The National tribune., 1904-08-11
THE FOOLISHNESS OF FRISCO.
Love Episode in the Life of a COwPuncher.
By MAITLAND LEROY OSBORNE.


and we drifts over the landscape like a
yellow dog with a can tied To his tail,
shedding store truck something sinful.
Every time we hit n rock We jolts off a
can OF tomatoes or a bag of -four, till it
looks like cyclone has scattered a gen.
eral store all along the trail. And all the
time them blamed Indians are crawling up
on US, hanging over their ponies necks
and yelling like = let loose.
When the rocks about 800 yards ahead
and the nearest Indian about as far be-
hind, one OF the ponies steps III prairie
dogs hole and goes down with a broken
leg, and before 1 have time TO swear we're
piled up in a heap so promscuous that /
don't know for second or two which is
me and which is the blackboard. But /
crawls out of the wreck mighty spry and
looks round for the boy. Hes setting i'm a
puddle of molasses and -four and broken
eggs. hugging ham under one arm and
looking mighty surprised but not hurt
bit.
1T amt any time to stop and talk,
so | cuts the other cayuse loose from
what's left of the blackboard. and picks
| mp the boy and chucks him onto lis back,
Now ride, you little cuss.' | says. grabbing
the pony's tail and prodding him in the
rump with the point of my knife. and we
heads for the rock, hitting only
the high places. with the pony
/ towing me and the nearest Indian reaching
| for my back hair. | never was much on
| travelling a-foot, but | reckon must have
1 broke all the running records for 800
yard dash right then and there, and we
| made the rock just ahead of our red broth
| ers. 1 knows then we're all right for a
while, for they can only get at us by rid
! ing straight up, which amt an Indians
idea of fighting at all.
We cuddles down in little hollow,
and the Indians ride back and begin to
pow WOW.
Then a few of them split off and take
a circle around to see if they can get at
| us from the rear, but | don't worry none,
knowing they can't reach us. Pretty soon
| they ride back and after a lot more talk
ing | see they're going to try TO rush rs.
Can you shoot! | asks the boy. Don't
know he says, never tried to- Well L
says, handing him one of my AS, you've
got TO learn how right now. Keep your
and when he gets this side of that bunch
of sage brush open up on him. Shoot
| low and keep a-sho0ting till you hit
something. The boy takes the gun. looks
at it like a speckled rooster admiring a
new sort of worm, and pokeS it out over
a stone real businesS-like.
Then the crowd breaks loose and comes
for Us with a rush, shooting and yelling
like mad. I've just made a good Indian
out of cross-eyed brave with a yellow
feather headpiece when j hear a shot be-
hind NE and the big buck that / pointed
out to the boy doubles up and slides off
his pony like bag of sand. by Joyen
the boy pipes up, real excited and pleased,
1 really believe hit the beggar.' 1 really
believe you did, sonny, says, patting him
on the back. Then the Indians split up
in two bunches and 60 by on the run out
Of range.
when they come back, the boy getting
excited. forgets to hug the ground close
enough and a bullet kicks up the dust in
front Of him. knocks off his hat and fat
tens against tho rock bahind mo and ho
tumbles back across my legs. / thinks
| they've got him then, sure. but it's only
a glancing cut on the side of his head that
stuns him.
pony as they went back, which made three
out Of the game altogether, but / see
they're going to try it again, so / pushes
the boy down behind me and loads both
guns in hurry. When | see him laying
there, looking as innocent as baby. with
his white face and a smile on his lips and
the blood trickling down one cheek. / think
Of the little girl back there on the ranch
| and the look that'll be in her eyes if
60 back and tell her that he's dead. and
| gets mighty hot and uncomfortable.
They may get his hair yet,' l says to my
| self, but they've got to get mine first
Then the show begins again and the bull
| lets buzz around my ears like lot Of
| bees.
-Four times those Internal redskins cir
| lost their riders, but / was getting shot
up quite. lot. having to expose myself
some to keep the boy covered. When ell
of sudden [ hears strain of the sweet
| est music l ever listened to-a bugle
| sounding the charge, and a company of
| troopers breaks cover from behind sand
| hill. When they come in sight the In
dians just naturally tumble all over them
selves, trying to get away. and the whole
| outfit goes by in cloud of dust and
noise.
II jumps up and waves my hat and
lets loose a few joyful yells when they 60
by and then my knees got sort of wobbly
and loses interest in the proceedings for
quite a SPELL
"The next thing I knows l finds myself
astride a pony with my boots full of blood.
Where's the, boy" l asks the trooper
that's holding me on my cayuSe. Oh he's
all right he says. nothing but a scratch
on the head and | shuts my eyes again
and forgets my troubles.
''The next day I'm laying in my bunk,
feeling mighty lonesome. when the little
girl opens the door and looks in to see if
I'm awake. | tries to get up on one elbow.
drops down on her knees beside the bunk
with her eyes shining like stars and slips
her arms around my neck and kisses me.
You dear old Frisco she says. hiding
her brown curls against my shoulder.
Somehow | can't seem to think Of any
thing to say. SO | just lays there. staring
at the ceiling while she whispers a lot OF
things into my left ear about how good
I've been to her. and after a while she
kisses me again and goes away.
well, they had parson out from town
a week or so later. and the boy and girl
insisted on my being best man."
Frisco turned his gaze to watch a
wheeling eagle far overhead-then. 'They
named their first boy after me-" he said,
with shy smile.