The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1908-10-30

long look around over the hills.
1t was an afternoon late in August.
\ blue haze the smoke of distant for
est fires. lay upon the land lending 10
the old familiar hills an air of mystery
and remotcncss. like that of veiod
faces. Down in the valleys and upon
the long hillsides the blue faded softly
into the gray of the sage brush and
the gray into the vague green of the
creek bottom.
Mrs. Albright, the wife of the man
ag"r, and |. the governess, of the Big
Red ranch, were sitting on the pOrch.
Il don't know why" she continued.
perhaps because it's such a very lazy
|, day"
Ten minutes later We discovered
more convincing reasons for the tenor
of her thoughts. in the weekly paper,
brought by a mounted messenger from
the post Office over fifty miles away.
The population of the Big Red com
prised three women, four men and five
children: the cowboys. of whom there
were about fifty. being absent upon
the roundup. while Mr.. Albright was
away on a trip to New York. We were
90 miles from the railroad and from
the nearest town. ten miles from any
! other ranch, and quite so from any
one whom We could call neighbOr.
And now. as though aware of our un-
protected position, the Indians had
taken occasion to so on the war
path,
'Willfully and maliciously," eX-
claimed Mrs. Albright. as she sat
reading blood chilling accounts OF mas
sacres that had taken place or were
about to take place-accounts which
We're further supplemented by the
messengers report OF the burning that
very morning Of ranch only 40 miles
away.
At the other end OF the porch sat
the five little Allbrights in a circle.
holding a solemn consultation. There
was Tony the eldest. the 12-yearold;
the twins aged ten: Billy. seven years
old: and Ethclbert Van Twiller ALI
bright. aged five. They were all look
ing very sober, and each child was
decorated with a generous piece of
black silk, torn off the bottom of an
old skirt. In the center Of the circle
stood an empty box. over which We're
draped the remains Of the skirt. and
which probably represented to TOny's
cultivated mind bier The twins
shared between them very crumpled
handkerchief, with which they occa-
sionally rubbed their eyes.
What is the matter, children" I
] lot nI ;,,
! the scene.
Tony was silent until he had mar
shaled his features into a state of due
solemnity: then, in a voice carefully
modulated to tit the occasion, he re-
| piled: AT the break of day Miss jug
departed this life
She has gone over the big divide"
added the twins, who never let pass
an opportunity OF using cowboy
phrase.
ole Miss jug" as the children
called her, was portlv dog Of great
age and immovable dignity. IN the
opinions of the five young Ailbrights
she was as old as the Oldest tree"
Certainly she was as old as The old
est mourners. And now, as Tony
would have said. in the fullnnss of
time she had gone whence no dog
returneth.
she was mighty fine dos said
one of the twins, sorrowfully.
And" said Tony, visiby brighten
ing. we are going to give lnr the
very finest funeral We ever had
Had Tony lived some hundred years
ago. he would have become pu-e, or
certainly a cardinal, so great Vas his
love of ritual. The burial OF hen
under his direction became q most
imposing ceremony. TheatricaI- were
his passion. Robed in a scarlet able
cloth. and armed with bread knffe,
he would recite Iamlet's solilutvy in
such melancholy voice. and with
such expressive motions of his veap-
on. that the twins would be tLrown
into quite an ecstasy of horror while
the younger part of the audience
covered in terror under the bed
clothes, the exhibitions takne place
generally at bedtime, being mo-a i'm
pressive by candle light.
Late that evening Mrs. AubTI-E- and
, sat alone on the cool piazza. ~ock-
ing. thinking. waiting. As l0u- as
daylight had lasted and the little ALL
brightS had borne Us company. W. had
kept up a pretense of cheerful C.l lver,
sation. But now that the small -olks
= were tucked away in bed. al. the
men had forecathered in the barn. We
had relapsed into silence whose
gloom was accented by the deer minor
! chords Of night. the crOakiug OF
= frogs, the distant lowing Of thirsty cat.
q tie waiting for the rains. and now and
= then the hungry howIS Of the coyotes
+ holding revel further down the creek
+ BY this time it was quite dark
:. Even the long, narrow sea of smoky
n green that had cleaned so long owe.
:, the western hills had faded Abou,