The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1919-12-12
CHAPTER l..

The shadows of the spruce trees
fell northeastWard. pointing long. cool
fingers across belts OF undulattng
prairie CT leaning tzflv against the
brown foothills. And among the
trees it was cool and green. ana clear
blue water rfpp1ed over beds of shin
ing gravel.
The house was of round straight
logs; the shingles of the squat roof
were cupped and blstered with the
suns of many summers. Refuse loi-
tered about the open door: many
empty tins a leaky barrel with miss
ing hoops, boxes, harness, tangled bits
Of wire. Once there had been fence,
u sort of picket fence of little sap
lings, but wild broncos had kicked it
to pieces and range steers had strag-
gled unsearred across its scattered
remnants.
Forward. and to the left, WAS a
small corral, mill slabs on end or
fences Of lodgepole pine; a corner
somewhat covered in, offering vague
protection from the weather. The up
per poles were worn thin with the
erfbbing of many horses.
The desertion seemed absolute; the
silence was the silence of the unspo-
ken places. But suddenly II was bro
Ken by stamping In the covered part
of the corral, and a mans voice say
Ing:
Hip, there! Whoa, you cayuSe I
Get under your saddle! Sleepin.
against a post all day. you Sloppy
eye. Hip! Come to it -
Horse and rider dashed into the
sunlight. The boy-fOr he was no
more than a boy-sat the beast as
though born to it, his 1.-the frame tax
ing every motion of his mount as
softly as a good boat rides the sea.
With a veil at his horse he snatched
the hat from his head. turning to the
sun smooth brown face and a name
of dark hair. and slammed the horse
the flank with his crumpled
neatfcear. The animal sprang into
the air. then dashed at a gallon down
the roadway, bearing the boy as un-
concerned as a flower on its stem.
Suddenly he brought his horse to q
sion swung about and rode hack Mt
q gentle conter few wards from
the house he again spurred him 10 n
gallon and. leaning far down nv the
animals side deftIy nicked y bottle
from among the grass Then he eircled
about repeating this operotion ms
often as his eve fell on bottle until
he had half n dozen: then down the
road aoain carefully setting hottie
on each most of the fence thar slyirted
If to the RIGHT
Again he came back 70 tbe house
hnt when no turned his owe was on
the row of nosts and his RIGHT bond
Inv on the grin of his revolver Again
his sharp veil broke the silence and
the horse dashed forward as though
shot from a gun. Down the road they
went until within rod of the first
bottle then there was a flash in the
sunlight and 10 the clatter of the
horses hoofs came the crack-crack
of the revolver. Two bottles sbiyered
70 fragments, but four remained in.
tact and the bov rode hack. muttprinq
and disappointed. He reasoned with
his horse as he rode.
"'Tain't no use. Won oT Slon-eve .
l fellow can't get ;he bead if he amt
cot the fllin'-cooked meals an de.
cent chuck. could plue 'em six ont
o. six-you know that, you OF flop-
ears. Don't you argue about IT. nei-
Their. When I'm right inside my belt
l smash 'em six out o. six, but | amt
right an you know it. You don't
know nothin' about it. You never had
a father; leastways you never had to
be responsible for one. Well
it's comm to finish-a d. lame
finish you know that. You know
But he had reloaded his revolver