The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-03-20
CHAPTER !.


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~ bodies over the barbed-wire
fence which marked the d.
Y viding line between the Cen
T tipede Ranch and their own,
\ IN staring mournfully into q
4 summer night such as only
&& the far southwestern cOun.
sA try knows And as the four
inclined their bodies. they
inclined also their ears. after the
strained manner of listeners who
feel anguish at what they hear. A
voice, shrill and human, pierced the
night like a needle, then, with q
wall of a tortured soul, died away
amid discordant raspings: the voice
Of a monograph. 1t was their own,
or had been until one over-confldent
day, when the Flying Heart Ranch
had staked it as wager in foot
race with the neighboring Cent?
pede, and their own man had been too
slow AS it had been their pride, 1t
remained their disgrace. Dearly had
they loved, and dearly lost it. 1t
meant something that looked like
honor, and though there were ten
thousand thousand monographs, in all
the world there was not one that could
take its place.
The sound ceased, there was an ap-
proving distant murmur of mems
voices, and then the song began:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
Lift up your voice and sing
Higher and higher the voice mount
ed until it reached again its first thin,
ear-splitting pitch.
Still Bill" Slower stirred uneasily
In the darkness.
"Why'n'ell don't they keep her
wound up?" he complained. Gala
gher's got the soul of a wart-hog. It's
criminal the way he massacres that
hymn"
From a rod farther down the wire
fence Willie answered him, in boys
falsetto:
81 wonder if he does it to spite me?"
"He don't know you're here" said
Slower.
The other came out of the gloom,
little stoop-shouldered man with
spectacles.
81 amt noways sure he piped,
peering up at his lanky foreman.
"Why do you reckon he allus lets
Mrs. Melby peter out on my favorite
record? He done the same thing last
night. 1t looks like an insult"
''It's nothing but his ignorance"
Slower replied. "He don't want no
trouble with you. None of 'em do"
'I'd like to know for certain" The
small man seemed torn by doubt. "If
only knew he done it a-purpose, I'd
git him. bet could do it from
here
Stover's voice was gruff as he COM
mandsd
Forget it! Amt it bad enough for
us fellers to hang around like this
every night without advertising our
idiOcy by gun-piay?"
"They amt got no right to that
photograph" Willie averred darkly.
"Oh yes, they have; they won it
fair and square"
Fair and square! Do you mean to
say Hump Joe run that foot-race on
the square?"
81 never said nothin' like that what
ever. l mean we bet it, and we lost
1t. Listen! There goes Cararas
piece!"
Out past the corral fioated the an,
nOuncement ina mans metallic syl.
tables:
1.-The Baggage Coach Ahead as
sung by Helena Mora for the Echo
Photograph, of New York and Pa-a-a-
ris!"
From the dusk, to the right of the
two listeners now issued soft Spanish
phrases.
"Madre de Dios! The Baggage Car
in 'FRONT.' T'adora Mora! God bless
'er!"
During the rendition of this affect,
Ing ballad the two cow-men remained
draped uncomfortably over the barbed.
wire barrier, lost in rapturous enjoy
ment. When the last note had died
away, Slower reused himself refuc.
family.
tits time we was turnin' in" He
SohSu Soi'iy, I1Cy, MICA:
Isl, Senor!"
Come on, you and Cloudy. Vamos!
It's ten o'clock"
He turned his back on the Cent?
pede Ranch that housed the treasure
and in company with Willie, made his
way to the ponies. Two other figures
Joined them. one humming in a must.
cal baritone the strains of the sone
Just ended.
"Cut that out, Mex! They'll hear
u.s." Slower cautioned.
"Caramba! This ting is brek my
cart" said the Mexican, sadly. at
seem like the Senorita Mora is sina
that song to me. Mebbe she knows
I'm set out ERE on cactus an listen
to her. All, love that Senorita YER
much"
The little man with the glasses be
gan to swear in his high falsetto. Hill
ear had caught the photograph opera
tor In another musical mistake