Cherry 



the "new journalism" styled it in flaming 

 headlines. Knowing he had been in our part 

 of the country, we instructed Cherry to be 

 most discreet, and not to boast, as was his 

 wont, over the Indians he had accounted for. 

 As a matter of fact he had not accounted for 

 any of them. 



It was not long after this that a stranger 

 rode up to the ranch, and, following the hos- 

 pitable custom of the country, Cherry hailed 

 him and invited him in. Some twelve or fif- 

 teen of us were sitting outside the door at the 

 time, most of us young fellows, and the agent, 

 as he turned out to be, nodded in our direc- 

 tion, and asked Cherry if those were all his. 

 Cherry took a look at the throng gathered in 

 front of the house, and then turning on the 

 agent, asked him, in a tone of undisguised con- 

 tempt, " if he took him for an incubator ? " He 

 soon got on the good side of Cherry, though, 

 by telling him that he had heard what a good 

 shot he was, but during the dinner that fol- 

 lowed, adroitly remarked that he supposed that 

 the Indians whom Cherry had had in charge 

 had escaped. Up to this time Cherry, who 

 had all the time been eager to give a full ac- 

 count of the entire transaction, had managed 



67 



