The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24

the cattle were called. And Smithy, the subject of this story, acted in the ca- pacity of cowboy on his fathers ranch.
 Usually Smithy went into town during the school year to attend the fall and winter terms of school, serving as cow boy in the spring and summer. But dur ing the winter of which I write he re- mained at home, owing to his mothers i'll health, and continued to perform his ranch duties, that of herdboy.
 Having been born and reared on The Plains. and having become hardened by the outdoor life of cowboy, Smithy could endure the hardships of exposure to storm and blizzard without any bad results Indeed, nothing gave him keen CT enjoyment than to breast a mortimer for half dozen miles on a stretch, or to ride his broncho through driving rain. "A good soaking makes a fellow tough" Smithy would say on such occa- sions. "A cowboy should be like the animals he watches oyer-proof against weather-wet or dry. hot or cold
 And so he was was Smithy. Weather had little effect on him, and he was a stalwart fellow for his IA years with a constitution which promised him great things in the future
 One January day Smithy went out over the hills to "round up" his herd. The morning was bright, though cold, the thermometer registering zero. But zero weather in that dry climate was less se- were than 10 above zero Is in moist climate. Smithy preferred walking to riding his little feet-footed broncho. and strode over the hills at brisk gait.
 As he was hurrying along a tall pole caught his eye. It seemed to grow from the sharp decline of hillock that stood out on the very summit of q long gen tly sloping hill. "Ah, the fort!" unused Smithy. ''I'd forgotten all about it-it was built so long ago." Then Smthy turned his steps toward the pole which bent in the brisk wind. After a few min utes he reached the mound, or hillock, from which the pole reared itself. And there, just at the point where the pole was planted was a deep, dark hole. Smithy stopped down and peered within it. .'Ah, my dug-out fort is still in pretty good condition," he declared. "The roof is as firm as when we tunneled into this mound. And the walls are solid, too. Gee, it's been two years next summer since Dan Wilson and dug this fort! We did it for the fun of digging. And then set up this pole, which Dan brought on his shoulder from Pas woodpie, and which we declared should wave flag on every Fourth of July and every Decora- tion Day. Well, the flag did wave last Fourth, and also on last Decoration Day. And although Dan has gone to live in a distant state. I shall still raise our flag on those great days" And Smthy, over come by the emotion of the remembrance crawled into the fort to look around. The interior was about four feet deep, five feet long by four feet wide. And when the boys had dug it they had said that in case of a cyclone they might find it place of safety. As it was tunneled into the southern side of the mound the interior was protected from rain, and. therefore, had remained in a pretty good condition In fact, this little make-be lieye fort of Smithy's and Dan's was miniature 'dug-out' on the plan of the houses built-or dug rather-by the "set- tlers' who first came to live in that bar ren land.
 Well, It's not so bad in here," said Smithy to himself. Tn a pinch a fel- low might find refuge from blizzard