The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-04

Steve. well, now l propose to snow
him something I'll show him every
thing!!' He was entirely beyond tfN
influence of reason and grammar.
Charley had an ill-advised notion to
play the paternal
Now, I'd cool down Ii l was you,
Steve" he admonished.
You would, would you!" foamed
Steve. well, who the devil cares
what you'd do, ANYHOW? And if you
tell me to cool down just once more,
III drive you into the ground like y
tent pin!"
i jumped through the window, and
then laughed, while Charley admins
tered his reproof with appropriate
gestures. His long arms flew in the
air as he delivered the inspired adj
dress. Steve looking at him, bit Of
shamefacedness and fun showing
through his heat
AN mo- l tell you. Steven P. Hen
dricks!' rolled out Charley in conclu
sion. THAT this citizen of Texas,
justly and rightusly called the Lone
Star State, has never yet experienced
the feeling of bein daunted by face
of man, nor hoof of jack-ass. No,
SUI! BY God, SUI" He held the
shovel aloft like sword. Let 'em
come as they will, male and female
after their kind, from a ninety poun'
Jew peddler to Mangus Colorado, and
from a pigeon-toed digger-Injun squaw
to a fo-hundredweight Dutch lady, /
turn my back on none!
You win, Charley" said Steve. and
walked off. All Oscar caught out of
it was the request that when he left
like reducing the stock on the ranch
he'd take rifle.
Poor Oscar! All noble and heroic
sentiments struggling within him, with
no outlet but a hesitating advancing
of the theory that 'if we didn't get
rain before long the country'd be aw-
full dry" Small wonder that he burst
out in the bull pen one night with Il
wish the Injuns would jump this
ranch!"
you do?" said Charley. "Wel,
durn your hide for that wish! What's
| got into you to make you wish that?"
"Aw' said Oscar. twitchinS aroun>
| on his stool. I'm sick and tired -
| not being able to say anything. If the
Sioux got up, l could do something"
"Oh, that's it, retorted Charles.
! We'll, Oscar, fairs l can see, if it's
necessary TO have war party OF
| Injuns whoopin' an yellin' an crow
hoppin' an maxim fancy-work out OF
| people to give you the proper start
afore your gal, it'd be jes' as well for
you to stay single the res of your
days The results wouldn't justify th3
| trouble
| Afterward Oscar told me in private
that Charley was an old stiff, and he
didn't believe he'd make a chest at
a grasshopper if the latter spuked up
any. That wronged old Charley. But
oscar must be escused-he was a
singularly unhappy man.
To come back to what happened.
| Oscar that morning had the care of
Geronimo. a coal-black. man-eatinS
stallion, a brute as utterly devoid of
| fear as of docility. A tiger kills TO
eat and occasionally for the fun of
| it; that horse killed out of ferocity,
and hate of every living thing.
| A fearful beast is bad horse. One
really has more chance against a tiger.
| Geronimo stood II hands high and
| weighed over l 1000 pounds When
| he reared on his hind legs and came
| for you screaming, his teeth swapping
| like bear traps. his black name flying.
| a man seemed punv antagonist, in
deed. One blow from those front
| hoofs and your troubles were over.
Once down, he'd trample. bite and kick
| you until your own mother would hest
tate to claim the pile of rags and
| jelly he left. He had served two men
| so already; no hing but his match
| less beauty saved his life.
| Nowhere could one find better. ex-
ample of hell-beautiful than when he
tore around his corral in a tantrum,
as 1.-THE and graceful as a black pan
| ther. His name stood on end; his
| eyes and nostrils were of a color: th-
| muscles looked to be bursting through
| the silken gloom of his coat. His
| SWiftnesS was something incredible. He
caught and most horribly killed jim
| i3axter's hound before the latter could
| get out of the corral-and a bear
! nound is pretty agile animal. We
| had to tie jim, or he'd made an end
of Geronimo. He left the ranch right
| after that. The loss of his dog broke
| him all up.
He fed and watered Geronimo with
a pitchfork. and in terror then, for
| his slyness and cunning were on n
,par with his other pleasant peculari-
I ties. One of the poor devils he killed
entered the stable all unsuspecting.
! Geronimo had broken his chains, and
| stood close against the wall of his
| stall in the darkness, waiting. The
man came within reach. Suddenly a
black mass of flesh flashed in the air
! above him, coming down with all four
| hoofs-and that's enough of that story.
| A nice pet was Geronimo. An ex-
cellent decoration for gentleman's
stable-Stuffed!
Well, Oscar turned him out this
| iIlOIIIHS, anu lDel ne, oleVe ana l.
went for hay. AS it was. toward the
last of winter, all the near stacks had
been used up, and we had to haul
from Kennedy's bottom. eight miles
away. When we started the air was
still frozen, with a deep, biting cold
unusual to Dakota; the sort that
searches you and steals all the heat
you own. We were numb by the
time we reached the stack and glad
| OF oil, tn hoy avn IL 70 n IL
fell to it with a rush for that reason.
and because a dull gray blink upon
the western skyline seemed to promise
a blizzard. We were tying down
the last load. when / heard the hum
of wind coming, and looked up, eX-
pecting to see a wall of flying snow.
of the kind. There [ stood, in the air
of an ice house, when gust of that
and continued looking seeing nothing
wind struck me in the face. A miracle.
In snap of your fingers 1 was
/ bather in genial warmth All about