Gunnison news-champion., 1911-10-27

tattI bak et bfeda rAa tt~ef- -
kssEies. IN HE private car. ~as or
has trip south Tor the winter season
FoF q pees that car Was traadled
soa.hward shifted laid over. and
manipulated after the manner of rod
ina stock but Chicken stuck TO u.
i.avfas y only at ssoessary times %
satisfy bis hunger and thirst He
knes :; must so down to the cattle
Country and san Antonio m the heart
OF n was his goal There the air
vss salubrious and mild the people
indulgeui aud long suffering The bar
tenders there would not sick him "
he should eat too long or too often
at one place they would swear at him
az " hv rote and without heat They
sWore SO drawlinRly and they rarely
paused short Of their fall vocabulary
which vas eopioHs. 90 that Chicken
had often sulped a good meal durins
the process Of the vituyerative pro.
hfbifion The season there vas al
wsvs spriaslise the plazas we're
pheasant at night. with music and
gayety. exceut during the slight and
infreeuently cold snaps one could
sleep comfortably out Of doors In case
the interiors should develop iuhospi
tality
At Texarkana the car was switched
10 the \ G. n Then stiil south
ward II trailed until a, length. u
cra~led across the Colorado bridge
at Austin. and lined out. straight rs
an arrow for the run to San An
tonic
When the freight halted at that
town Chicken was fast asleep In ten
minutes n was on again for Laredo
the end Of the road Those empty
cattle cars were for distribution along
the line at points from which the
ranches shipped their stock
When Chicken awoke his car was
stationary Looking out between the
stats he saw II was a bright. moonIi'
night Scrsmbling out. he saw his
car with three others abandoned on
a little siding In a wild and lonesome
country cattle pen and chute
stood on one side Of the track The
railroad bisected Q vast dim ocean
of prairie in the midst Of which
Chicken. with his futile rolling stock
was - completely stranded as was
boat
white post stood near the rails
Going up 10 II. Chicken read the let
ters at the top. 8. A. 90 Laredo was
nearly - far to the south He was
almost a hundred miles from any
town. Coyotes began TO yelp In the
mysterious SEA around him Chicken
felt lonesome. He had lived in Bos-
ton without an education. in Chicago
without nerve. In Philsdelphia with
out a sleeping place, In New York
without . pull. and In Pittsburg sober.
and yet he had never felt so lonely
- nov
suddenly through the intense o.
lence, he heard the whicker Of
horse. The sound came from the side
Of the track toward the east. and
Chicken began to explore timorouely
In that direction. He stepped high
along the mat Of curly mesquite grass.
for he was afraid Of everything there
might be In this wilderness-snakes
rats brigands. centipedes. mirages.
cowboys. fandangoes. tarantulas. ia
males-he had read Of them in the
story papers. Rounding a clump Of
prickly pear that reared high it's fan.
tastic and menacing array OF rounded
heads, he was struck to shivering Ter
ror by a snort and thunderous
plunge. as the horse, himself startled
bounded away some fifty yards. and
then resumed his grazing But here
was the one thing In the desert that
Chicken did not fear. He had been
reared on a farm he had handled
horses. understood them, and could
ride
Approaching slowly and speaking
soothingly. he followed the animal
which, after its first flight. seemed
gentle enough. and secured the end
Of the twentyfoot lariat that dragged
after him in the erass II required
him but a few moments to contriye
tn rope into an ingenious nose bride
after the style OF the Mexican borsal
In another he was upon the horses
back and OF at splendid lope Civ.
ing the animal free choice of direc-
tion. He viii take me somewhere
said Chicken to himself.
II would have been a thing of ioy
that untrammeled gallop over the
moonlft prairie, even to Chicken. who
loathed eHertion. but that his mood
was not for II. His head ached a
growing thirst was upon him; the
somewhere" whittier his lucky mount
might convey him was fun of dismal
persdventure
And now he noted that the horse
moved TO q definite goal Where tho
prairie lay smooth he kept his cours.
straight as an arrows toward the
east. Detected by hin or arrovo or
impracticsble spfnous brakes y.
quickly flowed again into the current
charted by his unerrfne instinct Al
last. upon the side % a gentle r,,.
he suddenly subsided 10 a complscen,
walk stones cast away stood /,
little mott of coma trees: beneath !,
a jacal such ~ the Mexicans erect
one-room how're u up-ieh. pole.
daubed with clay ana rooted v,.h
yvaeH $vt~