Evening star., 1931-06-21

~ ORDINARILY good luck stuck just as
close to mississippi" Tyler as did
that big foolish hound Of his that
was the laughing stock OF the Rim
~ rock country But now that he
needed it more than he ever had in his life,
that luck seemed to peter out.
1t was funny thing about MiSSlSSlppls luck.
It had first picked him up when he had come 70
the Southwest 10 years before, at the age OF
IA The luck was still holding three years later
when he sent back to Mississippi for pack OF
redbone hounds, and became lion hunter
Mountain lions drew a bounty of $l00 a head,
nut up by the Rimrock rancherS; wolves the
same; bears the same with an added hundred
for each bear pelt. In the first month OF MS
hunting he went after deep-canyon silVertlp
that had bafhed the best hunters OF the Rim
rock and at the very first stab walked right
into-not the one bear, but two together. And
ON the way home his dogs treed mountain
lion. making it a $500 day Things like that,
always throughout the whole of his 10 years In
the Southwest.
Old Gar Brent was the barrier against which
MissMsippis luck broke. You couldn't do much
with Car Brent, because the old man had
weak heart, and an attack was nkely 70 come
on him at any time. An attack was on him
now as Mississippi Tyler stood, hat in hand,
in the Brent cabin, with that big worthless
hound of his peering out from behind his legs.
VILLA Brent, old Cars daughter, was fussing
around her father, tucking blanket around
his knees.
NV times cOmS-LIlS Llmc- O1o DASAAO
gaSped out played out my Str1ng-thlS tnne-
for sure"
Mississippi Tyer, who had heard Brent say
the thing perhaps 10 or a dozen times
before was unimpreSSed. But Villa TOOK II
pretty hard She really believed that her
father was going to die one of these times and
always took the latest attack for the fatal one
Mississippi felt like choking old Brent for scar
ing her so.
'shut up them gosh darn dogs!" Brent
ordered.
MIssIssIPPrs pack Of redbone hounds was
making considerable noise all right. There
were IL of them. And they all belled at the
least excuse.
Villa shot Mississippi compassionate look as
he went to the door and told the dogs to shut
up 1t pleased him that Villa had liking for
those hound voices. He didn't know though
quite how much Villa did love the belling OF
those dogs; nor how often she had listened for
the first sound of them, off over the range,
musNat1y sending word downwind that Miss
iSSippi was on the way
whats that mutt doing in here?" rasped
Brent pettiShly his eye falling on the one big
worthless one at MississippiS knee.
Mississippi had long been aware that Brent
disliked dogs in general and this one In par
ticular; but Brent had never before come right
out and insulted the dog.
GO outside Pumps" said Mississippi apollo
getically The dog went out, and in a minute
they could hear the animal muttering to himself
in deep bass tones, like no other hound. The
sound seemed to annoy Gar Brent out Of all
reason.
'The Thunder Pumper," sneered Brent THE
Thunder Pumper! Pumping noise is all he's
good for. He's never treed lion yet, nor stood
q bear and he eats for three! good sample
of Mississippi worthlessness is what he isl"
Dad, be quiet-rest yourself" Villa muir
INJURED.
Mississippi reddened Not many things ever
angered him. but this did, because it was true
and no one knew it better than he. The
Thunder Pumper had been sent him by mistake
along with some others, and he certainly
too slow for lion work. When the pack took
hot trail running full cry, the Thunder Pumper
could be found miles to the rear, baying each
individual track after close conscientious in
spection. 'Sniff, sniff-he set foot exactly here.
Bloo-oop! Snif-here is his next step. No,
wait. Yes am sure Bluh-wowpl"
Like as not the pack would tree the lion, and
Mississippi would come up and shoot the lion,
and 4Slsin it. and the dogs would eat it, Then,
five or six miles down the back-trail they would
perhaps meet the Thunder Pumper, still pains
takingly baSing out the trail Yet Mississippi
had deep, understanding love for that huge
useless dog with the homely, Sorrowful face and
trailing 10-inch ears
''ThiS is the end of me-" said Gar Brent
again. fixing CLASSY eyes on his daughter.
MAYBE in the morning" suggested Miss
iSsippi politely.
"Tve just got two requests" said Gar Brent,
disregarding him. villa, git me that box
there under my bunk"
~RequeStS?" echoed Mississippi
Requests to makeI" Gar Brent snapped
From the shoe box of odds and ends that villa