Tombstone epitaph., 1915-03-14
Daring Feats Of Horsemanship.

The boys in this towns down on you?" said a cross-eyed. freckled boy. one day. to The Boy from Zeeny.
 The Boy from Zeeny was sitting in the alley window of the hayloft of the doctors stable, and the cross-eyed boy had paused below, and. with his mo- ward-looking eyes upturned, stood waiting the effect of this intelligence.
 What do I care for the boys in this town?' said The Boy from Zeeny.
 The boys in this town" repeated the cross-eyed boy. with slow. pro- phetic flourish of his head-"the boys in this town says cause you come from Zeeny and blacked Billy Kin zey's eye. at you think you're goin' to run things round here, And you'll find out you ain't the bosst O this town," and the cross-eyed boy shook his head again with dire foreboding.
 "Looky here. Cocky," said The Boy from Zeeny. trying to focus direct gaze on the boys delusive eyes. wy don't you talk straight out from the shoulder? I reckon the boys in this town as you calls 'em, didn't send you round here to tell me what they was goin' to do. But ef you want 10 take it up fer em. and got any sand to back you. jest say it. and I'll come down there and knock them durn twisted eye O yourn straight ag'in"
 Yes you will" muttered the cross eyed boy. with dubious articulation. glancing uneasily up the alley.
 "What?" growled The Boy from Zeeny. thrusting one dangling leg far ther out the window, supporting his weight by the palms of his hand. and poised as though about to spring what id you say"
 Didn't say nothin'" said the cross | eyed boy. feebly; and then. as a sud den and most bewildering smile lighted up his defective eyes. he ex- claimed: ''Oh. I tell you what's les | do, Les me and you git up a show | in your stable, and don't let none O | the other boys be in it, kin turn a handspring like you. and purt' nigh | walk on my hands; and you kin p'form | on the slack-rope-and Spraddle cut [ like the 'inia-rubber msn'-and hold | a pitchfork on yer chin-and stand up
 on horse 'ithout a-holdin-aud-an Oh. eyer'thing," And as the cross ! eyed boy breathlessly concluded this ! list of strong attractions, he had The ! Boy from Zeeny so thoroughly inocu- lated with the enterprise that he | warmly closed with the proposition. | and the preparations and the practice | for the show were at once inaugu- . rated
 Three hours later. an extremely | cross-eyed boy, with the freckles of ! his face thrown into vivid relief by an intense pallor, rushed pantingly 1 into the doctors office with the fsteful 1 intelligence that The Boy from Zeeny ! had fell and broke his arm ag'in." And this time. as ii seemed. the help | less boy had surpassed the serious ness of all former fractures, this last
 being of a compound nature, and very ! painful in the setting. and tedious in ! recovery: the recovery. too. being | anything but perfect. since it left the
 movement of the elbow somewhat re
 stricted. and threw the little fellows
 arm into an unnatural position. with
 the palm of the hand turned forward
 as te walked. But for all that. the
 use of it was, to all appearances. little impaired Doubtless it was through such in
 teriudes from rough service as these
 accidents afforded that The Boy from ! Zeeny had acquired the meager edu-
 cation he possessed. The doctors
 wife. who had from the first been kind i to him, grew to like him very much ! Through her gentle and considerate : interest he was stimulated to study by the occasional present of a simple ! volume. Oftentimes the good woman would devote an hour 10 his instruc- ! tion in the mysteries of the books 7 orthography and rhetoric
 Nor was The Boy from Zeeny dull 1 pupil, nor was he an ungrateful one
 He was quick to learn, and never prouder than when a mastered lesson
 gained for him the appreciation of his
 patient instructor
 The history of The Boy from Zeeny,
 such as had been gathered by the doc tor and his wife. was corroboratiye in outline with the brief hint of it com
 municated to the curious listeners at the rear window of the doctors office on the memorable day Of the boys
 first appearance in the town. He
 was without family, save a harsh, un-
 feeling father, who. from every evi-
 dence, must have neglected and
 abused the child most shamefully. the
 circumstantial proof of this fact be-
 ing evidenced in the boys frank ac-
 knowledgment that he had repeated
 ly run away from him. and his still
 firm resolve to keep his name a se-
 cret. lest he might thereby be traced ] fx, lnct.r...- anl foM