Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19

was seductively approaching Oklahoma
Belle, who stood haughtily by the road
side with the reserved. sad expression OF
one who has been misunderstood. Will
| liam gazed nonchalantly nearby. The
| aid-de-camp. seated In a bunch or cac-
| tuS-of which as yet he seemed obl1Vlous-
was rocking back and forth In the silent
| agonized contortions peculiar to one who
has stubbed his toe or struck his funny
bone. And. in truth, the id-de-camp
| had a funny bone in every joint. But
little Private Bill lay still and motionless,
| his brown eyes staring vacant1y up at the
sky-he felt that there was no use to
move. He was convinced that he was
dead.
1t was with the greatest difficulty that
the captain persuaded his demoraNzed
command to continue the expedition. Only
by passionate exhorting and a sacred
promise to ride in the rear and keep Will
liam in a walk could he prevail upon the
nid-de-camp. Only by threatening to
| leave him behind alone on the prairie all
night could he move Private Bill.
! Shutdown was near when they reached
their destination for the night. small
railroadless burg, wisely chosen as safest
| from discovery. Near creek sklrtlng IT
| they decided to dismount and take look
| at the place. leaving the mounts to Craze
then return and estab lish camp. With
| eclat the captain hobbled William: with
| ire Oklahoma Belle. The process was
/ new 10 DOtU dIlIlildlS anu " DCiic "dS
| distasteful as we'll. The aid-de-camp
suggested attaching her to tree in
stead. but the captain scorned such an
unmiitary proceeding.
| They saurtered up the main and only
street. the captain swaggeringly, the aid
de-camp stiff1y. Private Bill still more
stif1y. The captain surveyed the city
with the critical air of an out-of-town
guest. He spat judiciously. Bum town" "
| he remarked.
| They passed the blacksmith shop, the
| livery stable. the grocery. the bank. Ad-
| joining the bank stood the most preten-
tious structure the street presented.
Across its front it bore the legend, Roy
| al Cafe" from it issued the odor of cof-
fee and cabbage. Private Bill. pegging
alphabetically in the rear, suddenly began
to take notice.
"When're we goin to have supper"
he inquired interestedly.
A startled look came into the captains
eye. The plans for the commissary de-
partment had been pleasantly indefinite.
Nineteen cents had been appropriated for
original supplies. they had an air gun and
But there had been no time for proves
OF rod or gun as yet. the shower of
mamma had evidently been belated. and
the only things of sustenance lie COM
| missariat boosted were three battered
ginger cookies, taken from home Oy the
aid-de-camp and five cents worth of I'M
ground coffee-the mncepie, all-day-suck-
ers and popcorn bricks purchased with
the remainder Of the appropriation hav-
ing been consumed. with the optimism of
youth. at the midday repast. With a
queer feeling at the pit of his stomach
the captain realized these facts.
"Oh. keep still. faint suppertime yet"
he snapped irritably.
INT hot ol,,, -
is?" persisted Private Bill. There amt
nothin left. We ct 1t all up
Along the horizon the west light of an
Oklahoma September evening famed gor-
it in that big, awful. mighty way that
always made one feel such a Little boy
even when one was going to have chicken
for supper and sleep in a house when it
got dark. with ones mother in the next
room. Somehow. the captains throat pc
gan to hurt In a way that threatened his
dignity ominously.
We amt got no money. m there amt
| nothin' but them three cookies n that
coffee, n nav don't low me to drink
coffee" continued the disconsolate voice
| OF Private Bill, that son of hygienic
| mother.
menu of pie. popcorn and candy.
while sumptuous, is not sustaining. and
| the ride had increased their naturally
voracious appetites. BY their regular
suppertime the inner man was ravenous
for appeasement They fingered. about
the cafe. At o'clock a man came out
and rang a bell The guests began ar
irving for the evening meal. From the
sidewalk the gang anguisheOly watched
them eat until the deepening dusk recall
ed the mounts and the camp to be made.
Turning away, it went silently down the
street toward the coffee and the three
ginger cookies.
Returning to where they had left the
mounts. no Belle no William was any
where in sight. They had doubtless wan
dered to the creek. Several minutes
search. however. failed to locate them.
There were things for the captain yet to
learn anent hobbling) 1t was growing
dark swiftly. The search became frantic.
The darkness thickened. No Belle. no
William. A moonless night settled down.
In the trees it was pitchy dark. Private
Bill punctured his bare foot badly on a
thorn. The captain fell in a greenbriar
and tearing one trousers leg into shreds.
In extricating him the aid-de-camp lost
his cap Private Bill wept. The aid-de
camp gulped necessarily. The captains
wide eyes peered through the blackness
with frenzy too great for tears He gave
a last agonized whistle.
Out on the quiet night. echoing and
dying away through the trees. answered
SOUnO tQdC might nave Deen the very cry
of melancholy itself. But it was sweeter
to six listening ears than would have been
the ten thousand harps tuned to angelic
harmonies."
"Awnk-ee-e, awnk-ee-e, aWnk- ZEE aWnk-
ee-awnk- ee-ee-e"'
1t was near. but across the creek They
dashed toward it and came to a clearing
leading to foot bridge They scrambled
up the opposite bank toward a light
/ through the trees. Then they paused alb
ruptly. Another voice was coming out on
the night, a voice of mingled rage and
Observation-Disclosures at the made
Quacy of human language to express hu-
man emotions. Yet listening there in the
dark. even the broad-nlinded and aspiring
captain stirred uneasiy, while on Private
Bill who was a junior Endeavorer, the
| very hair rose stifay.
"A bdshel of the finest peaches in the
territory, - .!!!.!H!!!!.,..,. You ornery
| !!!!!!!in"HM!!,--I hope it'll kill
e!-.,M!.!!.HM!,,!-'
Unconsciously they drew nearer. The
light came from a small cottage sur
rounded by shrubbery. A woman stood in
the door. holding a lamp. It's light stream
ed over path in which stood three fig
ures-a man, horse and donkey.
Three pairs of terrified eyes sought one
another in the dark. Three mouths gaped
vacuously. Then an appalling thing hap
darkness beyond the fence. and fell full
| woman glimpsed him.
fhPrap'