Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Tenderfoot. 9 Accordingly, with a little show of animation, he dragged one tired leg after the other and drew near the place. , Twilight had come, when objects take on a weird aspect, and the boy was considerably startled to see a skulking gray animal slink from the shelter of the few trees, losing itself in the long grass. “Pshaw! Doubtless a cowardly coyote, more scared than myself. At any rate, I’m not going to- be thwarted. Here I am and here I expect to stay for the night.” With that he picked up a piece of fallen timber that afforded a fair cudgel, and giving; a husky shout, dashed into the motte of cottonwoods. If there were other animals nearby he saw no signs of their presence. With almost feverish haste he began to gather material for a fire. Having fired the sage brush he heaped dead branches upon the pile and presently a cheery roar announced that his object had been accomplished. This done he set to work securing a goodly pile of fuel for use during the long and weary hours of the night that was already settling fast around him. Utterly fagged out at last the youngster threw himself down where the tufts of buffalo grass grew thickest, and began to face the situation. Never had the darkness seemed so intense, and even the pitying stars were blotted out of sight by masses of clouds that had arisen since sundown. The wind moaned at intervals through the cotton- woods, and to his excited imagination the spirits of the air were holding carnival, as though mocking his distress. Luckily he was possessed of an average amount of nerve, such as became a lad whose parent had won ‘more than his share of fame during those dark days when his native State, fair Virginia, was over- run roughshod by the armies of the Federals; for CoOmicaoo <S (©