Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-12-21
= OHARA
WIN. FEATUR ESQ

got all this blood from. It was the
very first wound of the battle. Then
he got that bad one in his throat I
told you about, but nothing seemed
to bother him. He didn't act as il
ne even knew he was wounded"
Probably didn't. And probably
the Albino didn't know he was killed.
l often think pain and death don't
enter into the consciousness of
horses at all. What about your
friend, the one-legged eagle7 No
sign of him on this trip!"
HE came down. Six of them came
down to eat up the Albino."
| "Ah! They'll pick his bonesi A
true burial of the plains!" Rob's
face lit up. "a great old boyI I've
always had a corner in my heart
for him, even if he did nearly brain
mel"
! Ken had forgotten this. His IA
Their showed him again the scar over
his temple where the Albino's hoof
had left its mark and it seemed to
draw them all into close little knot.
"What great horse!" said Rob
leaning back again. ken, there are
outstanding individuals in the ami
NAL world as well as the human.
The Albino was like Napoleoni Or
like Caesar! To be close to one Of
those is like being close to a charge
of TINT"
eyes, sir" said Ken YEARLY.
He knew.
Rob made little gesture with
his hand. well! The king is deadi
Long live the king!"
You mean Thunderhead?"
"Thunderhead. The Throwback."
And that took them both back to the
day three years ago when the un-
calmly little white foal had been born
and everyone had thrown at him
the epithet, Throwback!
Dad"
"WeIl?"
Ken hardly dared to say it. do
you suppose if you took a lot of
men-maybe ten or twenty-with
horses and lariats up to the valley
could show you the way-you could
get him back? Because you see
there's only little more than a
month before the race"
Rob answered gravely, 1T would
take a regiment of cavalry-and
then they wouldn't get him."
Ken was silent. He was not sur
prised. Moreover, deep within him,
something revolted against the idea
of taking such an expedition into his
valley. The band of mares broken
up, some of them killed during the
roping, colts stolen, separated from
their dams, coarse shouts and curses
and brutal acts desecrating that re-
mote, inviolate animal sanctuary
he'd almost rather lose his horse.
Ken lifted his white face with a
look of straight-seeing courage and
resignation in his eyes. Dad" he
said again, and paused. For the
hundredth time in his tortured men,
tai processes he had come to the
same conclusion-that there was
only one slim hope. won't he
come back, dad?"
"Of his own accord?"
| "He always has before. This Is
his home and he's oriented. You
always said he would, and he al
ways did"
There was little sadness in Rob's
sardonic smile this time. "Ken! You
know horses! He's got a band of
mares now, hasn't he?"
Eyes, sir"
Twill he abandon them?"
The question needed no answer.
Ken had reached that same conclu-
sion in his own thoughts every time.
His head sank on his chest and
Rob saw that the boy was trembling
all over. He hadn't yet had a bath
or change or nights sleep or a
solid meal.
"You 60 clean up now, son, and
get ready for supper, or you'll be
keeling over. You've had a great
adventure. 1t didn't end the way
you wanted it to, and I'm as disap-
pointed as you are about losing
Thunderhead."
ooh, are you, dad?" Ken raised
his head and his eyes went to his
fathers face. Somehow it eased the
pain to have his father disappoint-
ed too.
Eyes, I am. I've worked with
him. And 1 had come to have con-
fdence in him and his future. He's
a great horse. Besides, you know,
I needed the money"
II know!" Ken's face was almost
happy.
"But we're both out of luck and
we'll just have to take it,
with fortitude," suggested Ken
with a CLEAN in his eye.
Exactly. No use crying over
split milk. I can tell you this, if it'll
make you feel any better" They
both got to their feet. "I'm damned
proud of you'll
"Of mel"
"Of you. My gosh, Ken! You
rode a stallion at work! No one
but a fool even goes near stallion
when he's rounding up his mares
let alone tries to mount him-or