Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-11-11
ANDY'S PRAYER.

I i4ldSda&h6 pictures toAlt-- AdAEtu NNNf
boys dressed In outlanaish styles
leather SNAPS guns galore and that
sort Of thing found them not
Maybe times have changed Perhaps
it's new west | encountered. Any
how, | found cowboys. They wore
"shaps?a Yes. because mesquite is
mesquite and cactus is just as priekly
now as in the days Of the real bad
/ men Some Of the boys wore guns.
Not with the display so pieturesquely
represented In the drawings / had
seen. The laws of New Mexico have
at least changed
Carry Winchester they read.
but pack you not a six-shooter, for il
Is not healthy to the extent Of $50
fine and trimmings, If apprehended.
These may not be the exact words,
but they contain the meaning. The
cowpunehers respected that law, at
least to the extent of casting aside
the picturesque holster and belt and
concealing the prehistoric Colt 40 in
the waistband.
I'll tell about the religion later
What | wish to say now Is that ! met
old man Darby. owner of the Silver
mountain outfit. in Stacy's saloon al
Mirage. He bought a drink and
bought drink Then collectively and
otherwise we both bought drinks.
Later we turned two ponies loose In
the corral at Silver mountain and
| had turned eowpuncher 1t takes
time 10 make cowpuncher Moth
ing else does it, In time learned.
twenty-five miles due south from Sill
yer Is the lower shanty OF the outfit.
When Dobe Smith rode downward
from the lower shanty one sitting
New Mexico morning, and, after the
customary interval, failed to return,
the old man sent me to the lower
l-shanty. That was where | met Andy.
| don't know his last name, ! some.
times doubt whether he does. | liked
Andy He was wanted in Montana,
but, then, he wasn't the only one in
New Mexico who was wanted some
where 1t was night when | reached
| the lower shanty. That Is, the sun
had plunged over the black range, and
after setting fire to the sky had hid
| den from sight to escape the conse-
quenees. Andy had just come in He
was frying bacon and making biscuits.
BY the way, did you ever eat biscuits
in a COW shanty, after a days ride,
with a can of lick" for dessert?
Lick" is a good deal like sorghum
4 All hasn't
the assortment of sand red ants and
well, there's no use in stating partic-
ulars. It's mighty good.
Andy and | ate bacon, biscuits and
lick together. Andy can sure make
biscuits Afterwards we sat outside
and smoked Granger twist and our
old cob pipes somehow seemed TO fit
into the scenery. The sun fire in the
west had died out. The mesa sky was
deep blue far far above us. The lit
tie stars had come out in millions to
Craze around over the heavens. When
they flickered away off up there, you
could just fancy them throwing up
their tails and kicking with pure joy.
Here and there through the bunch
were big stars herding in the little
ones
| like to watch the stars. It's all
there is to do ordinarily in New
Mexico night. She was sure pretty
sight. Far TO the south the mountains
poked into sight against the sky line,
black and lonesome. Coyotes were
| holding a pow-wow on the other side
of the foothills, and she was sure
warm argument. A few steers drifted
past looming up out of the night,
snorting and trotting back into the
mesquite. Andy was silent So was
|. We just sat there and smoked.
Pretty soon the moon poked into sight
Just above Greaser's canyon. and the
mesa was filled with shadows. Bushy
sotoles got up out of the darkness
where you couldn't see them before,
and now and then iackrabbit Topped
into sight for a minute Once coyote
slipped up on a little knoll in front
Of the shanty and shifted contemptu-
ously Andy's as" cracked and a lit
tie bunch of sand jumped up into that
"lyote's" eyes.
Close" | said Andy grinned again.
Our pipes went ont almost stimuli
taneously for the second time and
Andy yawned Somehow he seemed
nervous
Better turn in?" | asked.
"Reckin, he answered. lie got up,
brushing the sand from the seat Of his
trousers.
like Dobe while he's here" he
said, his eyes fixed on my face.
Cause why2"
It was a long speech for Andy
waited.
Cause, De said Dobe don't mix
IA what amt his own affairs He don't
also peddle information to them other
punchers up at Silver II | takes a
notion to pray now and then which
sure does Dobe takes part BY sayin
nothin"