The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-01-02

'"5h IL Sio"u, HlHSlnS yStdnu-
ers right and left, and plunged into
the night.
He walked down q street until il
lost itself on the prairie; then he fol-
lowed a prairie trail far into the coun-
try. The air was cold and a few drops
of rain were falling in it, but he was
unconscious Of the weather. He was
In q rage through and through. SlOp-
eye was nov a dream, q memory,
gone-gone. Everything was gone f;
only his revolver and a few cents re-
NAMED. He gripped the revolver
again. With that he was supreme. No
man in all that town Of men schooled
in the ways OF the West was more
than his equal while that grip lay
IN his palm. At the point Of that
muzzle he could demand his money
bGck-and get ii.
Then he laughed. Hollow and
empty 1t sounded in the night air, but
it was a laugh, and 1t saved his spirit.
why. you fool" he chuckled, you
came to town for to learn sonethin',
didn't you? Well, you're l%earnin'.
Sixty dollars q throw. Education
comes high, don't it2 But you
shouldn't kick. He didn't coax you
In, an gave you every chance to back
away. You butted In and got stung.
Perhaps you've learned somethin'
worth sixty dollars"
In his innocence Of the ways Of the
game it never occurred to him that the
friendly stranger who had showed him
how TO play it was a friend Of the
sharper, and probably at this moment
they were dividing his sixty dollars
the price of old Slop-eye-between
them.
Early next morning he was awake
and astir. The recollection of his loss
sent a sudden pang through his morn
ing spirits, but he tried TO close his
mind to it.
mo use worryin' over that" he said,
jingling the few coins that now rep
resented his wealth. That's over and
gone. / traded sixty dollars for my
first lesson. Maybe it was q bad trade,
but anyway / amt goin' to squeal."
He whistled as he finished dressing,
ate his breakfast cheerfully, and set
out in search of employment.
Almost the first person he met was
the stranger who had schoOled him In
the gambling game the night before.
There was something attractive about
his personality; something which in
vited friendship and even confidence,
and yet beneath these emotions Dave
felt a sense Of distrust, as though part
of his nature rebelled against the &C
quaintanceship.
That was the rottenest luck you
had last night" the stranger was say
ing. II never saw the beat of it. /
was hopin' you'd stay and raise him
next time; you might have got Your
money back that way"
"Oh, I don't mind the money! said
Dave, cheerfully. 81 don't want It
back. In fact, / figure 1t was pretty
well spent"
lots more where 1t came from,
eh?" laughed the other. you're from
the ranches. 1 see, and l suppose the
price of a steer or two doesn't worry
you q hairs worth"
"From is right" Dave replied. "Tm
from them, an / amt goin' back AS
for honeywell. l spent my last nickel
for breakfast, so I've got to line up o
job before noon"
The stranger extended his hand.
SHAKE" ne said. II like you. You're
no squealer, anyway. My name Is Con-
ward. Yours?"
Dave told his name and shock
hands. Coward offered his cigarette
box, and the two smoked for a few
moments in silence.
"What kind Of a Job do you wantT'
Coward asked at length.
ANY kind that pays a wage" said
Dave.
II know the fellow that runs an
employment agency down here" Con-
ward answered. Lets go down. Per
haps I can put you In right"
Coward spoke TO the manager Of
the employment agency and intro
duced Dave.
"Notking very choice on tap today"
said the employment man "YOu can
handle horses, / supposef'
IL guess 1 can" said Dave, "some."
II can place you delivering coal.
Thirty dollars q month, and you board
with the boss"
"In take It," said Dave.
The boss proved to be one Thomas
Metford. He owned half q dozen
teams and was engaged In the carriage
business, specializing on coal. He was
a man of big frame. big head. and a
vocabulary appropriate to the pur-
poses to which he applied It. Among
his other possessions were q wife. nu-
merous children and q house and barn.
In which he boarded his beasts Of bur
den, including In the term his horses.
his men and his wife, In the order of
their valuation. The children were a
b~y-product, valueless until such time