The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-03

men jumped from the freight and two
from the wild engine to come tearing
after me. / fancied could give them
their moneys worth at thar game
being in pretty fair Trainings /
pitched sout 70 uy 10 turn the hypo-
thetieaI theory into condition.
II was great race. Through one
gap and into another we went, max
ing figure Fights around the hills and
BAGS again. lodging into new ravines
and out Of them into others, circling
among great sandstone bouIders that
took ali sorts Of weird shapessin the
passing glimpse
don't know just how long the chase
lasted but it was long enough to give
me a very considerable degree of re-
specf for the nerve and persistence of
these highly indignant railroad men.
we must have been miles away from
the scene Of the disaster when final
Is left them behind and lost them.
When l looked back and found myself
alone with the solitudes | sat down up
on a fiat rock to gasp and laugh. 1t
had all been so supremacy ridiculous.
and-so beautifully in keeping with the
reputation l had left behind me at
Angels. that | felt sure that now moth
ing less than verdict of expert alien
lists would ever. serve TO convince these
Red Desert folk that was anything
but an escaped Iunatic.
After the breathing spell | kepts on
up the valley heading away from the
Il
sooner or iater / must come out some
where in the neigltborhood of Atropia.
Two hours later | eiime into sort
of an excuse for road. Being pretty
well winded by the stiff climb out of
the canyon ravine. ! sat down at the
roadside to rest a bit and TO decide
which way | should go, to the right
or to the left Just as was making
up my mind heard patter of feet
and a dog barked:
A iaoment later could see the
beast. indistinctly. He had been COM
ing up the road and had stopped at
The sight-or scent-of me. Since a
dog argued the proximity of a dog
owning human being. called coaxing.
old fellow-that's boyl" and the cur.
fous thing about it is that he did it.
running up little way and stopping
and finally coming to squat before
me and to lift paw for me to shake
| jollied him a bit and let him nose
/ me to his hearts content Then sud
denly. as if he had discovered long.
lost master. he broke away and began
to leap aud dance around me. barking
a furious and hilarious welcome. In
| the midst of this hubbub heard hoof.
beats and the squealIing of saddle
| leather, and the dogs owner rode up
AT first / thought the dimly outlined
Stetson-hatted figure in the saddle was
that of a boy But it was woman's
voice, and mighty pleasant one, thai
called to the dog: Down, Barney
49,. ..v4e4,1 yourseIr-what's the mat
ter with you, SIR
/ stood up and pulled off my cap.
I'm chiefly the matter" / said.
/ Your dog seems to think he knows
me. and Pm awfully sorry that his
memory is so much better than mine.
1Ou u
that woman riding alone in the
dark on a solitary mountain road
would be handsomely startled, to say
the least, at seeing man rise up fair
" under her horses nose. But if my
little lady were scared, she certainly
didn't parade her fright
Barney is such a foolish dog, some
times" she said alphabetically. He
has double brain, you know; hall
of it is good-natured and silly and
the other half is-well, it's"
The dog had come around again
wagging his tail and at that magic
word "half'' stopped to let him stick
his cold nose into my palm. The act
brought me near enough to enable me
to see him better, and / had to clap Z
hand over my mouth to keep FROM
shouting out and soaring the entire
combination into wild stampede
For. if you'll believe me, the dog wai
my DID, One-half Of his face wa
white and the other was so black tina
it merged and faded tremendously in
to the night
II know" / said Strengthening VI
again; my brain acts that way, too
sometimes" Then: Pardon me, bu
would you mind telling me the colo
Of the horse YOU are ridingY'
The young woman laughed and he
laugh was just as jolly and pleasan
as her speaking voice
"Winkie is what the cow-men call
'pinto'-a calico horse" she answers
promptly.
.'Suret" | beloved. Il knew II |
and the horse SHE'D and the dog barke
in sheer sympathy. Then / apologizet
please forgive the explosion As
said a minute ago. my brain some
times acts like Barney's: half of
: being good-natured and silly and tn
other half-weII. Wen omit the de
scription of the other half for til
present. If you'll permit me. May L
; er-wiu you have the goodness to te
! ne where I amp
, sI-why- mel Don't you kno'
where you are?'
.Not any more than a harmless. ne
essary goat. l assure you"
T I couldn't be certqin. but l though
. she took little firmer hold upon ht
Bride rein.
did you-did you come from Al
geisgf she asked In sort of awe
: little voice