Shoshone journal., 1923-04-06

...out the middle Of the forenoon
OF the following day the rangers hob
bled out Of the Kitchen to the porch.
I'm sick man, | tell you" Ladd
was complaining. "an' I gotta be fed
| Soup Beef tea That amt so much
as wind to me- I want about a barrel
| Of bread an butter, an a whole plat
ter Of mashed potatoes with gravy an
| green stuff-all kinds Of green stuff
an ?. Whole big apple pie. Give me
eysx in an, anythin' to eat but meat.
Shore aeszf never want to taste
meat again, an sight Of a piece Of
sheep meat would Jest about finish
me. Jim, you used to be .
human bein' that stood mp for Charlie
Ladd"
'Laddy, I'm lined up beside you with
.bota guns, reEssd sSNm. plaintively.
Hungry Say. the -ameIl Of break
fast In that kitchen made my mouth
water 30 1 near choked to death.
reckon we're gettin' most onhuman
treatment"
But I'm a sick man." protested
Ladd, "an' I'm agoin' to fall over In
minute II somebody don't feed me-
Nell, you used TO be fond Of me-"
"Oh, Laddy, am yet" replied Nell.
"Shore, / don't believe 1t. Any girl
with tender heart just couldn't let 4
man starve under her eyes. I.
Look at Dick, there. I'll bet he's had
something to eat, mebbe potatoes an
gravy, an pie an"
'Laddy. Dick has had no more than
gave you-lndeed, not nearly 80
much"
for he hasn't hollered onct about this
treatment"
Perhaps he has," said Nell, with a
blush; "and If you think that-they
would help you to be reasonable
might-Tll-"
well, powerful fond as am Of you,
Just now kissesU have to run second
TO bread an butter"
"Oh, Laddy, what q gallant speech =
laughed Nell I'm sorry, but I've
dads orders a Sssess> ssess>
Laooy 1sSs values you We
sot 10 Oe,-i o--s ,,s.ss,,s--rsl l-S eaung-
Ncss you know th4-szs Z H. be the Sc
verest kind Of bosskI you had some
starved beggars on your hands"
But I'm sick-Tm dyin',T howled
Ladd.
You were never sick In your life,
and II all the bullet holes 1 see In you
couldn't kill you. why, you never will
die"
"Can smoker queried Ladd, with
sudden animation My Gawd, l used
to smoke. Shore I've forgot Nell, If
you want to be reinstated in my gal
lery Of angels, Just find me a pipe an
tobacco"
I've hung onto my pipe" said Jim.
thoughtfully. Il reckon 1 had it emp
ty In my mouth for seven years or so,
wasn't 1t, Laddy7 A long timel can
see the red lava an the red haze, an
the red twilight creepin' up. 1t was
hot an some lonely. Then the wind.
and always that awful silence! An
always Yaqui watchin' the west, an
Laddy with his Checkers, an Mer-
cedes burnin' up, wastin' away to
nothin' but eyesl It's all there-Fu
never get rid"
"Chop that kind Of talk" interrupt
ed Bedding, bluntly. Tell US where
Yaqui took you-what happened to
Rojas-why you seemed lost for so
long"
'I reckon Laddy can tell all that
best; but when 1t come TO Rojas' fin
ish I'll tell what 1 seen, an so'n Dick
an Thorne. Laddy missed Rojas' an-
ish- Bar none, that was the"
I'm a sick man, but l can talk" put
In Ladd- "an' shore 1 don't want the
whole story exaggerated none by jim"
Ladd filed the pipe Nell brought,
pufred ecstatically at It and settled
himself upon the bench for a long
talk He talked for two hours
talked till his voice weakened to q
husky whisper AT the conclusion OF
lence- Then Elsie Gale stood up. and
with her hand on Dicks shoulder, her
eyes bright and warm as sunlight she
showed the rangers what woman
thought Of them and OF the Yaqui.
Nell clung to Dick. weeping silently.
Mrs. Gale was overcome, and Mr.. Gale,
very white and quiet, helped her up to
her room.
Early In the afternoon OF the next
day Bedding encountered Dick at the
water barrel.
"Belding, this Is river water, and
muddy at that" said Dick. Lord
knows I'm not kicking. But I've
dreamed some Of our cool running
spring. and l want a drink from IL"
Never again. SON. The springs
gone, faded. sunk. dry as dust"
aDryl- Gale slowly Strengthened.
We've had rains. The rivers full
The spring our 10 be oyertiowing.
What's wrongl Why is Il dryY
"Dick. seeing you're interested. I
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