Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-01-09
Old Man
Hornbeck's
Conversion
BY c. E. C. PEABODY
(Copyrisht. by shortstory Pub. Coz

over the mesas as only the wild fiOw-
eYs OF California can when once coaxed
out by the warm spring rains. The
wash, usually nothing but a sinuous
streah of cleaning sand and rocky
powders, was now raised. by the melt
ting SHOWS in the mountains, to the dig
nifty of a turbulent river Hobbling
along the road like gigantic grass
hopper with the rheumatism came
Seth Lane, a moving, blot upon a
peaceful landscape
BIN rollin' In the mud" said old
Seth as, mudencased. 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.
$50 i see," said WEIGH, severely. ut
would seem to me that IN 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 WEIGH,
absently.
Yes. on them claylands," chuckled
the old man. 'He kim up here about
four months ago from the Downey
country, where he had been raisin'
hogs an alfalfa, an dom WELL too.
but he thought he wasn't maxim
money fast enough. SO he kim up here
I'm the citrus belt, where he could git
rich in hurry. l rather liked Horn
heck when he first kim here, 'causeehe
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 l had my
faith somewhat shattered in him. But
here am tryin' to husk my pun'kins
when I amt even planted the seed
yet; SO TIL git back where the trail
starts. an commence right!
You see, Hornbeck, he kim up here
EoOkin' for an orange ranch an Newly
got hold OF him. An when Newly gifts
hold OF man you kin bet that some
body is gittin' experience an that it
Amt Newly. When that man Newly
hike cat, an smeIlin' of hair oil an
cussedness, I always feel like hoIdin
Fly nose an yeliin' 'polecat!' 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
WI, x6<
like the toothache when you are 40
miles from jawsmith! An when the
little church, that you kin see down
there by them blue gums. got so poor
Shat they couldn't afford to hire a
preacher. Newly volunteered to fill
the pulpit for what he could find on
the plate. That wasn't much, but 1t
gave him certain genteel standin',
an that was what he was after. 4
Well, Newly nosed out Hornbeck
just like a dog does a rat, an the next
thing I heard was that he had sold
Hornbeck his tehacre ranch down
oear the wash for $4,000, which was
highway robbery. Hornbeck hadn't
been here long before he commenced
10 look thoughtful. as IL he was doin'
a heap of thinkin'. an / saw right
away that he had something on his
mind. 1 had a pretty good idea VIVA,
" was, too, for he wasn't the first man
Co see a great light In this settlement.
Seth said he one day to me.
rs that man Newly honest?"
well said I, Il saw Newly
grandmother yesterday an she still
had her false Teeth! But then she
knew Newly before she had any use
for false teeth. an I suppose she
knows enough now 10 keep her mouth
shut when Newly is around If II
want FOR that, I'm bettin' that Newly
would have them teeth
I asked him said Hornbec&. witt
Tis7nr Indignation, IL them orange trees
Was all navelS! an lie said they was.
So they be- said l, with a chuckle
but did Newly say anything about
chem bein' Australians trimmed in Il
book Uke the Washington navel?'
An 1 asked him if the water RICH
was good one!' shouted Hornbeck
an ne said that it was just as gooC
a right as nay neighbor had. and tina
ne raised ducks,'
so ne does said |, but Cid New
by say anything about them ducks be
in Pesins, what git alolS better with
out water?'
Seth said he. kinder solomn-,ike
ALI the money that l have is in thi
ranch, an i can't afford TO lose it,
.HCrnbeck.' says |. you're stuck
an there amt no use denyin' Il
Everybody sroand here knows it bu
yen, al IL vas time that you wa
graspfn' the situation! Newly has bi
tr5in' 90 onicad that ciaybank on som
ore fer the last ten years! Now Their
amt but one thing for you to do. Yo
can't expect 10 stay on this ranc
an make Il tvla'. You'd have TO pu
more in Il thar you could ever drear
Of takEn' OF Now what you want
do is TO slick this place up. put gil