The Van Buren press., 1896-08-08
But They "Tore out from There"

But as | said before Inc and BullY
we tore out from there, and | had to
let him work in the lead, whilst | was
burnin the wind as high private in
the rear ranks. Man, sir, we went
acrost the square, hittin the high places
only, and started up the main street.
hut two or three men saw us eemin
and run out and headed us off. Then
we turned and made another. dark
streak acrost the square, and started
off towards the hills where the sun
went down.
$50 it, dadburh you, to sunset and
a hotter place than that if you want
to-" says I to Bully, "but if somethin
don't break or slip your Marse Rufus
will be with you when the even stars
sing together"
About that time another crowd Of
men saw the cloud risin and run ont
and headed us and turned us back
acrost the square. We then started out
To take the jackson Trail road, which
| didn't know where in creation it
would lead us. But | was right in be-
hind Bully sometimes runnin like a
quarter horse and sometimes slidin like
a baseball man comm home to base
tryin my level blamdest to gain on him
enough to slip my hands up to the
leather part and save Uncle Luke's
whip. And we didn't take the Jackson
Trail road neither. Another crowd
headed us off and oncst more we tore
up the earth acrost the square. Then
and Bully he snorted and pitched out
down the old Stage road towards
Panther Creek
"Now, dad blame your slab-sided,
razcr-bacl pictures, | hope they will
open the way and turn us out and let
MS CO. says | to Bully as l spit in one
handand caught fresh holt on the whip;
"and if / amt dead when we git to
Panther Creek | will kill beef, con-
sound you, and save Uncle Lule's
whip"
But it never had been wrote down in
the books that way. Me and Bully
amongst us had now raised such a
monstrous dust and confusionment till
the crowd closed in around the out
lines of the square and wouldn't even
let us take the old stage road and go
on homo to Panther Creek. They head
cd us off and turned us back at every
street and corner, and whooped and
hollered till ] thought in my soul that
Bully would break my neck and tear
himself in two. If he tried oncst he
tried so times to but our way through
the crowd and leave town, but the
crowd wouldn't let us go. 1t was a
free circus to them town people. you
understand, with me and Bully in
the ring, and all that we could do was to
follow the circle and burn the wind
round and round and round the square.
Finally at last Bully give quick,
euddent lunge, the whip slipped off of
the staff and we two parted. l Sided
half way acrost the square on my face
and the brow band of my breeches, and
when | looked back | saw Bully leavin
black streak in the other direction,
with Uncle Lukc's whip windin and
~ III anu Nui III anu tNlNAiil tt9 II NtAtt
a glimmerin through Che air.
Right then | felt like l would raley
love to die, though | didn't quite do
that. But l was already bruised and
bunged up and bleedin and down, so I
Jest turned loose and tainted and laid
there in it,
When l come back to my senses the
men folks had picked me up and put
me in the wagon, and sent for two doc
tors and "A preacher. But the first
thing | saw when | opened my eyes
oncst more upon the wonders of this
world was Uncle Luke Willis standin
there by the wagon with his long whip
in his hand. They told me that a big
crowd of men had caught BULLY and
got the whip, then tied bundle Of fod-
der TO his tail and stuck fire to it and
turned him out towards the sunset
hills.
But the naked sight Of Uncle Luke's
whip was both medicine and ointment
for me. And when we got back home
10 Panther Creek that night / was
right bad disfigured and tremendous
tired and hougry, but still handsome.
still healthy and still happy.
RUFUS bSEDERs