The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1909-09-10

all the beast OF burden that bare the
load with her are sOrely vexed, and
grevious confusion doth reign in the
caravan. Now the driver thereof
talketh like a man with a wooden
tongue and fury becOmeth his God.
His anger Is organic, then chronic,
then constitutional.
He goeth 1t unto old Sal" with a
gnarled club and the sound of it's
vain dashings against her ribs is Ii, e
unto the roaring of breakers in the
Umatilla rapids. And the beasts I
burden fear him and do lunge wick
eddy. They hump up separately and
straddle the chain variously, and an
other water buck cometh up behind
the first one. He mocketh his COM
panion with topical gibes, saying.
''Strike while the crow bait is hot,
and repeating the words of the pro-
phet:
"Lay on McDuff, ;heir hides are
tough,
A balky horse can't get enough
And his laugh is sweeter than IL e
tinkle of silver on the polished bar Il
the thirst parlor. And, 10! the driv-
era do commune together, and do
offer up burnt Offering OF Bull Dnr-
ham. And the wheel team of him
that:is sorely vexed are yanked aside
with bitter revilings and he that
cometh up behind putteth his own
b casts to the yoke and he sreaketh
saying: "Doc!' ".Joe!" And behold
there is a commotion among the live
stock and the wheels do turn. And
the master in his camp discerneth
the dust cloud o: his servants char
lot from afar of, and he giveth coun-
sci OF his yokels to be of good cher.
fhr the water cOmeth ere they perish
So the water buck doth roll into
camp, throwing the leather into his
jaded ringtails, and he maketh note
of the parched yOkels reclining be-
meath the teader bed and the feed
rack as cheweth the raw potato of
commerce and suck the juice thereof
Now the men servants Of the M
gather around about the wa.'.r- NJ
the wrath of the cookladv And
terror strfketh as q barbed arrow to
the marrow of the water buck. AS
a cold mist from the mountain top
1t striketh him. His countenance
doth become as the color oil lemon
pie with the lather licked off
His jaw droppeth and the pitiful
squeaking. of his little tin watch
seemeth to come from great dis
lance.
He draweth nigh unto the cook
shack and putteth his foot upon the
step. He hesitateth for the hour is
late and he hath sinned much. He
goeth into the presence OF the cook
, lady aud humbleth himself. She
withereth with a glance and her nose
tilteth at unknown angles. He sit
teth HARDLY the sputtering lantern
and his shriveled inwards cry for
fool. The cook.lady setteth before
him rich viands that he may eat and
| rejoice. She putteth before him the
, beans of theday before yesterdays
brew and the ancient fruit of the
prune tree, and his tea is dark and
dreary.
The heart of the cook-lady soften
eth not and the water buck sneaketh
into the outer darkness to peal the
T, rigging from his beasts of burden.
He setteth his foot down in the same
spot where old "Pete" his accom-
plice, who toileth in the off swing,
setteth his foot down also. and 10!
the night air is curdled with a yelp
wVich analyaeth 50 per cent pure
misery, for the foot of old "Pete" is
on top.
Now 1t cOmeth to pass in due sea-
son that the wheat buyer journeyeth
to the wheat fields. He cometh will
whirring Of rubber-tired wheels and
the harvest yokels bow down be-
fore the glory OF his SHIRT front. His
hat Is hard like unto hts heart. Hi!
steeds are bedecked with gay trap
pings, and with glass dofnnnies on
the brides thereof. And the heart o
the water buck il filled with envy.
) Now the wheat buyer is more sub
tie than any beast of the field; he ha
tn the wisdom of Solomon and hi
. cunning passeth the understandin,
OF the husbandman, He hath tn
forked tongue of the book agent, TO
| he hath secretly determined In hi
! heart that he will skin the gent
, rancher and sell his hide to the Phi
:. istines. He speaketh of grades an
- weights. He sitteth in the shade ,
=: the cookshack and maketh learnt
q utterance concerning handling char