The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1914-06-19

asking me to cut it out on the hay
might talk in my sleep, you know, and
give the whole snap away!"
mo, 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-I'll quit If 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, If you
can't have a 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 drunk with him in or
der to get his goat! But will you
stick? That's the point!"
Bud glanced at him and grunted, and
for long time he rode on in silence.
Before them lay a rolling plain, dip
ping by broad gulches and dwindllng
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 it
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 il
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 know we've
been true to one another. You may
know Texas and Arizona, Bud, but
know Old Mexico, the land Of manana
and broken promises. know the coun-
try, Bud-and the climate-and the
women!
"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"
1--WE never had any trouble yet" OBJ
served Bud sententiously.
mo, but we're likely to-" protested
De Lancey. These Indian women up
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,
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-'pll be
I 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 we'll
always be true to each other. II one
of us is wounded, the other stays with
him; If 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 big drink out of it to pre-
vent De Lancey from getting it all and
showed it inside his overalls.
"All right, pardner," he continued.
with a mocking smile, anything you
say. / never use oaths myself much,
but anything to oblige."
mo. but 1 mean it, Bud!" cried De
| Lancey. Here's the proposition now.
Whatever happens, we stay with each
other till this deal is finished; on all
scratch cases we match money to see
who's it; and If we tangle over some
girl the best man wins and the other
one stays away. We leave 1t to the
girl which one wins. Will you shake
hands on that?"
Don't need to-" responded Bud;
'IIl do it anyway"
.sWeIl. shake on 1t, then!" insisted
De Lancey, holding out his hand.
"Oh, Sally!" burst out Bud, hanging
his head in embarrassment. whats
the use of getting mushy?"
But moment later he leaned over
in his saddle and locked hands with a
viselike grip.
"My old man told me not to make
no such promises" he muttered, "but
I'll do it, beings it's you"
CTO BE CONTINUEDJ