Cheyenne record., 1916-02-17

The adjective had caught Hare-Lip's
ear.
Hes always saying that" he said to
Edwin. What is scarlet?"
1.-The scarlet of the naples can
shake me like the cry of bugles going
by" the old man quoted
Its red" Edwin answered the
question. And you don't know it be-
cause you come from the Chauffeur
tribe. They never did know nothing,
none of them. Scarlet is red-I know
that"
Red is red, aint it," Hare-Llp
srumbled. Then what's the good Of
gettin' cocky and calling it scarlet?"
Red is not the right word" was the
reply. "The plague was scarlet. The
whole face ind body turned scarlet in
an hours time. Don't know? Didn't
l see enough of it? And l (; m telling
you it was scarlet because-well, be-
cause it was scarlet. There is no other
word for it."
Red is good enough for me-" Hare
Lip muttered obstinately. my dad
calls red re-, and he ought to know.
He says everybody died of the Red
Death"
''Your dad is a common fellow, de-
scended from common fellow" Gran
ser retorted heatedly. Don't I know
the beginnings OF the Chauffeurs?
Your grandsire was a chauffeur. a
servant, and without education. He
worked for other persons. But your
grandmother was of good stock, only
the children did not take after her.
Don't | remember when l first met
them, catching fish at Lake Temes-
cal?"
What is educatton?" Edwin asked.
Calling red scarlet" Hare Lip
sneered, then returned to the attack
on Granser. my dad told me, an
he got it from his dad afore he
croaked. that your wife was Santa
Rosan, an that she was sure no ac.
count. He said she was a hash-sling-
er before the Red Death, though l
don't know what hash-slinger is.
You can tell me. Edwin"
But Edwin shook his head in token
of ignorance.
1T is true, she was a waitress"
Granser acknowledged. But she was
a good woman. and your mother was
her daughter. Women woe very
scarce in the days after the Plague.
She was the only wife l could find,
even If she was a hash-slinger, as
your father calls it. But 1t is not nice
to talk about our progenitors that
way"
Dad says that the wife of the first
chauffeur was a lady"
What's lady?' Hoo Hoo de.
manded.
"A ladys chauffeur squaw." was
the quick reply of Hare-Lip.
The first chauffeur was Bill, a
common fellow. as l said before" the
old man expounded; but his wife
was lady. great lady. Before the
Scarlet Death she was the wife of
Van Warden. He was president OF
the board Of industrial magnates. and
was one of the dozen men who ruled
America. He was worth one billion,
eight hundred millions of dollars
coins like you have there in your
pouch, Edwin. And then came the
Scarlet Death, and his wife became
the wife OF Bill. the first chauffeur.
He used to beat her. too. I have seen
1t myself"
Hoo-Hoo, lying on his stomach and
idly digging his toes in the sand, cried
out and Investigated. first, his toe
nail, and, next, the small hole he had
dug. The other two boys joined him,
excavating the sand rapidly with
their hands till there lay three skele-
tons exposed. Two were adults, the
third being that of part-grown child.
The old man nudged along OIL the
ground and peered at the find.
Plague victims" he announced.
That's the way they died every
where in the last days. This must
have been a family, running away
from the contagion and perishing
here on the CHn house beach. They
what are you doing. Edwin?"
This question was asked in sudden
dismay, as Edwin. using the hack of
his hunting knife, began to knock out
the teeth from the jaws of ,ne OF the
skulls.
Going to string EN-" was the re-
sponse.
The three boys were no hard at
it: and quite a knocking and ham.
mering arose. in which Graaser bab.
bled on unnoticed.
You are true savages. Already
has begun the custom Of wearing hu.
man teeth In another ger eratlon