Endurance Test; or, How Clear Grit Won the Day

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE FINISH OF TY'S FAMOUS SWEATER.

  EVERY one of the three scouts, waiting at the fence to assist Ty over,should he be fortunate enough to arrive ahead of the enraged bull, heldhis breath with suspense.

  They could easily see that at the rate of progress made by theirunfortunate chum, he must certainly be overtaken before he could arriveand have a chance to clamber over that high and stout rail fence,supposed to be bull proof.

  But they failed to take into consideration the fact that Ty had profitedmore than a little from his connection with the scouts. And, besides,all through his exciting race with that owner of the wicked little blackhorns, he had kept in mind the last instructions shouted across thefield by Elmer, the boy who had spent a part of his life on a cattleranch and farm, and was supposed to know all about the habits of theanimals.

  "Oh, he's sure a goner!" gasped Landy, as they saw the rapidly advancingbull draw nearer and nearer the frantic runner. "Poor old Ty; I wonderwill we be able to catch him on the fly!"

  Landy was evidently thinking of baseball, though his excitement was sogreat that he hardly knew just what was passing through his mind.

  "Look at that, will you?" burst from Ted.

  Ty had waited until all hope of gaining the fence seemed to have fled.Over his shoulder he could see his terrible enemy closing in andapparently putting on greater speed. If anything was to be done it mustbe accomplished without the loss of another second.

  It was then that he suddenly drew something from the bosom of his outingshirt. This "something" proved to be that old red sweater which he hadrefused to leave in the crotch of the friendly tree, into the branchesof which he had hurriedly climbed at the time he was first beset.

  He waved the flaming garment wildly about his head in order to make surethat it caught the eye of the bull; and once that was done it might beput down as certain that the animal would see nothing else than thathated color.

  "Wow! He's done it!" cried Landy, as his fat face was pressed tightagainst the rails of the fence, between which he had an uninterruptedview of the proceedings.

  Ty had thrown the red sweater aside.

  It floated to the ground as the slight breeze caught its extended folds,and must have presented quite an inviting picture to the inflamed orbsof the bull.

  Would he stop short to pay attention to the object of his wrath,forgetting all about the boy who was fleeing toward safety? Elmer didnot once doubt it. He knew that this was a familiar trick among thepicadors in the arena during a Spanish bullfight; and one that seldomfails, if properly carried out.

  Still, he held his breath with anxiety during that brief space of time;for if the trick did not succeed, Ty would very likely be in for anexperience that must prove exceedingly painful, if not positivelydangerous.

  But the red sweater did not fail its owner. Long had Ty worn that samegarment proudly, in spite of jeers and caustic comments on the part ofhis comrades. And if it were fated to meet destruction at this time, atleast it would serve a very useful purpose.

  The animal saw the descending flag that incited his anger. Immediatelyhe pulled up short, and began to gore the inoffensive article, thrustinghis horns through it, while holding it down with his forefeet at thesame time. In this way it was quickly rent into fragments, which thetriumphant bull seemed to take great delight in tossing up into the air,as he bellowed with satisfaction.

  And so the puffing Ty was enabled to reach the fence. Willing hands wereextended to him, and with a rush he found himself drawn to safety.

  "Hurrah!" cheered Landy. "You beat him to a frazzle, Ty! That was asclever a little trick as I ever heard tell of."

  "All right," grunted the saved one, as he glared venomously between therails of the fence; "but would you see what he's doing to my fine oldsweater? That makes me feel sick. Two years now I've worn that, and shewas sure good for another."

  "But, man alive, think of what he would have done to you only for thatsweater!" exclaimed the fat boy.

  "Vat's de madder mit you, Ty?" demanded Adam, who looked at thingswithout the least bit of sentiment; "you pet my life I vould pe gladderas anydings if I pe in your blace. Let der pull alone; he's enchoyinghimself. Shake vonce on dot narrow escape. Py chimineddy! Mine heart itvas yump in my throat yust as you throw dot sweater avay!"

  But Ty refused to be consoled. The sight of the animal running around asif looking for him, with a sad portion of the beloved sweater fastenedto one of his ugly little horns, made him grit his teeth.

  "Huh!" he said, disdainfully. "You fellers just think it's fine becauseyou never did appreciate that beautiful old sweater; but if you thinkyou're going to get free from seeing me look like myself, you've gotanother guess coming, that's what. Say, d'ye think I'm going to let anold one-eyed bull knock me out of wearing what I fancy? If I feel likeit I'll put on six red coats."

  "Hath he got only one eye, Ty?" asked Ted, eagerly.

  "That's a fact, boys; didn't I see it glaring up at me time and again,when the sly old critter'd pretend to be eating grass, and hoping I'dcome down," Ty answered, promptly enough.

  "Then jutht think what might have happened to you, my thon, if the oldbull had happened to potheth _two_ eyeth," remarked Ted, soberly.

  Ty would not even smile, he was so angry at the sacrifice of hisgarment. Climbing up on the topmost rail of the fence, he shook his fistat the prancing bull, and even shouted all sorts of things at him.

  "That don't wind it up, not by a long sight!" he declared. "I know whereI can get a better sweater than that old one, and for three dollars,too. I've got that and more in my bank at home; and the very first thingI do when I get back will be to bust that same bank open and go down toSelfridge's department store. Oh, have all the fun you want with it, youone-eyed beast; but some day perhaps I'll get even with you!"

  "Better forget all that, Ty," remarked Elmer, coming up at this moment."You had ought to be so tickled over making such a narrow escape thatyou'd never bother your head over the loss of that worn-out old thing."

  "Worn-out nothing," declared the aroused Ty. "I could have had good useout of that sweater this fall, in football. But never mind; I know justwhat I'm going to do about it."

  "Nothing foolish, I hope," observed the patrol leader, as he cast anapprehensive glance toward the bull.

  "Buy that other red sweater that's hung in the window of our big storethis month and more. Perhaps, after all, I may not be so sorry, becauseit's much brighter than that old one; and some of the boys will let outa howl when they first see me in it."

  Ty actually allowed a grin to appear on his face at the thought of this;which would apparently indicate that his anger was not so very deepafter all.

  "Anyhow," continued Elmer, "I want to tell you, Ty, old fellow, that youdid that little trick as fine as silk!"

  "D'ye think so, Elmer?" remarked the other, looking pleased; for whatboy does not like the appreciation of his fellows?

  "You certainly did. I've seen cowboys go through with that act many atime, but never any better than you did it," Elmer went on to say. "Theonly thing I was afraid of was, you might throw it in such a doubled-upway that it would not catch the eye of the bull. But you shook it outall right; and once he saw it he could look at nothing else after that."

  "Say, I did that on purpose, sure I did, Elmer," declared Ty, eagerly."Seemed to me that it was the proper caper to try. And she worked allright, too. But look here, fellows, he put his horns through thatblessed old tin milk pail the farmer's women folks loaned us. She's awreck; and anyhow we couldn't get in there by the tree to pick it up.What's to be done about it, tell me that?"

  "Oh, there's only one thing to be done," laughed Elmer, taking out halfa dollar and thrusting it into the hand of Ty. "We've just got to payfor the lost pail and borrow another one. That's part of the funds weraised before starting out. Are you still going to get that milk, Ty?"

  "Am I? Say, twenty bulls couldn't stop me, once I start on a thing. Milkwe want for o
ur breakfast, and milk we're going to have, you mark me,"said Ty, stubbornly.

  "Shake on that!" laughed Landy.

  "Oxcuse me, off you blease," spoke up Adam with a sly grin; "put is dotvat you galls a milk-shake?"

  Elmer laughed, and at the same time looked suspiciously at the German;for somehow he was fast coming to the conclusion that Adam might besmarter than his stolid appearance indicated. In fact, he believed thatthe German often put on an air of extreme innocence when in fact he wasenjoying a sly little joke.

  "He'll bear watching," was what Elmer said to himself, as he heard theother laughing uproariously at his own humor, while squeezing the handsof his new chums.

  "But, Ty," the patrol leader remarked, with a twinkle in his own eye,"you've learned one thing, I think."

  "Sure. Always to see that there's a tree in a field before trying tocross over," said the other, quickly.

  "Well, that's a good motto, I suppose," remarked Elmer; "but that wasn'twhat I meant. You know now that many times the longest way around is theshortest way to the fire. After this you'll think twice before taking ashort cut."

  "I'll squint around for anything in the shape of a bull, anyway,"chuckled Ty.

  The animal had succeeded in demolishing the offensive garment by thistime, and as if to show his utter contempt for the whole bunch of boys,he started to crop the short, sweet grass where he happened to bestanding. Whenever he came upon a tattered fragment of the illy treatedsweater, he would give it a toss, utter a defiant bellow, paw the grounda little, and then calmly resume his feeding.

  But doubtless all the while he was watching the boys beyond the fenceout of a corner of his eye. Elmer knew that this must be so, for henoticed that the animal always kept his head turned toward them.

  "He vas as mad as some hornets," remarked Adam, who seemed to beparticularly interested in the actions of the bull, for he kept peeringthrough the fence. "Aber I haf a red sweater I vould see if he likes toyump at me. Oxcuse me, Elmer, put let me haf de loan off dis."

  He deftly took the bandana handkerchief from the hands of the patrolleader, as Elmer was about to fasten it once more around his own neck;for he had used it to attract the attention of the bull, it may beremembered, when at the other side of the field; and events had followedso rapidly since, that he had not found a chance to replace thehandkerchief where it belonged.

  "Hold on, no foolish business, Adam!" cried Elmer, clutching a leg ofthe German as he started to mount the fence.

  "Nein! I haf no vish to get me a grafeyard in kevick," Adam declared."Only I vould like to see if dot pad egg oudt in der field vould run atme like he dood at Ty. You pet my life I vill not yump _inside_ defence; and dot's no choke, Elmer."

  Accordingly, Elmer released his clutch, and the stout German climbednimbly to the top of the fence. Here he began to wave the handkerchiefin the most brazen manner, at the same time calling out defiantly at theanimal.

  At first the bull refused to listen, but kept on grazing; thoughdoubtless the sight of the hated color was working upon him.

  "See him edging this way, would you, the sly old sinner!" called Landy.

  "He's getting ready for a rush," remarked Elmer.

  "Look out, Adam; be ready to drop off there!" cried Landy.

  "And be thure not to take the wrong thide, or you'll be in for it!"admonished Ted, a little nervously.

  Suddenly the beast threw off the mask, so to speak. He made a plunge,and was immediately in motion, coming with lowered head on the full run,and heading for the spot where Adam stood on the fence flaunting thatflag of defiance.

  "He's off!" yelled Landy. "Jump, Adam, before he knocks you into thefield! Oh, ain't he just the limit, though; and as mad as they make 'em!Jump, why don't you? Elmer make him come down! Perhaps he's got his footcaught, and can't drop out!"