The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-15
JUST A cHIckENfOOT
BY IDA SPEED.

1t was the romance bait Of the
southwest which that tenderest Of
'enderfoots, Chick Saunders, struck.
Farther West 10 the land of the
outlaw and desperate; back East com.
mefcialism makes 'em eat folks alive,
end up on the North plains the cold
grips q mans soul and makes him
kinder brutal.
But we take things easy here and
jog along, everybody friendly amongst
theirselves, savin' all the joshin' and
raw remarks for the fellow from back
East that busts in on our peace and
goodwill.
Chick Saunders bowed into Floret-
ta on west-bound passenger one
bleak November day. which havin'
only fifteen cents in his pocket he
couldn't have rode but five miles fur
Their anyhow.
As that would have set him down
In the middle Of the prairie. he alights
at Floretta, which is only redeemed
from bein' in said middle by q half.
dozen cottages. a general store and
post ONCE, twostory frame hotel. .
lumber yard minus the lumber, and
just such school buildin' as you'd
have to come to Texas to see.
All this was south Of the railroad
track.
On the roof of a big barn a quarter
OF a mile north, painted in bold let.
ters, Chick saw Bar C Ranch" and
he hotfooted 1t thereto, inquired timid.
like If old man Cranch was in. got
the laugh from bunch of cowboys
that was standin' around the door, II
bein' chuck time, then walked in and
got job.
That job was to cut wood. Old man
Crozier. the owner. had just looked
out the window and observed that
here was winter comm on, a regular
blizzard of a norther BLOWN and no
wood cut
Chick was the man of the hour.
The boys name on the pay roll was
| set down as Willie Saunders, but
| we're too uncertain out here about
whether fellow gives his right name
or not, to put ourselves out to call him
by it, so him bein' such a rank chick.
enfoot, we just christen him Chick
from the start
He'd crawl on any horse you told
him to. but he'd almost be whimperin
from fear.
| We thought he'd leave when he
went down some day to git drink on
the train, as quick as he got paid OF
but no, he was here to stay il 1t killed
every animal in the pasture, includin
of hisself.
Every spare minute he had, HI
hung around the Hotel Dalhart, fol
little Elsie Delhart arI her mother
showed him all the humane treatment
he found. and 1t turned out he TOLD
them about his folks and read letter.
to EN- that he got from home. and
let hisself be known to them in /,
way us fellows knew nothing of.
And Elsie! You put wild ros,
amongst bouquet of American Beau
ties in some dollhouse, and guess
wouldn't be noticed much: but GU
here on these wind-swept plains W,
amt spectin' to see even a wild one
and they look awful good to US.
And, by the way, the thorns WASH
missin' neither. Elsie was the prid
Of this country, but she wouldn'
stand for no foolishness off of us COW
punchers II she was the queen there
OF.
She was one of those outdoor girls
though she helped her ma faithful
around the house and kitchen.
In summer she wore them sailor
collar, polka-dotted affairs that loo
, so we'll where they roll back from
soft, girlish throat. and any time Q
, year there was a golden curl or tw
that bobbed around her face, and tn
eyes that kinder peeped out at 20
from beneath the long lashes mad
you want to dig your spurs in tn
bronze you was ridin' and wish I
! the kingdom come he'd Fitch and ru
, SO you could show how good you coul
! ride. We all felt that away, but sh
\ was Mexico Charles girl.
} At least he said so, and folks didn
} dispute Mexico's word, him bein' of
different temperament from us othe
buttons, and his word bein' about a
! the law there was around Florett
I way.
After eight months Chick begun I
1 look different. He got him a flu
cow-puncher outfit, swell Californi
l saddle, a Navajo of gorgeous reds an
green's, big rattlin' spurs, and 30 fot
! of rope.
He had to accumulate them thine
: as he got hold Of money, and tn
was slow at first. But after he e
I TO gamblin' it was the rest Of us th'
I couldn't lay up a cent.
Il seemed like he Just couldn't los
& whether he was shootin' craps {
Z matchin' money, playin' cards or ju
II plain bettin' on how much a ste'
2 would weigh.
3 This was powerful aggravatin'
. Mexico, and he made us assist fir
Z ouent in standin' Chick on his hea
Z to see IL his hoodoo wouldn't fall Of
: of his pockets.
It was at the Fourth OF July celebr
! ton at Floretta that Chick Saunde
z come out in his complete costume.
: wearin' a big white Stetson hat al
Z replacin' his woreout shoes al
: leather CATERS with a pair Of sho