The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-01-14
Old Man
Hornbeck's
Conversion
BIZ C. E. C. PEABODY
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz

out by the warm spring rains. The
wash, usually nothing but a sinuous
streak of cleaning sand and rocky
powders, was now raised. by the melt
ing SHOWS in the mountains, to the dig
nifty of a turbulent river. Hobbling
along the road like a gigantic grass
hopper with the rheumatism came
Seth Lane, moving blot upon a
peaceful landscape
Bin rollin' in the mud" said old
Seth as, mud encased, he paused be-
fore WEIGH and alphabetically mopped
his leathery face with a piece of flour
sacking which, owing to the old mans
rigid sense of economy, did duty for a
handkerchief
So | see" said Welch. severely. 1T
would seem to me that an old man
like"
Bin biddin' old man Hornbeck good
by" Interrupted Lane, blandly. Hes
bin Twin down there by the bend near
the wash"
"On the claylands?" asked Welch.
absently.
Yes, on them claylands," chuckled
the old man. Gle kim up here about
four months ago from the Downev
country, where he had been raisfn'
hogs an alfalfa, an dom well. too.
But he thought he wasn't maxim
money fast enough, so he kim I'D here
In the citrus belt, where he could git
rich in hurry. | rather liked Horn.
beck when he first kim here. cause he
was so straightforward an honest.
Why, he is the only man | ever trusted
In my life to buy my terbacker. There
Kim a time, however, when had nv
faith somewhat shattered in him. But
here | am tTyin' to husk my pun'kins
when l amt even planted the seed
yet; so I'll git back where the trail
starts. an commence right!
You see, Hornbeck, he kim up here
lookin' for an orange ranch an Newly
got hold of him. An when Newly gifts
hold of a man you kin bet that some
body is gittin' experience an that it
amt Newly, When that man Newbv
comes around me wallin' on his toes
like cat, an smellin' of hair oil an
cussedness, | always feel like holdin'
my nose an yellin' 'polecatn He was
an undertaken before the boom struck
the country. an then he went into the
real estate business, jes' like every
body else did. But like everybody else
he didn't git ashamed of it an quit
when the boom busted, but hung on
like the toothache when you are 40
miles from a jawsmith! An when the
little church, that you kin see down
there by them blue gums, got so moor
that they couldn't afford to hire
preacher, Newly volunteered to fiji
the pulpit for what he could find on
the plate. That wasn't much. but if
gave him a certain genteel standin'
an that was what he was after.
We'll, Newly nosed out Hornbeck
just like dog does a rat, an the next
thing | heard was that he had sold
Hornbeck his ten-acre ranch down
near the wash for $4,000. which was
highway robbery. Hornheck hadn't
been here long before he commenced
TO look thoughtful as if he was dom
heap of thinkin', an | saw right
away that he had something on his
mind. I had a pretty good idea what
Ut was, too, for he wasn't the first man
to see a great light in this settlement.
Seth said he one day to me.
Is that man Newly honest?"
Well said |, 4 saw Newby's
grandmother yesterday an she still
had her false teeth! But then she
knew Newly before she had any use
for false teeth, an | suppose she
knows enough now to keep her mouth
shut when Newly is around. If it
wasn't for that, I'm bettin' that Newly
would have them teeth!
" 1 asked him., said Hornbeck, with
risin' indignation, if them orange trees
was ali navels! an he said they was
" So they be- said l, with a chuckle.
but did Newly say anything about
them bein Australians trimmed in to
look like the Washington navel?'
An asked him if the water right
was a good one' shouted Hornbeck.
AN he said that it was just as good
right as my neighbor had, and that
he raised ducksn
$50 he does said I, but did New
by say anything about them ducks be-
in Pekins, what git along better with
out water?'
Seth said he, kinder solemn-ike
all the money that | have is in this
ranch, an I can't afford to lose it.
'HOrnbeck,' says l. you're stuck.
an there amt no use denyin' it,
Everybody around here knows it but
you, an it was time that you was
graspin' the situation! Newly has bin
tryin' to unload that claybank on some
one for the last ten years! Now there
amt but one thing for you to do. You
can't expect to stay on this ranch
AN make a Twin. You'd have to put
more in it than you could ever dream
Of takin off, Now what you want to
do is to slick this place up, put a gilt
edge polish on It an sell out to the
first tenderfoot sucker that comes
along