Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-05-19

gloom and passion. Next 10 MS VIII
and daughter there was nothing so
dear to him as his white horses. His
father and his grandfather-all his
progenitors of whom he had trace
had been lovers OF horses. 1t was in
Belongs blood.
lady. before It's too late can't |
get the whites away from the borderT
~ reckon we'd better stick here,
| Tom. Dick, it's some good TO
see you again. But you seem kinda
quiet Shore you get quieter all the
time. Did you see any sign Of Jim
out Sonoyta wayY'
Then Bedding led the lame horse to-
ward the watering-trough, while the
two rangers went toward the house.
Dick was telling Ladd about the af-
fair at Papago well when they turned
the corner under the porch. Nell was
sitting in the door. She rose with
little scream and came flying toward
them.
"Now I'll get it," whispered Laid
'"The women II make a baby of me-
An shore ! can't help myself"
"Oh, Laddy, you've been hurtT
cried Nell, as with white cheeks and
dilating eyes she ran TO him and
caught his arm.
"Shore, Nell It's only scratch.
My bronch throwed me-"
lady, no horse ever threw you.
You've been shot Mamma,
here's Laddy, and he's been shot. :.
Oh, these dreadful days we're havingl
1 can't bear them Forlorn River used
to be so safe and quiet. Nothing
happened. But now Jim comes home
with a bloody hole in him-then Dick
then Laddyl Oh, I'm afraid
some day they'll never come home"
The morning was bright, still, and
clear as crystal The heat waves had
not yet begun to rise from the desert.
Nell sat perched high upon the top
most bar of the corral gate. Dick
leaned beside her, now with his eyes
on her face, now gazing out into the
alfalfa field where Belongs thorough
breds grazed and pranced and romped
and whistled Nell watched the
horses She loved them, never tired
of watching them. But her gaze was
too consciously averted from the
yearnlng eyes that tried TO meet hers
to be altogether natural.
A great fenced field of velvety green
alfalfa furnished a rich background
for the drove OF about twenty white
horses. Blanco Diablo was the only
one in the field that was not free to
roam and Craze where he listed. A
stake and a halter held him to one
corner, where he was severely let
alone by the other horses He did not
like this Isolation. Blanco Diablo was
not happy unless he was running, or
fighting a rival. OF the two he would
rather fight If anything white could
resemble a devil, this horse surely
did. He had nothing beautiful about /
him, yet, he drew the gaze and held |
1t. The look of him suggested dis |
content, anger, revolt, viciousness. |
When he was not grazing or prancing, |
he held his long, lean head level, point
ing his nose and showing his teeth |
Belongs favorite was almost all the |
world to him, and he swore Diablo
could stand more heat and thirst and
cactus than any other horse he owned
and could run down and kill any
horse in the Southwest.
The cowboys admitted some OF
Belongs claims for Diablo, but they
gave loyal and unshakable allegiance
to Blanco Sol As for Dick, he had
to fight himself to keep out of argu-
ments, for he sometimes imagined he
was unreasonable about the horse.
Though he could not understand him
self, he knew he loved Sol as a man
loved a friend, a brother. Free Of
heavy saddle and the clumsy leg
Blanco Sol was somehow all
to the eyes Of the rangers.
The dazzling wilderness of the desert
sun shone from his goat; he had the
fire and spirit of the desert In his
noble head, its strength and power in
his gigantic frame.
Bedding swears Sol never beat
DiablO," Dick was saying.
"He believes IT," replied Nell. dad
Is queer about that horse"
give often wondered how Bedding
ever came to give Blanco Sol to me-"
said Dick.
ST think he wanted to get rid Of
SOL"
maybe. He surely has strange pas
sion for horses. I think l understand
better than I used to. 1 owned a
couple Of racers once. They were
lust animals to me, 1 guess But
3lanco Solp
do you love himT asked Nell and
low a warm, blue fash Of eyes swept
Ifs face.
"Do II Well, rather"
"Tm glad. Sol has been finer, a
,etter horse since you owned him. He
owes you, Dick. Sol always hated
)iablo, and never had much use for
Dad"
Dick looked up at her.
eth be-be pretty hard to leave Sol
when go away"
Nell sat perfectly still.
ha oobad praSapf1U