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May 18, 1910. THE
Where is it, and who is to be there?"
1 now iound words to ask.
"Neither of these questions can 1 answer,
or even begin to," admitted Tomlinson.
"I only know there's to be a
dance. I understand there's to be 'calico'
there, and no doubt tnere'll be plenty
of whiskey, and maybe a rough house.
We can't forego the pleasure on that account,
though, so we must go 'heeled.'"
'From whom do we get our invitation?"
1 felt to insist as a point of etiquette.
"O, that's of no importance. We don't
need an invitation, mere's only one
dlass on the plains. Everybody's welcome.
That's the custom. Now, you're
ready, let's mount. The other boys are
already on the way."
And thus it was that before I knew
what was happening I was into my best,
on my pony, and was being swept along
in the hilarious cavalcade which was
soon far out on the mesa, sparkling still
with the dew of the morning.
Pecos Ranch was quite fifty miles
away, and distant from the nearest railway
station fully seventy-five miles.
This, however, put it nearer civilization
than was any part of the Sapio range,
and to go toward Pecos was doubly a
journeying toward the sunrise. I learned
as we journeyed onward what emphasized
this thought in my own inind. The
dance was to be on the ranch of a man
who had a real home and a family. It
was also to be graced by the presence
of several females, of whom Tomlinson
had spoken under the general description
of "calico." I could get no certain
notion of these females, but my conclusion
was that I was about to be blessed
again with the sight or a typical American
woman, modified in manners by the
inevitable limitations of the frontier.
Since our arrival at the ranch we had
seen no faces of women except those
of the wives of the Mexican herders,
wrinkled senoras, whose features had
fully reverted to the squalid Zuni type,
from which they were derived. The
prospect, therefore, of seeing a fair face
and hearing the voice of an American female
stirred the chivalrous feeling of every
rider in the little army that spurred
its way eastward under the shadows
of Sapio.
"Philadelphia" Bill, who was a born
gallant, alone had any personal acquaintance
at Pecos. It appeared that he had
been a caller there, and that he felt himself
authorized to invite and lead the
present company to the Terpsichorean
I exercise.
We had not gone far before Tomlinson's
prophecy of the quarrelsomeness
of Bill and Jake began to be fulfilled.
Matters quickly came to a crux, and
were near coming to the muzzles of two
pistols. Bill began to give us some general
account of the dance to be, and
also of the lady guests, and in a voice
and manner that seemed to suggest that
he was strictly on the inside. At this
assumption of importance Jake manifested
a sullen resentment. At last he
blurted out as he turned his face toward
I
S PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOI
llilil
and heal!
ladies anyhow, old wind bag? I'll bet
a doryal thet you hain't never seen a
single gal of the whole lot."
Bill turned fiercely upon his chairenger,
and answered defianty: "I'll have yer
to know, yer long-nosed porkypine, thet
they air ladies truly, and, more'n that,
one of 'em is a friend uv mine? a lady
friend?and' about two words more uv
yer insiniwations '11 git yer probossis
doubled back on yer face."
(Continued next week.)
ncTrr o
ru i un.
Peter lived on the prairie. When he
was three years old, the first railway
train came through. Uncle Peter carried
the small boy to see it.
A boy on the train threw a peach to
Peter. He ate it, and laughed with delight.
Hoc
Sarsa|
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America's Crea
Take It TY
Thoroughly cleanses the 1
improves the appetite, relieve
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CAKE, ^
wM^ hot biscuit, fej
hot breads, ||
SBr pastry, are ||
<!> ' lessened in cost ||
and Increased p
in quality and |1
wholesomeness,
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food at home ?f^(|
: money ^*0?' ag
th Mk
"Don't throw away the stone," said
Uncle Peter; "we'll plant it"
Peter's chubby, brown, little hand patted
the soft earth over it. That first
season he watched the green shoot break
through and send out a few leaves. The
next season it was tall enough for Peter
to Jump over it. The next season it was
so tall he couldn't.
When Peter was eight years old,
there were seven peaches on his tree,
one for each member of the family, and
not one of them had ever taBted anything
so good before. He planted all the
stones.
Today Feter is a big boy. He has
eight well-grown peach trees, which carry
health and delight to all the neighborhood.
And he has a young orchard coming
on, which will some day bring more
money than all his father's crop.?The
Youth's Companion.
>d's
parilla
i
?
test Medicine?
lis Spring
Dlood, cures all eruptions,
:s that tired feeling. Get it
or tablets called Sarsatabs.