The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-01-08
CHAPTER TX.
GWEN.

Tie IMPRESSION was VINlu. one llNeu
remote from that center of civilization
known as Swan Greek in the postal
guide, but locally as Old Latours, far
up among the hills near the Devils
lake, and from her fathers ranch she
never ventured. But some of the men
had had glimpses of her and had come
to definite opinions regarding her
what is she liker' asked Bill one
day, trying to pin him down to some
thing like a descriptive account of her.
Like! She's a terrier" he said.
with slow emphasis. "a holy terrier"
"But what is she like? What does
she look like?'' asked impatiently.
look likeY He considered a mo-
ment, looked slowly rorAl as if search
dunno
Don't know? What do you mean?
Haven't you seen herr"
"Yeh But she amt like nothin'"
Bill was quite decided upon this
point.
1 tried again
"Well what sort of hair has she got?
She's got hair, l suppose?"
"Hayer! Well, few" said Bill,
with some choice combinations of pro-
family in reputation of my sugges-
ton. Yards of it! Red!'
''Git outr' contradicted Hi Red.
faint no more red than miner'
Bill regarded His hair critically.
"What color do you put ON to your
Ill y, !, o11rn
"'Tain't no difference. 'Tain't red
anyhow"
"Red! Well, not quite exactly" and
Bill went off into low, long, choking
chuckle, calculating now and then
"Red! Jee-mi-ny Ann! Redp'
mo, Ill.," he went on, recovering him
self with the same abruptness as he
used with his bronco, and looking at
his friend with face even more than
usually solemn. 'your hayer amt red,
Hi; don't let any of your relatives
persuade you to that 'Tain't red!'
and he threatened to go off again, but
pulled himself up with dangerous sud
denness. TT may be blue, cerulyum
blue or even purple, but red He
paused violently, looking at his friend
as If he found him new and interest
ing object of study upon which he
could not trust himself to speak. Nor
could he be induced to proceed with
the description he had begun.
But Hi, paying no attention to Bits
grafton, took up the subject with en-
thusiasm.
"She kin ride-she's a regular buster
to ride; amt she, Billf" Bill nodded
"She kin bunch cattle an cut out an
yank a steer up to any cowboy on the
range"
why, how big is she?"
big? Why, she's just kid! 'Tain't
the bigness of her; it's the nerve. She's
got the coolest kind of nerve you ever
seen; hain't she, Billf" And again Bill
nodded.
Member the day she dropped that
steer, BillT went on Hi.
"What was thatT" asked, eager for
ayarD.
''Oh, nuthin'," said Bill.
'Nuthin'p retorted Hi. pretty big
nuthin'p'
w nat was 1Jg' urged.
"Oh, Bill here did some funny work
at old Meredith's round up, but he
don't speak of It, He's shy, you see,"
and Hi grinned.
"Well, there amt no occasion for
your proceedin' on to that TACT said
Bill disgustedly, and Hi Loyalty re-
Trained, so l have never yet got the
rights of the story. But from what l
did hear l gathered that Bill. at the
risk of his life, had pulled the Duke
from under the hoofs of mad steer,
and that little Gwen had in the cool
est possible manner "sailed in on her
bronco" and by putting two bullets in
to the steers head, had saved them
both from great danger, perhaps from
death, for the rest of the cattle were
crowding near. OF course Bill could
never be persuaded to speak of the in
cident A true western man will never
hesitate to tell you what he can do,
but of what he has done he does not
readily speak.
The only other item that Hi con-
tributed to the sketch of Gwen was
that her temper could blaze if the occa-
sion demanded
"'Member young Hill. Bin?"
Bill 'membered"
Didn't she cut into him sudden?
Starved him right too
what did she do?"
"Cut him across the face with her
Iuirt in good style"
"What for"
"Knockin' about her Indian Joe.'
Joe was, as l came to learn, Ponka's
son and Ovens most devoted slave
"Oh, she amt no refrigerator"
EYES," assented Bill. "She's leetle
swift"
Then, as if fearing he had been apol-
0gizing for her, he added, with the air
OF one settling the question: But
she's good stock! She suits mev'
The Duke helped me to another side
of her character
'She is a remarkable child" he said
one day; wild and shy as a coyote.
but fearless, quite, and with a heart
full Of passions. Meredith-the Old
Timer, you know-has kept her up
there among the hills. She sees no one
but himself and oA-a > -,4ackfoot re-
iations, who treat her like goddess
and help to spoil her utterly. She
knows their lingo and their ways goes
- Al -. l.