The L'Anse sentinel., 1907-06-01

along Of Its being spring and me a.
frisky and foolish as q two-year old.
1T wasn't just because the girl was
pretty-I've met up with a plenty bet
ter looking ones before and since-but
there was something In her eyes that
made my heart wobble round whole
lot when she looked at me. Blue
they were, like that patch of clear
sky over the trees yonder, and big and
innocent. l used to dream about them
nights while was riding herd with
10000 long-horns and my own
thoughts for company; and when
fellow gets to where thinking Of the
color of girls eyes keeps him from
being lonesome he's pretty far along
towards being In love with her.
"Old man Taylor, who owned the
Bar-O ranch in the Sweetwater valley,
was her uncle, and the doctors had
sent her out from somewheres back
East to live out doors for a few
months. The day after the old man
brings her out from town with the
blackboard he calls me up to the ranch
house and tells me he wants me to see
that she has good time and don't get
lost
You see, the old man had known
me quite while and hadn't ever
heard of my trying to steal anybody's
dust Well, l sticks out my chest
quite lot and puts on a new pair of
chaps and turns nursemaid real cheer
full and contented, and for four long
months there's hardly an hour Of the
day that I'm not round somewheres
handy in case that girl wants me to
play with.
Every day she was growing pref
tier, her hands were getting Drowned
by the sun and the color coming into
her cheeks and her eyes growing
brighter-and every day was getting
more in love with her and more afraid
she'd find 1t out
But trouble was coming my way
fast, and one day along in August /
went to meet It, The old man tells
me we've got to have some supplies,
so bitches up couple Of cayuses to
the blackboard and starts for, town at
sunup. It's an all-day drive, and after
/ put up the ponies and has my sup
per and orders the store truck goes
to bed.
I'm the morning I turns out good
and early, loads up the blackboard
with canned goods and groceries and
lopes over to the post Office for the
mail. The postmaster halls me when
I stick my head in the door and asks
IL l want company. Says there's ten
derfoot come in on the stage the day
before who's looking for Taylor's
ranch. OF course, says yes, and pref
ty soon they rounds him up and shows
him to me. He's hardly more than
boy, and he has on more good clothes
than I've ever seen before all at one
time. He looks like he's a mighty
long ways from home, and the minute
l set eyes on him know what he's
there for as well as though I'd been
told.
rI reckon maybe didn't look real
joyful to see him, but he's so anxious
to get started that he don't notice, and
pretty soon we pulls out for the Bar-O.
round sand hill when the ponies
stick up their ears in way that
means one of two things-bear or In
dian, and 1t amt more than a minute
before I see it's Indians. There's
quite bunch OF them, maybe 20 or 80,
spread out so we can't, get by and wait
ing real patient for us to drive up and
say howdy.
They're all young braves, In paint
and feathers, and / know what their
game IL the minute set eyes on them.
They has a playful habit those days
of breaking out of the reservation oc-
casionally and burning a few ranch
houses and scalping few women and
children and then sneaking back to
their tepees after dark and laughing
at the soldiers who come up on the
run usually about the time the fires
stop smoking.
~ heads the ponies round 30 sud-
den that the blackboard makes a circle
on one wheel, and starts back for town
like I'd forgotten mighty important
errand. What's up?' the boy asks.
holding onto the seat with both hands.
The noble red mans up says, dodg-
ing bullet that sings by my ear like
a mosquito. He g seeing red and
thirsty for gore says, and IL you
want to keep on wearing your own
hair you'd better hold on tight
There's big, shelving rock about
mile back. not far from the trail,
y q - q