The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-04

Rr was not a pretty story, but 1t was
more. II was fraught with that prin-
tive ruggedness one gets an impress
sion OF along with cutting prairie
y winds, bucking broncbos. the crack OF
. revolver, the whiz OF a bullet.
The fellows name was Thompson, and
he could handle a bunch OF steers with
the best OF them. but there was an air
Of metropoiitanism about him tnat assoEt-
ed III with his surroundings. And although
he drank harder, swore better and went
rougher than any man OF them. he mad
never been able to live down his nickname
Of East Side" Thompson Under the IN
fiuence Of rolling prairfes. the Doundless
sweep OF cloud and sky, an Intimacy Win
the elements and reliance upon 1othing
but his own wit and courage. man grows
to be d strong. sagacious. vital creature,
so different from our circumscrtbed IDEAS
Of a man that for want OF better term
we call him Cow puncher-
The Three-x outfit Of COW punchers had
been on the trail more than a month, ana
according TO all precedent ana reason tus
rains should have set In weeks before, but
they had not. The grass that had sprung
up with the nrst early showers had scared
and died before the next rain came 70 keep
It alive. The shallow, sluggish httie
streams Of brackish water that crawieo
along the bottoms OF their beds. which
the year before had been swollen beyond
their banks. finally gave out utterly. In
every direction the white alkali plains
giistened away to the meeting line or the
sky In an infinitude Of isolation. The old
est fnhabitant In all that country round
could not recall winter that equaled
this In dryness.
Howbcit, Nevada was then a new state.
and the population migratory. Wilson, the
boss OF the outfit. had hoped to get out
OF the sagebrush country and strike the
California line somewhere above Bodie by
the end OF lie first month out, but there
was no rain, no water and the plains
lay IN open cracks. Day after day the
sun arose. smiled down upon the parched
little bunch OF men and cattle fourteen
long hours as he sailed across the cloud
less sky, serenely unconscious OF the male
dictions hurled against him, while the
bare, burning prairie stared back In un-
blinking defiance. There were gorgeous
sunsets every evening moments when the
great fiery bali seemed almost to stand
still 10 give a long backward glance be-
fore dropping out of sight. and with
Midas touch turn all the world to molten
gold. But to the played out COW puncher
sunset means nothing but bedtime-bed-
time after = hard. parched. hopeless day.
There were clear. chaste moonlight nights
OF wondrous radiance. too. but the moon
was seen only In the early morning, when
they rose to another day. more nard. more
parched. more hopeless. The cattle-mere
gsring about In crazy circles. too weak
to need watching. the three KS on their
ranks reduced to half the original size
by the shriveling of the hide, or fell
heavily TO the earth. to rise again, after
many seasons Of sun and shower. az
prairie flowers and salt grass Their bel
lowing was reduced TO = moan almost
human In its misery. for tho one voice
common to all created things. animal or
human. II the voice OF suffering
The Missourian. n great hulking young
fellow. was the first OF the men to show
signs Of weakening. That is the most ter
ribie moment In all like experiences. when
the men who have held on grimiy and en-
dured together see one OF their number
losing his grip. This had been an ILL
assorted OUTFIT when they started out with
the cattle across the plains. but standing
together. shoulder to shoulder, defying
death against fearful odds. knits a man
deeply into the life of his fellow. Among
these men there was no spoken sympathy
no overt act OF Kindness. but In their very
rullenness was that grimmest OF all sac
rirces. each man enduring I'm stole silence
In order that he might not intrude his
own sunerings upon his already over
crowded neighbor The clinching OF the
lips TO suppress groan when one IL
thirst maddened may require more hero
ism than facing cannon With flags fly
Ing and drums beating, inasmuch as he
that ruleth his own spirit Ii greater than
he that taketh a city"
Al last one day the Missourian gave out
utterly. He was not of the cowboy build
In tho nrst place. but his splendid horse
manship and enthusiasm had induced
Wilson. the boss. or Yankee Bill." as he
Vas called. 20 take him on. In his dcIir-
ium he lay and cried for water. day and
night He hlubbcred and begged for
water. and called upon the names OF those
he had known In his childhood. Every
man went about his own business which
vas largely tho formulating Of fervent
and eloquent oaths anent the heat the
drouth and the delay. and apparently no
one heard his cries, Water was the one
thing he wanted and tho one thing they
could not act. so. after they had put hts
boots under his head TO make him COM
Portable. they let him alone Under ordi-
nary circumstances a Missonrianl more or
less was OF no great consequence to yam
Nee Bill," hut this break in the ranks
shattered the last V~Stigc of hope. what
ever may have been done after that in
the EFFORT 10 Keep up their spirits vas
mere crsvadc. for each man toresaw the
end
The Mi-souFian had been a quiet sort I'm
the camp, and no one had heard him talk
much. bat now he talked necessarily In
the soft. thick dfaNi % thu South. And
always OF home scenes ~ the memories
OF hoyhood thai whettcd the cdge % their
torture TN q was beyond au enduring
New he was nshinx along some stream
and swearinE in round terms at some
'fathesd nixgrr Tor soaring the FISH. now
he was iu school struggling With some
rroblem he could never solve beyond
VARY seven Always coherent enough
20 call ap memories - their own minas
OF youth missrcnt Tor the most part
Thay could nas move further away lee
cause they were campcd under the ONLY
shade IN sight They thought ~ av8ex.nx
him on beyond earshot, bart while every
one would have been giAt 60 have Il done
no man could DO h himself Their horny
hands had sr0wn semitic Ia their minis
tertng touches
Escape Was long since ogt ~ the ques-
tian for the horses were worse OF than
the men, not one OF them e0uid carry a
saddle. much less a rider zach man
had saved a last charge In hts revolver
Knowing that that perhaps would be their
only deiivcraRce from death too hor-i-
bile TO name Al hu, Fast Side" who.
when a decision had 10 be made between
himself and his horse, had iod her ont