The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-04

Mangus Colorado, and from a pigeon -toed
digger Indian squaw to fo-hundred-
weight 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 felt like reducing
the stock on the ranch he'd take a rife.
Poor Oscar! All noble and heroic senti-
ments struggling within him, with no out
let but a hesitating advancing Of the
theory that "if we didn't get rain before
long the country'd be awful dry" Small
wonder that he burst out in the bull pen
one night with 81 wish the Injuns would
jump his ranch."
'You do" said Charley ''Weli durn
your hide for that wish: What's got into
you to make you wish that?"
''Aw" said Oscar. tWitching around on
his stool. I'm sick and tired of not being
able to say anything. If the Sioux got up,
could do something"
"Oh, that's II. retorted Charles "WeH,
Oscar, fairs 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 the
trouble
Afterward Oscar told me I'm private that
Charley was an old stiff. and he didn't be-
lieve he'd make a chest at a grasshopper
If the latter spuked up any That wronged
old Charley. But Oscar must be excused
he was sngularly unhappy man.
To come back to what happened Oscar
that morning had the care of Geronimo a
coal black, man-eating stallion. brute as
utterly devoid of fear as of dociiity 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 a bad horse. One
really has more chance against tiger
Geronimo stood seventeen hands high and
weighed over 1000 pounds. When he
reared on his hind legs and came for you
screaming, his teeth swapping like bear
| traps. his black name flying. man seem
ed a puny antagonist. indeed. 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
| hesitate to claim the pile of rags and
| jelly he left. He had served two men Sc
| already; nothing but his matchless beauty
saved his life.
Nowhere could one find better example
| or heli-beautiful than when he tore
| around his corral in tantrum, as 1.-THE
and graceful as a black panther His
name stood on end; his eyes and nostrils
| We're OF color; the muscles looked to be
bursting through the sil1en gloom of his
| coat His swiftness was something in
| cred1Dle. He caught and most horribly
killed Jim Bakers hound before the lat
ter could get out of the cortland a
pear hound is pretty agile animal We
| mad 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.
We fed and watered Geronimo with a
plichfork. and in terror then, for his sly
ness and cunning were on a par with his
ont ,lsD,, 40
poor devils he killed entered the stable all
I 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
piack mass of flesh flashed in the air
ABOVE him, coming down with all four
noofs-and that's enough Of that story.
A nice pet was Geronimo. An excellent
decoration for a gentleman's stable
stuffed!
Well. Oscar turned him out this morn
Ing, and then he, Steve and l went for
nay. AS it was toward the last of win
ter, all the near shacks had been used I'D.
and we had to haul from Kennedy's bot
tom, eight miles away. When We started
the air was still and 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 enough to have
warm work to do. We fell to it with a
rush for that reason and because a dull
gray blink upon the western skyline seem
| ed to promise blizzard. We were tying
down the last load, when heard the hum
| of wind coming, and loked up, expecting
to see wall of flying snow, and con-
tinued looking, seeing nothing of the kind
| There I stood, in the air Of an ice house,
| when gust Of that wind struck me in the
| face. A miracle! In snap of your fingers
| I was bathed in genial warmth All about
me rode the scent Of spring and flowers!
1t was as IL the doors of giant conserya-
| tory were thrown open.
Chinook, boy! Chinook" I called
4 casting down my fork. They ran from the
lee of the stack. throwing their coats
open. drinking it in and laughing. for
man! we were weary sof winter. First II
came in puffs. at length settling down to
a steady breeze, as Of the sea- The sun
/ that in the early morning was ne more
than pale efiigy. poured on us a heart
1 warming fire. We hustled for home
| Knowing that the chinook would make
short work of the snow. la fact. we had
i not covered more than half the distance
| before the prairie began to show brown
here and there. where it lay thin between
mountain drifts. We sang and howled al
/ the way to the sheds. feeling fine.
Here Steve left us. to ge to the house