The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
. oLIMPsE OF LOVE.
Alkali Dicks Strange Misad.
venture Abroad.
BY BRET

He WAS a COWBOY" A reckless and daabino
rider. yet mindful OF his horses necds; rood.
hunored by nature, but quick In quar- ell; indie
pendent Of circumstance, yet shy and sensitive
or opinion; abstemious by education and general
habit, yet Incorporate in relaxation; ~self.cen. |
tired, yet possessed Of a childish vanity. bo
was . Characteristic product OF tho western
plains, which he should have never left. But /
reckless adventure after adventure had brought
him Into difficulties. from which there was only
one equally adventurous escape-he Joined a
company Of Indians engaged by Buffalo Bill 10
simulate before civilized communities the |
sports and customs of tho unrivilized. In |
divers Christian arenas Of tho nineteenth
century he rode as n northern barbarian
Of an earlier date might hive dlsported before
the Roman populace, but harmlessly, Of his
own free will. and OF some little profit to him.
self. He throw the lasso under the curious eyes
OF languld men and women OF tho world, eager
for some new sensation. with admitting plaudita
from them and a half contemptuous egotism Of
his own. But outside OF the arena he was lonely.
lost. and impatient for excitement An ingen.
ious attempt to paint the town rod" did not
commend itself as q spectacle TO the household
srs who lived In the vicinity OF Earl's Court,
London. and Alkali Dick was hailed before a re-
spectacle magistrate by a serious policeman and
hned as II he had heen only q drunken coster. A
Inter attempt at Paris to "incardine " the neigh
borhrod Of the Champ dc Mars and round up"
anumber of boulevardiers met with q moro dis
astrous result-the elesm of steel from mounted
gcndarmes and n mandate to his employers. So II
came that one night, after the conclusion OF
the performance, Alkali Dick rode out Of the
corral gate Of the hiprodrome with his last
weeks salary In his pocket and an imprecation
on his lips. He had shaken the sawdust Of the
49,. ArA~N fHNtw, q ht-I I'LL. "a 49,
he would shake of the white dust Of Franco.
and the effeminate soil of all Europe also. and
embark at once for his own country and the far
West. A moro practical and experienced man
would have sold his horse at the nearest market
and taken train 20 Havre, but Alkali Dick felt
himself incomplete on terra lrma without his
mustang-it would be hard enough to part from
1t on embarking-and he had determined to ride
TO the seaport. He was ignorant OF the lam
Eurse, but with "Havre" upon his lips, and q
Western faculty Of finding roads. he would sue
coed. Besides, be would be less likely to be
troubled with foreign company on the road than
In a train.
Tho spectacle Of q 1.-the horseman. clad in q
Rembrandt sombrero. velvet jacket. turnover
collar almost Van Dyke in its proportions,
white trousers and high boots. with long curl
ing hair falling over his shoulders and a pointed
beard and mustache.w was O picturesque one. but
still not q novelty to the late-suppinR Parisinns,
who looked up under the midnight gas rs he
passed, and only recognized one OF those men
whom Paris had agreed to designate as Booho
Bills" going home. A few gendarmes looked
suspiciously after him. But Alkall Dicks van
ity was already surfeited with the Impression
able admiration displayed by male and female
Paris for him and his companions, and he was
too eager nov to got away to wish even a hilari.
Gus conflict with the police. He kept his tongue
and his temper until be had passed the bar
riers' and Notifications, and 1t was only whom he
was fairly on the road to st. German that he
gsve vent to . Characteristic veil and loosened
the reins Of his mustang. Al 8 O'Clock he
pulled up at . vayside cabaret or inn. preferring
It TO the publicity Of q larger hotel, and lay till
morning. The slight CONSERVATION OF the cabaret
keeper and his wife over this long-haired phan.
tom. with glittering. deep-set eyes. was soothed
By . royalty flung gold coin and q few words
of French slang picked up in the arena. which
with the name Of Havre-comprised Dicks
knowledge Of the language. But he was touched
with their ready and intelligent comprehension
of his needs. and their genial IL not SO compre
hensive loquacity. Luckily for his quick tenn
per. he cid not know that they had taken him
for . travelling auack doctor going to the fail
Of Yyetot and that madame had been on the
point OF asking him for q magic balsam tc
prevent migraine. He was up betimes and
away. giving o wide berth to the larger towns
taking byways and cutoffs, yet always with the
Western pathhnder's instinct, even among these
alien popiar-haunted plains, low-banked, willow
fringed rivers, and cloverless meadows. The
white sun shining everywhere-on dazzling
Grhors, summer houses. and trellises, on light
green vines and delicate pea rows; on the white
trousers. jackets, and shoes of smart shop
keepers or holiday makers: on the white head
dresses Of nurses and the white winged caps OIL
the Sisters OF St vincent-all this grew monoto
nous TO this native Of still more monotonouI
wastes. The long. black shadows Of short
blue-skirted. sabotted women and short
blue-bloused, sabotted men slowly working
In tho fields with slow oxen, or still
slower. heavy Norman horses. the same horses
gayly bedecked. dragging. slowly, DOT only
heavy VA IONS. but their own apps rently most
monstrous weight, over the white road, ~fretred
his nervous Western energy. and made hin! m
he found some relief on entering a ~trackIes:
wooi; not the usual formal av nue. Of equl-iis
upon the open feld, b t ,pparentIy a gennins
forest. as Wild as one o Il sown Oak bottoms
selves across his path, his mustan- s hools sunE
in deep pits OF moss and last years withered
is ,n.d to trailing vifss taught Eau b.o. b: so@ heavy stir Il,
pet the s"me sylvan gla e. ne was in fancy
est, and encompassel BY its, vast din
etlences. He did not know tb he hac
In tact only penetrated an ancient park, which IL
former days o hoed to the winding fanfare o.
the chase. and was still. on stated occasions
swept over by accurately greeIrC Dated Parisiani
AM ~green-plumed Dianas. who had come dowr
BY train. To him IL meant unlettered and un
presrripted freedom. He rose in his stirrupt
an sent a characteristic yell ringing down Thu
dim aisles before him. But alasi at the same
moment his mnstang. accustomed to the hrmel
grip OF the ~prairies, In ! 'shing out stepped upor
aslimy root and fell heavily. rOllin; over hi
elinglng and still unsteady rider. For a few
seconds both lay still. Then Dick extricatec
himself with an oath, rose giddily. dragged III
his horse. who. alter the fashion OF his race. wal
nieekiy succumbing TO his reclining posit on, ant
then became aware that the un ortunate beas
wss b IDLY sprained In the shoulder and temper
arDy lame! The sudden recollection that b.
was some miles from the road, and that the SUI
was sinking. concentrated his scattered facul
ties. The prospect OF sleeping out in that sum
mer woodland was nothing TO The pioneer-hret
pick he could make himself and his horse com
Portable anywhere, but he was delaying his ar
rival al Hsvre. He must reg in the high roat
or some wayside Inn. He glanced around him
The WESTERNS sun was a guide for his genera
direction; the, road must follow 1t north o