Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11

IAN elk forged slowly past his wide
antlers tipped with light An antelope
sprang up and bounded away into the
twilight ahead. A coyote leaped from a
shoestring clump: he covered and whined
like whipped dog with his tail between
his legs, then raced away down the wind
Snorting shadows began to move to right
and left in the further gloom and dis
appeared In the smoke drift. I was now
a part OF the ragged edge Of the fiotsam
tossed up by the approaching lip Of the
flood. I gave my horse another inch OF
rein and held him steady. The thunder
in the rear grew louder. i could hear
dimly the wild confusion Of animal cries.
1 was the fox hearing the yelp of the
hounds and racing for cover.
Years and years of flight with the
breath Of an oven to breathe! Years and
falling, and my throat was tight with
the driving smoke. The good brute be-
gan to wheeze and cough. / felt the
tremor of his wearying muscles, the
slight unsteadiness Of the knees. L
prayed for the river-prayed like a kid
at his mothers knee. I begged the
brute to keep his legs: 1 cursed him
when he tottered; 1 called him baby
names and cursed him in a breath.
And after years the day began-a
sneaking shadow of a day, shamed out
by the bowling western dawn that met
il on the run. \ storm of sound was
all about me- Neck ard neck l raced
with buffalo bull that led the herd;
his swollen tongue hung from his foam
ing mouth: his breath rumbled in his
throat. Wheeling steers toiled up about
me. Deer and elk raced side by side
slowly forging into the van. Gray wolves
bounded past whining and yelping. And
my good brute beat away bravely at the
rasp of his lungs and the breaking Of
his big, strong heart He stumbled
1 gave him the spur to the heel; he
gave no sign of pain. He was dying on
his feet.
And the cheap. dirty day crept in
through the smoke-and 1 thought of
the Kid. and lost heart and cared no
more about the race. But by and by L
saw the river ahead and we plunged in
a bowling. painting flood of beasts, struS-
Cling for the further shore
THE sky and the river whirled about
me. / felt my horse totter up sand
bank and fall. Then the day went out
and / forgot.
"Oh. God. 1 wish I'd never Weakened
up! Why didn't the buffalo and the
steers beat me into the sand? Why did
1 wake up?"
Frenchy covered his face with his
hands. and the tears trickled through
his fingers.
But the dead horse parted the herd
and l woke up and the fire was dead and
the sun looked like a moon through the
smoke Three aching years ago. it was:
and I've dragged my carcass about and
tried to look like a man. But night and
day the deuces have followed me and
tortured me. They burn holes in the
dark whenever / shut my eyes; four
pairs of devils dance before me all day
in the sunlight till my head whirlS.'
Frenchy picked up the four deuces and
held them tremblingly before the staring
crowd.
Look at EN-. Let 'em burn through
your hides into your souls, There's the
blood Of the Kid on 'em. The damned
dirty deuces. They've got me in the
last ditch, I'm done"
Frenchy crushed the cards and dashed
them to the floor. He arose unsteadilv
to his feet. took his guns and staggered
out of the barroom of the Big g."