Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-12-10
CHAPTER VI.
,IL1s pEcENsus AynRr

SAAl1yI 10y VA
FAoIL1s DEcENsus AvnRNI.
Macpherson left me to my own H.
vices after the snaok-luneheon a1a
went his way hillward to look fSs
strays In the northern gslohss,
'1f you feel like riding few lines
after awhile, have Andy ssddle
'Clubfost' for you. He's forgotten
how to buck and it you can keep
him from breaking his leg In dog
hole he'fl bring you back all right"
he said, at parting; adding, as a
stirrupword: "But I shouldn't ride
too far, If I were you. You're gain
ing by kangaroo-jumps now, and
you mustn't get setback"
So much for well mans advice to
An ill one whe, having ridden more
than was meat the previous day, was
minded to stay at home and let the
saddle-bruises heal. But in mid
afternoon one OF the microscopic in
cidents which change the courses Of
rivers, decide the fate of nations,
and reverse the plans of mice and
men, came between, and the horse
with the epithetical name had his
amb1e afield.
The incident was the inability of
Andrew the Desperate to maintain
his fair share of any conversatior.
BY two o'clock he was answering in
monesyllables; by three direct
question elected no more than q nod
OF head-shake; at half-past he was
qmUe uu1np---s --..+A- and inglorioua
eamp-cook, fit company fer neither
gods nor men At four lcauacitJ
surrendered at discretion, the animal
with the opprobr1eus name was put
in requisitien. and rode away to be
with silence of Natures making.
Behold, now, how great . matter 9
little fire hndlethl If the well-in
tentioned desperate had possessed g
few more phrases to be rehearsed al
need, there would have been for bis
would-be gossip no meditatiye ambls
up the valley in the cool Of the day;
no attack of unreasoning and alto
gether uncalled-for curiosity; nc
meteoric descent into the Torolita1
Avernus; and no-but let US not an
ticipate.
Barring the saddle-bruise remind
ers, and the prickings of the thor1
| in the flesh of illness-which use ant
time win finally dull for the leas
heroic sufferer-the ride up the val
ley was q pure delight. The after
| noon was perfect. The atmospher,
was like a draught Of fine old wine
the tumbllng thunder of the rive
was sweet music to any traffic
bruised ear of the cities; and tn,
color-scheme Of the mighty noun
tains on either hand was full of sof
| grays and soothing browns. TIL
/ completeness of it was soul-satisfy
ing, and it was easy to understand
how, upon such day and with sucl
accomplishments, well man nigh
rejoice in the mere fact Of life. Alsc
| it was less difficult TO oomprehen,
the reluctance of one Angus tn
First to abdicate and go into exile a
the decree of any syndicate Of ther
all. 1t was hopeless lapse int
medlevalism, one would say, but a
the moment could cheerfully hav
seen the plans of the land company
with all the prospective benefits t
the many which they contemplated
come to naught to the end that thi
sequestered corner Of great nature
domain should not be married by dis
figuring plowshares.
! This thought and it's entail ran
the reflective changes what time tn
bronco was topping the swell fror
which the settlement at Valley Hea
came into view. Curiously enough
the clustered farmsteads and tile
fields of the small colony We're ia
from suggesting that they were tn
precursors of the tidal wave of at
riculture and banality which woul
presently sweep down the pleaSan
valley in the wake Of the great irr
cation canal. The line between wild
flowers and weeds is not sharpl
drawn. The bull-thistle is thing c
beauty ms a single plant. and it
only when it becomes ruthless II
vader that we wage war upon it an
strive to stamp it out. Macpherson
cattle on the rolling swells, and TIL
email seasoning of humanity at tn
meeting point of the mountains, wer
the artistic accent in great nature
picture. But they sufficed.
AT the summit of the swell con
handing view of the mountain
guarded strath of the settlers, / we
minded to turn back; but the clul
footed one shifted the cool bree2
pouring down from the upper cal
yon and asked, horsewise, wit
gentle tuggings and champings, fe
q free rein. 1t was given, and W
| nriftud on, past The dasHrtcd sphpc