The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1920-03-12

duu u~lSdppOilISus nc Will
his horse as he rode:
".'Tain't no use, you oil Slop-eye j
a fellow can't get the bead II he amt
got the fllin'-cooked meals an de-
cent chuck. I could plug 'em six out
o six-you know that, you Of flop
Don't you argue about 1t. nei-
ther. When I'm right inside my belt
I smash 'em six out o. six, but I amt.
right, an you know II. You don't
know nothin' about it. You never had
a father; leastways You v had to
be responsible for one. . . :. Well.
it's comm to a finish-a D. lame
finish, you know that. You know
But he had reloaded his revolver
and set up two more bottles. This
time he broke four and was better
pleased with himself. As he rode back
his soliloquy was broken by a strange
sound from beyond the belt Of trees.
The horse pricked up his ears and
the boy turned in the saddle to listen.
"Jumpin' crickets! What's loose7" he
calculated. He knew every sound Of
the foothill country, but this was
strange to him. A kind Of snort, a
sort Of hiss. mechanical in its regu-
larity, startling in its strangeness, 1t
came across the valley with the I'M
broken rhythm Of a watch tick.
"Well I guess 1t won't eat u.s." he
ventured at last. "We1l Just run 1t
down and perhaps poke a hole in it."
So saying, he cantered along the road,
crossed the little stream, and swung
up the hill on the farther side.
He was half way up when a turn in
the road brought him into sudden
sight Of the strange visitor. It was
the first he had seen, but he knew 1t
at once, for the fame Of the automo-
bile, then in its si~ngle-cylinder stage,
had already spread into the farthest
ranching country. The horse was less
well informed. he bucked and kicked
in rage and terror. But the boy was
conscious not so much Of the horse as
Of two bright eyes turned on him in
frank and surprised admiration.
what horsemanship she ex-
claimed. But the words had scarce
left her lips when they were followed
by q crys of alarm. For the car had
taken a sudden turn from the road
and plunged into a growth of young
poplars that fringed the hillside. It
half slid, half plowed its way into a
semi-vertical position among the young
trees. The two occupants were
thrown from their seat; the girl fell
clear but her father was less fortu-
nate.
In an instant the boy had flung him.
self from his horse, dropping the reins
to the ground. and the animal, al
though snorting and %shivering, had no
thought Of disgracing his training by
breaking his parole. With quick, un-
calmly strides the boy brought himself
to the upturned machine. 1t was u
rious that he should appear to such
disadvantage on his feet. In the
saddle he was grace personifed.
For a moment he looked somewhat
stupidity upon the wreck. Had it been
a horse or a steer he would have
known the procedure, but this expert
enc was new to his life. Besides
there were strangers here. He had no
fear Of strangers when they wore
chaps and colored handkerchiefs. but
a girl in a brown sweater and an
oldish man with a white collar were
creatures to be approached with eau
ton. The oldish man was lying on
the ground, with a leg pinned under
the car, and Brown Sweater raised
his head against her knee and pressed
his cheeks with small white fingers,
and looked at the boy with bright
gray eyes and said:
"Aren't you going to do anything?'
That brought him back. "Sure," he
said, springing to her side. "Whada We
want me to do?"
II am afraid my leg is broken" said
the man, speaking calmly notwith.
standing his pain. "Can you get the
jack out Of the toolbox and raise the
cart"
The girl pointed to the box, and in
a moment he had the jack in his
hand. But 1t was a new tool to him
and he fumbled with it stupidity. The
handle would not fit, and when it did
fit 1t operated the wrong way.
"Oh, let me have it," she cried i'm
patiently.
In a moment she had it set under
the frame Of the car and was plying
the handle up and down with rapid
strokes. The boy looked on, helpless
and mortified. He was beginning tt
realize that there were more things
in the world than riding a horse ant
shooting bottles. He felt a sudder
desire to be Of great service. Ant
just now he could be of no service
whatever.
But the foot of the Jack began t.
sink in the soft earth, and the cir
looked up helplessly.
at won't lift it," she said. "Wha
shall we do?"
1t was his chance. He was eighteen
and his wild, open life had given hin
muscles of steel. "Here," he sal,
roughly, "move his leg when 1 get i
clear" He turned his back to tn,
machine and crouched down until n,