The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-04-22

trained and cultured Unitarian battied for
his liberality against persistent. If the
oretical and ignorant dogmatist. Said
Pejay when the matter was reached:
They wouldn't be no use in putin it
down in the Bible about the Lord stockin'
the waters under the earth, same as He
done them ntop, the same as He done
on dry land the other kinds O game, the
same as He done up in the air. without
| it was comm true
well, there are blind fish in Mammoth
| Cave confessed Alden.
Yes; and all them that goes down I'M
der the earth so as to get at the waters
underneath Thereof is goin' to find some
kind of fish," Pejay spoge positively.
and. it SCENE dto Alden, quite reverently.
DO you mean that the rivers that ap-
pear and disappear in the deserts carry
their fish down with them when they sink
into the sands. and then bring them up
AGAIN." Alden asked this banteringly.
Il amt a-sayin' that's true or it amt
true, replied Pejay; ''all l am a-savin'
o nthat matter is that them that goes
down to the waters, above the earth or
underneath it, finds some kind of a fish,
if amt any more than a sucker" Pc
jays words were emphatic They touched
their horses TO a lope and theology was
forgotten Alden rode energetical1y, at
least. so that Pejay took secret delight
in watching him.
"You want to look at Schoolmarm's
back when we get to the ranch, OBJ
served Pejay. You'd be tough on
bronze with one girth.' Alden didn't
know that Joe Whitwell had double pad
ded his saddle blankets that morning to
save the horse from the punishment that
the tenderfoot's peculiar style of riding
threatened But he took the remark as
an involuntary tribute to his daring
horsemanship. and Pejay resorted to his
home made philosophy.
Here was the real west, the west Of The
Virginian.' Alden pictured Old Man Beas-
ley-his scant hair dropping mustache,
serious face, rolling gait. He had Pejay
for model. He asked for confirmation
Sure, that was him., assented the
cow puncher. Rode for Seth Lowering
south o. San Antoine till he come up the
trail in '0s to the Platte and heard the
music of the Countess Zorella's' voice in
a honky tonk at Ogalalla. Then the Sc
noritas lost their charm. Manana for
Rio Grande for old hombre Beasley He
stuck to the fringes O. Colorado"
1t was history, vivid, mpressionistic.
To Alden it had the charm of the vague
yet authentic, like the mention of the
China Sea to a Long Island amateur
yachtsman. Out here thousand miles
across the prairies and rivers, taking
storm and sunshine as it came, was like
two old men at the club setting a back
CANNON championship. Four months was
like a week As for risking life-he could
picture Pejay's scorn of the question
that hung on his lips. Fifty times a
year some emergency must call them to
put their necks in peTil-swollen rivers,
the sudden. wild rush of the cattle at
night the tricky, satanic chunks off po-
mes roped fresh off the range to break"
1t occurred to Alden all at once that his |
own life had been terribly cramped, la |
lacking in the opportunities to |
find out what he was really worth. He |
has worked-yes, too hard-but, he had /
had other men to buck, pushing, hust- |
ling men, eager to get on. There had been |
no long sustained trial, no cool stepping /
up to danger for the pure fun of it, be- |
cause the others did it.. Alden's physi- |
cal vigor was returning, and the tonic of |
was stimulating him. He rode |
with ostentatious pride beside the care
less old puncher.
Pejay looked up after a time, scanned |
the far blue wall of mountains that stood /
put clear before them in the sunshine,
seemed to find what he sought presently
n the depression between the two peaks
where a premature darkness had seemed /
10 settle
Been rainin' up to the head o Arroyo |
he calculated. Alden turned to
question: and Pejay went on: When the
Did ArrayO does get to rampin' she curls
her tail for fair Alden took that to
mean that Arrayo Grande would be-
come flooded by the rain in the noun
tains.
DO we cross the Arrayo before we get
10 the pasture?' Alden questioned.
"AIl depends upon how full she is re-
turned the puncher. Its ten minutes UP
% the Pueblo bridge" Pejay relapsed in
% silence.
So, thought Alden. the old puncher had
been told to take on chances. Joe Whit
we'll had looked after him better than
ne had suspected 1t was irritating to be
guarded thus against adventure when
he desire for it ran so strongly in his
blood to be shielded at every turn. tact
fully. as matter of course against
The slightest danger, as If he were of an
altogether alien rase. The line of schol-
irly ancestors rose up to reproach him.
20 deliver him as a specimen to the
cool. silent men of the plains.
They came upon the Arroyo Grande run
hing between level straight cut banks,
fifty feet away from the waters edge
he trail began to descend, and across
wo hundred yards of yellow water AL
len saw it reappear. rising up in another
fifty feet to the level of the fat plain. He
,ould see perhaps half a mile of the
stream.
Pejay pulled up sharply as they came
low nto the waters edge. well. we're
lected to mosey up to the Pueblo bridge
lie looked at Alden regretfully.
But that's a long way off our route,
md -"
"Oh. we lose half a day.. broke in Pc
ay You don't want TO swim that there
Arroyo" 4 peculiar note. half of sur
rise, touched with mockery, Il tentative
hallenge, was in his voice.
''Oh. l don't know-too swift for my
wimrin' gait" said Pejay. Alden didn't
'eieve the man. The Arroyo might he
eep but certainly the current was NOT
trong. 1t simply LACED along, 1t held
Quantities of yellow mud. but surely any
Iorse could cross IL without trouble. He