The Coming of Cassidy - Clarence E. Mulford (books to read to be successful TXT) š
- Author: Clarence E. Mulford
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āHe leaves that fire anā forces his cayuse to take him out in thā storm again, finds that thā arroyo is level full of snow, but has both banks swept bare. He passes them three rustlers in thā next ten minutes they wonāt do no more cow-liftinā. Then he tries to turn back, but thatās foolish. So he drifts on, gettinā a liāl loco by now. Heās purty near asleep when he thinks he hears a shot. He fights his cayuse again, but canāt stop it, so he falls off anā lets it drift, anā crawls anā fights his way back to where that shot was fired from. G-d only knows how he does it, but he falls over a cow anā sees Lanky hugginā its belly for thā liāl warmth in thā carcass. Anā he ought to āaā found him, after leavinā his cayuse anā turninā back on foot in that hāl storm! Thā drifts was beginninā to make then when thā storm was over I saw drifts thirty feet high in thā open; anā in thā valley there was some that run āmost to thā top of thā bluffs, anā theyāre near sixty feet high.
āWell, Lanky is as crazy as him, anā wonāt let go of that cow, anā they have a fight, which is good for both of āem. Finally Lanky gets some sense in his head anā realizes what Hoppy is tryinā to do for him, anā they go staggerinā down wind, first one fallinā anā then thā other. But they keep fightinā like thā game boys they are, neither givinā a cuss for himself, but shore obstinate that heās goinā to get thā other out of it. Thatās our spirit; anā weāre proud of it, by G-dl Hoppy wraps thā robe around Lanky, anā so they stagger on, neither one knowinā very much by that time. Thā Lord must āaā pitied that pair, anā admired thā stuff Heād put in āem, for they bump into thā line house kerslam, anā drop, all done anā exhausted.
āMeanwhile Skinnyās hoppinā around inside, prayinā anā cussinā by streaks, every five minutes openinā thā door anā firmā off his Colt. He has tied thā two ropes together, anā frequent he ties one end to thā door, thā other to hisself, anā goes out pokinā around in thā snow, hopinā to stumble over his pardner. Heās plumb forgot his bad shoulder long ago. Purty soon he opens thā door again to shoot off thā gun, anā in streaks somethinā between his laigs. He slams thā door as he jumps aside, anā then looks scared at Lankyās sombrero! Mebby heās slow hoppinā outside anā digginā them out of thā drift thatās near covered āem! Now, donāt think bad of Skinny. He dassnāt leave thā house to search any distance, even if he could āaā seen any thinā. His best play is to stick there anā shoot off his gun Lanky might drift past if he was not there to signal. Skinny thought more of Lanky any time than he did of hisself, thā emaciated match!
āIt donāt take long to kick in a lot of snow with that wind blowinā anā he rubs them two till heās got tears in his eyes. Then he fills āem with hot stew anā whisky, rolls āem up together anā heaves āem in thā same bunk. It aināt warm enough in that house, even with thā fire goinā, to make āem lose no arms or laigs.
āIt seems that Lanky, watchinā his chance as soon as thā snow fell heavy enough to cover his movements, slipped out of thā house anā started to circle out around them festive rustlers that held him anā his friend prisoners. He made Skinny stay behind to hold thā house anā keep a gun poppinā. Lanky has worked up behind where thā rustlers was layinā when thā Norther strikes full force. It near blows him over, anā, not havinā on nothinā but an old army overcoat that was wore out, thā cold gets him quick. He canāt see, anā he canāt hear Skinnyās shots no more! He does thā best he can anā tries to fight back along his trail, but in no time there aināt no tracks to follow. Then he loses his head anā starts wanderinā until a cow blunders down on him. He shoots thā cow anā hugs its belly to keep warm anā then he donāt really remember nothinā ātill he wakes up in thā bunk alongside of Hoppy, both gettinā over an awful drunk. Skinny kept f eedinā liquor to āem till it was gone, anā he had a plenty when he began.
āJimmy Price was at Number One when thā blow started, anā Buck was in thā bunkhouse, anā it was three weeks before they could get out anā around, on account of thā snow fallinā so steady anā hard they couldnāt see nothinā.
āWell, getting back to me explains how Pete Wilson came to thā Bar-20. He is migratinā south, just havinā had thā pleasure of learninā that his wife sloped with a better-lookinā man. He was scared she might get tired of thā other feller anā .sift back, so he sells out his liāl store, loads a waggin with blankets, grub, anā firewood, anā starts south, winter or no winter. He moves fast for a new range, where he can make a new beginninā anā start life fresh, with five years of burninā matrimonial experience as his valuablest asset. Pete says he reckoned mebby he wouldnāt have so many harness sores if he run single thā rest of his life; heretofore heād been so busy applyinā salve that he didnāt have time to find out just what was thā trouble with thā double harness. Lots of men feel that way, but they aināt got Peteās unlovely outspoken habit of thought. We used to reckon mebby he wasnāt as smart as thā rest of us, him beinā slow anā blunderinā in his retorts. We Ve played that with coppers lots of times since, though. While he aināt what youād call quick at retortinā, his retorts usually is heard by thā whole county. It aināt every collar-galled husband thatās got thā gumption or smartness to jump thā minute thā hat is lifted. Pete had.
āHeās drivinā across our range, anā when thā wind dies out sudden anā thā snow sifts down, heās just smart enough to get out his beddinā anā wrap it around him till he looks like a bale of cotton. Anā even at that heās near froze anā lookinā for a place to make a stand when he feels a bump. Itās me, fallinā off my cayuse, against his front wheel. He emerges from his beddinā, lifts me into thā waggin, puts most of his blankets around me, anā stops. Knowinā he canāt save thā cayuses, he shoots āem. That means grub for us, anyhow, if we run short of thā good stuff. Nobody but Pete could āaā got thā canvas off that waggin in such a gale, but he did it. He busts thā arches anā slats off thā top of thā waggin anā uses āem for firewood. Thā canvas he drapes over thā box, lettinā it hang down on both sides to thā ground. Anā in about five minutes thā whole thing was covered over with snow. Peteās the strongest man we ever saw, anā weāve seen some good ones. Wrastlinā that canvas with stiff hands was a whole lot more than what he done to Big Sandy up there on Thunder Mesa.
āPete says I was dead when he grabbed me, anā smellinā disgraceful of liquor. But thā first thing I know is lookinā up in thā gloom at a ceilinā thatās right close to my head, anā at a sorta rafter. That rafter gives me a shock. It donāt even touch thā ceilinā, but runs along āmost a foot below it. I close my eyes anā do a lot of thinkinā. I remember freezinā to death, but thatās all. Anā just then I hears a faint voice say: āHe shore was dead.ā I donāt know Pete then, or that he talked to hisself sometimes. Anā I reckon I was a liāl off in my head, at that. I begin to wonder if he means me, anā purty soon Iām shore of it. Anā donāt I sympathize with myself? Iām dead anā gone somewhere; but no preacher I ever heard ever described no place like this. Then I smell smoke anā burninā meat which gives me a clew to thā range Iām on. Mebby Iām shelved in thā ice box, waitinā my turn, or somethinā. I knew Iād led a sinful life. But there wasnāt no use of rubbinā it in itās awful to be dead anā know it.
āThā next time I opens my eyes I canāt see nothinā; but I can feel somethinā layinā alongside of me. Itās breathinā slow anā regular, an it bothers me till I get thā idea all of a sudden. Itās another dead one, cut out of thā herd anā shoved in my corral to wait for subsequent events. I felt sorry for him, anā lay there tryinā to figger it out, anā Iām still figgerinā when it starts to get light. Thā other feller grunts anā sits up, bumpinā his head solid against that fool rafter. No dead man that was shoved in a herd consigned to heaven ever used such language, which makes me all the shorer of where I am. But if hellās hot we Ve still got a long way to go.
āHe sits there rubbinā his head anā cussinā steadily, anā Iām so moved by it that I compliments him. He jumps anā bumps his head again, anā looks at me close. āD d if you aināt a husky corpse,ā he says. That settles it. I aināt crazy, like I was hopinā, but I āin dead. āYou anā me is on thā ragged edge of hāl,ā he adds.
āāBut who tipped you off?ā I asks. āThey just shoved me in here anā didnāt tell me nothinā at all.ā
āāCrazy as thā devil,ā he grunts, lookinā at me harder.
āāYoāre a liar,ā I replies. āI may be dead, but dād if Iām crazy!ā
āāAnā I donāt blame you, either,ā he mused, sorrowful. āNow you keep quiet till I gets somethinā to eat,ā anā he crawls into a liāl round hole at thā other end of thā room.
āPurty soon
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