White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-12-28

was a pebbly tract, covered with
sagebrush and cacti, which droppe
abruptly to a creek-bed that had no
water in it. Filled with sudden mis-
givings, he asked feebly:
Whats it good for?'
Look at the view!" said Pinkey,
impatiently.
II can't eat scenery"
It'll be a great place for dry
farmin'."
Wallie looked at crack big
enough to swallow him and observed
humorously:
81 should judge So
"You see," Pinkey explained, en-
Enthusiastically, "bein' clost to the
mountains, the snow lays late in the
spring and all the moisture they is
you git it,
81 see.,' Wallie nodded compre
hensively. "Why didn't you take 1t
yourself, Pinkey?"
"Oh | got to make a livin'."
There was food for thought in the
answer, and Wallie pondered it as
he got stiffly out of the saddle
Can | be Of any assistance?" ne
asked, politely.
"You can git the squaw-aXe and
hack out place fer background
and you can hunt up some wood
and take bucket out of the pack
and go to the crick and locate some
water while I'm finding a place to
picket these horses"
Because it would hasten supper,
| it seemed to Wallie that wood and
water were of more Importance than
clearing a place to sleep, so he col
ected a small pile of tWigs and dead
sagebrush, then took an aluminium
kettle from his camping utensils and
walked along the bank of Skull
Creek looking for pool which con
| sained enough water to fill the kettle.
heels in a dirt slide, shot like a to-
boggan some twenty feet to the bot
ION. Filling his kettle, he walked
| back over the boulders looking for
more convenient place to get up than
he one he had descended.
| He was abreast of the camp before
he knew it.
"Whur you goin'?" Pinlley, who
| had returned, was hanging over the
| edge watching him stumbling along
with his kettle of water.
I'm hunting a place to get up"
said Wallie, tartly.
How did you git DOWN.
"'Way back there"
"Why didn't you git up the same
way?"
Couldn't = without spilling the
water"
'I'll git rope and snake you"
This doesn't seem like a very
convenient location" said Wallie,
quarulously.
"You can cut out some toe-holts
tomorrow" Pinkey suggested, cheer
fully "The ground has got such a
good slope to drain the corrals is thu
reason | picked it to build on"
This explanation reconciled Wal
l llG 10 Lll6 uIulCuilJ VI 6CLLii5 WbCOi
To build fire and make the coffee
was the work of a moment, but 1t
seemed twenty-four hours to Wallie,
! sitting on a saddle-blanSet watching
every move like hungry bird-dog.
J He thought he never had smelled
anything SO savory as the odor OF
potatoes and onions cooking, and
| when the aroma of boiling coffee was
added to it!
Pinkey stopped sicing ham tc
| point at the sunset.
"Aint that great pictures"
Y Gorgeous" Wallies agreed with
out looking.
IF | could paint"
: Does it take long to make gravy?
. Wallie demanded, impatiently.
' Not so very. I'll git things goin
f and let you watch 'em while [ &c
. and take a look at them buzzard
. heads Ii horse amt used to bein
g on picket he's liable to go scratchip
his ear and git caught and choke
hissel."
! Couldn't we eat frst?" Wallie
: asked, plaintively.
mo, I'll feel easier if l know they
amt tangled. Keep stirrin the
: gravy SO it won't burn on you" he
F, called back "And set the coffee OF
, in a couple Of minutes
Wallie was on his knees absorbed
, in his task of keeping the gravy
from scorchirg when a sound made
. him turn quickly and look behint
aim.
A large man with small white
pony was riding toward him. III:
looked unprepossessing even at 4
distance and he did not improve a!
:, he came closer. His nose was long
. mis- jaw was long, his hair needed
! cutting and was greasy, while hti
, close-set blue eyes had decidedly
a mean expression. There was rifle
slung under his stirrup-leather ant
a six-shooter in its holster on his
hip was a conspicuous feature of hi.
costume
= He sat for moment looking, ther
dropped the bride reins as he dis
mounted and sauntered up to the
/, campfire.
, Wallie was sure that it was Boise
/ Bill" from description Pinkey haf
given him, and his voice was slight
> | ly tremendous as he said.
! U(ool oYo,;pr