Heart's Desire

a Parrot, Certain Twins,

g. These were the main events of the day. All men had apparently long ago forgotten the departure of the stage-coach that had borne away at one voyagin

n booted and bearded men wandered afoot over the mountain sides, doing strange things with strange instruments. A railroad was about to cross the country somewhere. Grave and moody, Heart's Desire s

estiday. They've got a line of pegs drove in the ground. Looks like they was afraid thei

ere turned on Curl

u come to town, McKinney. When she gits to runnin' right free and general, there'll be a double row of cow corpses from here

, but looked stolidly

for tobacco, Doc." Curly threw

about allusions to his stock of drugs, which had been imported some y

rs," said Curly, tentatively.

care. But if we shot even a leg off one of the least of these, them States folks would never res

cows quite so far to market," apologized

n my drugs easier. Cows can walk; and as for importin' things, everybody

nt for a time, willing to wait for Tom

untry," finally began Doc Tomlinson, wh

who had never lived anywh

," said McKinney. "This countr

Desire. But it ain't good enough for us. We want to hitch our little wagon to the star of progress. I reckon w

these here things." He glanced up at the big mountain whose shadow lay athwart the v

f-fact way. "And as to Tom Osby, fellers, I'll bet a plug of

He's good enough railroad for any one, and he'

Whiteman the Jew, was a parrot and a pair of twins. Neither of

erson, when the facts were

posed to wait for the close of these formalities. From under the white cover of the wagon there came sounds of profane speech. Tom Osby paused and filled his pipe. "H

. "Look out! Look out! B

you so,"

'm tired!" cont

ltivated gentleman. But how about the twins? Whe

down under the seat here. Now, between the parrot and them

ncher, who blushed a bright brick red to the roots of

ugh they came from somewhere over on the Brazos, your ear

hotly. "I never did have no twins

from Kansas, where all the twins comes from. I found 'em waitin' up there in Vegas, billed through to you. Both dead broke, both plumb happy

happened! She had a sister done married a Baptis' preacher, onct. Say, now, I bet a horse

sive. "I reckon, that explains it, I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for 'em if they was mine

resemblance to each other as impressed all as uncanny. The four men stepped to the wagon side, and in silence gazed at the curly-headed pai

l take 'em off your hands mighty damn quick. They're corral broke and right well gentled now, half good s

whole lot of experience in this here twin game, but this goes. These here twins is mine. This is some sudden, but

eminded the cow puncher with undue emphasis, "that you was drawin' ten e

out break even," Cu

, "if either of them twin

ey've run around in here for two weeks, you couldn't kill 'em with an axe

the green canary, Tom," said Doc Toml

m Osby. "He's company. You fellers plumb rob me e

was finally so decided by the referendum. Whereupon Tom Osby, grumbling and bewailing his hard lot

and then, as might have been expected of the Littlest Girl, she reached up her arms to the hom

over each shoulder gazed back longingly at the gnarled freighter on his wagon seat. Tom Osby picked up his reins and drove back across

cial system of the place as to become matters of regular conversation. Curly never appeare

ey go, he's right after 'em, and he night-and-day-herds 'em closer'n a Mexican shepherd dog does a bunch of sheep. Now, I blew in last night, intoe their room, and there was old Bill, settin' on the foot of the bed, watchin' of 'em, them fast a

on, meditatively, "that we may r

head perplexedly, "sometimes I wish Bill was a chicken hawk instead of a t

rugs?" asked Doc T

d see airy rat or mouse round here, but still,

here and let me tell you." So they all sat down and

, my girl, she got a Christmas present from some of her folks

?" said Dan Anderso

eels. Sort of frill around on top. The feller that made them things could shore do candy a-plenty. They was too pretty to eat up, so the little woman, she done put 'em in the parlor,-on

y," Dan Anderson decided. "It entitl

there on the parlor table in the other room. You can't help feelin' good to have some little ornyment like that around the place, you know,

rely. "You ain't got sense enough to know the differenc

r whole place, except a horned toad and four tarantulas in a teacup. Now a real ornyment is so

ats," said

rrot," warned Doc Tomlinson. "About to

"One heel's plumb gone," said Curly, sighing. "

eye in a man, woman, or mustang, that it didn't mean bad. This here bird ain't no Hereford, nor yet a short-horn. He

ealed all the fascinations of this august but tempting object, new, strange, appealing. For a time their hearts were strong, upon their souls rested the ancient mandate of denial. They gazed, short breathed, in awe, upon this radiantly bestriped, uns

The hour of temptation, as is always the case, fou

pered Suzanne. "There ai

he parrot, which regarded them with a ba

l!" remarked Bi

Folks that swears goes to the bad place. Be

we ain't goin' to bite off only just a litt

the centre table. "You

, y

Arabella. "I'm afrai

ne asserted boldly, and

ave a vast screech of disapproval. "Quork!" cried he. "Look out! Look out!" At which warning both the twins f

my bite," whi

herself for running. "Come on. Who's afraid

ts way. The lustre paled and dimmed on one gaudily bepainted leg. The remainin

urly, scratching his head, as

d Bill, in frank f

u're the feller that's been a-doin' all this devilment. Here you,-Susy-Airey,-have you seen Bill a-eatin' the ornyment?" Both the young ladies

ad proceeded yet further. Only Bill was p

er?" asked stout

once," mourned Arabella. "Now-no

od," sai

the bad place?"

er eyes also. They leaned their heads upon each other's shoulders and wept. But even as they did so, the hand of either, upon the side nearest to the table, reached out toward

oth knees now," said he, gloomily. "The finish ain't far off. You all come on over across the arroyo with me, a

ounsel rose and adjourned across the arroyo. They found Suzanne and Arabella

clay in the corner of the other room was swept clean, spick and span. A chair stood exactly against the wall. The parl

ively reached toward his hip, and he cast a swift glance upo

arked Bill. "All ov

Doc Tomlinson, "Search his perso

tire party looked with enmity at Bill, but the latter turned upon the

continuing their unwonted industry at the chip pile. He stood and looked at them, saying no word, but with a certain smile on his face. A corner of each apron

face rested against each side of his own. His long arms tightened around them pro

uzanne, in his right ear, and Ara

n, hugging them the ti

" said Suza

at the sound of voices. Curly appeared at the doo

be the remains of our late friend Bi

en two fingers, "I was lookin' for his teeth, to see if he had any candy in 'em, and he

le tough," said McKinney. "T

s hide," Doc Tomlinson volunteered hope

ch in his eyes. "Now, I just wrung his

"and you've wrung the wron

done et

the structure of our civilization is so complex as to require the services of a highly intelligent corporation counsel. You ask who ate the candy ornament, representa

ey, "it looks like

ion which I represent," said he, and he hugged the twins, who looked down

m Curly. "Ouch!" cried that worthy, and cast from him the body of Bill. supp

, who was of a practical turn of mind,

ntly upon the ground, now sat up, half leaning against a pinon log,

im, "you get him a few drugs, and he'l

hat ain't got no teeth, and that's dead, both, he can

t the innocent bystander should sit up and take

aintly fanning a wing and r

y tired,"

down Suzanne and Arabella safe within the door, "but as corporation c

rusted to us a candy palladium of liberty, which, being interpreted, means a man's chance to be a grown man, with

urly, meditatively, "can be