The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-02-17

to the ground, ana within half a min
ute he was off. this time heading into
a dim trail that led away %diagonally
down the mountain, rot in the direc-
ton Of Atrop!a, but rather on the 9th
or leg of a triangle, one side Of which
might be the desert edge, one the trail
we had followed from the Atropia
road, and the third the route we were
row taking 10 the eastward.
1t must have been within an hour
or 50 of midnight when we left the
mountain forests behind and got into
the region OF barren foothills. Here
the collie seemed much surer OF his
ground, and we had our work cut out
for us in the effort to keep up with
him.. In the starlight i made out the
line OF telegraph poles as We ran. and
pretty Don our dog leader swung off
60 the right and we found ourselves
trotting on a line parallel to the rail
road track and only a little way from
il.
Pretty soon the dog disappeared
and then we heard him barking ut a
little distance TO the left of the paral-
lei tracks. When we went TO see what
ne had found, the mystery suddenly
took another tack and veered off into
q new channel. In a small grassy hOl-
low between two OF the hills we came
upon the dog and the calico pony. The
hridln rnins hnI e1innn1 nynr tho hron-
cos head, and Barney had them be-
tween his teeth and was backing and
tugglng and apparently trying TO pull
the pony along.
We'll, I'll be ding jiggered. !" said
Daddy; but l couldn't unload quite
that easily. For me the riderless pony
mean an accident of some sort.
Heavens! !" l gasped; "do you sup
pose she's been thrown, and-maybe
crippled"
"Who-Jeanie? Why, bless your
heart, Stannie, son, she can ride 'em
wild! And that calico wouldn't buck
a baby Off. No, boy don't you go to
frettin' about nothin' like that. When
she got out o that saddle, ii was cause
she was good and ready and wanted
to-"
"When she got Off to take the train,
She tried TO make Barney lead the pony
hOme," l suggested. "Would she be
likely to do that?"
Daddy Hiram slapped his leg.
you've hit IL exactly, son! Don't
know why | didn't think o that at first.
It's an old trick that she taught the
collie when he was a liz pup. And
Barney, he tried, and when he couldn't
make the pinto leave off grain, he
come for us. Sure!-that was the
way of it. What say If we go back to
the edge o the timber and camp down?
| reckon there amt nOthin' to be
gained by hittin' the trail afore we've
had IL lir rest-up spell, is there?"
/ had no objection to offer, you may
be sure; and after we had found q
camping spot, and had picketed the
pony with the light rope that jeanne
always carried tied to the cantle of her
saddle, we made a good fire to serve
i'm lieu Of the blankets hat we didn't
have and stretched ourselves out to
sleep the sleep of the tagged and leg
weary.
The next thing knew-and it seem
ed to be just about a minute after i
had closed my e~yes-Daddy was shak-
ing me awake.
thine to be mOggin' along, If we
aim to get home for breakfast, sonny"
he announced. At the break Of day we
were coming into the Cinnabar-Atro-
pia road at precisely the point ut
which we left it the evening before.
The sun was just beginning to gid
the upper heights of Old Cinnebar
when we trailed over the broad plateau
bench below the mine and headed for
the slope that led up to the dump head.
As we topped this last hill there was
an amazing surprise awaiting us-a
surprise and a shock. On the level
spot which served as a doOryard for
the TwOmbly cabin stood Il horse, sad
died and bridled, it's dropped ears and
hanging head showing that it had been
ridden far and hard. And on the cabin
doorstep, sitting at ease and calmly
chewing n half-burned cigar, vas
Fullerton!