Gilpin observer., 1904-01-21
"How?' said Frank. puszled.

why, you won him."
ooh. pshawl" said franklin. Non
sense! | wasn't wrestling for your
horse, only for a ride. Besides, |
didn't have any horse put up against
yours. couldn't lose anything"
That's So" said Curly. II hadn't
thought of that. Say, you seem like
white sort O. feller. Tell you what I'll
just do with you. think heap o. my
saddle, an longs you amt got NO
saddle yet that you have got used to,
like. it don't make much difference to
you if you get another saddle. But you
just take this here boss along. No,
that's all right. Il kin git me another
back to the corral, just as good as this
one. Jim Parsons, feller on the big
bunch o. cows that come up from the
San Marcos this spring, why, he got
killed night before last. I'll just take
one O his hosses,,I reckon. l kin fix
1t so'st you kin git his saddle, If you
take notion to IT,
Franklin looked twice to See IL there
was affectation in this calm statement,
but was forced, with certain horror.
to believe that his new acquaintance
spoke of this as a matter of fact, and
as nothing startling. He had made no
comment, when he was prevented from
doing SO by the exclamation of the
cowboy, who pointed out ahead.
There's Batty's place." said he, IAN
there's Batty himself. Git up, quick;
git up, an ride in like a gentleman.
It's bad luck to walk"
Franklin laughed, and, taking the
reins, swung himself into the saddle
with the ease of the cavalry mount,
though with the old-fashioned grasp at
the cantle, with the ends of the reins
in his right hand.
"Well, that's a ID funny way
gittin' on top Of hoss," said Curly.
Are you 'fraid the saddles goin' to
git away from you? Better be 'fraid
bout the hoss.-Git up, Bronch!"
He slapped the horse on the hip
with his hat. and gave the latter
whirl in the air with shrill
"Whoooop-eee" which was all that re-
mained needful to set the horse of ON
a series of wild. stiff-legged plunges-
the "bucking" of which Franklin had
heard so much; maneuver peculiar
to the halfwild Western horses, and
one which is at the first experience q
desperately difficult one for even q
skilful horseman to overcome. 1t per-
haps did not occur to Curly that he
was inflicting any hardship upon the
newcomer, and perhaps he did not
really anticipate what followed on the
part either Of the horse or its rider.
Had Franklin not been a good rider,
and accustomed to keeping his head
while sitting halfbroken mounts, he
must have suffered almost instantane-
GUS defeat in this sudden encounter.
The horse threw his head down far be-
tween his fore legs at the start, and
then went angling and zigzagging
away over the hard ground in wild
career of humpbacked antics, which
Jared Franklin to the marrow OF his
bones. The air became scintillant and
luminously red. His head seemed
filled with loose liquid. his spine
turned into column of mere gela-
tine. The thudding of the hoofs was
SO rapid and SO Furnishing to his
senses that for a moment he did not
realize where he actually was. Yet
with the sheer instinct Of horseman-
ship he clung to the saddle in some
fashion, until finally he was fairly
forced to relax the muscular strain.
and so by accident fell into the secret
of the seat-loose, yielding, not tense
and strung.
Go it, go it-whooop-e-e-e!" cried
Curly. somewhere out in dark world.
"Ee-eikee-hooo! Set him fair. pard-
ner, Set him fair, now! Let go that
leather. Ride him straight up! That's
right"
ITO be coltirued.)