The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-07-31

You are not common man, after
ponies and sheep" said he, at last.
! You are a gentleman, l know 1t by
| your fire Clothes" To this I had moth
! ing to say, and again his eye worked
| over my riding suit of blue and silver.
| For what are you coming to this
country, and from where do you come,
and what is your name?' he de-
manded.
AS l was not accustomed to be ex-
amined in this fashion by q fellow in
tattered gray doublet and greasy
| leathern brooches. 1 made no reply.
did not wish to enter upon any quar-
rel, for 1t might be the husband OF my
kind hostess, and in any case l did not
desire brawl In the house where
had been Hospitality received
Some enc came In at the door. and I
| looked round, but it was not the wo-
man; it was the little boy, who had
been outside to stare at the pony. Now
he came to my side of the hearth, and
panion. The latter took no notice
whatever Of the child. and was clearly
stranger. Further, he could hardly
be peaceful shepherd, for a heavy
broadsword dangled at his belt.
His unreasonable and pulling wrath
was mounting higher and higher His
features worked convulsively, and
groaned through his clenched teeth.
suddenly he gave a most startling yell.
"Oh. the black IInglish!" he cried;
"Oh, the dirty thieves, the black Eng
lish,"
Now l could contain myself no long
err, but burst, almost without knowing
1t, into Il hearty shout Of laughter.
HIS yell had caused me to start snarp-
ly, so piercing and sudden was It, and
my disturbed feelings gave themselves
vent in the merrimcnt.
My laugh was drowned in the shrill
TRADE which burst from him-curses
as | should suppose, but not a word
could l understand
The child slipped out of the place
with frightened look. l turned to
the fire with a composed face. and the
outburst stopped dead in mid career.
lie had, it is likely, just remembered
that his words contained no weight for
me. He returned to his old song
The bloody English" he said, slow
ly and bitterly; they killed cousin
to me-
Then, SIR" said I. twas with
rope, for a guinea"
A snarl of rage told that 1 had hit
in the clout-
And dirty thieves he screamed
l smiled at his fury. He leaped to
his feet. 1 hitched my sword hilt
handy.
Just now ne cried; "Oh, yes, just
soon for that. But, first, first. my
handsome English gentleman, lock at
that"
He strobe to the door, which had fall
en- to, flung it back and stood, drawn to
his full height and pointing out
There Is not a week" he continued,
in quieter voice, since 1 wass go
ing by Hereford and up towards
And 1 saw the rich fields
and the fine country that my fathers
owned once, and l said to myself that
the English are the great thieves of
the world. have hated them always
for 1t, and l Will never hold back to
speak in the face of any one of them
about it. Look here" He threw out
his hand with a stately gesture.
looked, and saw waste of low, roll
ing hills, dreary in the gray February
afternoon; bleached near a hand, with
the whitening bents, ribs of naked
rock thrust up through the bare,
starved SOIL and poverty and famine
writ large over the scene.
Why" said 1, this is a ripping up
Of old sores to an extreme If we are
to quarrel about conflict of our an
cestors of thousand years agone, one
need never run short of bone to pick
The thing was put to the arbitrament
Of the sword, and there's an end to it.
The Saxons beat the Welsh. and then
the Normans beat the Saxons. Faith,
It's turn and turn about"
Yoy say that" he cried, his eyes
sparkling; you say that you can beat
the Welsh. Here am I, beat me-
You are giving my words a twist
which does not belong to Them" said
|, thinking the fellow was beside him 4
self, and wishing to be free of him.