FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION February 



"All to once here goes the wolf more thing that feller did that was 



straight down a long hill, and we tight plumb redic'lous. I happened to be 



behind him. It wasn't no use forme to standin' over on the depot platform 



try to pull the team in, so I just steadied when it happened, and I laffed till 



them as good as I could, and Lordy, was weak. 

 Lordy, how we did fly ! "This was after he had been here a 



' ' Down in the bottom of the valley year. He had quit that there degen- 



you could see by the looks it was marshy erate creosote habit by that time, and 



ground, all sort of coarse grass, dead, took to our kind of clothes, and was 



and trampled down in spots, and I sup- growin' right brown and tough. One 



pose I could by good drivin' have pulled evenin' in May or June, just after sup- 



a little to the left and gone round the per, he had went over southeast a piece 



end of the slough, where the side hill to shut off the windmill on Section 9. 



would have kept us from upsettin', like He was ridin' a little blue mare that he 



a banked corner on a race track. had named after some girl down East 



1 ' But the wolf went straight across, what used to worry him a heap, and 



in course, and I sort of hated to dis- he had a .22 Winchester along in a 



courage the horses, they was doin' so saddle scabbard. 



good; sol put 'em straight at it thirty "As he got back down below the 



mile an hour, and hopin' for the best, depot where the road runs alongside 



"That was where I made a misplay, the track a ways, No. i pulls in from 



you bet. My confidence in that there the east, runnin' slow on account of 



star-spangled slough was entirely mis- some work the section gang was doin' 



placed. on the track west of town. 



"There came one big slam-bang, "One after another the Pullmans 



somethin' like gettin' kicked to death come slidin' past him, all loaded down 



and shot both to once, and there was with tourists and such like. On the 



me and the tender-foot strung out half hind end of the observation car there 



way across the slough and peacefully was a whole bunch of eastern girls 



reposin' on the horses' backs, him with a-viewin' the glories of the country, 



the gun still in his hands, loaded and and when they sees this feller with his 



cocked. chaps and broad hat amblin' along on 



' Tom and Jerry was mired down up Flirt, they all makes passes at him with 



to their bellies, and a-lyin' there pantin' they hankachifs quite vivacious and 



and a-waitin' for us to help 'em. frequent. 



'In leavin' the buggy we had took "He swings off his hat and bows 

 the dashboard along with us, on our very low, and then sticks in the spurs 

 knees, and both bits and one neck-yoke and begins to burn up the road, tryin' 

 strap was broke. But we got the horses to stay with the game, 

 up and managed to get home by usin' " When he comes to the crossin' be- 

 some rawhide and a cartridge belt to low the depot, 'stead of goin' across to 

 patch with. the hotel, he turns in between the rails 

 'The coyote? Oh, he just run up and tries to cut down the lead some 

 the further hill and sat down and laffed more. It seems like he aims to ketch 

 at us, in easy rifle shot ; but we got up with the train and shake hands with 

 even with him and all his family the some of them misguided young females 

 next winter the sweet-scented, hind- before he reaches the crossin' here by 

 legged, long-haired, golden-eyed sub- the stock chutes. The girls was lafhV 

 ject for blasphemy ! and squealin' and wavin' at him, and 

 'And now, if you don't mind, I will for twenty rod or so it went all right 

 smoke one of them joss-sticks of yourn. and lovely. 



I don't seem to have no more, papers "Then the pony must have took 



here, someway. Thanks. Hear that offense at the rough goin' , or the noise 



whistle: Train must be this side of of the train, or mebbe at the big red- 



Steele. and-black N. P. sign on the hind rail, 



' I was goin' to say there was one for all of a sudden I see her set her 



