The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-02
The Globes Daily Short Story

In, and the boys began catching their,
mounts for the afternoon work, which
| was simply repetition of the morn
! ing, farther up the creek.
The Freak had done some hard
] thinking while waiting for dinner. He
| had overheard the remarks made the
evening before, and they had touched
a sore spot He was a good rider.r
he had held down many a lob soIelv
on account of his ability to ride anv
| horse which could be saddIed. And.
behold, he had come to the Circle Four
hired out for a broncho- twister-and
had been piled up the first morning.
1t was maddening. But the Freak
found some consolation in the thought
that If Kingbolt was as bad as he was
said to be, he would soon have a,
chance to show the Circle Four what
he was made of.
IL was with this thought in mind
that he unfastened his lariat from his
saddle, stepped into the rope corral.
and threw the moose over the head
OF Kingbolt After slipping a half
mitch over his nose, he led him out,
and by much coaxing and petting
managed to bride him.
He then picked up the saddle blanket
and attempted to place it on the
horse's back; but Kingbolt had de-
clded that the performance had gone
| on long enough. He reared and struck
| out savagely with both front feet The
Freak lodged, and, picking up lariat
Whlch lay near, made a small loop,
and, spreading it on the ground in
front of the horse, he led him up O.
little at time until both feet were
vYhn 11a
with both hands.
Kingbolt reared straight up as the
rope frightened about his feet, and a
jerk from the Freak brought him flat
on his side. No sooner had he fallen
than one of the boys had him by the
head-one hand gripping his ear and
the other over his nose-while another
held the foot-rope, leaving the Freak.
free to saddle him. This was soon
accomplished. All hands and the cook
were out watching eagerly for the cIi-
max.
The Freak gathered his reins in one
hand; in the other he held a braided
shot-loaded quirt. One of the cow
boys pulled the rope off Kingbolt's
feet. AS he scrambled up the Freak
sprang into the saddle, and a perform
ance took place which battles descrip-
ton.
The big sorreI would bound high in
the air, shake himself, and strike the
ground stiff-legged. Then he would
spring again and reverse ends before
coming down, varying this by kicking
at his riders legs, and squealing like
pig with rage.
1t was of no use; the harder he
bucked, the more the Freak whipped
and spurred, until Kingbolt's shoulders
and ribs looked as though they had
been clawed by a wildcat. At last,
almost exhausted by his efforts to I'M
seat his rider, Kingbolt sprang into
the air and threw himself fiat on his
side; but the Freak was too wary to
be caught that way He jerked his
feet from the stirrups, and swung clear
of him as he fell. Pressing his knee
on the horn of the saddle, he held the
horse down while he took a fresh
breath himself.
Once more ready for the fray, he
struck Kingbolt lightly with his quirt,
mounting him as he jumped up. The
big sorrel bumped his back to buck
again, and the Freak gave a wild, ex-
ultant yell and smote him across the
nose with his quirt
The next instant he was racing in a
mad gallop across the fiat, straight
for gulley which ran into the bed Of
the creek, only a few hundred yards
away; dry cash in the earth, twenty
feet deep, and not much wider with
banks straight up and down.
Head i'm off, boysl For Gods
sake head i'm Off" shouted old Doby.
Half a dozen cowpunchers sprang on
their horses and gave chase, but it
was too late. They were not more
than half way when horse and rider
disappeared over the bank.
Mortified, they went a roundabout
way, and rode up the guuey to where
Kingbolt had disappeared They were
much relieved at finding the Freak,
though bruised and shaken, not seri-
ously injured. Kingbolt was stone
dead, with his neck and one front leg
broken.
The Freak soon recovered, and still
rides for the Circle -Four; and in
Northern Montana, wherever cow
punchers congregate and tn talk
turns to wild rides that have been
made, there is always some one to tell
now the N-Bar Freak rode the Circle
Four outlaw to a finish on the Clear
water Flats William Sinclair.
san Francisco, June, 1902