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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1908)
X V N . A Red Saunders y HENRY WALLACE PHILLIPS COPYRIGHT, 190T. BY McCLURE, xncy nodded that they'd tninx u over until next day, but thut turned UnjLJ "Jiuh yu'r u ItrUl. r-ii'M- .. hrtt i s. mpiithixc wlih them, nut the girls .lijioit' nliv; " ljO. I people object, y on say?' out to bo too lnt. for what must Kyle J "1 made (hat all clear to him. 'Tho do but get chucked from his lioi.se ami ! girl's always all right, father, says 1, hnve bis leg bioko near ihe hip. Vou J 'ami as for the man In this case, my don't want to take sun- love aft airs i wold for him.' on to Hie back of ii bail hoiNe. now w.u j "Now. it ain't just the right thing mark me! There was im such Uiiug for me to my; but. seeing as I've nev i,a downing tlint boy when he was In er had anything in particular to bo bis right mind. , modest about, and I'm proud of what "Now. here was a hurr.ih' I.o-s. die the old gentleman told me, I'm going dnsn't cry, for fear of undo, and Kyle, lie used the slnfulest taiiiriiugc Uiiowu to the tongue of man. "lva- the first, time I'd ever lien id him a. anything much, but he made it clear that It wasu't because be couldn't. '"What will we do, Hod? What will we do?' says he. "'Now,' says I, 'don't like over like that, because It's bad fo: jour tog "He cuflbcd the leg. "'Co on and tell me wtuC we can do,' fays be. '"When you ask me ihur, you've Iiuliea '; rjgnt r.r.T, nyi. Mil ten you exactly what we'll do. I go for ihe doctor. Savvy? Welt. I bring buck the minister nl iln sumo lime. Angevlne, be loses the Jersey cow over la the ennobrenk, and nude and Ange Tine go bunting her, for not oven Loye Is ace high In uncle's mind alongside that cow. The rest is e.Ty ' '"lied, you're a brick. You're the best fellow alive,' sas Kyle, nearly squce.ing the hand off me, "'I've tried to conceal It all my life, but 1 knew it would be discovered womc day,' says I. 'Well. I suppose I'd better break the news to I.oys. 'Twouldu'l bo any more lliau polite "Oh. Lord! I wonder tf she'll be willing V sa.s he. "'No reason 1 shouldn't turn an hon est dollar on the iran-aetlon. I'll bet yo,i a mouth's wages she K" sa.s I. He wanted to do It. thinking I was In earnest, but I laughed at him. "She was willing all right even anxious. There's some women, and men. too. for thai mailer, who go through life like a nil ilirough si back alley, not caring a cuss (r oil her end or Ihe middle. They would lime been content to wait. Not so I.oys. She wanted her Kyle, her poor Kyle, ami hIic wanted him quick. Thai's tho kind of people far mc! N our cautious folk are all the lime falling down wells because their eye are up In the air. keeping tabs mi Unit they can dodge shooting star?. "Now, I bad n mlnl-ier friend up lu town, Fatjicr Slnde by tuiue. No, he was not n Catholic. I think. They called him 'father' because it HI ted him. Ills church had a steopl on it, anyhow, no It was no nm wrick, .lust wliat parltciilar kind of religion the old man had I tlon'l know, hut I should nuy he wan a homeopath on a guess. He looked It. "I'wiis a comfort to see blm coming down the Mred. his old face shining in his while h.ilr like a shriveled pink apple in a .snowdrift, 15 od blessing everything In ftight-good, bad or Indifferent. He had something! pleasant to say to all. We was quite friends, and every once in awhile we'd have a chin about things. "'Are you keeping sirainht. UedV he'd ask when we parted " Um I'd say. 'I'm afraid you'd mi lice a bond here and there If you slid your eyes along the edge.' '"Well, keep ns Mrnlghl as you can; don't give up trying, my boy he'd tell me, mighty eurnesi, and I'd feel ashamed of myself dear around Ihe corner. "I kuew ihe old man would do me a fnvor If it could be done, s I pulled out easy lit my mind. "First place, I slopped at the doc tor', liecaiifc I fell they 'intirhl lijc PHILLIPS y COMPANY up the marrying business some ouier time, tmt If it leg that's broke In the upper Joint ain't set right yon can see n large dark complected hunk of troti- bio over tins parly's left shoulder for me rest 01 uis unys. me uocior out, so I left word for him what was wanted and to be ready when I got back and pulled for Father Slade's. The old gentleman bad the rheuma tism, and ho groaned when I come In. Hhcumatlsm'H no disease for people wno can t swear. "'How are you, my boy?' says ho. 'I'm Rind to see you. Here am I, an old man, nlpinnl by the Iob mid much wanting to talk to somebody.' "I passed the time of day to him, but felt kind of blue. This didn't look like keeping my word with the kids. I really hated to say anything to tho old man, knowing his disposition; still, i I felt I had to, and I out with my story. "'Hear, dear!' says he. 'Tho hurry and skurry of young folks! How Idle It kooiiih when you got fifty joars away from It and see how little any thing counts! For all that, I thank (.'oil.' says he. 'that there's a little red I left In my blood yd. which makes me to repeal It. ' 'Your word Is good for me, Hod,' nays he. 'You're a mischievous boy at times, but your heart and your head are both reliable. Give mo your arm to the wagon.' "Then I fell mighty sorry to think of lugging that poor old man all that ways. "'Here says I. 'Now you sit down Again. Don't you do anything of the sort. You ain't lit "He put his hand on my Hhouldcr and hobbled bis weight off the game leg. "Neddy, I was fitting (here (lilnk lug when you came lu thinking of how comfortable It was to be In nu easy chair with niy foot on a stool, and then I thought, "If the Lord should send mo some work to do, would I be willing?" Now, thanks be to him, I am willlug and glad lo Hud myself so, and I do not. believe there's any work more acceptable to him than the unlou of young folk who love each oilier. Ouch!' says he as that foot touched the ground. 'Perhaps you'd bettor pick me up and carry me IkhI My "So 1 did It, the old housekeeper fol lowing us with an armful of things ami Jawluu: the both of us, him Tor a fool and mo for a villain. She was a strong minded old lady, and 1 wish I could remember some of her talk. It was great. "We went around and got the doc tor "Moo!" iii.vh he. 'Is It as bad an that?' I winked at Father Sltide. "It's a-plenty worse than thut says I. 'You won't know the half of It till ton irel down tber "Hut of eonrce we hud to tell blm, and be was tickUd. Funny what an Interest everybody takes In these hap pollings. Ho wanted all the details. " 'Hy .love says be, 'the man whose feelings ain't the least dimmed by a broken leg hoie rolled on him, you bald; splintered it, probably that inuu I one of the right sort. He'll do to lie lo "When we reached the ranch the boys were lined up to meet us, 'Hur r along: they called. 'Angey can't keep nude amused all day!' "So we hustled. Kyle was for being married first and then having his leg sol, bul I put my foot down tint. It had vone long enough now, and I wasn't going to have him crlpplng It all his life. But the doctor worked like a man who gos paid by the piece, and In less than no lime we were able t( ,..,u OJH j "Wind Hlver Smith spoke to get to give the bride away, and we let him hnve it. "We'd just got settled to business when in comes Angovlne, puffing like a buffalo. 'For heaven's sukes, nln't you finished yet?' says he. 'Well, you want lo be at It, for Ihe old man ain't over two minutes behind me, coming fnsl. I took the distance In ten foot step. .lust my luck! Foot slipped when I was talking to him, and I dropped a remark that made blm suspicious- I wouldn't have done It for a toti of money -but It's too late now. I'll down him and hold him out there if vou say so.' "Veil. sir. in this old Father SlHde stood right tip. Torgettlng tlint t'o3t entirely. " 'Children, bo rendy,' sii.vh he, and he went over the line for n record. '"Hurry there!' hollers old Hob from the outside, where he was on watch. 'Here conies undo up the long coulee!' " 'What aro your names?' says Fa ther Slade. They told him, both red 'nlng. " 'Do you, Kyle, take this woman, I.oys, to have and keep track of, como hell or high wntor, her holm and as signs for ever?' or such n matter nays lie, all In ouo breath. They both said they did. "TIiIiiitm How till wo canio to the r, T1,n, waB n hu.h W(. lliul ,,,, forp,t(l,n that Itnportnnt nrtl- c,0 Vor ,nlnu(t. j f(.t stlngv. Then l cntmA ,llVsolf for a mean old long hor1 nn(, AwA ,nlo ,uy ,I1)X Micro, take thlsl' I mis. 'It was my mother's!' " 'Oh, Hod. you mustn't part with that!' cried I.oys, her eyes filling up. '"Don't waste time talking. I put through what I tackle. Hurry, please, fat,r '"Has anybody any objections to those proceedings?' says he. " 'I have says I, 'but I won't men tion 'em. (Jive them the verdict " 'I pronounce you man and wife. Ix-t us pray,' says he. "'What's that?' screeches I'tido Jonesy from the doorway. And then he gave us tho queerest prayer you ever heard in your life. He stood on one too and clawed chunks out of the air while ho delivered It. "Ho seemed (o have It lu for mo In particular. 'You villain! Vou rascal! You redheaded rascal! Vou did this! I know you did!' " 'Oh, uncle says I, 'forgive me!' Willi that 1 hugged him right up to tne, anil ho filled my boMim full o smothered language. "Choose It, you little cuss,' whis pered lu his ear, 'or I'll break every rib In your poor old chest!' J came In on him a trllle. .lust to show him what I could do if I tiled 1IU WW H I II M ill I Null':' lie wheezes. 'Quit! 'Null'! " 'Co up and congratulate 'em I whispered again. "'I won't says ho. 'Ouch! Yes, I will! I will!' So up lie goes, grinding his teeth. " i wish you every happiness ho grunts. " 'Won't you forgive me, undo?' begs Loys. " 'Some other tUue: some other time!' ho hollers, and ho pranced out of tho house like a hosstylo spider, the maddest little man In the territory. "Loys had a hard time of It until Kyle got so ho eould travel, and they went up to the Yellowstone with a team for a wedding trip. "The rest of Loys' folks was In au unpleasant frame of mind too. They sent out her brother, and while I'd have took moHt anything from Loys' brother, there comes a place where human nature Is human nature, and the upshot of It was I planked that young man gently but tlrinly, across my knees. Suffering Ike, but he was one sassy young man! Howsomever, the whole outfit came round In time all except uncle and me. He used to grit his teeth together till the sparks flew when he saw me. I was afraid he'd bust a blood vessel In one of them fits, so I quit. I hated to let go of the old ranch, but I'm pretty well fixed- I'm superintendent here. It's Kyle's ranch, "queer looking thing on Ihe left hip of thai critter, over the vented hnsli knife. Lovs' invention, that N. she i'j.11 L'liou' ri'lltll'U u li!l till- -Tilt sms UM a cherubll.n, but we .all it the 'living tlapjack There's a light Hiuiwt'lot of beef critters toting that signal round this part of the coimtrv. Igual round this part of the country. Kvle's one of the fellers that rises like a setting of bread-quiet and gen- tie but steailv and sure. He's going to the state' legislature next year. "l'wou't di no harm to have one hwiiest man In the outfit. "Now, perhaps' If I'd married some nice woiiiou I might have had 1.000 steers of mv own and a dinuce to make rules mid regulations for my fel ler citizens and theu agniu I might. have took to gambling and drinking and raising blazes and broke my poor wife's broom handle with my hard head. So I reckon we'll let It slide ns It Is. Now, you otraddle that cayuse of your h aud come along with mo, and I'll show you some rattling colts." CIIAVTEH 111. EDDY was on the station plat form, walking up and down, looking about him anxiously. We caught sight of each other at Ihe same time. "III. there!" said he aud Jumped for ... - . ..... mo. "t.m .(loir vi) i' io nine: no cried as he put my rlgln hand in line for a pension. "I thought I was book- ed to go without saying goodby to you. Vou got the note I pinned on jour shack?" "Sure." "Well, lhero"s lime for a diln be fore the choo-choo starts. Thought I'd bo early, not savvying ibis kind of traveling a great deal. Darned If you ain't growed since I saw you! (.Jetting fat too! Well, how's even thing? I didn't say nothing to the other hoys about pulling my freight, as I wanted to go sober for once. You explain to 'em that old Hod's head nln't swelled, will you? Seems kind of dirty to go off that way. but I'm bound for Coil's coiintn and tlje old time folki,. and 1 , , somehow I feol that 1 must out tiu: budge out of It. 'Nother tiling Is I'm superstitious, as you may or may not nillFUinilliwiin, ir t iiiiij !, - have noticed, and I believe If you try j the same game twlcet you'll get just ! as dirreront results as can bo the sec-, ond time. Vou heard how 1 lilt It In the mines, didn't you? No? Well, ., u .... v ....,. ....i out on tlio tint, have yon? Hum! I don't know principally where to bo-1 Kin. Vou remember Wind HI vor! Smith's parduor that the boys called i Shudder, because he was so thin? Nice feller, nlwnya willing to do you a fa vor or say something comical when you least expected It. Had kind of a1 style with him too. Yes, sir, that's the man. Well, him and me was out In ' tho Horn! one day, holding a mess of Oregon half breeds that was to be' shipped by train shortly, when old ( Smithy conies with the mnll. 'Letter for j on, Shudder says Smith and, passes over a big envelope with wads of Healing wax all over It. Shudder reads his letter and folds It up. Then ( he takes a look over the country the i kind of a look a man gives when he's J thinking hard. Then says he, 'Hod, take off your hat.' 1 done It. 'Smithy, I take off your hat 'All right sa.vB I Snilih, 'but you toll mo why or I'll snake the shirt off you to Bqtuiro things I "'Hojs says Shudder, 'I'm Lord Will ford.' I '"Lord llollfordl' hollers Smithy.' 'You'd better call somebody In to look , at our plumbing. What you been ! drluklu', Shudder? I " 'Head for yourself says Shudder, and ho handed him the letter. i "WNh't you could haw seen old Smlth.Cs face as he road it. Ho thought his piirdncr had been out" out of bis lnnl forever. "'It's the Cod's truth, Hod says lie slowly, and he had a sideways smile on his iiue as ho turned to Shudder 'Well. lr.' sas he, 'I suppose congrat ulations nre in order? "Shudder's band stopped short on Its way to the cigarette, and lie looked ' ""' at Smithy as If ho couldn't bellows what ho saw "'To hell with 'cm!' says ho as sav age i.s a wildcat, and he Jabbed the Irons in and whirled his cayuso about on one too, heading for tho ranch. " 'Now you go after him. you Jealous old sorehead says I. 'Co on I says is ho stinted to argue the point, 'or I'll spread your none all the wa down ' your spinal column !' The only time to say 'No' to me Is when I'm not meaning what I say, so nway goes Wind Hlver, nud they mudo It up all right In no time. Well, Shudder had to pull for England to take a squint at the ancestral estates, and nil of us was right here at this station to wee hint off. Lord, it fceems as If thut hnpiencd last world! Well, It took a little bit ine edge oir any aim an drunks a ranch ns an Institution hud ever seen before. There waa old Smithy crying nrouud, wiping IiIb eyes on his alcove and explaining to a lot of east ern folks Ihnl It wasn't Sundder's fault -gad hook II all! He was the best, hootlu', tootln' Non-of-n-sen cook that ever hit a prairie breeze In spite of this dinu foolishness. " "J'hoy can't make no "lord" of Shudder!' holler i Smithy. 'Tlint Is, not for long. He's a man, Shudder Is -nln't cher. .vor d d old gnngle legged hide rack?' "And Shudder nowr lost his patience at all, though It must have Issen Kinu i of trying to bo made Into such a holy ' how before the kind or people he , "S'1 ,(' "S011 U)- A" ll,'',' Sl,y "'"" l ''' '"' ''. M ut'- " (' ; " HH. ' '''l-'1'' enough, too. as Smithy had lrsed him through smallpox one win- ' "! '' ' Shoshonee country ami u'1 " m '". .-oooon .- ,..,...,.... miginy near sinrveo uiuctm h. ...a.,. i Ceding Shudder out of the slim grub " '" t,,' ,,0-v W,,K ,ll(' lll,,ncl- H,ni' 0I,U P(M,lle would have forgot j,,",, ' ",J,,, ,ll(l vo,,', ,,,,1,,LI ,-'(1 K,, ",,,'r the Influence of strong drink? Did lie? ' Oh, my! Oh, my! I wish I could make " -'lear to you. 'Ihe vlgltunio put after a horse tutor once in Montana, and they landed on him lu a bull ond canyon, and there was all the slock with the brands on 'em as big as a ' P"teiit medicine sign, as the lud hadn't i I....1 ll...n 4. . A.... ?'.,. .! t J.M.I i l.ttiu mil mmr Ml rMuji iwi iiih;i iui"ii.-, '"Well says they, 'what have you got to say for yourself?' He looked nt them brands staring him lu the face, and he bit on a small hunk of chewing 'Ptt-chay!' Says he. 'Centlo- men, I'm ! n lo.xs for words!' And they let him go, as a good oko Is worth Its price in any mans country, cm in inai iiiuk nx. i ami goi me J i . I (..! -& .1. worus 10 n-u you now seriousiy iiruiiK r w "" 1'"1 occuslon. I reineniber tiitHt.ii-' r..i vi'linl T Mw.nirltt ti'ilu till. .' " ' lot'l and settling down, thinking ihero """ ' " "' '"'H ' '' " : room from the noise. Then somebody gave mo u punch in the rib and says, Where's your ticket?' and I don't know what I said nor what he said after that, but It must have been nil right. Then II got light, and I met a lot of good friends I never saw before nor since. Then more noise anil Iron- ble, and nt Inst I woke up -In a hotel bedroom, all right, but not the one I waB used to. I wont to the window. heaved her open and looked out. It was a bully morning, and I fell Al. There was a nice range of mountain out In front of me Ihnl must have ' ,,,,n"w "!' .";;. . . ' -"-"" '"' ' "" .1 -tl.l .III III... t.v somebody will tell me before long, fio there n no use worrying about Ihnl the main point Is, have I been touched? .. I ! " ' J;h. ami there wasn't a thing o any kind to rcnipw- I""1, "' "' ''' "''.vh " m?S5J "I"'1 ,,",, '' ' Im-oii Brnlibrd -M'l '" T , , ' , ... Ci of a breakfast: Well. It's a nice look- KJ5 1 "Hire's your ivutvU ami tin' rett u) jyuitr 1 ritlitoMt." Ing country, nnjliow!' So down I walks to the otlloc. A cheerful seem ing, plump kind of a man was sitting behind the desk. 'Hello!' says lie, glancing up and smiling as I came in. 'How do you open up this morning?' 1 "'Somebody saved mc tho trouble says I. 'I'm afraid I'll haw to give 1 you the strong arm for breakfast "Ho grinned wide. 'Oh, II ain't nu bad as that, 1 hardly leckon sh,h ho. i He dove Into a safe and brought out a cigar box. I "'When a gentleman's in the condi tion you was in lasl night ho says, 'I alwajs make It a point to go through bis dothes and take out anything Htrangcr might Hud useful, trustlnu: that there won't be no offense tho next nwiriiiiii' Hii'i'h vonr watch and the , f ' valuables. Including the. . mt V0Ul. n,()m.y mid see If It's right "Well, sir! I wns ouo happy mun, and I thanked that feller aa I thumbed over this bills, but when I got up to n hundred and seventy I liogun to feel queer. Looked like I'd made good money on the trip. '"What'H the matter?' aaya he, sea Ing my face. 'Nothing wrong, I hope!' "'Why, the watch and the gun nud the oilier things Is all right nay 1, but I'm now $.r0 to the good, even- fig tiring that I didn't spend u cent, which ain't In tho least likely, and here'H ten dollar bills enough to make a bed spread left over "'Pahnw!' says he. 'Illume It! I'vo mixed your plunder up with the mlu Ing gentleman tlint como In at tho snme time. You and him wns bound ' n flKht .,, nm mul , yM ,)0th tlnilMl to to ck met ,j Wlmt with kl,op,IIB Vou apart and holding you on nn(1 fmK your valuables nway from vo a)1 t (1)). Sllll. ,l0i n,) IUe all ni0,.L. i1(,,v ns it wn8 jj, i,rl( mun'u , ,,11V uK ,.vc, ,,,,. i.luiHlfi- of It (,,St ,nkl. ymv ,.i,.l(,,, (lt of the wad and call for a drink on tne when you feel like It. will you?' ..j Slill t wouI)1 )Io ,half niil. more , 0V(,r ,,,, ,,,, ls ,, m,.or and a gen . tUmim .,,, ,.t ,.,, K(ny )l( l!s lot tu.mil , ,imt rl stay in ins noioi , tW), W01.Uh ,lt (Mlsi (0 snow my up pm.auon. no matter where It was. i but to satisfy a natural curiosity, I'd Ut, o k,nv w,mt ,mrt of tll(l eountry , I was at present Inhabiting, "'You're at Holse, Ida. sa.s h.j, M 0f the best littlo towns in tlio ' i,e4( jutlu territory In the Culled S(nten 0f .inerlca. Including Alaska.' 'Well - snys I. 'Well- ror ngum was at a loss for words. T had no I j(t. im KOne so fur from home. 'I lm I n0Vi whal von say says I. 'What ' (0 you do round these parts?' " Mining s.iys lie. 'You're Just In time- big strike In the Hob Cat dis trict. Poor man's mining. Placer, and I rlinn.wl toI nliicor. rldit on the ton of the ground. The mining gentleman I spoke about Is having his break fait iW. Suppose you go In and have u , jng hh him?' Nice man. drunk or j RoPer. although excitable when hu .. . ... . . A ...I.. mul a little too union or noi quuo j (.noiigli. lie inlgnt put you on io , Kood thing. I'm not a mining person ! nn-ni. Thanks,' says I and In I went f I ho dining room. "There was a great, big, fine lookltu IUi, e.atbig his ham and eggs the wuy T like to see a man eat the next morn ing. He hail a black beard that was so ' strong it fairly Jumped out from hi ; face. ".Moiiilu' says I. -(Jood morning, sir! says he. 4 ' day of commingled lucent clarity anJ vernnl softness, ain't II? '"Well. I wouldn't care to bet on that without going a little deeper Into Ihe subject says I; 'but it smells good at leiiht mi does thai ham and ogg- Mary, I'll lake the name, with cnffeit extra strong (To be continued. J f JBiiiiiWilLITWM'Mii ' "N. A Ml Js4ahaaaTj' 111 Of -C imIH a li! k b SliSnll eso.H . m