Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

Bravo! Buckskin. 175 all about it. You’ve got arare story, I bet. So jest sit right down and let’s hear it.” “Oh, it’s too long, by a good deal,” said Cuth- bert, laughing. “Suppose we put it off till we get home.” “No, sirree; I can’t wait above another minute for you to begin.” “Well, Karl, I must have something to eat first, or I'll starve.” ‘“That’s up to me,” broke in one of the cowboys; “T’ve got the meat. Let’s go into camp.” “All right,” assented Karl. “Cuthbert eats first; then the story.” Horses were picketed, a fire started, and the cow- boy who had just spoken produced a package of fresh meat that his keen eye had seen fall from the back of the rearmost Indian pony at the time they made out to chase the Sioux hunters. Although the braves had declined to cut loose from their plunder in order to lighten the loads of their ponies when chasing the fleeing white boy, it~ was a different thing when they themselves were be- ing pursued by the reckless cow punchers. So this rearmost fellow, in alarm lest he be cut out for the first victim of those hot fighters, had relieved his pony of its load, evidently acting on the belief that it was better to enter the village covered with shame than cling to his booty and never enter it at all. For which philosophical solving of the conundrum Cuthbert was grateful when the meat began to send forth appetizing odors. With true prairie etiquette they forbore to ques- tion him as to his strange adventures until he had helped himself three times to meat. © Then, since the demands of nature had been ap- peased, they began to bombard him right and left with questions. Comiclboe® S C©