The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-02
CHAPTER IL.

on the pIAlIle Win inc IMAM sue thNANhN
she had murdered.
CHAPTER II.
Copyright. 1919. by Al ~Jennlngs.) =,
/ sat there until the night, pulsing ana
heavy. seemed to fold in on me like a
blanket Then | rolled over on my
face and CROPPED along 10 the embers
where Al Brown lay. | wanted COM
& Rny, | crouched down at his side ana
there. / a almost asleep when
a queer humping sent a shlverlhg
terror through me | lay stu ana
listened. II was AL Browns heart beat
The bells and whistles OF all New
York laundering to the New Year sent
me crazy with delight the first time
/ heard 1.-THE prison gate changing
to on me made me insolent with JOY,
but never was there a sound 50 good
to hear as the pumping OF Al Browns
heart.
/ grabbed his hat and ran to the big
buffalo wallow, Again and again
dashed the hAtful OF water In hts face.
Finally he lolled over 10 one side ana
struggled to his knees. Which way,d
she go2" Ne asked Il quietly enough,
but | was suspicious pointed N tne
from the side Of his face, Let her
60" he said amiably. and went stumb,
ling OF toward the creek. followed
him. He turned about, Go long, SON
n.y." he said.
waited TIL he took a few PAGES and
then | sneaked after him. II Al Brown
or his wife had stuck by me then,
don't believe I'd be Al Jennings, the
outlaw, today. 1t made him angry TO
have me trailing him. See here, sonny
YOU 20 long-hustle for YOURSELF
Sprint Over Prairie.
II vas a mile across the curly mes
quite flats TO the town OF La Junta'
My heels were my only horses then,
but the bullets OF n Bheriffs posse
\ sent me sprinting the way that
prairie darkness did | reached town
lust In time to catch special apartments
where the hay was clean and SOFT on a
west going train, 1t trundled into Trim;
dad, Cot, at 3 am, and hung around
the depot until morning casting aoou'
for a business opening.
My opportunity came with a Mexican
kid OF my W age, He carried q boot.
black Kit. had n quarter. we swappet
and ! set u with my brushes ready Y
clean all the boots In the, state. BY
the Mex swindled me, The people II
ETrinidad never BACKED their shoes,
shouted shine, shine until my throa
ached and my stomach hooted Wit
! neglect. felt Ike n mental. .,
Al last | { ollared a patron, A giant II
a white hat with a string hanging dow
IN front and another IN back. q gra!
shirt. and sloppy. check trousers ina
seemed to stick by a miracle 10 MI
hips, slouched my way. 40.
1t was Jim Sta ton, foreman OF TN
l0i Ranch. He mad the longest nose
the hardest face and the whrInest near
al any man / ever knew, Three year
later. when ! was "a, stanton was muir
dered. I'd like to have died that DAY
My prospective patron wore snHe
toward the instep. that the cowboys 0
hat time wore. ! wanted a close
squint OF them.
Like To Be Cowboy
stood In his way and asked In
sultinEly Sinner 40 mat. .,
He didn't like my methods. The blacI
| stuck in mealy spots,
Reckon you didn't daub It rish'
buh,'' he said. ~,
''"do TO he'll and damn you" ! tol
him. .,n,n v
drawled, How'd you like to b. q COY
was kid heaven TO me, That nigh
I took my first long ride. Jim StanAo
fitted me out from head TO foot ma
never sat a horse, but we went Y
miles without a stop. There wasn't
kid on The ranges They gave me
mans work and a mans respohsiplil''e
They made me the wrnngler, ana wde
/ took "a running so horses over IN
hills they used cowboy discipline, !
teach me that horses should be wake
in. They tied rue to the wagon tongu
and heat me into insensibNity
After that beating | was an outcaa
Nobody didn't even notice me. | ionge
for the Prairie Kid, l would nave ru
away, but there was no place 10 X
The resentment that always rltled ~
when the law went against, me wv
burning my heart out. ] hated them al
Silence Broken by Sobs,
was sitting down by the corrals on
day when stanton came along. Il
Sandy, here's a new bride with tasse
on II, Get your horse 1t was Y
first thing anyone had said to me
three days and ! just busted out cry
ing,
/ was Jim Stanton's man Friday aft
that. He came to tru9l me like q
toughest man on the range, He treatt
me like a pal. stanton taught me Gov
boy law and, except for the running
the horses In my early days, | new
violated II. | was square as any fello
, and reckoned II valuable hand, thouF
, was ten years younger than most
them.
2 Then came the tragedy that made n
! a wild one" Some steers, from Il
OK ranch got mixed with ours. The
, was a dispute over the brands, il
! won his point, and the OK peelers IL
| without any particular il-feeltng.
Jim went down to the branding y
! to look over the steers, vas stan
ing about 200 feet away when | hea
!, |, a shot fired, and an instant later caug
' sight OF Pedro, one Of the OK me
y g~alloping off a. n mad speed,
Villainy had been done, ! knew
| ran down to the pens. Jim "
cruched over on his knees with a b,
let hole in his back.
First Real Grief Ever Known
: 1t was as though everything We
: desa within me. 1t Was the first r,
4 grief | had ever known ! sat th'
holding Pins hand when | should ha
N been out Ei,er Pedro. ! sat there me
ping his blood off with n bandan
- when | should have been yelling
~ help. Jim was the only friend | h
N ever had-he was all but God to me
! To shoot a man from behind Is cril
N In the cowboy code, The man "
r noes IL rs "a tNWHIu anu N WuThcTeT,
ID is pursued and his punishment is dea
Pedro vanished from the face of
ID earth for a few months, We gave
n the chase for him. one day Chick
i'd a Kid OF Is, came back from the hi
m He had been watching our herd to k,
nr the steers from following a trail h,
a going north.
AZ Get your horse,'' he said. II KIN
Of where Pedro is--Presidio county In
f. Rio Grande."
We left that night with four hor
and $50 from Jim's successor. We n
= SOC miles and we got to the El p
ID range Just as the p~eelers were com
he back from gathering horses for
no spring work. They were running II
lei into the corrals. | rode up and stood
v, the fence. Pedro came g%plloping
st and into the corrals from the oppo
.. YBtNRH ~ AWurr. .HY|N