The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-10-21

| Ing with the boys from lower Texas to
Kansas along the Chisholm trail, over
| seeing great herds Of cattle. caring for
| saeIs day and night, scarcely ever uli-
der roof, even that Of dugout. |
| Through rain and storm the ground |
had been his bed During these two |
years of hard life, reckless companions |
and exacting duties he had easily |
slipped into the grooves Of speech and |
| thought common to his fellows. Only |
his face, his unconscious movements |
and accents distinguished him from the |
other boys of "Old Man Walker" the
boss of the G-Bar outfit On no other
condition but that of apparent assimi-
with Walkers ranchmen.
For two years he had seen no one
like the girl of the cove,
That was wonderful hair, its brown
tresses cleaning, though untouched by
the sun, as If in it We're enmeshed In
Vulnerable particles of light, The face
was more wonderful. There was the
seal of innocence on the lips. the proof
Of fearlessness In the eyes, the touch
Of thought on the brow, the sign of
purpose about the resolute little chin
The slender brown hands spoke of life
IN the open air, and the glow of the
cheeks told of burning suns. Her form,
her attitude, spoke not only of instinc-
tive grace, but of certain wiidness in
admira bic harmony with the surround
ing scene.
1t seemed to him that in this young
girl, who had the look and poise of
woman, he had found what hitherto
he had vainly sought in the wilderness
;, the beauty and the charm of it, re-
y fined and separated from its sordidness
and uncouthness-in Il word, from all
that was base and ugly.
At last he tore himself away, re-
traced his steps as cautiously as he
had come and flung himself upon the
pony left waiting at a sheltered nook
II far from the cove. As he sped over
the plains toward the distant herd it
came to him suddenly in Il way not be-
p fore experienced that 1t was May, that
+ the air was baimy and fragrant and
that the land, softly lighted in the
| CltitT tWHlSAJ, was Dti.utl-
full. He seemed breathing the roses
e back home which recalled another
% face, but not for long. The last time
Il he had seen that eastern face the dew
had lain on the early morning roses
l. How could a face SO different make
" him think of them?
The GsBar headquarters was on the
= western bank of what was then known
rt as Red river, but was really the North
Il fork of Red river. "Old Man Walker
q who was scarcely past middle age, had
III built his corral on the margin of the
plain which extended to that point In
Ut an unbroken level from a great dis
lance and which, having reached that
OF point, dropped without warning, ;
sheer precipice. to an extensive lake.
II The young man reached the CORA
e. after ride Of twelve or thirteen miles
most of the distance through coun
OF try Of difficult sand. He gailoped III
to the rude inciosure, surrounded by ,
to cloud Of dust through which his. .keel
gray eyes discovered Mizzoo on th'
z eve of leaving camp. Mizzoo was on
of the men whose duty it was to rid
the line all night-the line that th
young man had guarded all day-t
keep Walkers cattle from drifting.
"Come on, Mizz," called the youn
l." man as the other swung upon hi
a. broncho; I'm going back with you"
m The lean, leather skinned. sandy mus
ed tached cattleman uttered words nc
| 1,,,< n
to hearty pleasure. "Ain't you had enoug
lat of it, Bill?'' he added. I'D think you
want to lay up for tomorrow's work. "
go "Oh, amt sleepy!' the young ma
ms declared as they rode away side b
ere side II couldn't close an eye tonigh
nd and want to talk
MT Mizzoo was SO called from his hab
iv- Of attributing his most emphat
ly. aphorisms to "his aunt. Miss Sue {
till Missouri a lady held by his cor
ul panions to be purely fictitious cha
go acter, convenient Mrs. Harris"
to give weight to sayings worn smoot
md from centuries of use.
the "I'll talk my head off," Mizzoo d
clared, 'if that'll keep you on Il
up move Win Uie
what / want you to talk about
that little girl you met on the trs
1ly. down in Texas seven years ago."
She Mizzoo burst out in hearty laug
lit. II reckon 1t suits you better to tal
she her as little KID he cried, his tt
to- form shaking convulsiyely. "Fll ney
civ forget how you looked. Bill. when ,
ID. tried to run bluff on her daddy la
month. Yep. Old Man Walker ney
to knowed what proposition he W
the handing us when he ordered us to dri
the old mountain lion out Of his la
hen Pity you and me was at the tail e
ure of the attacking party. Fust thing !
If knowed them other four galoots W
s." falling backwards a-getting out Of IL
ped trap of a cove, and the bullets "
whizzing about our ears
Bill He broke off to shout with Taught
"And it was all done by one old sett
and his gal, them standing out op
fig and free with their breech leaders, q
, Of Us hiking out for camp like whipI
It's cursv'
rful The young man was impatient.
n Of he compelled himself to speak calm
!, of aAs never got around the spur Of
was mountain before you fellows We're
ards full retreat, object to being clas
TODD with the whipped ours, and you'll b
the that In mind, Mizzoo. You saw
bout girl all right, didn't your
"You bet did, and as soon as
book her knowed 1t was the same I'd &C