The Van Buren press., 1899-01-07

6Sleu tue Alu.
"Why not do it yourself?" asked the
foreman. Nobody is holding YOU"
What, me?" said the Kid, in shaky
voice; I'm only boy" and went away
| to bed
We sat around the table some time
longer, smoking and drinking hot eof.
| fee. AS the clock struck for midnight
the mess-house door was flung open-as
| thought by stronger gust of wind
Turning to look, l found myself looking
| into the muzzle of one of Laraway's
guns. He stood in the doorway with his
eyes afire and gun in either hand
(Which one of you dogs has got my
Bible?" he cried. "Its not in the hole,
and I'll give you just ten seconds to
| produce it,"
snow, Laraway," said the foreman, in
smooth tone, you got the drop on us
all right, but tell you it's Gods truth
| that not a man here knows anything
about your Bible. We thought you had
dug it up and was half way to town by
| now"
Stop that driyeling and get the
| Bible" growled Laraway, and the ham.
mers went "click, click" as he raised
them both. 'I'll pot few of you before
you get out of this"
1t looked as though some one was
going to get hurt. All the hot coffee
had been drinking came to the surface
in perspiration. Every man in the room
was looking square at Laraway, And to
every man it seemed that the pistols
were looking square at himself
| The Kid always was sandy-and
freckled Half an hour before he had
skunk off to bed. Now, just at the right
moment, he skunk up behind Laraway,
| jumped onto his back like a cat, put
both his freckled hands to the mans
throat, and brought him down. The
! guns went off through the roof.
| Mr.. Laraway was tied to his bed that
night and many nights after. He had
severe attack of brain fever, from
which he came out as weak as a baby.
During his convalescenee he never
sion to liquor. During those days a
strong and quiet friendship grew up be-
tween Laraway and the Kid.
The "old man" was visiting his ranch
es that season, and took great interest
in the sick man; told him to go off
somewhere and get well and hearty be-
fore trying to work again; said his pay
should go on exactly as though he were
in the saddle. But Laraway said: I've
no place to go that like half so well as
this old ranch, and no friends so good as
| these" So he stayed around camp and
made hair brides and cinches, and read
books, and helped the cook, and did all
those things that a man (var. cowboy
does only when he is invalided
| Among the visitors whom the "old
man" entertained at the ranch that
spring was MITCHELL the famous mind
reader One Sunday afternoon he vol
unteered to show the boys what he
could do. He gave us a show that
couldn't be beaten on any stage. We
had objects all over the place and kept
him chasing around for an hour.
| At last Mitchell said: "This is all
dead easy for me; it doesn't amuse me.
You all know where these objects are
| placed, and the trail is hot to them.
| Now" said he to the Kid, who had been
one of the most interested participants;
"you fix your mind on something whose
whereabouts is known only to yourself,
and which you don't want me to find"
He took the Kids hand and began to
| Iar n l,,i1Js,nc Txx-ina ho
circled the corrals, then, getting his
bearings, made a bee-line for a small,
bowlder-strewn butte a quartermile
away, BY this time he was fairly drag
ging the reluctant Kid along, and the
cook, who had often charged the boy
with raiding the commissary at night,
rejoiced openly
"I'll bet boiled dinner" said he, that
we find cache of canned goods up in
| these rocks"
The mind-rcader halted at the first
big bowlder, and the boys quickly
| turned il over The bed of the rock was
a rounded hole, some three feet deep,
and at the bottom lay small black
hook-Laraway' Bible. At sight of
il we fell back a step and stood about
the hole as solemnly as at grave. The
Kid was blubbering. 81 didn't mean no
harn,' said he.
Laraway had been in the second rank
of those who followed the mind-reader
up the hill; now he crowded to the
front and looked in
"My Bible, by God" he cried, and
jumped into the hole. AS he came out
with the book in his hand, and strobe
down the hill without word to anyone,
he tore out the fly-leaf upon which he
had written his pledges. / picked it
up and kept it as a record of noble en-
| deavor.
you've got the sand presently said
the foreman to the Kid, who was still
sniveling.
"But it did no good" sobbed the boy.
Nothing will ever do him any good"
asserted the foreman, gloomily.
We turned our back to the Kids
cache, now despoiled, and walked slow
ly down the hill. For some time there
was no comment on the foreman's con-
clusion. We heard a clatter of hoofs
! on the hard road as Laraway spurred
away toward town.
Then the Kid lifted his head Che was
ever a stubborn youngster). I'll save
him yet" he said.-San Francisco Ar
gonaut.
| Safe Criticism.
Cardinal de Retz asked Menage, the
celebrated French critic and scholar, 10
| n.i,n u fnn came iden Of nnetrv that he