Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-12-09

cocks outfits comm in with a bunch
O. steers. Whatll yer drink?'
BEST yer've got, O. course. That
like it. Take q snort with me, Moran.
Where's Mac, an all the boys, any
how?"
"Out ter the funeral; that's what's
the matter with this town. The whole
kit an caboodle gone across the
creek to help plant old Dad Calllins.
You remember Old Dad?"
mo, can't say / do; what was he,
a gambler?"
"Kind Of a tin-horn; soused most O
the time but still everybody liked him;
pretended ter be a blacksmith when
he first come, an put up a shack down
there next the hotel. Never worked
morn three days to my knowledge
since-just naturally bummed round,
but he was a HI of a good story-tell-
err, an the boys cottoned to him. Sure,
yer must have knowed him."
Shelby shook his head. what did
he die from?"
"Shot himself, I reckon. He was
picked up over back O. the dance hall,
with a bullet in his nut an a gun in
his hand. The girl was huntin' for
him, cause he didn't come home, an
SO Dan he went along with her. The
two Of 'em found him out there"
What girl?"
daughter, T s'pose. She's been
yere kinder keepin' house ever since
I first knew the %cuss."'
"How old is she?"
II amt no jedge O. females ages,
if yer ask me, but maybe sixteen or
seventeen. Quite a wisp Of a CURL
first I saw her, but she don't make
up with nobody; sorter sullen-like, a
just stays ter home all the time"
"Where'd you say all this rumpus
was goin' on?'
"Over cross the creek, beyond that
the graveyard is. Coin ter be some
obsequies, you bet. Dan he went clear
to Buffalo Gap for ter git a preacher
ter do the thing up swell. What's the
matter with yer goin' over there, Tom,
an takin' the show in? Dan'll be
be mighty pleased ter see yer horn in"
Shelby helped himself to another
drink and gazed disconsolately about
the big, desolated room. II reckon
I'll turn the broncs into Davis corral,
an then amble along" he said slowly.
Gwen a funerals better than this
dump today"
He had waded the shallow waters
and reached the edge of the willows
before his eyes distinguished the
crowd gathered in the open space be-
You'd. 1t was surely some funeral !;
there was 40 doubt about that. A mass
Of men stood there, bare-headed in
the sunshine, and beyond them, on a
little knoll, Il small bunch of women
were crowded together, girls from the
dance hall mostly, judging from their
clothes and. faces, although one or two
older women were at the farther end.
Shelby caught a glipmse of the ex-
preacher, elevated on a box, and his
ears caught the SOnOeOuS words of eX-
hortation with which he ended his SER
iiIVii. liClN lOlio"Su IL lulllt dpDituSe,
checked instantly by Mccarthy, who
politely requested the bunch to stop
making, id fools of themselves.
and Immediately announced that the
POnca male quartette would sing "On-
ward, Christian Soldiers" after which
those who desired would be given the
opportunity to view for the last time
the features of the departed. AS the
last dulcet strains of the hymn rolled
away, Mccarthy, as though anxious
to preserve the lives of the singers by
quick action, pushed his way once
again to the front.
"Now, you bucks,' he reared out
tersely, cline up along them willows.
I'll go first with the daughter as chief
mourners, an her the females will
fall in behind. After that the rest OF
yer can mosey along. We're goin' tel
do this up in some style, an it amt
just goin' to be shown proper respect
fer the dead, but we're agoin' ter re.
member the orphaned and the father.
less. Thet's the way Ponca does bust
ness. Now, chip in, gents; there's q
box there at the head of the corpse
an after yer've had a squirt at OF
Dad cough up something fer the CURL
Shelby dropped into place behind
the stage agent, who. recognized the
newcomer with a hard handgrip an(
grin of welcome.
"Just blow in? We're givin' Ole
CalkinS the time o his career; owe(
me a hundred, but what the HI d.
/ care! Know the OF cuss?'
"No; I just dropped around fer t.,
pass away the time. Some spoutel
that fat preacher"
"Ain't he, though !" admiringly. "H,
sure shot off some language | peve
did hear af0re. Yer heard our quar-
tette, / reck0nT"
Heard It. Not being altogethe
deaf, l did. Rullo, the procession