Adventure, February 1917 — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

. 112 awful hot in that church and th’ hooch gits to bubblin’, and I ain’t noways to blame— leads me to that old cottonwood tree, which th’ lightnin’ hit last Summer, and sits me down on uh log. Cripes! Why can’t lightnin’ hit twice in th’same place? Then she—aw, I dunno—I do know that in th’ argument I didn’t have no more chance than uh snowball in Yuma!’’ “Goin’ to marry her, Ren?” “Not by a-danged sight!” wailed Ren. “Mebby she’ll marry me though.” Sig took a deep breath and the strains uh “Moonlight” permeated the room. Ren slipped his boot off sort-a unconcerned like and, “Bing!” Sig saw it comin’ and ducked off the other side and the boot hit the other - gide and started the nails. “Hey!” yelled the voice of the harness ‘drummer who was in the nextroom. “Cut out th’ orchestra practise, you drunken sheep-herders!”’ “That,” states Ren, “makes me forget personal animosities, Sig. Here’s yore gun: Pull jist below that bunch uh cauliflower pitchers on th’ wall paper and it’ll jist about rake his bunk. Ready?” Th’ door of th’ opposite room closed quickly and th’ drummer padded off down stairs and slept in uh chair. “Sig,” says Ren, as he rolls into tied: “T’ll allus blame my downfall on uh quirt.’ “Misspelled,” mumbled Sig. ’a’ been ‘quart.’ ” = THE next mornin’ Sig saddled his = horse and sat down in the stable door to roll a smoke. “Ren, yo’re uh lucky devil,” he stated. Ren dropped his latigo strap and stared at Sig. “What do yuh mean?” “Have another aig; Renley?” mimicked Sig. “Them cakes is all cold. Let me git _ yuh some hot ones, Renley. Take all th’ cream yuh can use, there’sa plenty. Have - “some more nice maple sirup, Renley.” “Sig!” Ren snapped his cinch hook and walked over to thé door. “When it. comes to bowels of compassion, you don’t show uh gut. If you was uh real friend you’d be figgerin’ some way to save me, instead of passin’ out low comedy.”’ “She ain’t much to look at,” agreed Sig, as he swung into th’ saddle, “but many uh kind word is offen hidden by sparse whiskers.” “Should . Adventure “|? snorts Ren. ‘‘There’s Matilda, of th’ angel face, wavin’ at me to come back. I wonder what she wants?” “She probably wants to know whether you prefers uh Methodist or uh Baptist preacher. Tell her yore folks raised yuh _in th’ Mormon faith, Ren, and you can’t consider no other. That'll delay proceed- in’s until she can send to Utah and——” But Ren was on his way out of town, and Sig followed suit. Well, they goes back to th’ Seven A and goes to work again. Th’ boss, Old Man Padden, sends Sig with uh couple of other punchers to ride th’ breaks of th’ Shell River after strays, and he keeps Ren at home where there ain’t nothin’ to do but water some stock and go to town after th’. mail. Sig is away fer ten days, and when he returns he’s plumb lonesome fer company —Rosalind’s especially. Ren is sittin’ on th’ corral fence braidin’ ~ uh quirt when Sig rides in. ““How’s Old Man Merton’s boy Renley?” greets Sig, yankin’ his saddle off and hazin’ his bronc into th’ pasture. ‘‘How’s every- p?? “‘She’s fine,” grins Ren. “T seen her and Ricky Henderson ridin’ along th’ Dancin’ Prairie trail twice this week, and I hears that she’s furnishin’ Buck Masterson with uh clean napkin at each meal. Buck’s uh changed man, Sigismund. He’s usin’ ba’r ile on his boots and bay rum on his head.” “That ol’ pelican?” yells Sig. “If that’s all that’s tryin’*to beat my time I’m as good as married right now.” “T hates to tell yuh,” states Ren sadly, ‘but them Piperock fellers, takin’ em as uh tribe, are shore beatin’ yore time with Rosalind. I reckon you made uh hit th’ first time she ever saw yuh, but she’s heard too much agin’ yuh since. I done talked with her and I finds out that she’s partial to heeroes. Sabe? Nothin’ but uh heero need apply, and, Sig, there ain’t no use you tryin’ to be one uh them. “Anyway, yuh can’t see her before Mon- day. She went down to Curlew uh few days ago, and said she would be back Monday afternoon on th’ stage.” “Tikes heroes, eh?” mused Sig. “Jist about what causes uh man to be uh hero?” “(Wh heero,” states Ren, “is uh feller who does jist what any one else would have done in his place, but he beat ’em to it. Sabe? He allus saves th’ girl.” WWOOKS (EC) (EC) =)