Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1910-09-06
She Changed
Her Mind
Bv CORA THOMSON

dN tfif Elldll tdNuitAt0 iOunQtu ~ AuA II
IN the hills and came abruptly into a
little valley. II was too small for a
canyon and too big for a gully, great,
fsttopped rocks we're scattered about
and among them a pounding stream
tore it's way.
"Fow prettyi" she said What's
rs name?"
The man on the horse beside her
glanced at her a trifle whimsically
before he spoke.
Its name bellies its looks" he told
her; its Rattlesnake gulch!"
Even as he had expected Eleanor
Meade's face twisted into a little
frown OF disgust How horridl" she
shivered. That's the trouble with
your west--you won't even let one
enjoy the really pleasant spots, but
spoil them with some fantastic
name!"
ut isn't fantastic In this case" Nor
wood told her as they drew rein.
waiting for the others. TITS solemn
truth. Time was when Rattlesnake
gulch was a decidedly dangerous spot
because of its inhabitants that re-
sided beneath those fiat stones and
summed themselves thereon by the
dozens. They practically are cleared
out now. BY the way, 1t is the
extreme northern limit of the ranch"
Bert Norwood swung around in his
saddle as their horses plodded slowly
on and waved his hand at Rattlesnake
gulch.
There's a story about that very
place." he said, seeing It brought 1t
to my mind. and then / knew the fell
low. When he first came out here
from the east he wasn't very bad and
he wasn't very good He hadn't run
up against any of the hard things OF
life and he was selfish because he
was ignorant and raw. He had never
had to think of anybody but himself
and his own pleasure. He really didn't
amount to very much. At that time
Rattlesnake gulch had a thriving and
lively population and this trail was
given a wide berth. You see, If by any
chance one went over the edge the
only way to get out was to cross the
gulch and the stream and get up to
the other side, where it isn't so steep,
and naturally nobody wanted to make
the trip, because there wasn't one
chance in a hundred he'd get through
unframed. Well, one day Smith, this
chap I'm telling you about-was on
the upper trail around the hills. Down
below him he saw a pony with a
swaying rider whom he recognized as
Pete, one of the cow-punchers at the
ranch where he was staying. Pete
was the regulation bad mana worth
less, no-account, ugly brute, who had
been particularly obnoxious to Smith
ever since his arrival. A man can
be brave in a good cause, but when
it comes TO risking a wretched death
for the sake of something worse than
nothing it calls for brand of heroism
and self-sacrifice Smith never had.
He reasoned coldly that he prob
ably was much more needed in the
progress of the world than Pete, but
he still stared down into the distant
gully. To his disgust, he found he alb
solutely could not ride off and leave
Pete to get off the best way he could.
At first he argued that he would gal
lop to the ranch and send some of
Pete's associates to rescue him. He,
Smith, certainly owed Pete nothing in
the way Of charity. 1t was only COM
mon sense. Then Smith found he was
guiding his mount down the lower
trail mechanically.
Later he realized II was the first time
in his life that the common law Of hui
mainly had clutched him and said:
Your turn to help" and had brought
him face to face with the fact that
you can't run your life for yourself
alone. And so-well, he went down
into Rattlesnake gulch and carried
Pete across the stream and up the
other side and nothing happened. He
wasn't fated to die by means of Rattle
snake gulch. That's all But 1t real
ly changed Smiths life doing that It
made a man OF him. | mean 1t made
him realize that there we're other peo-
pie In the world beside himself"
Eleanor Meade was looking into the
deepening shadows. Yes" she said.
There are fine things like that hap
pening out here, of course. I'd like
to know that man. Where"
"Oh, he left this region long ago."
said Norwood. There are the others!"
The rest of the party came gallop-
ing up-Norwood's sister, Eleanor's
cousin and the two men,
Say, Jimmie" Wharton called out,
ripping place back there you've got on
your ranch, Bert! That Rattlesnake
place. Your sister was Just telling us
about the time you were fool enough
to cross it for a worthless loafer
WORKING for you! I thought you used
to have some sense!"
81 didn't suppose Alice knew about
IT," Norwood stammered to cover his
wrath and confusion. Anyhow the
story was so exaggerated. There was
nothing in III"
"Why didn't you tell me II was