Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 75: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

At the Sioux Camp. 67 awful bitterness of such a defeat in the presence of his friends, but the memory of what this hot-headed young buck had done when the cattle raid was on prevented him from wasting any sympathy in that quarter. He knew Indian nature too well to attempt any move looking toward reconciliation, which he was sure would be spurned by the hot-head. Leading his steaming horse he went straight to where Kelly and his party laughed and joked with the disappointed old chief and dejected headmen of the tribe. Evidently the charms of the medicine man had failed to bring about the desired result—the old humbug had been a conspicuous figure among the spectators during the race, garbed after a manner to arouse the enthusiasm of a Bowery urchin, but after the Indian’s signal defeat he mysteriously van- ished from the scene, having gone, no doubt, to per- form some more mystic rites and discover why the gods had made so great a blunder. Polly’s words of congratulation made Karl feel as though he had in part avenged the indignity of her kidnapping—although when he came to con- sider the matter closely, he could not see why he should hold a grudge against the other on that ac- count, since he would probably never have known Polly had the young braves remained quietly on their reservation instead of getting the fever to run off cattle. Mr. Kelly whispered a warning. “Keep an eye out for trouble—that fellow is not taking his defeat the right way, Karl. Mark my words, you'll see more of him yet,” was the way he put it. Others among the experienced cow punchers were of the same opinion, and some openly declared Karl would have to fight for it yet. comiclooks C©