The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-05

that thar's a defunct Usage inside that
Away, this we're bein' the Usage scheme of
burial. Shorei you-ail will behold them piles
Of stones on every knoll an hill in the
Usage country. See that says this yere
Hardrobe. %p'intin'. That's my sqaaw.
Mightc-Cood sIuaw once; but heap dead
now
Then Hardrobe an Bloojacket rides over
an fixes a little Yoonited States flag they'va
got in their war-bags to a pole which sticks
up'ard;s 0uten this we're tomb. fyin' said
ensign as them savases alters do upside
down.
It's we're this hard-luck tale l starts in
to recount begins. Which six months later,
mebby. l hears how Hardrobe weds Il
dance hall girl over to Caldwell Shore.
she's white, an as beautiful as a flower an
as wicked as Il trant'ler- Hardrobe brings
! her to MS rancho in the Usage country. The
, next tale 1 gets Is that this we're Bloojack-
e., likewise, becomes a victim to them
wice-fllnS fac'nations of this Caldwell
dance hall damsel. an that him an Hard
robe falls out: said Hardrobe goin' on the
! warpath an shootin' Bloojacket up a whole
lot with a Winchester. No, he don't land the
boy at that; Bloojacket gets away with Il
shattered arm. Also, the word is out that
Hardrobe Is still gunnin' for Bloojlcket. the
latter iiavin' gone onder cover some'ers by
virchoo of said pinion. As Colonel Sterrett
says these pore abOrigines experiences them
gloomy rackets of bad luck the moment
| they takes to braidin' in Their personal des-
TIMES with q paleface. / don't blame 'em
none neither. l sees this yere Caldwell
seraph on one OCCASION myself. an she's
shore a beauty; Also she's plumb aware of
them attractions: an whenever she throws
the larlat OF her loneliness that AWAY at
a gent she's due to fasten.
/ It's mebby a month foilowin' this dt-
vision In the house of Hardrobe when |
runs lp on him In person. 1 crosses his
tran in one of them little jim crow restau-
raws you-aii finds now an then in the
Usage country. Hardrobe an me shakes.
an says, How an then he camps down
! asin at a table where he's feedin' on fried
antelope an bakin' powder biscuit. I'm
stdndin' 1T a bar across the wickeyup from
Hardrobe.
Jest as l sets down the bottle. thar's the
crack. of u Winchester 10 the r'ar of the
tint. an as l turns, Hardrobe goes onto
the floor as dead q Usage as ever trans
pires in that tribe. In the back door, with
one arm in e sling, an a rifle that still
smokes, cam an onmoved like them In
Jun alters is, stands Bloojacket.
"My hand is forced he says. as he
passes me his gun: it's shorely him or
me! One Of US wore the death-mark an
had got to CO.
"tCouldn't you-all have gone with Crook
asin?' 1 says. Which you don't have to
infest this yere stretch of country at all.
1flT y no nDDpieS OF SltSllIeS on you, nome
whatever
"Bloojacket makes no reply. an his cop
per face gets eXpressionless an plumb in
scrootable. l can see through, however-it's
the hobbies Of that Caldwell beauty's In
fooence that's holdin' him.
"BlooIacket walks over to where Hard
robes layin' dead. an sort O. straightens
him r~ound-laigs an arms-an' places his
big white COW hat over his face. Thar's
no more sign of feelin'. whether love or
hate. in them eyes of Bloojacket while he
performs these yere ceremonies. than II
1iardroOe's a roll of blankets. But thar's
disrespects. neither: jest a great steadi-
..ess. When he mas him composed out
straight. BlooJacket looks at the remainder
for mebby q minute. Then he shakes his
head.
He was a great man. says Bloojacket.
p'intin' at his dead father. with his good
hand: 'tbar's no more like him among the
Osages.'
.Tharupon Bloojacket wheels on the
haifbreed who runs the beanery an who's
standin' still an scared. an saws:
How much does he owe? Then he pays
Hardrobe's charges for antelope steaks an
what chuck goes with it an at the close
of them fiscal op'rations, remarks to the
halfbreed-who amt sayin' no more'n he
can h~e'D-'Don't touch belt nor buckle on
him; you-all knows me- An 1 can see that
halfbreei restaurant party is out to obey
them mandates a whole lot.
whatever becomes of Bloojacket? Which
II you'll redooce yourself to attention. son,
I'm reckonin' on tellin' you. Bloojacket
gives himself up to the Osages an is thrown
loose on p'role. Them savages amt got no
calaboose; no savages has. bein' too ignor-
ant fo- bars an bolts chat Away. So when
a buck is charged with murder, or whatever
is that felony he commits. he alters goes
lopir" round plumb loose an permiscus. an
nothin' to detain him but his Injun eddi-
cation. But that's plenty. thar's never a
record Of none of 'em runnin' away. No,
they goes romancin' about, foOtloose an
free as the ravens; but they shows down 10
be tried. an later they walks in an IS shot
to death onmurmurin'ly, win arever an when
ever them leadin' bucks who's dealin' the
trial-garne for the tribe, decides.
.But Bloojacket never gets tried. It's a
| week later. an he's standin' in front of the
agency sort C maxim up some views touch
in his destinies. Hes all alone. though