor sort O blushylike an
said it wouliin' be modest to answer
that question long as | war thar
She never said no SIGH thing,
Mat She couldn't say it arter talkin
honey TO lie like she did.
You don't reckon I'd lie bout it,
do you7"
"A feller kin reckon wat he pleases
thout sayin it out loud!"
1t Yves the nearest the friends had
ever come to a quarrel, and they
stood and looked at each other in no
amiable mood There was painful
silence Of a few moments, until Tony
said:
"Mebbe she's q cocat, Mat
"A w'at?"
"A cocat, as they call EN-. One o
those gals at never meets feller
'thout DRAWN him Oh till he gifts dead
gone on her, an then gives him the
royal shake by sayin she war only
jokin an didn think it would come
to that. Heartless cocats, they call
EN-"
Mary Rogers ism t no sich sort of
a gal, Tony, an don't want to hear
you say SO no MOI She give me hon
est talk an she meant it.
She gave me jest as nice talk.
Watts she tryin to rope two critters
at one throw fur sif she amt a co
catl"
She amt never slung but one
rope, an know who it tightened
on | won't talk to you no mo- till
you git hobble on yer sense.
And he walked away in anger, the
bitter feeling toward his friend great
ly intensified
For several days they would speak
to each other only on matters con-
nected with their work Each now
regarded the other as a rival, and
each believed the other had spoken
falsely regarding the attentions paid
him by the down river ranch girl.
At every opportunity they would
separately visit the Rogers ranch,
each aware of the others visits. The
girls name was never mentioned be-
tween them. but their eyes, when
they met, mirrored the bitter enmity
which filed their hearts One day
Mat sat for an hour revolving the
matter in his mind and determined
to bring it to focus. Approaching
Tony. he said
I'm w-iliin to do the squar thing.