The Colorado statesman., 1913-10-18

| You"
"Who?"
you"
"Me?"
Yes, mel mean you'll"
oh" At last she understood.
Where are we all three going to
live? You know, Mr.. Bonny-"
A horrible fear smote me. Great
heavens," I cried, 'is he going to
marry you, too?"
That's what he said.' averred
Madge.
He never shalll" 1 swore. I'll
kill him like would "a buffalo"
l think Madge laughs. too much
sometimes.
THE idea of you k-i-l-l-i-n-g buff
f-a-lol. I'll tell you what I'll DIDO.
I'll marry the first one of you that
d-does k-kill bufhehehalo!''
l would rather Madge had accepted
me in more conventional manner,
but suppressing all selfish considera-
ton, l cried: "Done!" and was off to
challenge Bonny. He accepted read
lily.
A week later found us camped in
the then sparsely buffalo-settled re-
| gion of Colorado. The first day we
spent trying to get suggestions rela-
tive to buffalo hunting. These sugges-
! tions were discussed over our coffee
that evening.
Cowboys Gall men west of the Mis-
sissippi were cowboys to him) are
cowards," said Bonny. 81 asked one
ot them If you were l where would
you go to hunt buffaloes?' Where l
would be least likely to find them he
replied. My good man., said l. kind
! ly tell me how you do bring down
buffalo He took another chew of to-
bacco and squirting one eye, re-
Piled L shoot them in their tracks.
That is the best place for you to
shoot buffalo, young man, right in
F., its tracks, and the older the tracks
+, are. the better"
My own information had been more
practical. l had beeh told to lasso my
buffalo and tie it to the nearest tree,
where could shoot it without danger,
at least to the buffalo," my inform
ant added absent mindedly.
Unfortunately, l forgot my lasso the
next morning and had to depend en-
tirely upon my gun.
While we lunched Bonny was ap-
parently seized with an attack of deli
rum tremens.
Buffalo, buffalo!" he shrieked, and
danced about.
"A cluster of them?" l asked.
only a solitaire" he shouted, but
It's mine," and mounting his horse
he backed rapidly away, presumably
to keep the buffalo in sight while he
circled it. Rival as he was, l had to
admit that it was the tactic OF a brave
man.
AS for me, bodily started toward
the buffalo. l had gone but a short
distance when l came to an old dug
out which had partly filed, leaving
enough ingress for man nearly half
my size to crawl through. The anil
NAL, scenting danger, approached me.
Fearing lest l frighten it away, got
as far as 1 could into the dugout. The
buffalo came on, its head lowered, it's
tail furiously lashing at the fiies-on,
until it was within twenty feet of me!
/ slipped the rest of the way into
the dugout, and though my heart beat
like a sledge hammer, l coolly put
my gun to my shoulder, braced my
self firmly against the farthest wall
and with bated breath watched the
majestic creature move slowly by and
out of range of my gun. / painted
to pursue, but found that it would re-
Quire an hours work with my knife
to enlarge the egress sufficiently for
me to get out. When / did get out,
the buffalo had escaped, and in the
distance 1 beheld Benny squirting his
horse to full speed. / was disgusted
with Bonny. Why should he sit calmly
on his horse within mile of the buffa-
10, let it escape him, and then exhibit
such trepidation because it had done
80?
On the return / found a couple of
men skinning buffaloes. l bought a
hide, went on and was first to reach
camp. Pretty soon Bonny arrived.
"Well?" said he.
Well" said l.
What do you think of this?" and he
unTolled fresh hide.
Il think you are about as smart as
! am" l eyasively answered. Where
did you shoot your blffalo?"
Right in its tracks," said Bonny.
While we glared at each other II
collect telegram was brought u.s. Il
read:
"ron't slay buffaio. l have married
Madge r.. Meels."