| Show The boys had decided to playtrick on Ed because they were being so totally ignored While he was receiving all the attention they were shoving and pulling dragging and heaving his donkey up to the top of the straw stack by the barn Black Hawk probably bribed this stupid ornery mule to return home Clark snorted Wonder why they didnki1l it and be done with it When the bow across donkey was its shoulders left it for the up on night the stack they tied Haze it toshed post and put an ox then mountedsack stuffed with straw on its back and Ed left the Big House about nineclock and walked quickly to the barn He was thinking beautiful about Lavinia brown eyes long hair and whatflirt Emmerette Rosalia was again he would have to pay special attention to Louisa Emily Sarah young Ann and As he walked Esther into the were barn really cute bullet was but tiny waist When he came to Manti She was quite stand-offish he guessed fired Adelaide atknot they were in 1ittle the rafters too above him and he dropped to the floor instantly whipping his gun out on his way down Then he heard the snicker of the fellows and he moved forward to be introduced to them There was Fred Jr and Will Arthur John Hall Ezra Shoemaker Haslam Clark Joe Snow Elias DeMill Alma Beal William Richey George Pectol Titus Billings Heber Petty Frank Beal Gardner Snow Luther Tuttle and Andrew Van Buren Marriage and death were the only acceptable reasons for getting out of the Barn Crowd Winter and Summer they slept with their clothes on and their six shooters strapped to their waists ready for any emergency or duty claimed he had slept in the barn for seven years Will Arthur Half past midnight they heard some cussing and swearing outside Cautiously Will Arthur made his way toguard post and he saw Hebe Petty slipping and sliding up out of the creek He had hadlittle too much whiskey and had slipped off the bridge into the icy water below His clothes were frozen stiff his teeth chattered and he was shaking with cold Will and Ez went after him First he was wet and miserable and penitent and put him then he was in bed between them to thaw him out sick to his stomach then he was humble Ro one got any sleep that night Early in the morning Ed went to get his donkey No donkey He knew it couldn have gone very far because he had hobbled it when he turned it loose He checked with the settlers close by He looked inside the fort wallsblock away He searched throughsailors glass telescope from the slate hill to the north swinging it around slowly Still no stray donkey When he got back to the Cox home he asked Will can you go with me and show mefew of the places that onery cuss might be hid up Will pondered Well really canafford the time to just go lookin but11 tell you what11 do ve got to bringload of firewood out of the moun |
