Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-24
THE EVENING STORY.
Young Henry and the
Old Man.
BY JOHN M. oSKISON.

j
Was it the gray?'' queried Drummer
and when | said il was. he scoffed. '"Tha
horse is trained to buck just the way
young Henry wants him, and he hobbies
The stirrups."
Brunner's skepticism was disappoint
ing. l ventured to speak of another in
stance that seemed to illustrate the nerve
Of Henry Thomas:
Didn't he help capture the KEEP
queen bunch of outlaws few years ago.
I've heard he showed nerve then"
Il reckon You have" Brunne- glanced
across at me. then stopped to dig live
coal out Of the ashes. He held it fol
half a minute before packing it into tbs
bowl of his pipe. shifting it imperceptibl
in his tougheucd hand as he studied the
backlog. When his tobacco was burning
steadily he spoke:
Il can tel you the truth about young
IIenry-and the old man. TOO. / thought
his tone changed. ''Twenty-four years
ago | came to this Indian country. Fol
twelve years | rode with the posses as a
deputy marshal, and for twelve years now
I've been running cattle here on CABIN
creek I've been all over the territory.
know every man in the Chero-
Nce nation that ever handled a hot iron
-And | know young Henry Thomas, too.
1T was in 1852 that Queen went bad.
and began to hold up trains on the Katy
and Frisco roads. All Of that fall and
winter we were after him and his gang
but we never Lot a sight of them. They
were 'goerS.' all right. and when we came
UP To Il two-v.cek-Old campfire they d
built, We thought We were lucky.
'Fo- six months after the first of the
year they did nothing. We heard that
Queen was in California. Then. in June,
1883. while ! at MuSccgee. | got a
telegram from Cap White asking me to
.l.,fr 1f.al.A
Tolbert and / caught the II O'Clock train
lIp. dropping off at Red Oak at l in the
morning. Cap met us. told us he had
two men ready. and that tie five of us
would start for Pryor creek at once.
1t was fifteen-mile ride. We plan
ned to pick up four men from the ranches
OH the way down. and get 10 Keep
queens camp at daylight. We had been
told there were five men in camp, that
they had been in the Pryor creek woods
for two days. and that it was their plan
TO hold up the fiier from the north next
evening. Cap White was sure Of his IN
formation, and he had decided upon the
men he wanted from the ranches.
The two Thomases-old man Henry
and young Henry-were picked out, for
there was no one else in the family eX-
eept younger brother of eighteen. who
has since died. Bud Ryder and Jim
kelso were the other two-both good on
horses and handy with a gun.
Cap was proud Of his posse when he
finally got US together. The Thomases
came out and Joined us like bees
a-swarming. The young fellow was all
up in the air with excitement like a boy
going to circus. He was so brash that
at first we couldn't keep him from riding
on ahead of the rest of US; you'd think
he wanted to bring in the bunch all nv
himself
That was all right: brash. eager
Young fellows amt always so brave
when trouble begins, but they steady
INTO good fighters. It's hard enough
to get 'em that want to go after a
man like Cap Queen at ALL
Drummer told me then of the fight
IN the woods at daybreak 1t was his
summary of young Henry Thomas that
interested me.
One of the men whom White took
from Red Oak led the posse to the
camp on Pryor creek 1t was on a
ledge on q hillside. The fires had
been built under a jutting rock Only
a bush wren could have hidden its
nest more completely-Bruce had been
lucky in spying it out. He told White
that there was but one unprotected
approach long unused trail that led
down from the cliff top and ended in
a brlar tangle fifty feet above the
ledge That trail. it was evident
KEEP" Queen did not know existed
Dung Thomas had ridden with
drummer. seeking him out. as the
novice always seeks out the veteran.
TO practice his valorous speeches upon.
For four hours young Thomas talked
about bravery. with illustrations. From
one incident to another he skipped for
the history of outiawry west of st.
Louis, in the last generation, was more
familiar to him than many another
topic he had gathered from books
Drummer could have set him right on
the facts many times, but what was the
use?
After a time the youngsters mono
lo2ue became sort of soothing hum,
Tor which the other was grateful. II
was cross and sleepy and chilly and
nervous. Drummer explained land the
boys gable rested me-"
gathered that the young man was
more excited than he cared to confess,
even TO himself. He talked, as others
whistfed. to keep up his courage"
Yet the implication that he needed
distraction or stimulation would have
anSered MIN. Youth and courage are
twins. or should be, and a man of
twenty-five takes it for granted At
forty man may confess to turning
tail and yet save his self-respect l
had heard Drummer tell of back
downs that would have shamed a
young village constable, and it had never
occurred to me to question his courage
1t was only in the last mile of their
ride that the chatter of young Thomas
really became audible to Drummer
Il Woke up" he said and actually
listened TO him. | don't remember ex-
actly what he was saying, but this
was the idea: All of you fellows that
chase outlaws make too much fuss
about it
Well. some OF US do. though the news
papers and the wiudbags that follow us
around make ten times the fuss We do
He went on to say that the only way to
nab a horse thief or an express robber
was to so right up to him, don't YOU
know. like the little boy went up to the
s1gnpost that lie thought was a ghost
It's a good theory and generally works
] told him so, and then apologized for do
about this business of a deputy mar
shals was the way an old soldier thinks
about war. / was hired to get the Grim
inals. and not to be caught by the GRIM
mails. to shoot the bad man, if 7 had to,
but not to be shot by the bad man ii
there was any way to help ii. One way
TO help 1t is to run and hide. It's a good
way. too, for I've tried it
he young man reused BTunner's curios-
ity. II was possible that he might be OF
the exceptional breed that puts a fine
theory to the test Of action
= decided to watch him. the ranchman
told me, and see if he would play up to
his big talk. When we left our PONIES
half mile from the camp. I pretended tc
argue with Cap White. told him ne ough,
10 leave young Thomas with the horses
and not get such boy as that all shot
w. Cap caught my point and begged
him TO stay, but. of course, he wouldn' 4
hear of II. IN stick to Brunner' says he
All right says I, come on
When We started aSoot we traiIed ou
single file, and l noticed that old mar
tod