Skyrider | Page 3

he held the
author's legs much as he would hold down a yearling. "All set, Bud--let
'er go!"
Whereupon Bud cleared his throat and began again, rolling the words
out sonorously, so that Mary V heard every word distinctly:
"'Before I die, I'll ride the sky; I'll part the clouds like foam. I'll brand
each star with the Rolling R, And lead the Great Bear home.'"

"Say, that's swell!" a little fellow they called Curley interjected. "By
gosh, that's darned good po'try! I never knowed Johnny could--"
He was frowned into silence by the reader, who went on exuberantly,
the lines punctuated by profane gurgles from the author.
"Now this here," Bud paused to explain, "was c'lab'rated on by Mary V.
The first line was wrote by our 'steemed young friend an' skyrider poet,
but the balance is in Mary V's handwritin'. And I claim she's some poet!
Quit cussin' and listen, Johnny; yo' all never heard this 'un, and I'll
gamble on it:
"'_Through the clouds we'll float in my airplane boat--_' That, there's
by Skyrider. And here Mary V finishes it up:
"'For Venus I am truly sorry! All the stars you sight, you witless wight,
You'll see when you and Venus light! But then--I'm sure that I should
worry!'"
"I don't believe she ever wrote that!" Johnny struggled up to declare
passionately. "You give that here, Bud Norris. Worry--sorry--they don't
even rhyme!"
"Aw, ferget that stuff! Witless wight's all right, ain't it? I claim Mary
V's some poetry writer. Don't you go actin' up jealous. She ain't got the
jingle, mebby, but she shore is there with the big idee."
"'_Drink the dipper dry_'--that shore does hit me where I live!" cried
little Curley. "Did you make it up outa yore own head, Johnny?"
"Naw. I made it up out of a spellin' book!" Johnny, being outnumbered
five to one, decided to treat the whole matter with lofty unconcern.
"Hand it over, Bud."
Bud did not want to hand it over. He had just discovered that he could
sing it, which he proceeded to do to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" and
the full capacity of his lungs. Bill and Aleck surged up to look over his
shoulder and join their efforts to his, and the half dozen horses held

captive in that corral stampeded to a far corner and huddled there,
shrinking at the uproar.
"_And kiss 'er snow-white ha-a-and, and kiss 'er snow-white ha-and_,"
howled the quartet inharmoniously, at least two of them off key; for
Tex Martin had joined the concert and was performing with a bull
bellow that could be heard across a section. Then Bud began suddenly
to improvise, and his voice rose valiantly that his words might carry
their meaning to the ears of Johnny Jewel, who had stalked back across
the corral and was striving now to catch the horse he had let go, while
his one champion, little Curley, shooed the animal into a corner for
him.
"_It would be grand to kiss her hand, her snow-white hand, if I had the
sand!_" Bud chanted vain-gloriously. "How's that, Skyrider? Ain't that
purty fair po'try?"
"It don't fit into the tune with a cuss," Tex criticized jealously. "Pass
over that po'try of Johnny's. Yo' all ain't needin' it--not if you aims to
make up yore own words."
"C'm _'ere_! You wall-eyed weiner-wurst!" Johnny harshly addressed
the horse he was after. "You've got about as much brains as the rest of
this outfit--and that's putting it strong! If I owned you--"
"_I'd cir-cle high 's if pass-in' by, then vol-lup bank an' la-a-and_," the
voice of Tex roared out in a huge wave that drowned all other sounds,
the voices of Bill, Aleck, and Bud trailing raucously after.
Johnny, goaded out of his lofty contempt of them, whirled suddenly
and picked up a rock. Johnny could pitch a very fair ball for an amateur,
and the rock went true without any frills or curving deception. It landed
in the middle of Bud Norris's back, and Bud's vocal efforts ended in a
howl of pain.
"Serves you right, you devil!" Mary V commented unsympathetically
from her perch on the ledge.

Three more rocks ended the concert abruptly and started something else.
Curley had laughed hysterically until the four faced belligerently
Johnny's bombardment and started for him. "Beat it, Johnny! Beat it!"
cried Curley then, and made for the fence.
"I will like hell!" snarled Johnny, and gathered more rocks.
"Oh, Johnny! Sudden's comin'!" wailed Curley from the top rail. "Quit
it, Johnny, or you'll git fired!"
"I don't give a damn if I do!" Johnny's full, young voice shouted
ragefully. "It'll save me firing myself. Before I'll work with a bunch of
yellow-bellied, pin-headed fools--" He threw a clod of dirt that caught
Tex