Old Southpaw

Old Southpaw By Orville S. Johnson Sandy sat in the doorway of his tent and watched the sheep restlessly wandering about upon the "hedground." It was dusk, and Sandy was tired with having followed the sheep all day. But worse than bodily tired, he was lonesome. It had been two weeks since he had seen anybody, and al- most ten months since he had seen anything but sheep, coyotes, big dusky moths, their cousins, the butterflies, a few birds, and miles and miles of rolling hills and flats covered with scrub pines, cedars and sage. Both kinds of sage were there, the bit- ter variety, and that known to sheepmen as white sage which is excellent feed for sheep. There was something rather undecided in his manner, as he arose and began slowly to pace the distance around the outer edge of the herd. He was thinking deeply, and there could be no doubt about what he was thinking of. As he walked slowly he stopped, ever and anon, to gaze into the distance. He was watching for the boss. He had watched for him in this same manner for six days and nights, and so many disappointments were beginning to tell upon his "nerve." He was not afraid, but he was lonesome. And, being but barely matured, he could hardly be expected to appear joyous while in that state. And being fifty miles from a home contain- ing a family was not exactly a hindrance to the feeling that constantly kept growing. As he finished his walking, he sat down once more to medi- tate. It was too dark to see very far, but it was just the right time to hear well. Far out upon a knoll an owl was frightening the smaller animals with its ghostly hooting; and farther still, but coming closer and closer, a series of dismal howls told of a band of coyotes out hunting. Saudy shivered, but not with fear or cold. It was more with a certain dread. He dreaded the night, with its million sounds. He was not afraid of those voices of the night, but they seemed to be lonely like him. And that made him feel worse. As it grew darker, he mechanically made a fire. He seemed to perform that simple task more as a duty, than as a necessity, for after the blaze became bright and warm, he returned to his seat in the doorway. He made no effort to prepare a meal, for

OLD SOUTHPAW 1071 he was not bodily hungry. Had there been another man there, however, he would have feasted in quite another way. That was what he hungered for — companionship. His face brightened for a tiny moment, as a star tumbled from its hiding place, and left a fiery trail behind. It reminded him that the Fourth of July was but five days off. Independence day had a double meaning to him. Patriotism was directly in his line, but not so much as love. And he loved with a much more fervent devotion a certain girl, than he did his country. It was probably because he had never had cause to show as much love for country, as for the girl. And it had been Independence day when he had told his love. And the wedding was planned for the time when a home would be prepared for the bride, and some money laid aside in order that a honeymoon might be enjoyed. No one but the lovers knew of this, however, and they knew it well enough for all. It was the remembrance of that other Fourth that had brought the light into Sandy's face. But after- ward came the rebound. At first it was the tendency of a firm chin to quiver, and a certain pair of eyes tried manfully to keep back the tears. But they failed. And then came the deluge. It was a deluge of emotions that shook his whole being for a few minutes, and then the storm slowly subsided and left him calm and ready to go to bed. But first he made one more trip around the now quiet herd to make sure that no sheep were wandering off. He returned satisfied and entered the tent, sat down upon the hard bed and removed his shoes. They were the only part of his clothing he removed, so he was soon in bed. He did not care particularly for sleep, but it was a quick way to kill time, if he could only manage it right. Sometimes of late, however, he had had a difficult time coaxing the dreams to come his way. And it seemed harder than ever this night. For sometimes he kept his eyes tightly closed. But it grew tiresome to hold them so, and after several attempts he began to cease to try to keep them so. He tried to keep his thoughts upon the work of the following day. That of getting the sheep to the best feed. But it was useless for him to tiy for they in- sistently reverted back to loneliness. And then his throat got hard and his body began to shake as though shaken by some unseen hand. But it was only sobs. And then after a long time, so it seemed to him, he forgot to sob or think, but began to dream. Those dreams must have been strange. But they could do no harm other than tire an already tired mind. And he kept muttering in his sleep, and the listening dog would sometimes growl way down in his throat, as he, with the help of a kind

1072 IMPROVEMENT ERA. God, kept guard over the herd. And finally only God was watch- ing, for even a dog must have some sleep. As daylight began to arrive, Sandy awoke. He was not exactly refreshed, but he was glad that the night was gone. The first thing he did was to feed Spitz. And then he ate some breakfast himself. He ate more from a sense of necessity than from any desire for food. It seemed to him that about the only satisfaction he got from eating was that of knowing he would be able to follow the sheep without getting faint. And then, after eating, he stirred up the sheep, and with the help of Spitz he started them toward the part of the country he had decided upon as their day's feeding grounds. Sandy followed the herd, or led it as necessity demanded, all through the long hours of daylight. Sometimes he would sit upon a knoll watching an unusually lively bunch of leaders bite off the tender shoots of sage. Or at other times he would lazily watch a large number huddling beneath the cool shade of a scrub pine or cedar. Then as dusk began to turn the heavens to bright colors, he drove the herd onto their sleeping ground, and once more sat in the doorway. The day had been like a hundred others he had experienced. But there was something different about the evening. At first he thought it was only a certain restlessness of the sheep. And then he laid it to the dog, that kept trotting rest- lessly from knoll to knoll looking out over the rolling hills, and sniffing the air uncertainly. And after reaching camp, and the sheep had quieted down, and after Sandy had about decided it was time to start a fire Spitz suddenly bounded away toward a distant cloud of dust that was barely visible in the dusk. And then the boss came. It would be quite impossible to analyze Sandy's feelings, but one thing is certain, they were joyous. And then he asked the boss so many questions that it was almost morning before they went to bed. The boss had had some trouble in driving a small bunch of old sheep from town out to the dipping vat. And then he had lost them or part of them in another herd, and this had caused delay, and tomorrow and next day would see the finish of the job, and Sandy could, for his good work, have three holi- days, beginning the day before the Fourth. It was quite impossible for Sandy to express his joy, but the boss understood, and the next morning Sandy awoke feeling that the world was the best place to be in, after all. All that day he planned many schemes to see his sweetheart without arousing the suspicion of anyone in regard to his want- ing to take her out, until he discovered from her whether or not

OLD SOUTHPAW 1073 she had another partner. For it was understood between them that it would be best for both to undergo a little jealousy and mix with others of their friends in order to avert suspicion, and make more sure the complete surprising of everybody. He finally found a plan whereby he hoped to interest her mother. And then on the side he could learn all he wished. Thus, had one known his purpose, he would not have wondered what he intended to do with certain pretty shells and pebbles that he put into his pockets. And so all day he planned and was happy. And at night the lonely feeling was still low. And the hoot of owls and howls of coyotes failed to arouse it fully. But he missed Spitz when a puma began to mournfully rail at some misfortune that had come its way. But Spitz was more valuable to the boss helping with the small bunch of old sheep, than to Sandy with the main herd. Still Sandy felt that somehow he would be glad if Spitz were with him. But he had a good night, and was still happy the next morning. All morning he expressed his feelings in different ways. Sometimes he would feel a surge of joy coming on and would race down a long gradual incline with huge bounds of pleasure. At other times he would be thoughtful and would think about the girl. Then his face would take on a tender expression, and his eyes would shine with anticipated joy. And once or twice the thought of what about the boss not getting back, crossed his mind. But he strongly put it aside for more pleasant ones. The boss would not fail. It would be impossible for him to. And yet what if he should ! His heart beat to that rhythm — what-if- he-should, and even the trees seemed to sway by that same meter. But noon came and doubt was not present as strongly as assur- ance. Dusk slowly painted the sky with a sunbeam brush. It put in all the colors that Sandy had ever seen. The sheep began to slowly work toward their nightly haunt. And doubt began to grow. He had looked out all day along the hard beaten trail, but no sign of a traveler had he seen. And then after the sheep were again restlessly moving about upon their bed-ground, and after night had begun to draw the dark mantle over the bright painting of dusk, Sandy sat once more in the doorway of his tent thinking. The owl out upon the knoll hooted louder than ever before, it seemed, and the long dismal howl or the coyotes seemed the most lonely sound ever heard. And then the puma began to mournfully protest against a certain thing that could not be analyzed, and Sandy once more wished for Spitz. As it began to grow darker, and the fire was again lighting the place, and the big dusky moths began to come into the circle

1074 IMPROVEMENT ERA. of light and sometimes right into the fire, Sandy began to have thoughts with more doubt than assurance in them. And then he began to breathe harder and with greater effort. Once it seemed to him that the cry of the puma was getting nearer, but he made no move toward the place where his gun rested. He only sat in the doorway and thought bitter, bitter thoughts. How he hated sheep. Once he even went so far as to think that he would give up the girl in order to get away from sheep. But he could not bring all of him to agree upon this. And de- bating upon whether or not he woul<j[ leave the herd and start to walk the next morning, he slowly, and almost painfully, be- gan his last nightly look at the position of the herd. He meant it to be a short one ; but the longing in his heart was too great. He went to a small knoll and sat down to listen. The cry of the panther sounded very near, but only half of him heard it. He was not listening for such a cry. He was listening for hoof -beats, upon a hard beaten trail, and he could not hear them. And then he wept. Silently for awhile, and then he slowly gave way to those body shaking sobs of disappointed youth, that seem to have no beginning nor end, but just keep coming and going in a ceaseless circle of anguish. And the puma came closer to the quiet herd. Sandy did not know how long he had been upon the knoll. But it seemed a long, long time to him, after he started toward the tent and the almost dying fire. He gave the fire more fuel, and entered the tent intending to go to bed. But after his shoes had been removed it seemed impossible to lie down. He sat upon the edge of the hard bed and thought of all the bitter ex- periences he had ever had. He could think of none that in any way compared with the present one. He believed that he would be willing to live his whole life over again and take chances on its coming out as well as it had done to get away from that mo- ment. But the moment had him in its grip, and seemed to in- tend to crush him. And then some power seemed to take pity upon him. His mind rushed to meet the mad crowding and pushing of the sheep. For the puma had arrived. Sandy's heart beat fast with excite- ment, and he forgot everything but the joy of battle ! He knew it was a panther as soon as he saw the sheep, way back in the moonlight, parting into two bunches, crowding in opposite di- rections. He seized his gun, and began quietly, and without any more disturbance of the sheep at his end than possible, to work to- ward the panther which he knew was there but which dust and many sheep were hiding. And then a tiny breeze blew the dust past and the moon shone her brightest, and he could see the

OLD SOUTHPAW 1075 panther coming toward him, its huge paws sweeping a trail, and at the same time strewing it with dead and unconscious sheep. Sandy's aim was only fairly good, and a wild screech, and a mighty bound showed that the puma was not to be killed in- stantly by the first bullet. He was hit and was ready to fight, but he did not know what to fight yet, except the sheep, and Sandy knew that the poor sheep would pay dearly for that bad shot unless he could quickly remedy it, and that mysterious power that writers call "just as" came again, and as little later he dragged the lifeless body of the best warrior of American animals into the circle of fire-light. And then returned to the task of quieting the sheep. It was not such a hard task, for the poor things seemed to put much confidence in him, and were soon ready to be left alone again. Sandy noted that there were not such a great number of dead ones. And he congratulated himself upon being fairly quick. Back at the fire he began an examination of the kill. He turned the huge, supple body over, and then blew a long ejacula- tive whistle. Upon the right front leg was a tiny length of chain. And then he sat down and began to sharpen his knife. It was a pleasant task to sharpen a knife to skin such a magnificent beast, and Sandy thoroughly enjoyed it until the novelty of hav- ing killed a noted murderer began to wear off, and the stars and moon began to look lonely and far away. They were for a light to see into the eyes of love, not for companions to a lonely sheepherder. And then the bitter thoughts began to come back. But he held to his task manfully and to test the sharpness of the knife he took up a huge leg and gently pushed the blade through the tough skin. It would work. And as Sandy laid the whetstone down upon a nearby log, a joyous bark set his heart to pounding joyously. And then the boss rode up. When he saw what had happened he dismounted excitedly and began to examine the big body. He too whistled. "You lucky boy. It's Old Southpaw, and there's fifteen hundred dollars for his scalp." And Sandy stared a surprise, and began to skin the puma to the tune of, "There's a little spark of love still burning."