The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-30
g==Ss=~ ~Ss =0s ~ ~=SsS ~Ss~=Ss>~Ss~=SS~
Our Daily Short Stories
HANK SIMMONS.
BY KENNETH F. HARRIS
Copyright. 1901. by Authors syndicate.)


,orticularly sociable individual, even
r,ben he was in Gods Country"
marc sociability was possible to some
.,+ant The grocery at 1.-The Corners"
-..bicb was the intersection Of the Vim
An Crosbytown and Blockley roads,
+, saline county, Mo-, Gods country
oforesaid, never had the hahitues Of
that popular resort generally lowed
+bat Hank was right smart of good
oomnany-fer hisself. He certainly
seamed to prefer spending his even
inqs on the paternal eighty, mending
harness. reading the weekly paper, or
oven LESS a-settin' gazing blankly
into the fire of hickory logs, to the
harms of converse with the sages of
the soap box Equally he Stunned
osingin' school," and the strawberry
and ice cream festivals allured him
rot. Not" he said, "by a derned
sight
Therefore, he might have been con-
sidered eminently fitted for the soli-
tary life of a sheep herder in the slopes
Of the Jarillas, whittier he had drifted
in course of time, but he had to con-
fess at last that he found it sort O.
lcnesome'' and that meant a great deal
for HIM An ordinarily gregarious
man would probably have gone stark
staring mad in from six months to a
wear, but Hank had now followed the
focks for three years. far from human
habitation and the sound of human
voices, and he was still reasonably
sane
Once in two or three months the sup
ply wagon came around, and then the
driver, Bill Williams, usually stayed
with him a day or two and helped him
TO move camp to pastures new. Occa~
siOnally a Mexican prospector or a
party of Indians on a hunt came into
his range, but the rest of the time
there was no sound but the ceaseless
bleating of his sheep and the quick
crunch of their teeth on the grass; no
sight but the same old everlasting hills,
with their scanty clothing of grease
wood and cactus and stunted pine; no
occupation but to SLOUGH. along after
his imbecile charges. or lounge in the
shade of rock and tree, no companions
ship but that of the misnamed Diablo,
the half breed sheep dog. 1t was no
wonder that he felt it sort of lone
some"
1t was not so much the solitude. he
said afterwards, as the eternal bleat-
ing, bleating, bleating. Or, at least
that in some way acted upon his nerves
and intensified the feeling of loneli-
ness. 1t sometimes happens that a
herder who is not a Mexican suddenly
snaps the cord of his endurance and
runs amuck through the flock. with
awful slaughter. After this happens
he usually kills himself, for the sur
viyors continue to bleat. This is Just
as well. for he would be an awkward
patient to conduct to a lunatic asylum.
But this is beside the story, except
TO explain that Hank was so anxious
TO have Bill Williams stay with him
Tor awhile longer on the occasion of
his last visit, and why Bill was so gem
timely sorry that he could not.
ia like to the best kind, Hank"
SAID the driver. IF Long wasn't short
OF chuck an waitin' fer me on Madre
Chiqueta, I'd do it, but I've got to hit
the trail shore. It's a sinche that you've
gotter come in, though, an I'll shore
bring some hombre to spell you Their
mex trip. Can you stick it out till then?
II you can't, get in the wagon any,
now an let the sheep go to hell. A
mans worth more'n herd of snotty-
nosed sheep"
oh, I reckon I kin stand it till
then sighed Hank; but it's shore
lonesome" And so the long whip
cracked and the brake ground on the
wheels, and the wagon slid after the
trotting mules down the trail.
In two days Hank was sorry that he
mad not climbed into the wagon, and
considered whether he would not do
we'll to strike out afoot for the Madre
Chlqueta; but there were Twin tracks
around the spring, and the corral was a
ran thing, so he gritted his teeth and
stayed, and then in his need came a
man and blackboard to the camp. 1t
Is safe to say that no man ever got a.
heartier welcome.
lie stayed two days, and when he
went displayed his Eastern origin by
asking for the bill"
God!' exclaimed Hank, "ef YOU
only knew how tickled I've ben ter
nave you here! How much do L owe
you, pardner? I'd like ter hire you fer
the next three months jest ter talk ter
me-"
Ihat gave the parting guest an idea.
ne may have realized how this solitary
hefder felt. Perhaps even during his
Drlel journey the dreariness of the
DESERT had entered into his own soul.
-, he uHpdCkeQ MS DIG cow
niue trunk and took therefrom a small
poX and paper parcel. From the box
ne took a curious little machine. upon
wflch he fitted a glossy hollow cylin-
yer from the parcel: lastly attaching
TN funnel and winding up the ar
langement with key. Then, as Hank
sdzed In open-mouthed wonder a Gu
.,ous whizzing sound proceeded from
.ne 1unnel and then in nasal vibrant
eoheS voice which said: Ladies and
gentlemen, fellow citizens: l have no
HESITATION in declaring to you tonight
eldt IN his attitude on the financial
question, the President of the United
oldles has placed himself in direct
ooPposltion to the letter and the spirit
C' .he constitution" Know who that
asked the traveller. Its William
Jennings Bryan. Here, we'll jerk him
V J and try another. Sousa's band.
now do you like that? Here's The
nnl,tIle' Old Red Shawl That Mother
wore Another speech Take the
whole lot and be happy There is a
uoaen records, and they ought to keep
you you rom getting lonesome, for a while,
hank had never seen or heard of
ITnything like this before, and his de-
"snt and gratitude knew no bounds.