The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-16

hdttleT ny Tue tdli anu snaps MS neck,
but felt lonesome in my inside till
dinner time. You bet! l know just
how you feel exactly. I didn't have a
mans sized nights rest while we was
In that part Of the country"
1t struck Miss Matte that the cases
on your chest, Will" she cried, with
her hands clasped in terror.
"Oh, 1t wasn't as bad as it sounds.
He was asleep, coiled up there to get
warm-sharpish nights on the prairie
In August-but darn 1t. Matte" wrin-
king up his nose In disgust, II hate
the sight Of the brutesr'
"But you wouldn't be afraid Of
man, viii"
"Well, no." admitted he i've new
err been troubled much that way. You
see, everybody has different fear to
throw crimp in them. Mines rattle
snakes and these little bugs with forty
million pairs Of legs. l pass right out
when / see one of them things. They
give me feeling as if my stummick
had melted"
weren't the Indians terrible out
there, too|' asked Miss Matte. I'm
sure they must have been"
ooh, they amt bad people If you
use 'em right" said Red. Not that |
like 'em any better on the ground
than in it," he added hastily, fearful
Of betraying the sentiment of his
country, "but never had but one real
argument man to man. Black Wolf
and l come together over a matter of
who owned my cayuse, and from
words we backed off and got to shoot
ing. He raked me from knee to hip, as
was kneeling down, doing the best
I could by him and wasting ammuni-
ton because | was in hurry. Still, |
did bust his ankle. In the middle Of
the fuss a stray shot hit the cayuse III
the head, and he croaked without 4
remark, so there we We're. a pair Of
fools miles from home with nothing
left to quarrel about. You could have
fried an egg on q rock that day, and it
always makes you thirsty TO get shot
anyways serious, thinking Of which l
hollered peace to old Black Wolf and
told him I'd pull straws with him to
see who took my canteen down to the
creek and got some fresh water. He
was agreeable and we hunched up to
each other. 1t amt to my credit to
say it, but | was worse hurt than that
Injun, so | worked him. He got the
short straw, and had to crawl mile
through cactus, while l sat comforta-
BILE on the cause OF the disagreement
and yelled to him that he looked like
a badger and other things that an In
jun wouldn't feel was a compliment"
Red leaned back and roarcd. Il can
see him now putting his hands down
SO careful and turning back every
once in awhile to cuss me. Turned OUT
that it was his cayuse too. Feller that
sold 1t to me had stole it from him.
oughtn't to laugh over it, but | can't
help but smoker when l think how
did that Injun."
Generally speaking, Miss Matte had
q lively sense of humor, bat the joke
Of this was lost on her. Her educa-
ton had been that getting shot was
far from funny.
why, | should have thought you
would have died, WIFI
"What! For q little crack In the
leg?" cried Red, with some impatience
you people must quit easy in this
country. Die nothin' One Of our
boys came along and took us to camp
and we was UP and doing again in no
time. Course, Black Wolf has game
leg for good, but the worst that's
stuck to me is yank or two of rheu-
matism in the rainy season. l paid
Wolf for his cayuse," he finished
shamefacedly. Il had the laugh Oh
him anyhow"
Miss Matte told him she thought
Red took as medicine and shifted the
subject with speed to practical affairs.
He asked Miss Matte how much mon
ey she had and how she managed TO
make out. Now, it was one of the
canOns of good manners in Fairfield
not to speak of material matters, per
hapS because there was so little ma
terial matter in the community, but
Miss Matte doomed to a thousand
irksome petty economies, had often
longed for a sympathetic ear to pour
into 1t a good honest complaint of hat
ing to do this and that. She could not
exactly go this far with Cousin VIII,
but she could say it was pretty hard
to get along and gave some details
She felt that she knew him so very
well In those few hours. Red heard
with mods Of assent. He had scented
the conditions at once.
1T amt any fun skidding on the
thin ice said he when they had con-
cluded the talk. Eve had to count the
beans put in the pot, and it made me
hate arithmetic worse than when
went over yOnder to school. Well,
them days have gone by for you, Mat
de-" He reached down and, pulling
out green roll, slapped it on the CEN
ter table. BLOW that in and timber
up and remember that there's more
behind it,
Miss Mattie's pride rose at a leap.
"Will," she said. II hope you don't
think I've told you this to get money
ppoY,,