The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-10


and be can tell the difference in a min
ute. But the dry, cracking pine forests
are his chief enemy. and they are burn
ing IN from six 70 twenty places In his
view all the time.
Night and day ne and his helper. Barney
keep an eye on these fires, contemplating
the smoke In the day time the bright red
spark by night A fire VIII stay In one
spot for days, neither spreading nor DYING.
just burning deliberately. til suddenly il
will flash high and run like a mammoth
snake in some direction. If it goes away
from the SNOW sheds, Hank is unconcern-
ed, though it burns a million acres bare
and he watches it only 10 be sure 1t does
not turn back or circle around toward his
property
Now. one reason why Hank is there ev-
cry summer is that no man knows better
than he the topography of those parts Of
the Sierra Nevadas. He has been a trap
per, miner. hunter, gambler. barkeeper,
packer, storekeeper, Mayor. brakeman.
guide, stage coach driver, all in and
around there Another reason is that the
company pays him a satisfactory wage
and treats him well. The third reason is
private, and he tod 1t to me one evening
after supper outside the cabin on Red
Mountain, when Barney had eleaSed up
the tins and was gone to sleep prepara-
tory to the second watch of the night.
Hank stood as he talked, his booted legs
apart, his hands caught easily behind
him. A long brown beard covered his low
er face but the sharp, straight eye show
ed the Jay was firm and the genial
wrinkles that rippled away from the tail
Of his eyes around to his temple must
have had kindly mouth to match them.
Il never knowed tin cisco burned what
allied Hank Randolph, boy" he said.
Twas just tarnal feelin' But a feelin'
can eat yer heart out same ez a thiukin'
spell. and l wonder mine didn't speak be-
fore il did. | knowed il was all wrong.
somehow 1t set me movin' West In the
first place and kept me movin' constant
after that. Thar warnt no rest for Hank.
Sometimes l felt a little easier, an / re-
member some of those times One was
when l druv the coach out o Dutch Fiat
a hard, long drive, the worst on the road,
an il took a good shot as well as a good
rein. I was the best shot in these here
parts and / was the best hand on six
horses. too, an I thought that ought 10 be
enough, for, yer see 1 made tn mistake o
thinkin' as how to be the best at a thing
was the best thing that was.
1T amt. It's great, but that feelln' don
last It's just mean pride, vanity like the
best-dressed girl at a hoe-down hez. NO
thai amt the thing. An | know, mind ye
| know. If / thought bein the best was
the best, you wouldn't ketch me braggin
about IL nok. l tried it bein sheriff o Cisco
an cleaned out that town; l cleaned
ONT that druned town so burned clean that
burned near ruined it keepin' bad char
acters from spendin' their money there
And that was all o bein' the quickest hand
10 draw a gun. and the lightest on a trig-
ger that ever held up a shootin' game o
poker for yer life or yer money.
And when a committee OF the cluzeiiS
come 10 me an says; Hank Randoiph, you
are a durn good sheriff. al right but yer
too burned good a sheriff fer this here
town then l says, ansWern EN- pul
speakin' a idea l had thunk out o
nights. I seq, sez I: I know it, gents But
I'm here in this town to stay. l ain
perticlar about bein' sheriff, only so Iona
as [ am sheriff l got 10 do just what m
a-doin' now. If you don't like me as a
sheriff. make me yer Mayor, an gents Il
any durn fool sheriff comes along an does
what I'm doin, I'll fix that son-of-a-gun
you bet
'sAn' they seen tn point an they made
me Mayor, calm a lection right off. Thai
proved 10 me that l had been wrong al
along. Now, mind We. l didn't think 1t ou'
al that time for / didn't have much time
to think. | got back all tn fellers ID
druv out before when l was sheriff" Ht
looked and his face was serious, as his
thoughts seemed TO be.
How omever," he said at last, with q
Jerk, as his eye went up over the Sierras
10 the forest fires in the distance, "tha
fire showed me what was what. Wher
everybody picked up an got out after thai
fire 10 skedaddle off TO Dutch Flat or any
other town, l shouldered my rife ana
moped off up the river till / was alone
Then I thunk. 1t began by my thinking
would / be willing to go down TO som'
other town 10 work for living, and
seq to myself, ses l, No, Hank Randolph
an Til reason is not because you can
deal cards or pack packhorse, or drive
a stage or get III drop with the best maj
that travels the Pacific slope, but jes
because you got 10 be tn top O. tn hear
or squirm We got tn be tn highest witt
everybody below or yer natur will ca
yer insides out
so / camped alone and l worked TO
meself till / got this job on Red Noun
tain. Am l satisfied? Well, 1 reckon
| Thar amt no more o. that Wautin' some
thin We don't know now. My NATURE
wiilin'. like Barneys, who. mind We, il
Just tn opposite from me. He bankers
| for, a boss, not because he wants 10 b
bossed. for 1 don't believe he'd stand mucl
! o. that but Jest because he hez to have
somebody over him. And ez for me,
| don't seem to want to do much bossin'
I'm boss without no bossin' an that suit
me to a T. Now which kind of a MAI
are you goin' III be when We grow up