South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-08
TIE LONESOME EOAD.


Brown as ccIse-Lerry. rugged.
pistoled spuued. vras. inlefeas-
ihie. I saw my OLD friend. Deputy
Marshal Buck Caperton. stumble.
with iingliug roWols. into "a chair
ia the marshaIs outer office.
And because the court house was
almost deserted at that h0ur. and
because Buck Vouiu sometimes re-
Tate % Hc things tEat were out OF
print / followed him and trlcked
MIN into talk through knowledge OF
weakness he had. For. cigarettes
rolled with sweet corn husk were as
honey 20 Bucks palate. and though
he could finger the trigger of a for
ty-nve with skill and s8ddenncss. he
never could learn 20 roll a cigar
cite.
It was through no fault of mine
for ] rolled the cigarettes tight
nd smoothly. but the upshot of
ome whim Of his own that instead
VI 90 an Odyssey Of the chaparraI.
listened to--a dissertation upon
matrimony. This from Buck Cap
rtCn. But ] maintain that the Gig
rcttes were impeccablc. and crave
absolution for myself
We just brought In Jim and Bud
Cranberry" said Buck Train rob
bling. you know. Held up the Ar
ansas Pass last month. We caught
'cm in the Twenty Mile pear fiat.
south Of the Nueces."
Have much trouble corraIling
them2' I asked. for here was the
meat that my hunger for epics
craved.
some" said Buck: and ,hen. dur
D. p. d 9 -
stampeded off the trail. TITS kind
Of queer about women" he went
ON. land the place they're supposed
20 occupy in botany. If I was asked
20 classify them Id say they was a
human loco weed. Ever see a bronze
that had been chewing loco2 Ride
him up 20 q puddle of water two
feet wide. and he'll give a snort
and fall back on YOU. It looks as
big as the Mississippi River to him.
Next trip he'd walk into n canon
"a thousand feet deep, thinking fl
was a prairie-dog hole Same way
with a married man.
Il was thinking Of Perry ROun-
tree. that used TO be my sidel1icker
before ne committed matrimOny.
IN them days me and Perry hated
indisturbances Of any kind. We
roamcd around considerable stir
ring up the echoes and making 'em
attend to business. Why. when me
and Perry wanted TO have some
fun in a town IL was a picnic for
the census takers They just counted
The marshaIs posse that it took 20
subdue us. and there was your pop
ulation. But then there came along
this Mariana Goodnight girl and
looked AT Perry sideways. and he
was all hridle-wtse and saddle
hcoke before you could skin a year
ling.
II wasn't even asked to the we'd
ding. reckon the bride had my
pedigree and the front elevation of
my habits all mapped out. and she
decided that Perry would trot bet
ter I'm double harness without any
lnconvcrted mustang like Buck
CaDerton whickering around on the
matrimonial range. So il was six
months before Z saw Perry again
zone day 7 was passing on the
edge Of town, and I see something
like a man in n little yard by a lit
tie house with a sprinkling-pOt
squirting water on rose-bush.
Seemed 10 me. Ia seen something
like ii before. and J. stopped at the
cate. trying TO figure out its brands
q
the kind OF a curdled jellydsh mat
rimOny had made ont of him.
Homicide was what thai Mari
ana had perpetrated. He was look
ing well enough. but he had on a
white collar and shoes and YOU
could tell in n minute that he'd
peak polite and nay taxes and stick
his little finger ont while drinking.
Just like a sheep man or citizen.
Great skyrOcl,ets, but 7 hated to
see Perry all corrupted and Willie
lied like that.
Gle came out 20 the gate. and
shook hands: and I says, with scorn,
and speaking like a paroquet with
the pIp: Beg pardon-NIr. Roun-
.ree. I believe. Seems TO me I sa-
gatiated I'm your associations once.
III am not mistaken
"'Oh. go 10 the devil Buck saws
Perry. polite. as I was afraid he'd
he.
Wei. then says 7, YOU poor.
contaminated adjunct OF a sprink-
ffnE-pot and degraded household
pet. what did YOU so and do it for