The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-10-29
DID Lights from
lhp Rio Bravo
..~I IEVINGToN COMFORT
msEs'lSt ~ J. &. Lippincott COZ

-einiceT III litSt "'' . -.
I nt This is not nay story. 1t is DID
put Dfdsey is my bnnkie. haven
se5 ten yards away from Didsey 10
o1 week all told in two years, and sine
eve run onto gold, religion AM
w. at the same time, l thInI
ON hooinpipg to understand the lad.
SIC that the Reeder you used tt
kpow?" he questioned.
Yes" said.
Dua seems to be dyin', Wesley"
mooks that way, Didsey."
? as It the hangover Of them 10 bul
let holes"
Listen" | whispered.
We had put our guests away IN the
old gospel teut for the night, SodoH
not being metropolitan in its accom-
nodations for the rarer sex. Just now
from the tent came cough that Ari
iona knows well; and, after the cough
low laugh from Reeder, that game
rsryeless laugh that had leard years
before. when the poker lights were lii
on the Rio Bravo, and the man who
sat next to the wall was safest.
~ see," said Didsey softly.
We went over to the tent again pres
emily Reeder was closer to the dark
than | had thought. She was a brave,
bright little thing, with soft voice
that set my memories strumming like
a harp, and big eyes that lit my way
back into the old epoch. see that
III have to screw up the tension, and
repeat that this is Didsey's story.
III | had your manners, Wesley,
Didsey whispered, when we were back
in our own shack, I'D never stop until
| COPIED a girl like that iur all my
own Amt she a sunrise with trim
min's?
She's sure sweet some,' | whis-
pered.
But amt got no more style than
a blue shirt" he lamented.
might have told him that it isn't
style that gets to white woman, but
he would have wanted to know all
about the origin of my theory, We
were quiet long time I was think.
ing Of the great, gamey days when old
Arizona was new, and the women
came out from the east, as they al
ways come to the edge of wars, for us
saVages to fight for their dances and
drop weltering for their smiles, They
meant a lot to me together-the man
with the cough and the fair, 1.-THE girl.
1t made me think that the west was
old-old and going out-and that the
east was still in her youth. All that
the west stood for in her prime was In
that dying man over in the gospel tent
Cards that couldn't lie; drink that
brought vine leaves but no madness:
the gun that spoke first and last, and
the smile that death-in-tL e-dark
couldn't twist or whiten. To the
death bed of all this came a slip of a
girl-out of the east.
Dfdsey had never known a woman.
but the ghosts of all the fees he had
passed in trains and dreams and towns
were gathered together that night by
the presence over yonder
What would you do for a woman
like that, Didsey?" l asked.
had leaped aboard the very train
of thoughts he was despatching, "Pd
be good to her. he said. I'D bring
her dresses and nuggets and posies,
an take her where she wanted to 90.
wouldn't let her do no work that
would make her hot or soil her hands.
wouldn't boss none, an | wouldn't
1rink-by Gawd, | wouldn5t drink,
Wesley"
The big fellow sighed and threshed
around in the dark | knew he would |
10 as he said, How that sort of treat. |
nent would work, | wasn't prepared
o settle in my mind, being rusty on
ne eternal quandary. We had $4,000
between US, Didsey and /. He had
banned to make it ten. through our
'lcklngs in the Mammon gorge, and
hen carom from port to port around
he world, humble and contrite and
broke A man has to have some
hing to look forward to. isn't it so?
The cough reached us again across
he sand; then the laugh of the gam
Ter, and the murmur of the woman's
Whispering. ] craned my head out of
ne door, The candle was still burn
1g under the canvas, and | saw her
nadow bending forward. could even
ell that she had not unpinned her
air. Presently | heard ner step on
ne stand.
"Mr. Wesley, won't you come over
} the tent quickly?"
Dan Reeder was setting out across
lie bay when got there. He intro.
uced me to the girl again, as if I
admit met her five minutes after the
age came in. Her lip was quivering
nd the warm little hand that took
as trembling.
I'm glad we were able to get to
in, Jessie" he said in his slow, harsh
ay. This man stands white out of
le old days-while | was waiting for
III IN orow mn oirlia pNba otb oro -.