The Elbert County tribune., 1914-07-17

BY Jove. old top exclaimed De
Lancey. laughing teasfngly. you've
certainly got the blues today. Here,
take something out of this bottle and
see II it won't help"
He brought out quart bottle from
his saddle-bags and Bud drank, and
ehuddered at the bite of it,
"All right" he said, as he passed 1T
back. land while we're talking, what's
the matter with cutting it out on booze
for this trip?"
What are you going to drink.
them" cried De Lancey in feigned
alarm. "water?"
We'll, something like that" admit
ted Bud. Come on-what do you
say? We might get lit up and tell
something"
Now lookee here, Bude' clamored
Phil. who had had few drinks al.
ready. you don't mean to insinuate.
do you? Next thing l know you'll be
asking me to cut it out on the hay
might talk in my sleep, you know. and
give the whole snap away"
No, you're a good boy when you're
asleep. Phil" responded Bud, but
when you get about half shot it's diff
ferent. Come on, now-Ill quit II you
will. That's fair, amt it?"
What? No little toots around
town? No serenading the senoritas and
giving the rurales the hotfoot? Well,
what's the use Of living, Bud, II you
can't have little fun? Drinking don't
make any difference. as long as we
stick together What's the use of
swearing off-going on record in ad-
vance? We may find some fellow that
we can't work any other way-we may
have to go on a drunk with him in or
der to get his goatl But will you
stick? That's the pointl''
Bud glanced at him and grunted, and
for a long time he rode on in silence.
Before them lay rolling plain, dip
ping by broad gulches and dwindling
ridges to the lower levels of Old Mex
leo, and on the skyline, thin and blue.
stood the knifelike edges of the For
tunas miles away.
With desert-trained eyes he noted
the landmarks, San Juan mountain to
the right, Old Niggerhead to the left,
and the feather-edge of mountains far
below; and as he looked he stored 1t
away in his mind in case he should
come back on the run some night
1t was not a foreboding, but the
training of his kind, to note the lay of
the ground. and he planned just where
he would ride to keep under cover If
he ever made dash for the line. But
all the time his pardner was talking of
friendship and of the necessity of their
sticking together.
I'll tell you, Bud he said at last.
his voice trembling with sentiment,
whether we win or lose, won't have
a single regret as long as l know we've
been true to one another. You may
know Texas and Arizona, Bud. but l
know Old Mexico. the land of manana
and broken promises. know the couR
try, Bud-and the climate-and the
womenl
They play the devil with the best
of us, Bud, these dark-eyed senoritas!
That's what makes all the trouble
down here between man and man, It's
these women and their ways. They're
not satisfied to. win a mans heart
they want him to kill somebody to
show that he really loves them. By
Jove. they're tickle lot, and nothing
pleases 'em more than setting man
against man, one pardner against an
other"
I'VE never had any trouble yet" OBJ
served Bud sententiously.
No. but we're likely to-" protested
NJ Ipl n
in the Sierras wouldn't turn anybody's
head. but we're going down into the
hot country now, where the girls are
pretty, tara, tara, and we talk through
the windows at midnight"
We'll. If you'll cut out the booze. l"
said Hooker shortly, you can have
'em all, for all of me-"
Sure, that's what you say. but wait
till you see them! oh, la, la, la"-he
kissed his fingers ecstatically-"I1l be
glad to see em myself! But listen.
Bud, here's the proposition. let's take
an oath right now, while we're start
ing out, that whatever comes up well
always be true to each other. II one
of us is wounded, the other stays with
him; II he's in prison, he gets him out;
If he's killed, he avenges his"
Say" broke in Bud jostling him
rudely as he reached into the saddle
bags, let me carry that bottle for a
while"
He took a big drink out of it to pre-
vent De Lancey from getting 1t all and
showed it inside his overalls.
"All right, pardner," he continued.
with mocking smile, anything you
say. never use oaths myself much.
but anything to oblige."
NO, but l mean it. Bud!" cried De
Lancey. Here's the proposition now.
Whatever happens, we stay with each