Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-14

corner Of his lip h'isted-a dead ringer
Of mean man. Says he to Aggy
Yer a funny bloke, amt YER?
"'Why,' says Ag. that's for you tt
say-wouldnt look well coming from
me-but If you press me I'll admit Il
give birth to a little gem now and
then
''Our bold buck puts on great
swagger. We'll, yer needn't be funny
in this wagon. says he. The pair of
yer spongin' ride! Yer needn't be
gay. Yer hear me, don't cher?
"'Why. hear you as plain as though
you set right next me- says Ag. Now,
you listen and see If I'm audible at the
same range. You're blasted chump.1
he roars in a tone of voice that would
have carried forty mile Did you hear
that, Red?' he asks very innocent. j
was so hot at the drivers sass-thf
cussed low downness Of doing fellet
a favor and then heaving it at him
that you could have lit a match on me
anywheres. but to save me 1 couldn't
help laughing-Ag had the comicalest
way!
"At that the driver begins to larrup
faint when a cayuse gets what's COM
ing to him for raising the devil, but
to see that lad whale his team because
there wasn't nothing else he dared hit
got me on my hind legs. l nestled
one hand in his hair and twisted his
ugly mug back.
"'Quit THAR says I.
"'You let me bel amt hurting you,
he hollers.
"'That amt to say I won't be hurt
ing you soon,' says I. You put the
bud on them horses again, and I'll boot
the spine of your back up through the
top of your head till it stands out like
a flagstaff. Just one more touch and
you get 1t! says 1.
"He didn't open his mouth again till
we come to the river. Then he pulled
up. This is about as far as 1 care
to carry you two gents for nothin',' he
says. OF course you're two to one,
and l can't do nothing If you see fit to
bull the, thing through. But I'll say
this, IL either one or both of you roOst.
ers has got the least smell of gentle
man about him he won't have to be
told his company amt wanted twice.
Now, mind you, Ag and me didn'l
have the first cussed thing-not grub
nor blankets nor gun nor nothing, and
this the Teller we'll knew.
"'Red,' says Aggy, what do you say
to pulling this thing apart and seeing
what makes it act 500
ono says I, don't touch it,.
might be catching. Now, you whelp'
says l to the driver. you tell us II
there's a place where we can get any.
thing to eat around here| We'd ex.
pected to go hungry until we hit the
camp some forty miles further on
where we knew there'd be plenty fol
anybody that wanted it.
"'Yes,' says he. There's q man run
ming shack two mile up the river
All right says /. Drive on
You've played us as dirty trick a:
one man can play another. If we evel
get cinch on you, you can expect
well pull her till the latigoes snap
He kept shut till he got across the
river. where he felt safe.
Its all right about that cinchv b,
hollers back. grinning. Only wait til
you get it, yer suckers! Sponges
Beats! Deadheads, YAH
"Well, a man can't catch team O
horses, and that's all there is abou
it. but 1 want to tell you he was on tn,
anxious seat for quarter of a mile
| We tried hard.
| when we got back to where W,
started and could breathe again, W,
held a council of war.
"'Now, Aggy,' says I, we're dumped
What shall we do?'
''He sat there awhile looking aroun,
him, swapping pebbles with his thumb
Tell you what it Is, Red he saw
at last, we might as well go minin.
| right here. This is likely gravel. an,
| there's river. If that bar in front O
you had been further in the mountain
| it would have been punched full o
holes. It's only because it's on tn
| road that nobody'S taken the trouble
to see what was in it. This road wa
made by cattle ranchers that didn'
| hhoW HOtHIuS ABOUT INNING, ana ever
miner that's gone over the trail ha,
his mouth set to get further along a
quick as rossible-just like us. D
you see that little hollow runnin,
down to the river? Well, you tr,
your luck there. I give you that place
as it's the most probable, and you as
tenderfoot in the business will have al
the luck. I'll make a stab where am
well, sir, it sounds queer to tell i
and it seems queerer still to think O
the doing of 1t, but / hadn't dug tw
feet before I come to bed rock, an
there was some heavy black chunks.
"'Aggy,' says I, whats these things
throwing one over to him. He caugh
\ 1t and stared at II.
"'Where did you get that? says h
In almost whisper.
"'Why, out of the hole, Of course
says I. laughing. Come take a lookv
"Aggy wasn't the. kind of a man t
go off the handle over trifies, but whe
he looked into that hole he turned pei
fectly green. His knees give out fror
under him. and he sat on the groun
like a man in trance, wiping tn