The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-20

! eyes looking out from his shaggy hair,
there Is no use saying much about
scrargies. He was the aomeliest. lone
+ lest, hungriest little pony that the
/ Bun Durham stables ever turned out.
,,hose stables had housed everything
! from a Jack McGinn, with his world
/ famed record down to the awfuIest
4 scapegoats that only the Indians would
huy, But not even an Indian would
buy or barter for Scraggles
/ old Pima Buck. who vended ripe
I tomatoes at Christmas time, making
I daily trips from his well-kept truck
e gardens on the bottom land, had dealt
In more ponies than enough. He us
! ually bought the wobbly kind that laid
( down In the harness after few trips
/ over the mesa. Then followed the bar
/! bec,,o and the horse steaks eaten be-
+ fore the wigwams.
( But Pima Buck looked with disgust
upon Seragles.
Good picking" they urged at the
stables where they liked to joke with
/ Pima BAck. But the old man shook
back his long hair and showed his
white teeth.
give the good feast TO the crows
SO Seragles was turned out
Poor runted beast. orphaned in his
: babyhood stunted by early weaving,
+ hacked and ragged and wire SCARED.
brought to c@ambles and ricketts, and
J hob. knees le1v before his time-truly
/ he had earned the freedom of the
desert, and thither he went. making
slow stages out beyond the canals. NO
one followed him, no one waylaid him.
Even the dogs left him alone. and the
great expanse of desert with Its carpet
of golden peoples and the tender green
filagree springing up after the spring
rains. gathered him in and mothered
him.
To the great half way well which
had been bored hundreds of feet into
the earth. great bands OF horses came
every night to lave their faces In the
flowing tanks Half wild stations with
their herd of prancing mares had often
been decoyed there, safely into the
canvas corrals and there made cap
tive. tut no one troubled to rope
Serageles He came and went, free
as the cotton tails that scurriei from
his path.
IT was Yasika uittie Flower) who
found him pausing In her merry chase
after the road runner She was far
from home but the trackless desert
had no terror for her. 1t was her
playground where she danced and
sang with the wild abandon OF her
I the mesquite beans and the crimson
APPLES OF the saguaro and the fat cat
kins which she stripped and shredded
with her strong white teeth. She knew
( the home OF the woodchuch where he
slept with his clumsy body curled up
( like n muff. She had followed the
I bjrd-like trail of the deer mice and
peeped into the feathery nests where
: babies tiny as thumbs peeped back
-,tl, bos.. hna oh "A l.
lenged the saucy chipmunk, initiating
his gossipy chatter and invading the
chaparral where he sets UP his breast
works and lives the life Of trained
sentry. She knew the covert of the
cottontai1 where she hovers her nervous
brood In q cozy nest all fur lined from
Z her own breast. She had felled the
cactus shaft of the Elsahnaro to ex-
plore It's topmost chinks where the
koko-owI hides her nest far up the
thorny sides where no snake can climb.
She had plucked the fruit from the
priclly cups and quaffed the waterish
sap that has saved many life stranded
on the desert, The woodsy flash OF
the road runner. the scarlet plumes
of the okatilla. the yapping of the
prairie dogs~-these were part OF
YasilSa's playground and no one mo-
Tested her.
domain. but ScragGles tossing name
was q flag of truce. He invited no
chase. He was contented in his new
found world of freedom and plenty
fusika stole up ever so cautiously and
laid ner hand upon him. ScraGeles
had never felt the kindness OF n child 8
hand. Pats and caresses had never
been his portion. and with wide meek
eyes he stood still, shifting slightly
n p Inn hon f,fp
boldened by his quiet, Yasika flung
herself ut bound to his back and
digging her bare feet into his TANKS
apurred him into a gallop. o the giee
OF II! Serag.les had never heard such
laughter. such elapping OF hands. such
gurgles Of delight. IL was II the
desert shouted and iaughted about his
ears and the spirit OF II stirred his
blood like wine. Youth came back &c
his sham bled limbs and Joy to his lone.
ly heart The scent OF Thousand
things lured him on and he sprintet
away through the tawny grass with
the light burden oiinging to him.
She urged him river ward. away
FROM tho prickiy srowths into the
cooler tickets, and suddenly the river
was upon them. She let him drink
long and eagerly, the while pattinp
and smoothing his shaggy name where
a sorry snari. Then coaxing and COO
ing she spurred hI'a gently into the
| fun current of the stream. 1t was deeI
| and wide and cold, but If Scraggies
| demurred It was onif with toss of his
| head and up he came bravely on the
| further bank. shaking the foam and
crystals from his coat. Yasika
screamed with delight and again they
We're off. trampling the fringy arrow
bushes and emerging noisiiy into the
willow waiting that confined the res.
ervation,
Proudly she dismouHted at her faith
, er's wigwam, uHpreBared for the jeers
, and shouts of laughter that greeted
, her On every side,
HE is mine, have found him
He has taken the river. @. the pet
kayiyo. tborss],"
kamatuh came cat sf ths cache tent
J and seowied at his little daughter.
Turn him away" he said harshly
The scant food is for the field horses
+ But Yasika raised to him the great
windows of her eyes, begging and
, claspiug her nut brown hands together
Il II viii feed him out beyond our own
lands Yea even to the desert will
: take him--only let him be mine"
: kamatuk scowied but he did not re-