The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-11
THAT WATERMELON.

ne puSneu AWAY Une pluUe nolVlnB " seq
ment of dcwy, pinky fruit, 81 don't eat
watermelon. and III tell you why.
Il was quite u youngster when 1 got
the ranch fever and started out with
,ousin of about my own age for n big cat
tie ranch IN Texas in which y IS father was
financially Interested 1t was our first
trip of the kind, and we were both young
Ind pretty green-typical tenderfeet, in
hct.
1.-THE ranch was 95 long, weary miles
from the nearest town and railroad, and
you can fancy our feelings when, after rid
ing over this distance on two of the most
angular little Texas bronchos ever given
to equestrian novices, we arrived at our
destination, to find no one at home but
the caretaker and a couple of men, all the
rest having gone off on long round up.
1t was early autumn and fine weather,
but the place looked dismal enough not
suggestion of civilized comfort. The care
| taker advised us to remain. Said we might
! be sent for any moment to join the outfit,
| as there was short count of men just
then, but told us frankly we would have
| to rough 1t, as provisions were pretty low.
"It wasn't precisely what we had antici-
pated when we made our gilt edged plans
ut home, but we couldn't turn back at
once, and to tell the honest TRUTH we
| didn't want to strike that return trail to
the railroad until our bruises had healed
| UP little. We did rough it for sure.
| Our diet was principally beans and tallow,
not appetizing, although we were hungry
| enough at meal times to eat shoe leather
! We generally practiced riding and roping
all day under the tuition of the caretaker
in order to fill the bill if sent for suddenly
to join the outfit, and we took a general
lesson in caring for the stock and working
round the place
after about three weeks of it my cousin
gave out; said his stomach wouldn't stand
any more beans and he was going to start
| for civilization He had had enough of
ranching to last him Il lifetime. SO he left
in disgust, but l staid on. l had come to
stay. l expected to rough it good deal,
and, although l didn't altogether enjoy it,
l wanted to see the thing through.
| ga week later word was received at the
ranch that one of the boys had been hurt,
and as l was the most available of the
home force was notified to start off and
take his place. Perhaps you can imagine
my Importance l fairly bristled with
youthful pride. The outfit was about $50
miles to the south of us, and on my way
! there / was obliged to pass through the lit
tie town where my cousin and left the
| railroad on arriving in Texas II occurred
to me that under the circumstances of the
past month, and presumably of some future
months, n good, square meal would gid the
present moment and possibly lend a halo to
both past and future, SO proceeded to look
up the best restaurant in town-sort of
feeding trough in the slough of civiliza.
ton, it proved, with the queerest old duifer
standing in the doorway.
HE was using "a toOthpick upon the one
tooth which graced his jaws, had jeans
trousers stuffed into cowhide boots and II
dirty sombrero on the back of his grizzled
old head, but his responses to my plea for
dinner gave him for the moment an i'm
portance and attractive personality not
possessed by the governor of the state
"'Have you any nice beefsteaksy' asked.
You bet
"'Can you broil me a good big one?'
"'You bet.
ocean you fry me some nice potatoes,
crisp?'
You bet
"'And coffee? But 1 didn't wait for
another You bet. l gave the order and
sat down in the bar, my mouth fairly wa
tering il anticipation of Il real dinner once
more. Alter u month of beans and tallow,
you can fancy what visions of juicy steak
and nicely Drowned potatoes fitted through
my brain | could just catch the fumes OF
tile onion and pork frying deliciously and
fancied could hear the little sizzle as the
potato slices were dropped in.
II was so incent upon the thought OF
my coming feast that | never noticed q
great hulkipg fellow who walked into the
bar, and ordering large watermelon, cut
it open and began to eat Presently heard
II mil al I cln Lnx-s
taken warning from that very mildness
but l hadn't sense enough Have some
melon, sonnyy'
"'No, thanks, said l carelessly.
"'Oh, do It's fine.
"'Thanks, but I've ordered my grub
Really, yer better try jest little.
This rather insinuatingly.
'If had not been SO Internally green
might have taken warning. AS it was
what with my swelled head at the prospect
of becoming full fledged cowboy an(
those dinner air castles, l lost my temper
"'Ive already told you my grub is or
dered. l don't want your melon.
WAL now, reckon yen change ye
mind, sonny, now, won't cher?' and tn,
first thing knew l was looking down tn,
mouth of his gun, pointed right at III.
T nose and not "a foot away. Talk of can
? mons! Why, that revolver barrel locke,
big enough for me to crawl into. ] thinl
1 must have turned green instead o
; white.
" Il reckon yer changed yer mind now
r hain't yer, sonny?'
: 'If ever any one felt like murder, di'
that moment But tell you was scared
> l begged. pleaded with the old ru1llan
=. l told him | had been filling up on bean
{ and tallow for month and just had TIN
chance of one decent meal. l urged hin
to join me, brihed him with drinks. l
was no use. Jest "a leetle bit, sonny jes
: a leetle bit more he drawlcd, when
finally concluded it best to sail in and jes
a leetle more it was until ! had finlsnu
every morsel of that wretched meloI. whii
he-blamed old beggar-held his gun !.
my head
: "Talk about records! / must hold IT,
t championship easily. When found / ia
/ to eat Vent at it double quick. / didn'
like the look in tho old sinners eye.
didn't know what other schen.r might b