Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-10
: A FRIEND IN NEED =
By CLARENCE E. MULFORD.

tired Of the atmosphere he had Great.
ed on the ranch and driven to desper.
alton, had seized the first chance thai
came to get rid of him temporarily
and the blues with him. No one knew
the cause for Hoppy's unusual state
of mind although there were many
conjectures. Even Red Connors was
forced to guess and when Red had tc
do that he was warranted in believing
the matter serious.
Johnny Nelson made no secret Of his
opinion and derived from 1t a great
amount of satisfaction. which he ad-
mitted with a grin to his foreman.
Buck" he said. "Hoppy told me he
went broke playin' poker over In
Grant with Dave Wilkes and them
Lawrence brothers, an that shore ex-
plains 1t. He's got pack sores from
carryin' his lickin'. 1t was due to
come to him, an Dave was just tn
boy to deliver 1t. That's tn whole
trouble, an l know it, an I'm glad
they trimmed him."
Wrong, son, dead wrong" Buck re-
piled. He takes his beatin's with a
grin, an money never did worry him
none. No poker game could leave q
welt like that on him. He's been doin
somethin' he don't want us to know
made fool of hisself some way. I've
knowed him too long an we'll to be-
lieve gamblin' had any hand in 1t. But
this little trip he's takin' will fix him
up all right-an' couldn't send a bet
ter man."
well, it's luck for him you picked
him to CO." rejoined Johnny, who
thought more of the woeful absentee
than he did of his own skin. "'Cause
/ was goin' to lick him, shore, If II
went on much longer. Me an Red an
Billy was goin' to beat him up good till
he forgot his dead injuries an took
some interest in his friends"
Buck laughed: well, tn three OF
you might a done it, though I'm
some doubtful. Now look here-you've
been a-hangin' round tn bunk house
too much lately. From now on you've
got to earn yore grub. Get out on that
west line an hustle"
You know I've had a toothache!"
snorted Johnny, Indignantly, his face
as sober as that Of Judge.
You'll have stomach ache for
grub If you don't earn yore right to
eat. purity soon" retorted Buck. You
amt never had a toothache in yore
whole life. an you don't know what
one is. G'wan, now, or I'll give you a
backache that1l ache!"
"Huh!. Devil Of way to treat sick
mani" and Johnny departed exul-
tantly, whistling with much noise and
no music. But he was sorry for one
thing-he wished he had seen Hop
along meet his Waterloo.
While the outfit blessed the range
deal which took him out Of their small
circle for a time Hopalong rode farth-
er and farther into the northwest and
was frequently lost in abstraction
which, judged by it's effect upon him.
must have been serious. Three weeks
before while at Grant he had borrowed
a horse from Dave Wilkes and given
hot chase to the man who had stolen
his own animal; and, catching him,
had been talked out Of exercising sum-
mary vengeance and justice and al
lowed the self-confessed thief to go.
But not content with such a startling
breach Of range tradition and ethics.
he had actually been persuaded into
swapping the borrowed animal for his
own, which the thief had found jaded
and not equal to the speed desired. In
stead of sending hot lead after the
eloquent stranger he had sat idly on his
recovered mount and watched the 9TH
er burn up the plain in his haste to go
hence.
The borrowed horse was good one,
a successful contender in all distances
from one to five miles and had earned
it's owner and hackers much money
and he had parted with it as easily as
he would have borrowed five dollars
from Red. The story, he had reflected
since, was as old as lying-a broken
legged horse, a dying wife forty miles
away, and a horse all saddled which
needed only to be mounted and ridden
These thoughts kept him company
for a day and when he dismounted be-
fore Stevenson's hotel in Hoyt's Cor
ners he summed up his feelings for the
enlightenment Of his horse.
"D-n it, bronch, I'd give ten dol
lars right now to know If l was q
jackass or not" he growled. But he
was an awful slick talker IL he lied"
Mr.. Cassidy was not known by sight
to the citizens Of Hoyt's Corners, how
ever well versed they may have beer
in his numerous exploits Of wisdom
and folly. Therefore the habitues o.
Stevenson's hotel did not recognize hin
in the gloomy and morose individual
who dropped his saddle on the fiool
with a crash and stamped to the three
legged table at dusk and surily de-
manded shelter for the night.
Gimme bed an somethin' to eat,
he demanded, eyeing the three mer
seated with their chairs tilted agains
the wan. DO 1 get it" he demanded
impatiently.
You do" replied a one-eyed man
lazily arising and approaching him
"One dollar, now"
AN take tn rocks outen that bed
want to sleep"
"A dollar per for every one you find
grinned Stevenson, pleasantly.
Some folks likes to be rocked t
Sleep" facetiously remarked one of tn
pair by the wall, laughing contentedl!
at his own pun.
"Yo're droll feller. Charley,
chuckled "Old" John Ferris, rubbing
his ear. That's a good one"
lone drink. now" growled Hopalone
mimicking the proprietor and glarint
at the "droll feller" and his compan
ion. AN mind it's a good ONE" h
admonished the host.
Its better" smiled Stevenson
Whereat "Old" John crossed his leg