The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-11-05
MAN WHO DRlFTED ON
BY GEORGE pArrILIo.


While We dawdled in the shade cast
BY the wagon, the Bantys told US their
history. II was that OF restless wan
derers who constitute a never-ceasiag
caravan from as far east as Louisiana
vending westward and north through
Oklahoma. Texas, New Mexico and
Arizona. They find a virgin country,
break it, and nature heaps her boun-
ties in their laps. Then comes a bad
year. and they have made no pro-
vision: or the spirit Of the rover, that
viii not die. wakes once more; again
their wagons take their whining way
through the wilderness.
Surely the goal viii prove fabulously
rich; always that hope-it never burns
out The memory Of starvation can
not dim hardships and distance do
but fan il: it fires their souls as the
lure of gold tempts prOspect0rs. And
on their heels comes the plodding
farmer. VINO goes patiently to work TO
wrest a living out Of the claims
they have abandoned. and wakes.
some morning. to find that civilization
is knocking at his door and he is
rick.
Banty had tried raising maize close
to the nations. No the climate did
not agree with him and his wife.
Il liked il, Ed." she protested
'But 1t wasn't doing you no good,
Goldie," he said 4 could see that
easy"
He had nothing TO say against the
climate. Il was good enough climate.
but its effects we're far from satisfac-
tory. In consequence, they had dis
posed Of their acres to migrate to the
Panhandle. All that was years ago
THAT land is selling at $40 an acre
now / observed.
Twenty dollars. I swami DO you
hear that, girl? This genTman says
they're paying 500 an acre for that
plains land" said Banty, his eyes gilt
tering. And We done sold ours for
SO. If we'd only waitedl"
Yes" his wife sighed "it's too bad
And we done lost that $1,000 in New
Mexico, you recollect. Ed?"
Indeed, he did. Banty wagged his
head over the inscrutable ways of the
jade Fortune and murmured, Wen.
well. Who'd have thought it?"
This was a WORKOUT tale to US, one
Of little meaning. Nesters came aud
nesters went. II they did not so soon
enough we sometimes furnished the
impetus; for. OF course. the southwest
was intended by the Creator to be
COW country. and it is an iniquity that
agriculturists should win it for corn
and cotton and other mainstays of
life.
Banty had fenced a quarter section
near El Captain mountains, and, with
this as a base Of operations, had put
his -nestegg in sheep. But the sheep
had diyed over a cliff on a night Of
rocking storm, and there was none
to prove what, or who, propelled them.
Much good it would have done him
could he have proved It. So once more
he had gathered his scant belongings
into a wagon to set out for that
promised land.
HAo - tnI last AAAAtf g1Hf oAAf
cried Banty, in his excited cracked
tones. Where we're going now they
say it's a regular Garden Of Eden,
like what the Good Book tells about.
All you have for to do is to stir the
groun | some aud you've got a crop.
Six cuttings Of alfalfa in year; yes,
sir"
"And don't forget how calm and
peaceful it all is, Ed" Goldie spoke
up. Don't you mind how Brother
Ducey said they we're all so friendly?
He said no mans hand was lifted
against his neighbor, Brother Ducey
did"
"Huh-huh," Dave grunted. He had
given the recital his most earnest at
tention. and now he shook his head
reprovingly.
That's just the way 1t is every time
the way you done It's what I've
been telling these boys here for ten
years" he declared. Birds Of a
feather gather no moss"
What's that you say, Mr.. Dave?'
"A rolling stone gathers no feath-
ers," Dave corrected sternly. 'You all
know what l mean. "-McClure's Maga-