Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-11-27
THEIR
LAST
RIDE

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BY ETHEL 8. PHILLIPS

- MERGING from behind the shell
r. tering walls of the canyon, the
L. team settled into fve-mile
gait. The wagon ratified and
rumbled over the hard surface Of the
mesa road that lay like a pale snake
across the land, keeping ever to the
tops Of the ridges. curving to avoid
arroyos, yet always descending grad
ually across the vast expanse OF the
foothills to the green valley of the Rio
Grande.
Each mile Of the road. bordered with
ever-recurring patches Of mesquite,
soap weed and creosote, was like every
other mile; perhaps differing In the
minor detail Of spacing, yet disclosing
no variation.
Like the ver-changlng. ever-chang-
ing aspect Of the country, were the
two men who occupied the seat Of the
wagon. Differing as one man from
another, yet alike as a type; lean. griz-
zled and bronzed; as typical Of the
COW country as the sparse vegetation
of the long dry and barren plains
skirting the better pasturage Of the
canyons and higher reaches Of the
foothills.
In the wagon box, inanimate as the
water barrel, the battered pail and the
sack Of feed which shared its bed, lay
slight, stark object wrapped in a
gray blanket. The blanket was wet,
and the air, Immediately above Its
gruesome folds, was cooler than would
seem possible under the brazen glare
of the climbing sun.
The increasing heat Of the open
road, thrust itself interruptingly upon
the silence Of the two men.
Jim Riley looked restlessly behind
him and then at the other man whom
he addressed.
Funny notion some folks get about
dyln', amt itr AS II It made any DIFF
ference what becomes Of the bank
book after you've cashed in your
checks. Seems like the more civilized
an Christianized folks get, the more
onrellgious they Is in their notions
about beln' buried. It's plumb foolish
shippln' dead folks back home"
Does seem foolish, but I reckon It's
sight of comfort to their folks" said
Porter, Shaping the lines along the
horses backs.
well, that's what I'm gettln' at
Take this chap; he amt been home fer
three years It amt like they hadn't
gotten used to Twin without him.
Why, since he's been to the ranch, he
amt written home oftener'n once a
month. They've gotten over runnln'
to the door every time the postman
comes See? Suppose we'd Jest writ
ten to 'em tellln' 'em that he died
peaceful an easy like, never KNOWN
II was comm till the end, leavin' out
the fear that looked out of his eyes
when he tasted blood on his lips, an
that he was lynn out here In the foot
hills. In the open, where he died. with
a grand old mountain fer his ever
lastln monument. Wouldn't that've
been better'n thls7 An this amt all,
tho I reckon it's the worst. It's
long ways back to Tennessee In bag
gage car No SIRE, none of II fer
mine If I'm lucky enough to get mine
in the open, let me lay right there In
u hole clost by, with a half CONT
nent a-rollin' down hill in front of me
That's big enough fer me. want to
lay where I die an my boots on"
Riley ended Then shifting In his seat
he raised a restraining hand.
Porter brought the team to halt
Riley jumped to the road and went to
the back Of the wagon lord, but It's
hot" he said gravely. dipping the pail
into the barrel and dashlng water over
the stark form wrapped In the gray
blanket
Presently the wagon moved on
again Drop after drop the water fell
from the cracks in the wagon bed.
only to be absorbed by the dust-dry
atmosphere almost before It reached
the burning gravel.
poor boy, | bet he'd never have
asked us to try to get him to El Paso
In time If he'd have known what the
heat means on a job like this-an' Pm
not KNOWN yet, that wen be In time
Seems like this Is hotter weather n
common"
eve can't do no morn to try" Por-
ter said Il felt like tellln' him II
wasn't no use, but his eyes looked SO
kinda hungry, an he spent the last
breath he had longln' for home-hlm
a lynn there lookln' out at the sunrise
over beyond the Sacramentoes."
"Sure, we're doln' the only thing we
can do. but it's almighty tough"
At noon the dropping horses de
manded rest. The men climbed
down and made camp. True to their
cowboy training. they had made no
provision for themselves, but the
horses were fed and watered and rest
ed for an hour. Fed and watered and
rested by the burning, unsheltered
roadside, but famed by merciful
breeze.
Porter took folded blanket from
the wagon seat and threw It over a
couple Of mesquite bushes; II cast II
narrow strip Of shade and the two
men, seeking this, stretched out In the
hot sand.
"Poor DEVIL Riley said, watching
the drip Of the water under the wagon.
"Died like Christian an sport, an
then--thls"
swell, it's what he wanted, an
reckon that's all the Twin can do fer |