The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-02


] in our midst and ut the door aheld o.
any one. He just looked over Budd's
shoulder and said:
We've decided to raise funds t.
/ build Il meeting house in Rountree. We
need it bad, boys, for the back room OF
/ the Yellow Coyote is small. and it
won't hold our audience much longer"
This naturally provoked Coyote Mike
/ to anger, for he would lose trade. But
before he could speak up his opinion
/ the Kid had him by the hand.
You'll help. for you have profted
more than anybody in Rountree over
/ the sinfulness of man. Wen let you
| off with $500 now, but well come back
! for more later Next
/ Coyote Mike never protested. for the
Kid had him down for the full amount.
with his signature at the foot. before
! he could recover from his astonish-
/ ment. Budd Brainard once more start
ed for the door, saying under his
breath: Hang him. He'll befuddle me
/ next with his tomfoolery,"
! The Kid replied sorrowfully enough,
Z hO2Nili- Optll llC uOOI lOI DNNiu. w q IL
take your subscription for the new
meeting house another time The Lord
4 can bidc his time"
$50 can IT, snapped Budd. And
when my time comes we'll settle all
/ past scores. Understand:
After that the Kid had opposition in
! building his new meeting house. ROM
f,ron l,,.f L,
/ it hadn't thrown off its swaddling
clothes, and it was in need of more
| saloons than churches But the Kid
! showed his peculiar inherited traits by
not being dOwnhearted over the failure
| of his scheme to save the souls of the
! Rountree citizens i'll a real, genuine
/ church. There were, of course. some
who followed him and believed in him.
but not many.
| When things didn't come fast enough
! his way DilwOrth said something about
''buckling on the armor of the Lord
and fighting for the right" We took
! this sort of talking figuratively until
one day he waylaid Mexican Pete and
toted him off to his house to convert
him. Pete was sinner if there ever
was one-hOrse thief, drunkard and
gambler If the Kid could convert him,
| along with Buck Grey he would prove
better man than any of his prede-
cessOrS i'll the ministry
Pete didn't show up again for a week
! Some said he was dead drunk, and
others limited that the Kid had made
way with him. But he was all right,
except that he looked scared and pale
when he appeared at the Yellow Coy
| ote bar again.
"Have one, Pete" said Budd Make
it anything"
! Mexican Pete shook his head and
whispered, do you mind if we call
| it sarsaparilla:"
l thought Budd would fall to the
floor, but he just gasped and turned to
Coyote Mike. You hear?"
Then when Coyote Mike gurged out
an inarticuIate reply Budd added
wrathfully: This is going too far.
What's the matter with us, anyway, to
let that little reformed horse thief come
here and henpeck us? Why don't you
close up his mouth, Mike? If you don't
he'll close up your saloon Well, you're
| the finest lot of blasted, idiotic dunn
mics that l ever see. I'll be hanged if
l don't shake off the dust of Rountree
for good! It's too preachy here for me-
I'm sitting, asphyxiating. Sarsaparilla
for Mexican Pete! Huh, Take him
home and give him the nursing bottle,
I'll go camping on the trail of that Kid.
He's horse thief a self confessed one,
and ought to die
Usually Budd lived up to his word,
and we expected Developments. But in
Rountree you can never tell where
lightning will strike. 1t was an even
gamble on Budd and the Kid
Considering everything, was Il little
confused when both turned up as Sc
renely unconcerned as ever Budd said
nothing about the Kid, and the Kid al
ways purposely avoided speaking of his
old side partner of the days before the
measly little preacher chap brought
trouble to Rountree.
Then the best citizens began to lose
| horses, stolen from right under their
noses. A horse thief hadn't been hung
in Rountree for six months Every one
felt himself a self constituted commit
tee to run the thief to ground, but some
how he was too wary for us, and we
just bucked our heads against a stone
wall in vain.
Budd Brainard swore over the bar of
the Yellow Coyote that if the thief
touched his horse he'd run him to
ground within forty eight hours. Then,
just to show how little he cared for
Budd's threat, the thief trailed behind
him that night and led his horse off to
parts unknown.
well have the moose around him
this time" some one says, knowing
Budd for bad man when outraged.
But the excitement didn't come or.
About half the horses of Rountree
were stolen before the citizens organ
lied. Their they held a meeting to
consider things. 1t was the Kid who
first let light in ON the subject After
all the others had had their say he nut