Fifteen Western Tales, January 1953 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

84 FIFTEE? WESTERN TALES Sad Nose Joe feel a little silly too. Black clouds all round him, just about even with mountain top. Big question is, how you lasso damp air? Sad Nose Joe remember Mountain of the Big Snoot suppose to be sacred, so maybe something xtra special hap- pen. Who knows? Besides, after climbing all this way up, might as well do something. Just as silly to climb all way up and then do nothing, as to climb all way up and do something silly. So Sad Nose Joe begin swinging rope loop round head. He toss to left. He toss to right. He toss to east. He toss to west. To tell the truth, nothing happen. Everything same as before. Maybe even more so. Sad Nose Joe say to self, well, nothing much more to do. Make one last great big toss. Make it straight upward, If nothing happen, not Sad Nose Joe fault. Mountain’s fault. Maybe not so sacred after all. Maybe an- cestors make slight mistake about it. Maybe nothing very sacred. Or magic. Sad Nose Joe no longer no speak. Seem to be heading dewnward. Head first mostly. With stones and rocks following right behind, close sec- ond. Then, everything go black. Sad Nose Joe think, So this is way happy hunting ground is. What you know? But happy for who-— the deers and the antelope who he can’t see in dark. Then: Sad Nose Joe not only feel lonely but damp. Wake up and find self aut dead at all. He is laying along side of mountain. Some- thing seem strange. Then it come to Sad Nose Joe, what. The reason he feel damp ——it raining! Sad Nose Joe smile. sacred mountain after all. It make rain come. Real wet honest-goodness rain. So what if Sad Nose Joe is dying? You can’t have everything. Nothing perfect. With brave smile, Sad Nose Joe go back to darkness. Look little more fantiliar this time. Oh well, Sad Nose Joe maybe get used to happy hunting ground by and by. Maybe -not even happy hunting ground erica. Just make best of it. Sometime, Sad Nose Joe find self wake up » from dead again. This time Sad Nose Joe not on side of mountain. On side of bed.- In white room. Then lady come in room. She in white too. Then man come in room. He in white, too. What is this? Sad Nose Joe think; everybody got one-trail brain or ' Long Tail Feathers continues. The mountain is . something? Well, Great White Father in Washington, it turn out Sad Nose Joe,. of all places, in hospital. It seem that between Sad Nose Joe falling on rocks and stones as he come down moun- tain, and rocks and stones falling on Sad Nose Joe, he come out second best. But by = by, all Sad Nose Joe’s friends come to a Smt Nose Joe and they seem happy ay ~ Long Tail Feathers say to Sad Nose Joe, You big hero to C hippewa people now. You save day, make rains come down, prove Mountain of the Big Snoot still sacred. Some paleface scientist say rain come be- cause cloud disturbed by rope but all Chip- -pewa know was because mountain sacred. Sad Nose Joe say glad to hear this, only wish didn’t have to fall down mountain, sacred or not. Sad Nose Joe ache all over. At least.. Sometimes even in more places than that. And even the bumps. have little bumps. Long Tail Feathers smile and say he tell something make you forget all about aches. This big news. Hold scalp: this truly some- thing. He say: “It very good thing you fall down mountain, after all. Know why? Because you bring down many stone and rocks.” Sad Nose Joe hold head and groan. Long Tail Feathers say not to interrupt. Chippewas go tc rescue Sad Nose Joe when he fall. Find big heap stone and rock and know Sad Nose Jce must be somewhere in there. But notice something else too. Some of stone and rock shine funny. Make long powwow. Guess what? Chippewas now own big uranium deposit. Look like when ancestors make something sacred, they not mess around. Anyway now everybody rich. Now don’t matter whether ever rain again or not. Get thirstv. drink beer. Cows can do same. May- be milk come out homogoneyesed. So, Great White Father in Washington, you can see sure enough been big develop- ments. to write about. Guess whole thing is this. Maybe Chippewas not got good schools. Maybe not got good grazin land. Maybe not got good climate, also weather. But Chip- pewas glad got one thing nobody else got. Chippewas got ancestors. Yours truly, oe Sad Nose Joe, real Chippewa. 9 9 © cComiclbooks Sad Nose Joe guess not much more CO