The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1901-01-19

less pace, and struck into the road that
led down the valley at swinging gal
Iop. A queer, even outlandish little fig
ure his must have seemed to stranger.
He wore cap, made after his own de-
sign, OF wildcat skin with the fur out
and artistically decorated with turkey
feathers. His coat, three sizes too large
streamed tatters in the wind. A pair OF
oyer-alls that had once been blue were
thrust into pair OF shoes, improvlsed
from some ranchman's cast-otf rubber
boots, by the simple device OF cutting
away the tops. The little brown horse
was appropriately shaggy and wild
eyed. but 81 small and thin that the
heavy chain bride he wore, was absurd.
Alfred peering eagerly down the long
valley road, deserted, coming, a man on
a bony white horse, leading pack pony
The boys round, greasy, cheerful face,
grew even more cheerful. He stood in
his stirrups and waved his hand.
"Hullo, Daddy" he cried as the man
approached. what lucky" The trap
per who was also this child's father made
no reply. When they met he merely
grunted. But Alfred remained happy.
They understood each other-these two.
The trapper was more repulsive than
his son. He had all the boys ragged
ness and dirtiness and semi.ferocity.
without the saving salt OF youth and its
concomitauts, buoyancy and irresponsi-
bility. All decent men who lived in
houses and reared their childred like
unto other mems, hated him, because
he chose to live like the animals he
hunted. and trained his child as If he
had been a dog, to hunt well, and to
love the out of. doors.
They camped this evening under
steep westward rising slope, with a con.
venient gulch at the bottom, for the
raw wind was east, and drizzle of rain
fell as daylight went. Because OF the
drizzle they attempted no fire, but ate
for supper the thick slices of bread and
butter and the pieces OF pie, a warm
hearted ranch woman had given to Al
fred, at arms length to be sure, with
the fence between them, and with ad-
monitions upon the evil of carrying live
snakes in ones pockets. For Alfred's
father among his other eccentricities
cherished fondness for pet snakes, and
Alfred followed in his footsteps. and
thereby lost many warm meal in q
clean kitchen.
After supper the trapper smoked and
Alfred stole away, returning presently
with his latest acquisition, a small,
vicious looking young coyote. A strong
collar and chain bespoke the eternal
vigilance of Alfred.
Strange 10 say. the wild thing seemed
to feel his kinship with the wild child,
and nestled in his arms, though snarl-
ing savagely at any attempt of the old
trapper to lay 30 much as finger upon
it's soft, fuzzy, gray fur. Alfred anus :
ed himself until darkness completely
closed down, in vain effort to teach
the little wild creature to sit upon it's
hind feet, as he had once seen jamie
Doris dog do, at the Dorr ranch. Then
when it was dark, he put him in his
own place. rolled himself in his blanket
close under the hill and slept sweetIy
until the day. He never knew that the
silly woman who had given him the
bread, sighed over a certain motherlees
and as she thought, worse Than father
less boy, while she tucked her OWL
children into their white beds. And il
he had dreams they were not of moth
ers tender hands. or house home, but