Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-11-27
~" for GRIP.
THE STRIKE
OF BURDOCK.

so you've struck, have you,
B rdockr
TObe HOwser. wiping his greasy
fingers on his jeans trousers, al.
ready plentlfully smeared with
grease and batter, stood looking in
dismdy at the object of his ques
ton. This was huge dog, dirty
y hite, liver.spotted, honely and
solemn, who sat bolt upright, gaz-
ing into vacancy with a contempi =
uOus dcmeanor, while behind him
on the floor stood a plate contain
ing his breakfast, from which he
had turned in scurn.
The man pushed back his bal
tered SOmOrerO and scratched his
shock head in a puzzled way. he
was tail. powerful young front
lersman, with keen blue eyes and
honest face, known all along the
range in Southwest Kansas for his
hone It, bis 10y atty TO his friends
and his unerriug ann, the first two
qualities being less common among
his companions than tue last one.
In those days, if 'cOw puhcher'
was a good marksman. deit with
his lass0, aud with the horse man
ship required OF every expert, he
was respected, but if. too, he was
honest and loyal, he gained the
allegiance of the most depraved OF
his comrades-an allegiance held
in secret, perhaps, as the cowboy
does not often speak sentiment.
We'll, I've stood my own cOOkln'
ever since l lett the Cross Rail
ranch, and though It's been pretty
rocky, I've got along, but may be
it's been CROWN worse an Pvo not
noticed it, tor if an accommodate
in dog as BurdOck turns his back
on it, it must be downright awful.
/ think a mighty slght of that
dog, for he's smart, if he amt
pretty, an want to take good
care of him, bat if he won't eat
slap jack and bacon grease, fixed
up as good as I know how, what's
he goin' 10 live OUT For there :aln't
woman this side of CJrdwOOd, an
none of them could be hired 10
come over here since the county
seat FUSS
Tue dog, with apparent uncon
sciousness. stared straight along
his nose at the wall. His breath
ing expressed, almost as plainly as
speech, the feeling of one who had
borne much, but tor whom the
turning point was reached, who
had patiently endured innumer'
able lDdignlties, but who now
sOlemnly and lOftily, declared re
bellipn.
The man picked up the plate o
batter cake and added it to The
pile of unwashed stone china oil
the greasy table, then compre
hsnsively swept his eye over th'
room. 1t was the interior of bill
idle dugOut, with deep-cased
dIngy windows, almost breas
bigh, with upholstered walls o
rough, brown sandstone ceiling OF
unplaned cottonwood planks, be
tween which sifted the DIRT iron
The sod thstch, and the d I0r OF thu
same boards, greasy and dirty
Opposite the rusty cook stove ant
dishladen table was a bed, will
stIaw mattress and rough brow
blankets, while a rude chest, 1
broken backed wooden chair aud
pine box or two comprised th
seating capacity of the room.
yes, Burdock,' he affirmed, 'm
cookin's rocky, but SOS the rest @
our la, out. wOalJn't blame yOU
r bein' a dog of sense, if you'd pa
out and 60 back to Gods country
3 where you could see woman no'
an then, an eat her cOokln'.
there was one in the country who
work here, I'd surely hire her
come
Burdock did not change hi
position, but his straight, slendt
tail hitherto lying Imply on tn
floor, scraped back and forth o
d be boards as though 10 comme'
dation of this speech. THIS actiol