THE SILHOUETTE OF A WOLF. 



B. M. WADDELL. 



All about me to the sky line stretched the 

 solidified waves of land; the undulations, 

 covered with the buffalo grass that the 

 sheep love, breaking against the blue line 

 of the horizon that nowhere seems so much 

 the edge of the world as on the Colorado 

 plains. I knew that in the dip a mile ahead 

 on the left was the home ranch, where 

 supper awaited me ; but I dawdled on, al- 

 lowing my broncho to. nibble the rank weeds 

 at the side of the trail, or stand and gaze 

 when a bunch of horses came into sight 

 over a hill. Who could hurry on an even- 

 ing like this? The first fall of snow 

 powdered the ground meagerly, for Nature, 

 feeling with how much else she has en- 

 dowed this favored country, bestows mois- 

 ture with a niggard hand. Then, too, I was 

 a tenderfoot ; so much so that I still wore 

 an arsenal about my waist and expected an 

 adventure at every turn of the road. So 

 far, rattlers were the only game I had met, 

 and I had been reduced on occasion to 

 ending their career with a stick, when the 

 gun failed of its mission in my inexperi- 

 enced hands. Lately, however, a wolf had 

 been playing havoc with the sheep. Each 

 morning when the Mexican herders, with 

 the aid of the dogs, started out to the range, 

 the wolf would appear and hover all day on 

 the flank of the herd, occasionally charging 

 down on a wandering lamb, and killing it 

 out of hand. The wolf seemed a solitary 

 beast, astray from his usual haunts far off 

 to the North, and his loneliness had im- 

 pressed my imagination, so I went about 

 with my eyes open, hoping for an oppor- 

 tunity to prove my markmanship on Mr. 

 Wolf. 



If only that dare-devil cowboy, whom I 

 had often met on the trail, could get a line 

 on Lupus the story would be a short one. 

 When Dick's gun spoke it usually meant 

 meat ; but mine only meant smoke. Re- 

 volver shooting is either a trade or a gift, 

 I don't know which. Anyway, Dick had it 

 and I had it not. 



I sat limply in my saddle, watching the 

 evening star grow more intense as the line 

 of light over the mountains deepened to 

 orange, holding in its bosom one faint 

 point of light, clear yet distant, like the 

 very spirit of a star. 



Suddenly on a hilltop between me and 

 the sky appeared the silhouette of a gaunt 

 figure looking huge in the half light. 



"The wolf," I muttered, straightening in 

 the saddle; and waking Three Bars from 

 his dream of home and supper, I put him 

 up the hill As we topped it we saw the 

 wolf vanishing down the gulch I sent a 



289 



chance shot after him which seemed to tell, 

 for he fell, then scrambled to his feet and 

 set off again 



It was then so dark as to make it foolish 

 to risk my horse's legs in the many prairie- 

 dog holes about, so I regretfully returned 

 to the road, my mind made up that to-mor- 

 row should see the finish of B'rer Wolf. 



I said nothing to the men about 

 my sight of the enemy, knowing well from 

 past experience that I would feel the rough 



THAT DARE-DEVIL COWBOY. 



edge of their humor if I voiced my hopes of 

 ending his career ; but prepared my weapons 

 in silence. Early the next morning I 

 cinched up Three Bars and set out for the 

 place of the previous night's encounter. 



A erand day, cold, with thick ice formed, 

 which already, in places exposed to the 

 sun's rays, was melting, and the air had a 

 keen edge that made Three Bars dance 

 gaily as we rode out of the corral. He soon 

 settled down to work, and in a few minutes 

 we approached the spot where we had last 

 seen our friend the enemy. 



No trace of him could we find, so con- 

 tinued down the gulch, thinking, if wound- 

 ed, he would follow the course that offered 

 the least resistance. On we went a mile or 

 2. I looked eagerly from side to side, 

 finally riding to the top of a hill for a 

 wider view, and there m the next hollow 

 was the wolf. Rather a pathetic sight, 



