The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-28

you don't say?" says he.
Lets have a bracer," says I. Ever
drink a soda socktail. Bentley"
He said he hadn't.
Then bring US two. real stiff ones, -
says /. You know how they're made
a dash of bitters. a spoonful of car
Donate, and d bottle of club soda all
stirred up in a tall glass, almost as in
toxicating as buttermilk.
Don't make your head dizzy, does
it?" says l.
a little" says Bentley: but then
I'm not used 10 mixed drinks. We take
root beer generally. when were out
on a tear"
You cowboys must be a fierce lot
when you're loose says I.
Bentley grinned, kind Of reminiscent.
"We do raise the Old Harry once III a
while" says he. The last time we went
up to Dallas l drank three different
/ kinds of soda water, and We guyed a
tamale peddler so that a policeman had
to speak to us
! Say! What do you think of that
Wouldn't that freeze your blood?
Once I got him started Bentley told
me a lot about life on the ranch; how
/ they had to milk and curry down 1000
/ steers every night and about their
branch evenings, and throwing spit
| balls at each other during morning
prayers. I'd always thought these
stage cowboys was all a pipe dream.
/ but 1 never got next to the real thing
| before.
1t was mighty interesting, the way
! he told it, too. They get prizes for be-
/ ing polite to each other during work
hours, and medals for speaking gentle
to the cows. Bentley said he had four
of hem medals, but he hadn't worn em
east for fear folks would think ne was
proud. That gave me a line on where
he got his quiet ways from. 1t was
the training he got on the ranch. He
said it was grand too. when a crowd
of the boys came riding home from
town, sometimes as late as II o'clock
at night, to hear 'em singing Onward,
Christian Soldier" and tunes like that.
Il expect you do have a few real
| tough citizens out that way, though. "
says l.
Yes said he. speaking sad and re-
gretful, "once in a while. There was
! one came up from Los Vegas last
spring, low fellow that they called
! Santa Fe Bill. He tried to start d
penny ante game, but We discouraged
/ him."
Run him off the reservation, eh?"
says I.
| No" says Bentley, 1--WE made him
give up his ticket to our annual Sun
/ day school picEic. He was never the
same after thai
! Well, say, / had it on the card To
! blow Bentley to a Welsh rabbit after
| the show, at some place where he could
get a squint at a bunch Of our night
/ blooming summer girls, but / changed
/ the program. | took him away during
inteTmissiOn, in time TO dodge the new
dancer that Broadway was trying hard
/ to be shocked by. and after we'd had a
plate of ice cream in one of them eel
/ lulOid papered all-nights. | led Bent
/ ley back TO the hotel and tipped a bell
/ hop a quarter to tuck him in bed.
Somehow l didn't feel just right about
/ the way I'd been string.ng Bentley.
| hadn't started out to do it, either; but
| he took things in so easy. and was so
willing to stand for anything, that I
| couldn't keep from it. And it did
! seem a shame that he must go back
without any tall yarns to spring. Hon
| est, l was so twisted up in my mind,
1 thinking about Bentley, that I cOuldn {
/ 90 to sleep, SO l sat out on the front
/ steps of the boarding house for cOu-
/ pie of hours, chewing it all over. l was
/ Just thinking Of telephOning to the no.
| tel chaplain to call on Bentley in the