Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

SHAG. . 125 zle. Even then he did not leave the thicket of willows. The stupor of famine and fa- tigue came over him. He curled himself into a golden-brown ball and buried his nose in the hollow of his side. His eyes closed—he would die. Then it was that Bent Horn, bawling piteously, crashed into the cover of willows where Shag lay dying in a huddled heap. Mad with pain was Bent Horn. Two days and a~night before she had left her own calf by the Black Rock, on the slope of Old Capaline, while she sought the water-hole. When she returned it was gone —cartried away by Long Tail, the great yellow panther, he that has his den in the Big Cave on the far side of the dead vol- cano. Frantic with the burning torture of the swollen bag, Bent Hom had been searching. Shag staggered to his feet, shaking with weakness, and stood bewildered with ter- ror, until he saw it was one like Brown Sides — his mother — and not some swift, gray-furred marauder of the range. Be- reaved mother and orphaned calf, for one moment, in mutual surprise, studied each other. Then Bent Horn welcomed the muzzle of Shag, thrust greedily into her flank, searching for the milk that would put life again into his veins. After that the months passed quickly. Shag and his foster-mother ranged to- gether over the slopes of Sentinel“ Moun- tain, across the wide Llano de Gato, and at times far up the lava-strewn sides of Old Capaline. Even then the loco had a fascination for Shag. Often he found the queer, sprang- ling weed half hidden among the other growth. Always it challenged him—though he knew the wiser ones of the herd shunned it, and Bent» Horn herself, more than once, _with an angry push of her head, shoved him aside as he was about to pluck the dangerous stuff. That fall Shag had his first experience with man—and ever after he hated the creature. With hundreds of cows and other calves like himself, born too late for the spring branding, he was gathered into a great herd. For one night, at the North Springs, the place of the round-up, they were held.. The next day strange things happened. Shag saw, many times, a rider dash among» the cattle, his horse leap between a calf and its mother, and while other riders kept back the angry cows, the calf bawling in agony and terror, was stretched on the ground, a thin spiral of smoke curled up from its hip or side, and the smell of burn- ing hair mixed with the dust and fume of air. It came Shag’ s turn. The instant he saw the roan stallion, with the slender, dark-eyed young cowboy on his back, whirl toward him, he started to run. A rope dropped over his head. Shag leaped into the air only to be jerked wickedly to the ground. He was dragged to the is Quickly the heavy boot of Skinny Rawlins was on the neck of the helpless calf, and the cruel knife and the branding iron were doing their work. With his eyes set and glassy from pain, his tongue lolling from his mouth, Shag endured the torture, and yet he made no sound. “You want to watch that feller, Skin- ny,” th’ Ramblin’, Kid warned, while the roan stallion held ¢aut the rope that was choking Shag. ‘‘ He’s one of them sullen kind. When he gets up he’s liable to give you a round!” ‘“T'll bite his ear if he does!’ Skinny bantered, holding the smoking iron against the quivering hip. “Gosh, he’s a pretty little cuss, ain’t he?” _ It was over. With a flick of his foot Skinny loosened the rope and turned to lay the iron again among the coal. Then, dazed, but with red_ murder in his heart, Shag sprang to hif feet. He saw the cowboy bending above the fire. Simul- taneous with th’ Ramblin’ Kid’s: “ Look out, Skinny, he’s comin’!” Shag lunged savagely at. his enemy. Skinny sprawled profanely in the dust and ashes. Shag, thinking he had killed him, felt better, and darted past the riders and hid himself in the herd. Th’ Ramblin’ Kid laughed. ‘What th’ hell’s so darned funny about that?” Skinny questioned plaintively as he straightened up and rubbed the cinders and dirt from his hands. ‘“A good deal—for the other feller. (C(O) nn) (C 6)(0)©) S (C(O) nn