The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-25
IAII()RIIA  ]OHH BRECKENRIDGE ELLIS
Copyright, 1918, by the Bobbs Merrill ComPanY.

daddy give it to us plain that if he ever catched one of us Inside his cove he'd kill us like so many coyotes, and I reckon he would Well, he's got as much right to his claim as anybody else. This land don't belong to no body, and there he's been a-squatting considerable longer than we've laid out this ranch. He was in the right of it, but what I admire was his being able to hold his rights. Lots of folks has rights but they ain't man enough to hold 'em. And if you could have seen that gal, her eyes like two big burning suns, and her mouth closed like 8 steel trap, and her hand as steady on that trigger as the mountain rock behind her! Lord, Bill, what trembly, knock kneed, meach1ng sort of a husband she's a-going to fashion to her hand, one of these days! But pretty? None more so And a-goinE all to waste out here in the desert.'
 And now about that child seven, years ago. the young man said z Why, yes, me and the boys was bringing about GOO head up to Abiiine when we come on to this same pard- ner and another man walking the trail, with a11itt1e gal coming behind 'ena on her pony. And it was this same gal. reckon she was seven or eight year old then. Well, sir, just thought as looked at her that never seen pFettier sight in this world, and I reckon I ain't, for which looked at the same gal the other day the gun she was holding up to her eye sort of dazzled me so couldn't take stock of all her good points. We went into A. ,TI pretty soft and mellow, what from the nnusualness of the meeting, and we asked the old codger if we could all come over to. his camp and shake hands with the gal. He'd drawed back from us about mile, he was that skeered to be sociab1e. So after con siderable haggling and jawing he said we could, and here we como, just about sunfown all of us looking sheep ish enough to be carved for mutton, but everlasting determined to take that gal by the paw
 Well ; said the young man who had often heard this story, but had never been treated to the sequel what happened then, Mizzoo? You always stop at the same place. Didn't you shake hands with her?i'
 The other runinated in deep silence for some time, then, rejoined: "I don't know how it is. A fellow can talk about the worst devilment in creation with a free rein and no words hot enough to blister his tongue, but let, him run up against something simple like that and the bottom of his lungs seems to fall out I guess they ain't no moro to be told, That was ali there was to it, though I might add that the next day we come along by old Whisky simeon's joint that sets out on the sand hills, you know, and we put spurs to our bronl4s and went whoopfng by, with old Whisky Sim a-staring and a-hollering after us like he thought we was crazy. don't know as had missed a drunk before for i've year when the materials was ready found for it's making. And I ain't never forgot the little kid with the brown hair and the-eyes that seen to your bottom layer.y
 Darkness came on and the hour grew late, but few words were exchanged as they rode the weary miles that marked the limit of the range. The midnight luncheon beside small fire, over which the coffee steamed, reused something like cheerful conversation