| Show THE GIRL AT THE HALFWAY HOUSE A S T O 0 R Y O 0 F T H E P L A I 1 N 5 BY E HOUGH AUTHOR OF THE STORY OF THE COWBOY by D antany new york CHAPTER VI continued hate to lose you said the judge hate to lose you of course a young man s got to mal e hes got to get his start franklin rose and turned toward the elder man if you please judge said he get the committee appointed tor tonight to night you can take the examination now yes you are in a hurry then to morrow go over and eay goldbie to my sister and the next day I 1 think follow the wagons west I 1 ve not much to put in a wagon so I 1 can go by rn 11 the road s away west of the missouri now and my letter comes from the very last station at the head of he track bo said the judge well that ought to be far enough sure if you go clean to the jumping off place CHAPTER VII the new world franklin crossed the missouri river that dividing stream known to a gen of western men simply as the river and acknowledged as the bo in dary between the old and the new the known and untried when he de ecender from the rude train he needed no one to tell him he had come to he was at the limit the edge the boundary well friend said the fireman who was oiling the engine as be passed and who grinned amiably as he spoke you re sure at the front now franklin had not advised his friend Batter sleigh of his intended arrival tut as he looked about him he saw that he had little need for any guide as an actual town did not yet exist A rude shanty or two and a line of tents indicated the course of a coming street more than forty tow ponies stood in the cottage corral ar in the street near by afar there swelled the sound of revel ries after breakfast franklin paused moment at the hotel office almost large and empty as the dining room different men now and then came and passed him by each seeming to have some business of his own the clerk at the hotel asked him if he wanted to locate some land still another stranger a florid and loosely clad young man with a mild blue eye ap preached pro ached him and held some converse mornin friend said the young man good morning said franklin I 1 allow you re just in on the front said the other yes eald franklin I 1 came on the last train stay long well as to that said franklin I 1 hardly know but I 1 shall look around i bit I 1 dian didn t know but maybe you d like 0 o go south here to plum center run the stage line down there about orty six miles twice a week that s livery barn over there second building in the town sam s ny name sam poston it you want 0 go down there come over and I 1 II 11 ix you up franklin replied that he would be lad to do so in case he had the need ind was abou to turn away pe was interrupted by the other who stopped bilm with an explosive say yes said franklin did you notice that girl in the din ng room pony built like slick black laired dark eyes wears glasses 9 say hats the smoothest girl west of the iver she s waltin in the hotel here aut say confidentially she taught school sir you know I 1 m one on that girl the worst way it ou get a chanat to put in a word tor ne you do it won t youa franklin was somewhat impressed alth the swiftness of acquaintance in this new land but he retained its own tactfulness and made polite iss urance of aid should it become pos elble id be mighty obliged said his lew found friend seems like I 1 lose ny nerve every time I 1 try to say a yord to that girl do you want a earn thank you said franklin but I 1 eardly think so I 1 went to fand my colonel Batter sleigh and I 1 un ferstand ler stand he lives not very far away oh you mean old batty yes he ives just out south a little ways section no 9 southeast quarter franklin passed on in the direction chich had been pointed out to him boking about him at the strange new country in which he felt the worship of early discovery As franklin was walking on busy alth the impressions of his new world ie became conscious of rapid hoot eats coming up behind him and turn d to see a horseman careering across he open in his direction with no ap arent object tn view beyond that af baking all the noise possible to be nade by the freckled faced cowboy aho vho had been up all night but still iad some vitality which needed vent yow yelled the both spurring and reining his i supple cringing steed yip thus vociferating he rode straight at the footman with alpar antly the deliberate wish to ride him down finding that he failed to create a panic he pulled up with the pony s nose almost over frani lin s shoulder allo stranger cried the rider cheerfully where are ou goin this bright an happy mornin 1 lin made no immediate reply and the cowboy resumed hive a chaw 7 he said affably and 1001 ed surprised when frani lin thank cd him but did not accept say said the aboy after a time say I 1 reckon I 1 kin lid you do ou think soa said franklin calmly pull ng up his shoulders and feeling no alarm sherely I 1 do said the other I 1 reckon I 1 kin lick ou er beat ou hootin er throw you down friend said franklin get down off that horse and give ou a little wrestle to see wl rides what s your name hoa said the other name s curly he was on the ground as he said this last and throwing the bri he over he horse s neck the animal stood as though anchored curly cat his hat upon ade ground and trod upon it in a sort of ecstasy of combat he rushed at Fi anklin without argument or premeditate the latter had not attended coun try school tor nothing stepping light ly aside he caught his ready opponent as he passed and with one arm about his neck gaie him a specimen of the hiplock which sent him in the air over his own shoulder the cowboy came do much in a heap but arps antly at up his hair somewhat rumpled and sandy he rubbed his head and mide sundry exclamations of surprise huh said he well imd d ow how ou s pose that happened you kain t do that again he said to franklin finally t wonder if I 1 said t laughing look out fer me I 1 m comin cried curl they met more fairly this time and franklin found that he had an aniag onest of little skill in the game of wrestling but of a surprising wiry bodily strength time and again the cowboy writhed away from the hold and came back again with the light of battle in hia eye it was only after several moments that he succumbed this time to the insidious grapevine he fell ao sharply that franklin had difficulty in breaking tree in order not to fall upon him the cowboy lay prone for a moment then got up and dusted off his hat mount friend said he throwing the bridle back over the horse s neck without other word you done it fair tell yew abat tati do said franklin extending bis hand we 11 just both walk along together a way if you don t mind get me a horse pretty soon you see I 1 m a new man here just got in this morning and I 1 haven t had time to look around much yet I 1 thought I 1 d go out and meet my filand and perhaps then we could talk over such things together shore said curly wh vou tell mea say ole batty he s crazy to ketch a whole lot bosses ouan a band wild bosses down to the beaver creek he always a want in me to help bilm ketch them bosses Batter sleigh is of horses said franklin and he s a rider too so admitted curly he kin ride you orter see him when he gits his full outfit on sword an pistol by his side uh huh he has a horse thena has a bossa has a boss has why course he has a boss Is there anybody that ain t got a bossa well I 1 haven t said franklin you got this one said curly howa said frani puzzled why you won him oh pshaw said franklin non sense I 1 wrestling for your horse only for a ride besides I 1 have any horse put up against yours I 1 lose anything that s so said curly I 1 haan hadn t thought of that say you seem like a white sort teller tell you what just do with you I 1 think a heap my saddle an long s you ain t got no saddle yet that you have got used to like it dont make much difference to you it you get another saddle but you just take this here boss along no all right I 1 kin git me another back to the corral just as good as this one jim parsons feller on the big bunch cows that come up from the san marcos this spring why he got killed night before last just take one his bosses I 1 reckon I 1 kin fix it so st you kin git his saddle it you take p notion to it franklin looked twice to see if there was affectation in this calm statement but was forced with a certain horror to believe that his new acquaintance spoke of this as a matter of fact and as nothing ng he had made no comment when he was prevented from so by the exclamation of me cowboy who pointed put ahead ther a patty s place said he o 0 there s eatty 0 git up quick git up an ride in like a gentleman it s bad luck to walk Fian llin laughed and taking the reins swung liim self into the saddle with the ease of the cavalry mount though with the old fashioned grasp at the cantle with the ends of the reis in his right hand well that s a d d funny dij gittin on top of a boss said ci aly are you fraid the saddle s goin to git away from youa better be trl boul the boss git up bronch he capr the horse on the with his hat and gae the latter h rl in the air with a shrill va eee which was all that bained needful fo set th horse off on a ser s of wild stiff legged plunges the b id ing ot which franklin had heard so m ich a maneuver peculiar to the halt wild western horses and one v 1 ch is at the first experience a de pera tely d one for even a sl it il haisman hc isman to overcome it per bars did not bocc ir to curly that he lra acting any hardship upon the ne and perhaps be did not really ant pate what followed on the part e of the horse or its rider had rani lin not been a good rider and ace stoked to 1 beeping his head wh ie s half broken mounts he have suffered ered almost o 0 defeat in this sudden en unter the 1 u threw his head down between his foie begs at the start nd anen ent angling and zigzagging away over the bard ground in wild career of humpbacked antica which jarred franklin to the marrow of his bones the air became and 1 minous ly rel his head deemed filled with loose liquid his spine turned into a column of mere gela t ne the thudding of the hoots was so lip d and so punishing to his senses that tor a moment he did not beal ze where he actually was yet with the sheer instinct of horseman ship he cl ing to the saddle in some fashion until finally he was fairly forced to felax the muscular strain and so b accident fell into the secret of the seat loose yielding not tense ard co it go it cried curl so new here out in a dark world be 11 set him fair pard n r st him fair now let go that ie the P ae him straight up t to be continued |
