THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MAY 1916.
URLY, the tramp, sidled
toward the free-lunch
counter. lie caught a
fleeting glance from
the bartender's eye,
and stood still, trying
to look like a business
man who had just
dined at the Menger and was waiting for
a friend who.;tuid promised to pick him up
in his motor car. Curly's histrionic pow
ers were equal to the impersonation; but
his make-up "Was wanting.
The bartender rounded the bar In a
casual way, looking up at the ceiling as jj
though fie was ponderiUjg some intricate H
problem of kalsomining, and then fell
upon Curly so suddenly that the roadster g
had no excuses ready. Irresistibly, but so 3
composedly that it seemed almost Absent- g
mlndedness on his part, the dispenser of II
drinks pushed Curly to the swinging
doors and kicked him out, with a noncha- g
lance that almost amounted to sadness. M
That was the way of the Southwest. jl
Curly arose, from the gutter leisurely, g
lie felt no anger or resentment toward his P
ejector. Fifteen years of tramphood spent PI
out of the twehty-two years of his life had p
hardoned tho fibers of his spirit. The
flings and arrows of outrageous fortune f
fell blunted from the. buckler of his ar- g
mored pride. ' With especial resignation J
did he suffer contumely and Id jury at the
bands of bartenders. Naturally, they jj
were his enemies; and unnaturally, they g
were often his friends. He had to take his
chances with them. But he had not yet fl
learned to estimate these cool, languid, fi
southwestern knights of the bungstarter, H
who had the manners of an Earl of Paw- g
tucket, and who, when they disapproved
of your presence, moved you with the st-
It nee and dispatch of a chess automaton
advancing a pawn. P
By O. Henry-
HluUratcd hy Dorothy Dulin.
Curly entered the saloon. And now In of the night, Tho streets were mere fis-
the light it could be perceived that he sures through which flowed gray wreaths
bore the stamp of many years of vaga- of river mist. As he walked he heard
bondage. He had none of the tidiness of laughter and the chink of coin and chips
the calculating and shrewd professional behind darkened windows, and music com-
?imaia!i!!ii
In Next Weeks Issue
B
Y FORCE OF ARMS. By Harold B rown Swope. The present
discussion on the question of preparedness has developed many
interesting situations, but none so amusing as the predicament
the Senator who has just introduced the disarmament bill in
Congress finds himself in.
SEPARATING FROM SARAH. By Cornelia A. P. Comer. Some
men have been noted for rushing headlong into trouble without
finding out facts beforehand. This is very much the case when
Tom Dilley gets a divorce from Sarah. However, she has views
of her own on the question which she proceeds to try out. The
result will make you wonder if, after all, she has not reached a
solution to this much discussed question.
HANDLED WITHOUT GLOVES. By Will H. Greenfield. Another
of those great stories of the prize ring. "Bud" has a grievance
against Champion Bippus, and being unable to settle it in the
ring, finds a satisfactory solution on the outside.
SWEETHEART PRIMEVAL. Another installment of that great se
rial by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Pi
E2
You will find these great stones in next week's
Sunday Fiction Magazine
chants for their out-of-town frionds and
customers. No one was in sight. No doubt
the drivers of those wagons were scattered
about the town "seeing tho elephant and
hearing the owl." In their harte to be
come patrons of the town's dispensaries of
mirth and good cheer the last ones to dt
part must have left the great wooden gat
swinging open. ,
Curly had satisfied the hunger of an
g ' anaconda and the thirst of a camel, so htf
was neither In the mood nor the condition
of an explorer. He xifzagced his way to
the first wagon that his eyesight diatlnw
guiahed In the semi-darkness under the
Bhed. It was a two-horse wagon with ft
top of white canvas. The wagon was half
filled with loose piles of wool sacks, two
or three great bundles of gray blankets,
and a number of bales, bundles, and boxes.
A reasoning eye would have estimated the
load at once as ranch supplies, bound Ott
the morrow for some outlying hacienda
But to the drowsy intelligence of Curly
they represented only warmth and soft
ness and protection against the cold hvw
nudity of the night. After several un
lucky efforts, at last he conquered gravity
bo far as to climb over a wheel and pitch
forward upon the best and warmest bed
he had fallen upon in many a day. Then
he became instinctively a burrowinr anJU
mal, and due; his way like a prairie dog
down among the sacks and blankets, hid-
ing himself from the cold air as snug and
sate as a bear in his den. For three nights
.
sleep had visited Curly only in broken aad
shivering doses. So now, when Morpheas
e conaeecenaea to pay him a call. Curly cot
M such a strangle hold on the mythological
old gentleman that it was a wonder that
S3 ......
y anyone else in the whole world got a wink
jt of sleep that night.
1
Curly stood for a few moments in the
narrow, mesqult-paved street. San An
tonio puzzled and disturbed him. Three
tramp. His wardrobe represented the ing from every chink of wood and stone.
IL
i IX cowpuncners of the Cibolo Ranch
' were waiting around the door of the
lui-uii ouuoiu t uu auv ww lumNuuo itcic KLuiiu, ui uay ot r&ncu store, xneir ponies cropped crass
ivuo cuju v.. v. .... joiiunj u&u uvv ci wuia wi onn near oy, ueu in me xexas zasnjon WulCA
ay no uau wecu a uuuinjuis guem 01 Dinea tneir e II or 13 in pruviuuig mma lur juiionio. jB not tied at all. Tbeir bridle reina had
4i n Iawti liavlnir mnnAH 4tf thar, fmm im At Am vstti iravAil n t htm thM 1 1 & Ion nr V. ".,.! .. I. . . , a 1 . . . . ... 1
tmx. citr .oi nit i nuu j. x, . u-eiBiii, uecaiuH passea inrougn your minu vasue impres lurueu mo snarp angle OI anotner lost more efxectuai way Of securing them (Such
" ' - ' " ...... ... niuiia uMiiuiw, " "6u,"i uyuu a rvuw&uigj ifnq 91 IB U1D power OI naOlt and 1m,r)nnf I
jumvo vuo. un AAius -woo mauiia cjuios, turn iudu mai uad b ifMrtiiigi. ma Biuuiuou uuiu me ouuyiog rancnes oeie uian you could devise out or a haJf-liicil
fallen, gathered, cooked, and served free face was covered almost to his eyes with bra ting in the open in front of an ancient rope and a live oak tree.
.iv MMhnn. a . t . n..-t 1 M 1 1.. v. a . 1 a 1 1 . . : .1 , x , . . . .
w 1 it. com ... nuE.i . , r u 1 t iidu f 111. 111. u 1111 iv 111 1 1 1 1 111 1 r 1 it 1 iih nf 1 11 LriiiiiuHl mi i mm i. i ihiihi jihi vranr pnmMA. tm... . .
- - . These guardians of the cow loungwd,
111a iw vaiuj kwu uua iiine wmji iius xnnn with h. iku'kpi.kiiiir una i rifir nan inH aruwn rnnnrrv rhn hai ina fmaMo . . ...
- r ' about, eacn witn a brown cigaret paper la
.... j ... , ... ".v.. ... " . v v. vuv owev viuijr nis nana, ana gently bat unceasingly
resnuar wort. kui uie town useir was a. I .irnt.nin pvck run or mi AnnAm. Ton r m iiu-a n at ra v mat with y,m Mt . hi. . .
' ' - " A w" cursed earn Keveii, the storekeeper. Banv
weisrni urxill nia innnu aiwr nil fTrwri. Kiinnific lmntiflfnr nnn nnminv 1 r nrMir Th nriniw, nr kin. i,.Mm ......
, , , -..uu..umm stood in tne door, snapping the red elastlo
mrxpa with f ha ruahinfi' biiAinftiUilcA wvm-- nMi tho ntmuq that hati Haati UM nwin him o m o imw vmIaitumI i - .4 ....
7 - - -- " . tl , , banos on nu pins: madras shirt sleeves
lenuuiea ciuei ox ms nonn ana rjaax. nia mni. nnnnriniiMr Tni t nMr.t. him in th. .... .
- .... - ' " "" " ana looKing aown asecUonately at the
Here nn was orten nuncr a ooiiar nut tnn Th uinnn wa mii an in ta -f. ifiint t,v.i i: .
' - uiuiuuium onjy pair or tan ahoee within a forty-mile
xrequeaiiy a goDa-iuairea kick wouia xoi- mospnere tne oaors or meat ana annJC regaras. radina
low it. Once a band of hilarious cowboys struggled for the ascendancy. The pic
had roped him on Military Plaza and and the cabbage wrestled with hydrogen
. dragged him across the black soil until ne and oxygen. Behind the bar Schwegel la
respectable ragbag would have stood bored with an assistant whose epidermal
sponsor for hls'clothes. The winding, dou- pores showed no signs of being obstructed,
bling streets, leading nowhere, bewildered Hot Wienerwurst and sauerkraut was be-
,him. And then there was a little river
crooked as a pot-hook, that crawled
through the middle of the town, crossed
by a hundred little bridges so nearly alike
that they got oa Curly's nerves. And the
last ibartender wore a No. 9 shoe.
The saloon Btood on a corner. The
hour was S o'clock. Homefarers and out
coers jostled Curly on -the narrow stone
His offense had been serious, aad
.a.... . .......
ne was aiviaea between humble apolocy
ami . A rw Im .1 , . . . I " .
i. ,sui ai 1171 it ci ( u l,uii; ovobcicu -
mm th Kti k.rfv Am-A Yn, nt. ment. lie &u allowed the ranch stock of
fickle friends, whose Interest in him had "8rnoklng" to become exhausted,
subsided as quickly as It had risen. Full "I thought sure there was another
stoked with alcoholic fuel and cargoed ot lt under the counter, boys,", he
with food, the only question remaining to ptaineo. liut it happened to be cat-
disturb him was that of shelter and bed. terdegea"
a anzzime'. eoia ipiaa ram na rve-nn xwu to ur- .w tajow vi lUDDeotau
to fan an endless, lazy, unlntermittent caUs," said Foley itodgera, fence rider of
downfall that lowered the spirits of men tne Largo verde potrero. "Somebody
Wu voti amnaintAd mavhn mit TTpin. ana raised a reluctant steam rrom tne not uusul w give you a anocK en
' . - - tk. LMn wi1. a. a..a a 1.
BtR.nHi in T-iotru?" ov Lr.n.mi stones ot the streets ana nouses, mus uHmawauirt -re
. . . . . . M. MmMMuB ,4m,crln. mntt mrliu. rOQe III nine Dlllefl TOT MrtM t rvcSo rr ami
ing served to purchasers of beer. Curly
shuffled to the end of the bar, coughed
hollowly, and told Schwegel that he was a
Detroit cabinet-maker out of a job. It
followed as the night the day that he got
his schooner and lunch,
"Did I know' Heinricb" Strauss?" re-
comes the "norther," dousing gentle spring roae in nine mues lor some tobacco: aad
sidewalk. Between the buildinira to hl nkntl r-nrtv afrvrinnAtlv. mv max, and amiable autumn with tne chilling sa- u"" 1 appear natural ana seemly that
left he looked down a deft that pro- Bo, I wish I had a dollar for every came ,ut9 and adieus of coming and departing you ongnt to be allowed to live-
Claimed Itself another thoroughfare. The of pinocle me and Heine has played on winter. ine ooys was smoun cut plug and
1 1 . M . M . . r. M m . ,1 , 1. 1 . J .. A. M (IMArt m AMlT Mlf IMU, inlvilA I. W , Ml
light, where there was light there were -f - -f tortuous street into which his irresponsible signed Mustang Taylor, horse wrangler of
i.v m uviiwoi v,Ut?io llicrw Aiun) uwr U1U ocwiiu mate Ul filcalll. idr. uuuuuvmi ii. ... v t vi i vi w u vm wi ... v ... j aa
vm-a nnmnn taointra n rtpr ni rhtra 1 1 m Kon in. vru ut hrrrA iha ifnynmaf a 1.4 r nn ma nam ot ina RBmenune actreajn. iu. mo uuiav bt a. 1 jii-v 1 1 ra aitTTit.' m
Antonio mere mignt be rood, and there then Curly, knowing to a fluid dram how he perecivea an open gate in a cemented wt" weir papers ready to roll a whiffet
was sure to be drink. So Curly headed far a "con" game would go, shuffled out rock wall. Inside ne saw camp Ores and a tne real tninc nerore bedtime. And Xva
for the light. Into the unpromising street. row of low wooden sheds bunt against got to teu em that Ui . pink-eyed, sheep
The illumination came from Schwegel's And now he began to perceive the In- three sides of the Inclosing walL He en- beaded,: sulphur-hoofed, shirtwaist ed jeon.
Cafe. On the sidewalk in front of lt Curly conveniences of this stony southern town, tered the in closure, under tne sheds many or a calico nronoo, bam llevell, hasn't cot
picked up an eld envelope. It might have There was none of the outdoor gayety and horses were champing at tbeir oats and no tobacco on hand."
contained a check for a million. It was brilliancy and music that provided dis- corn. Many wagons and buckboards stood Gregorio Falcon, Mexican vaquero aad
11 W ' Vnt ffcafc mnilMwii m o A (V. m rl mLm vatc 4. tLA nruvaMrf fn ,K. J - ivnn4 wltla IVii mtfuimar 1l fl 1,1m fhwiian MMxt tTlttiWftf tit fnam UrMM fin tha r(nSA
dress: "Mr. Otto Schwegel" and the of the North. Here, even so earl v. the carelessly upon the shafts and double- pushed : his heavy, sUver-embroidered
name of the town and atate. The post- gloomy, rock-walled .houses were closed trees. Curly recognized the place as a straw ombrere back upon hi thicket of
mark 'was Detroit. . and barred aealnst the murky dampneea wagon yard, such as Is provided by mer- Jet black curls, and scraped the bottoms of