Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-04-11

ton turned away his eyes. ana liked
them on dim and distant pair of toss
ing horns.
'Quien sabe?" he sald the cattle
have got to eat
The effects Of n soft answer can be
other than the proverb shows. The
effect OF this one was to bring things
shortly to the shooting point. The
rancher shot first, but he missed, aud
Clifton did not. The ranrhpr's arm
dropped useless from the shoulder and
the fusillade stopped ut once.
by the time the three outridinX cow
boys had galloped up to find ont what
damage had been done. Clifton was Of
ferlng II gorgeous red and yellow neck
erchlef by way of bandage, and giving
first aid; also advice as to the wisdom
and desirability of his enemy getting
back to his own house as soon AS posi-
BILE.
Don't worry about us" he cOnsoled
Il expect We'll be Off your rancho in
a day or two. IL we have luck. In the
meanwhile, we won't let the cattle do
any more damage than we can help.
Eut they've got to eat" he repeated;
you can see that for yourself And,
besides. you haven't got so many head
of stock but that you can just as well
spare little grazing for some of ours. =
The rancher wished to know what
the devil Clifton knew about what
stock he had
We'll" said Clifton. deliberately
and his manner was high handed. even
for a cattle-driver, II know good
many things about you. Sewell, which
| have picked up here and there-yOur
real name. among others. as well az
your newer one"
Then it was that the rancher. for the
first time, took really good look at
the cattlemans face and knew it.
under all the dust. for one which was
connected In his memory with certain
events of the East. and the less distant
past. But he took a drink from Clif-
tens flask. aud rode off by the way he
had come. vanishing in the drifts Of
dust.
The cattle went on their accustomed
pace-abOut that OF the classic snail Of
algebra. which slipped back x inches
to every v inches that 1t climbed its
pole: and sunset found them still upon
Sewells land
| The cowboys came together for CON
sultatiO Were they still upon Sew
ellis ranch they wanted to know.
Clifton was of opinion that they were.
and we will probably be for ut
least another day. Sewell won't bother
U.S." he was confident wed better
20 into camp"
SO they went into camp beside a
creek. where there were trees and
good rank grass; and they built them
| fire. and wigwams out of willow
branches. and they cooked their supper
and ate it, Then two Of them went on
| duty with the cattle. and Clifton and
the other settled down to enjoy their
pipes and the sound OF Clifton's guitar.
1t was little else that they packed
along. but the guitar in it's carved
| leather case was always across his
COW -pony's tanks. and there was many
vast and silent night that 1t made
musical.
Clifton had knocked out his pipe
and was lOunging against a stone sing
ing to his own accompaniment n
Christmas hymn. for no other reason
than that he had happened to think of
it in connection with the Sunday school
days which he and Sewell had once
shared. and because there had always
seemed to him to be uncommonly good
poetry in the lines He had sung it
once. was beginning over again. and
had got to the verse:
Above thy deep and dreamlcss sleep.
The silent stars 60 by.
when he stopped with his mouth open
for the next word. There rose up be-
fore him-apparently from out of the
ground. in the blackness of the night
II horse of greater blackness still. And
the freight showed on the streaming
pink skirts of the woman upon the
horse
where the" began Clifton
"lf you hadn't been believing So.
you'd have heard her coming" said
the cowboy. And then they were both
on their feet.
Presently Clifton was leading The
| horse away and tying ii to u tree. He
noticed that 1t was fine animal.
| blooded Kentucky stock probably. no
| bronco OF the West. He noticed also
that its saddle was OF fair leather.
with scarlet and silver trimmings
Then he went back to the campfire.
1t was obviously not to he thought of
| that he should question so manifest II
gift OF the gods as pretty girl. who
| appeared from ont the night. and from
hea ven alone knew where. All the fra
ditions Of hospitality were against u
breach like that. But he had Il curl
| Osity which struck him as being iuSti-
| fable. and ii was by no means allayed
by such explanations as fOrthcame,
| unasked
II am called Currita." said the girl
in Spanish.
ME allegro de yer a ud." said Cliff
| ton mindful Of his manners. and the
phrase he had once learned from Il
! ready conversation book.