Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-07-15

do your Next thing 1 know youth be
asking me to cut 1t 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-Iu 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 a little fun? Drinking don't
make any difference. as long as we
stick together. What's the use OF
swearing of-going on record in ad-
vance? We may find some fellow that
we can't work any other wayne may
have. to go on a drunk with him IN or
der to get his goat! But will you
stick? That's the point!"
Bud glanced at him and grunted, q
for a long time he rode on In silence.
Before them lay a rolling plain. dip
ping by broad gulches and dwindling
ridges to the lower levels OF Old Mex
leo, and on the skyline, thin n 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 lar
below; and as he looked he storedstt
away in, his mind in case he should
come back on the run some night
It 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 II
he ever made a dash for the line. But
all the time his pardner was talking OF
friendship and of the necessity OF their
sticking together. ,g&2
I'll tell you, Bud" he said at last
his voice trembling with sentiment,
whether we win or lose, I won't have
a single regret as long as | know we've
| been true to one another. You may
| know Texas and Arizona, Bud. y
know Old Mexico, the land OF manana
and; broken promises. I know the coun;
try, Bud-and the climate-and the
women! T
"Theyy play the devil with the best
Of us, Bud, these dark-eyed senorttas!
| That's what makes all the trouble
down here between man and man. It's
these women and their ways. They're
not satisfied town a mans heart
they want him to kill somebody to
show that he really loves them. By
Jove, they're q tickle lot, and nothing
pleases .em more than setting man
against man.+one pardner against an
other."'83 S2#s
we never had any trouble yet" oh
served Bud: sententiously. ss
'"No, but we're likely to-" p%rotestete,
De Lancey. These Indian women NJ
in the sierras :wouldn'tEturn anybody
head, but we're going down into ths
hot country now. where the girls arc
pretty, tara, tara, and we talk through
the windows at midnight"
".Well, II you'll cut out the booze
said Hooker shortly. you q Y
ZEN all. for all OF me"
""sure, that's what you say, but wal
till you see them! Oh, Ia, Ia, la"--ht
kissed his fingers ecstatically--!11l bt
glad to see ''em myself! But listen
Bud. here's the proposition. lets take
an al oath right now, while we're start
Ing NJ 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.
.. 80 - H-S1Y~ a ~ II = avr unU& hHo-H $N@EgEE r
Say" broke in Bud, tostling him
rudely as he reached Into the saddle.
bags, ''leet me carry that bottle lb<a Q 2
WHILE" +.
He took q big drink out Of It to pre-.
vent De Lanceyifrom getting It all and
showed 1t inside his :overalls. ,5.st
"All right, pardner," he continued,
with 1 hooking smile, anything you
say. | never use oaths myself much.
but anything to oblige."
"No. but I mean II, YBud!" cried De
ancey. Here's the proposition now.
whatever happens, we etay with each
other till this deal 10 finished; on all
scratch cases we match money, toaseo
who's it; ana IL we tangle over some
Gtfl the DeeI HAL VAN 1 10y sAA0 .1Ns
one stays away. We leave IL to the
sirl which one wins. WILL you shake
hands on that?
--Don,t need to- responded Bud;
f-I1l do It anyway"
"Well, shake on It. then!" insisted
Delaney, holding out his hand.
s.Oh, sally" burst out Bud, hanging
his head in embarrassment, what's
the use OF getting mushy?"
But q moment later he leaned over
In his saddle and locked hands with .
viselike grip.
"My old man told me not to make
no such promises" he muttered. "bst
I'll do 1t, beings it's you"
ITO BE coNr1NUED)