South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-08-01

safe IN the express car and Luke
ever got hold OF him. he'd give
the guilty party such a reprimand
and a cussin' out that he'd probable
never do IL again. But once let
somebody steal a horse (unless 4,
was q Spanish pony, or cut a wire
fence, or otherwise impair the peace
and indignity OF Mojada county.
Luke and me would be on 'em with
habeas Corpuses and smOkeless
powder and all the modern inven-
tiOns OF equity and etiquette.
I'VE certainly had our county on
a basis OF lawfulness. I've known
persons Of eastern classification with
little spotted caps and buttoned-up
shoe 10 get off the train at Bildad
and eat sandwiches at the railroad
station without being shot at or
even roped and drug about by the
citizens Of the town.
Luke had his own ideas OF legal
ity and justice. He was kind OF
training me 10 succeed him when he
went out OF Office He was always
looking ahead 10 the time when he'd
quit sheriffing. What he wanted 10
do was 10 build a yellow house with
lattice-work under the porch and
have hens scratching IN the yard.
The one main thing IN his mind
seemed TO be the yard
Bud he says 10 me, by instinct
and sentiment I'm a contractor.
want 10 be a contractor. That's what
I'll be when I get out OF Office
What kind Of a contractor says
I. 1t sounds like n kind OF a bust
ness 10 me. You amt going TO haul
cement or establish branches or work
on a railroad. are your
"'You don't understand says
Luke I'm tired OF space and hor-
lions and territory and distances and
things like that. What I want IS a
reasonable contraction. want a
yard with a fence around IL that you
can go out and set on after supper
and listen 10 whip-poor-wills,' says
Luke
That's the kind OF a man he was.
He was home-hke, although he'd
had bad luck in such investments.
But he never talked about them
times on the ranch. IL seemed like
he'd forgotten about It wondered
how, with his ideas OF yards and
chickens and notions OF lattice-worl
he'd seemed to have got out Of his
mind that kid Of his that had been
taken away from him. unlawful. IN
spite Of his decree of court But he
wasn't a man you could ask about
such things as he didn't refer 10
in his own conversation.
Il reckon he'd put all his emo
tions and ideas into being sheriff.
I've read in books about men that
was disappointed in these poetic and
fine haired and high-collared affairs
with ladies renouncing truck OF that
kind and wrapping themselves up
into some occupation like painting
pictures. or herding sheep, or SCI
ence, or teaching schoOl-something
to make 'em forget. Well. I guess
that was the way with Luke. But.
as he couldn't paint pictures. he took
IL out in rounding up horse thieves
and in making Mojada county a safe
place 10 sleep in If you was well
armed and not afraid Of acquisitions
or tarantulas.
lone day there passes through
Bildad a bunch of these money in
vestOrs from the east. and they
stopped off there. Bildad being the
dinner station on the I &, @. n
They was just coming back from
Mexico looking after mines and such.
There was FIVE OF 'em-four solid
parties. with gold watch chains.
that would grade up over two hun
dred pounds on the hoof. and one
hid about scvent cen or eighteen.
This youngster had on one Of