Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-10-22

next instant was Tying over his head.
| My only emotion was one of surprise.
| he thing was SO unexpected. / had
| fancied myself q fair rider. having had
/ experience of farmers colts of divers
I kinds, but this was something quite
new. The half breed stood looking on,
mildly interested; Jack was smiling,
! but the boy was crinning with delight.
| I'm take the little beast" said Jack
But the srinuins boy braced me up and
l replied rs cdrolcssly as my shaking
voice would allow:
"Oh, | guess III manage him. and
once more got into position. But no
sooner had ! got into the saddle than
the pony sprang straight up into the
air and lit with his back curved into
bow. his four legs gathered together
and SO absolutely rieid that the shock
made my teeth rattle. 1t was my first
experience Of "hucking." Then the lit
tie brute went seriously to work to get
rid of the rustlng. llapping thing on
his back He would back steadily for
some seconds, then. with two or three
forward punges. lie would stop as IL
shot and spring straight into the upper
air lighting with back curved and legs
rigid as iron. Then he would walk on
his hind legs for few steps. then
throw himself with amazing rapidly
to one side and again proceed 10 buck
with vicious diligence.
"Stick to him. yelled Jack through
shouts Of laughter. You'll make him
sick before long,
/ remember thinking that unless his
insides were somewhat more delicatciy
organized than his external appearance
would lead ono TO suppose tho chances
were that the little brute would be the
last to succumb TO sickness. To make
matters worse, wilder jump than
ordinary threw my cape up over my
head, SO that l was in complete dark
meas. And now he had me at his mercy,
I and he knew no pity. He kicked and
| plunged and reared and bucied, now
| on his front legs now on his hind legs,
| often on His knees. while in darkness
could only cling to the horn of the sad
die.
At last. in one of the CLEANS of light
that penetrated the folds of my envel-
oping cape. | found that the horn had
slipped to his side, so the next time he
came to his knees threw myself off.
| | am anxious 70 make this point clear,
| for from the expression of triumph on
| the face of the grinnng boy and his
cncomiums of the pony l gathered that
he scored win for the cayuse. With
out pause that little brute continued
| for some seconds to buck and plunge
even after my dsmounting as if he
were some piece of mechanism that
must run down before il could stop
BY this time / was sick enough and
badly shaken in my nerve, but the tri
umphant shouts and laughter OF the
| boy and the complacent smiles on the
| faces of Jack and the half breed stirred
my wrath. tore off the cape and. hav-
ing got the saddle put right seized
Jacks riding whip. and. dsrega riding
his remonstrances, sprang on my steed
once more. and before he could make
us his mind as to his line OF action piled
him so vigorously with the rawhide
| that he set Off over the prairie at full
gallop and in a few minutes came
round to the camp quite subdued. 10
the boys great disappointment and TO
my own great surprise Jack was high
ly pleased, and even the stoid face IF
the half breed showed satisfaction
Don't think put this up on you"
Jack said. at was that cape. lie
'in't used to such frllls. But it was q
circus he added, going off into a fit
tf 1pl .rrl.t
you bet, said the half breed. Oats
make pretty beeg fun. ehy'
1t seemed TO me that il dependod
somewhat upon the point Of view, but
| merely agreed with him. only too
| glad TO be so well out OF the fight
/ All day we followed tie trail that
wound along the shoulders of the round
topped hills or down their long slopes
/ into the wide. grassy valleys. Here
and there the valleys were cut through
by coulees through which ran swift,
| blue gray rivers. clear and Icy cold.
while from the hilltops we caught
| glmpses of little lakes covered with
wild fowl that shrieked and squawked
and splsshed. careless of danger. Now
and then we saw what made q black
spot against the green of the prairie.
and Jack told me it was a rancher's
shack. How remote from the great
world. and how lonely 1t seemed-this
| little black shack among these multi.
tudinous hills!
! | shall never forget the summer even
ing when Jack and | rode into Swan
| Greek l say into, but the village was
/ that IT consisted OF the Stopping Place,
long log building. story and a half
| high, with stables behind, and the store
In which the post office was kept ami
over which the owner dwelt. But the
situation was one Of great beauty. on
| one side the prairie rambled down
| from the hills and then stretched away
In tawny levels into the misty purple
at the horizon on the other it Chamber
ed over the round. sunny tops TO the
dim blue " the mountains beyond.
| In this world, where it Is impossible
10 reach absolute values, we are forced
10 hold things relatively, and in con
trast with the long, lonely miles Of our
ride during the day these two houses,
with their outbuidings, seemed N cen
ter OF life, Some horses were tied to
the rail that ran along in front Of tn
Stopping Place
Hello" said Jack. II guess the No
| Bile Seyan ara In ta,,,,