The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-07-08
MY QUIET FOURTH
BY ROBERT DoNNELL.

rious old day as Luther went after the
cactus-to scrape the spines OF and
leave 1t a soft velvety affair? Make
the Fourth just a dream day for sies-
tas aud somnolence, dedicated to the
great white god Silence?
Very well. Let them do it. After
about one or fraction Of one such
silent Fourth they'll be glad to get
back to the pop proposition. know,
beloved because ] once experienced an
absolutely silent Fourth Of July.
My noiseless Fourth took place some
where near the middle Of the Nevada
desert You can find places in that
desert today where there isn't sound
for hundreds Of miles because there's.
nothing 10 make sound. | was herd
Ing cattle in those days-punching
cows. the elegant eastern writers call
It. Caliente was my headquarters
Ever see Caiente? mean. rather.
did you ever feel Caliente? There isn't
much 10 see. but In midsummer you
can feel Caliente. Ii feels just as its
Spanish name implies-hot. Caliente
is surrounded by barren mountains.
beyond which stretches barren desert.
Nowadays there is railroad that
finds entrance and exit between the
passes, but in those days the lonesome
little burg was an isolated speck.
Strange 10 say, the town had run out
OF ammunition by the end Of June
Though every man carried a six shoot
er there wasn't a cartridge left In Cal
iente. And as for other fireworks ma
terial there wasn't cracker-except
whip crackers.
Caliente couldn't stand for q fire.
voorhees, Fourth. 80 ! was detailed to.
ride horseback eighty miles across the
shimmerine desert and bring back
from the nearest railroad town q sup
ply Of noise producerA Ny horse had
. lame boot. 30 the boss proRered his.
you'll have to tether him down pret.
y tight when you camp" said the
boss, "for You know he's mighty skit-
Dish"
set ont on the arst day OF July. /
misunderstanding from New England
can calculate. you see-that ] could
get the fireworks and reach Caliente In
time for the celebration to begin about
noon Of the Fourth ! made the rail
road town all right. strapped big bun
dies Of pyrotechnics 10 the horse and
got back within thirty miles Of Cali
ente by the evening Of the third
was dog tired. So was the horse prob
ably. But determined to rest only an,
hour. eat bite and plug along a few
hours before making camp. so that
could get into Caliente little earlier
than | was expected
Dismounting. | hitched the horse to,
a cactus bush and sat down TO unlace
my shoes | proposed easing my own
feet before easing the animal by I'M
saddling him. | went sound asleep,
with one shoe of and one on An hour
later ! awoke The horse was gone.
He had pulled the top off the brittle
cactus bush and released himself. He.
carried with him Caliente's entire
OWN
slung over the saddle in its holster
| slept soundly until daybreak on the
sandy ground. Arising at dawn on the
Fourth of July. ! SET out at brisk
pace for Caliente. as ] thought II
was sultry day. and the heat in
creased as the hours advanced. BY
noon ] WAS wondering why I hadn't
bit the pass into Caliente. dscor-
cred that had been walking In big
circle Just then | was about fifty
miles away from Caliente knew old
Charlie. faithless TO me. but faithful
70 his master. had reached town hours
before with the fireworks
There are no birds in the desert IN.
make twiirering song There are no
rees through which the breeze blows
subdued strain | was the only liv.
ng thing. 50 far rs knew. for fifty
niles IN each direction. The absolute.
stiffness of the scene appalled, me.
learned for some sound-a thunder
rash. an earthquake. anything. Just
% II made noise. In my imagjna.
Ion. but only there. ! could hear the.
pop. pop. pop Of the crackers along
,aloon row
! was tired-awfully tired. / was
ootsore: ] was hungry: / was thirsty:
was hot-fercely hot. But | want
o confess right here and now that
one OF these disagreeable things
aused me half such agony as that
readful. dumb. desolate. universal 81.
ence. with big s. tried to shout
ut my dry tongue gave forth no
ound. Clntching wildly at a grease
rood bush. fell to the baked soil ana. =.
,st knowledge Of life.
Early on the morning Of the 9th Of
uly the boys found me there-the res,
ne party that set out as soon a. the!
oss' riderless horse got in. After A
ig swig al the water bottle I family
nplored one Of the fellows to IRE of.
Is gun He did so. and the sound was.
sonata.
Reckon you've enjoyed a ou,et
ourthr suggested Missouri Bin