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The lariat had dropped over the other animal's neck and was quickly drawn down. Pinkeye stopped, braced himself as he felt his fellow slowing down under the pressure of the loop on his neck. "Whoa!" commanded Tad sharply, leaping from the saddle and taking up on the lariat as fast as he could. A shrill yell from the cowmen told him they would be upon him in a moment.
There was little for him to do, the animals being sound asleep, but he rather enjoyed the relief from the strain that he had been under while watching for intruders off yonder under the tree. Dismounting, the boy sat down on the ground, having stripped the reins over the pony's neck so that he could keep them in his hand. Pinkeye nibbled at the grass a few seconds.
Busily coiling the rope, Tad paid no attention to the taunt; he hung the rope on his saddle horn and then methodically unhitched Pinkeye. "Going to hang yerself?" jeered another. "That's all a mutton puncher's worth. I guess." Tad felt his face flush. He paused long enough to turn and look straight into the eyes of the speaker. "My, but ain't our little boy spunky!" called the fellow in derision.
"Fo' last spring and sound as a bell; hasn't a fault," was the reply. "Why don't you swap him for something that can stand the country?" said Kyle. Then, as the Southerner did not reply, Kyle continued: "I'll give you two steady young saddle horses raised in the country and proof against pinkeye and loco weed." "If you add about a thousand dollars, I might consider it," was the response.
Sleepless an' vigilant, he stood beside th' suffrin' mules, allayin' their pain, an' slowly but surely dhraggin' thim out iv th' clutches iv pinkeye an' epizootic. He had a cheery wurrud, a pleasant smile, an' a bottle iv liniment f'r wan an' all. He cured Teddy Rosenfelt's hor-rse iv intherference an' made a soothin' lotion iv axle-grease f'r Gin'ral Shafter's buckboard.
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