Tippecanoe and Cougars Two

by Monte Herridge

  its opinion of photography.

  around his neck and Lord Washburn’s two-

  Setting on the door-step is Tip with his

  barreled rifle in his hands. Before we can stop hands on his knees and a beautiful expression him he raises the gun and pulls both triggers. I on his homely face. He is looking at the scene jumped in to stop him, but all too late. I before him; but he don’t see it, ’cause his reckon that both of them big bullets hit the thoughts are of spiritual, not material things.

  rope within a foot of Lord Washburn’s legs Suddenly his expression changes, and he and cut it plumb in two.

  grunts soft-like—

  The cat on the ground went right

  “Still

  ——!”

  between my legs, and that camera stand

  Aloysius has got an egg-sized bump

  caught me in the shins and I turned upside over his right eye, and one of them cougars down. I seen mum-maw roll loose and turn

  Adventure

  14

  over on her stummick. I hears Aloysius

  “Hold it, I demand of you!”

  saying, “Just a moment, Lord Washburn,” and

  “Well, I—I—I’m huh-holding, ain’t

  I glances up there. Lord Washburn is trying to I?” squeaks Tip.

  throw himself backwards, and the cat is

  “I can’t see it.” complains Aloysius,

  objecting at the top of its voice.

  peering into dust.

  “Hold it!” pleads Aloysius, grinding as

  “Go around the other side!” grunts Tip.

  fast as he can, “Orrr-r-r-r-r-ooooooooww-

  “Aintcha got no sense?

  www!”

  Aloysius staggers around to the other

  It was too much for the cat. I seen it go

  side, and in a few moments he says:

  in the air, straight for the doorway, while Lord

  “Absolutely wonderful! I see him

  Washburn turned over, kicking his feet loose now.”

  from the rope.

  “Good!” squeaks Tip, and lets loose of

  The cat hit Tip dead center, knocked

  the tail.

  him half-way into the cabin door, and the cat Yeow-w-w-w-w-w-w!

  almost popped its own tail off going inside.

  Me and Magpie steps around on the

  “My ——!” gasps Magpie. “Didja other side, and there sits Aloysius, holding to ever see such ——”

  one ear, and about ten feet away is his camera.

  “Hold it!” gasps Aloysius. “Easy “Is the cougar gone?” I asks. Aloysius, looks now.” He picks up that heavy camera and trots up at me, wide-eyed, and says—

  to the doorway where he peers inside.

  “Well—I—have—hopes.”

  Yeo-o-o-o-o-oww!

  Crash!

  “Dangyuh,” squeaks Tip. “You wanted

  You can’t fool a cougar more than

  movin’ pitchers, and I reckon that’n moved once, and that one recognized that interior. It fast enough for the most fastidious, eh? By the came right out again. I reckon it meant to grab! I’m some guide, ain’t I? Contracted to jump plumb over everything in sight, but it show you animiles, and I reckon you seen

  was fuddled a little and hit the camera dead

  ’em, didn’t yuh?”

  center, and cat, camera and Aloysius all went down together.

  “ALOYSIUS VAN FLEET, get up!” There is

  The cat hopped right off the ground,

  mum-maw with her arm around Bettina,

  and went between Tip’s legs; but Tip was

  glaring down at poor Aloysius.

  falling at the tune, falling away from the

  “Ye-yes?” says Aloysius.

  crash, and him and the cat went to the dirt

  “Crank up the machine!”

  together.

  “The animals are all gone,” says he,

  Comes a whirl of a man, cat, and dust,

  sad-like.

  and here is the cat under the machine with its

  “I was speaking of the automobile!”

  tail under one of the tires and Tip hanging on snaps mum-maw. “We’re going home. We

  with his feet braced to the wheel. The cat is have had all of this that we can stand. Bettina throwing dust like a fanning-mill, trying to get is a nervous wreck and I am no better. Right loose.

  now we go home.”

  “Huh-hurry up!” squeaks Tip, spitting

  “Yes, my dear. I am willing. It is no

  dust. “You wanted animiles, dang yuh— here place for the gentle sex, I have found that they are!”

  out.”

  “Hold it!” pleads Aloysius, and here he

  “Pup-paw,” says Bettina weakly,

  is with what is left of his machine, trying to

  “please face the audience as much as possible.

  get it to grinding again.

  You are—uh—open in the rear.”

  Tippecanoe and Cougars Two 15

  “Really,” says Lord Washburn, “it was

  mum-maw, and Aloysius obeyed.

  trying, I assure you. I shall welcome my

  We watched them make the turn in the

  bawth. Did we—er—get some films, road and then sets down on the porch.

  professor?”

  Tip is still thinking hard. Mighty rubs

  “We did,” smiles Aloysius. “I got at

  a skinned place on his face and says—

  least five hundred feet. Perhaps it is not

  “Funny how they just turn a crank

  exactly what I wished for; but it was well and——”

  worth taking.”

  “That’s it!” whoops Tip.

  Aloysius winds the danged automobile

  He jumps up and starts to run down the

  up, they all gets aboard, and he makes that road, but stops.

  turn once more and stops at the door again; Then he comes back.

  but this time he’s pointed the right way. Tip is

  “Gol dang it, I plumb forgot it!” he

  standing there scratching his head like he was wails, waving his arms. “Ain’t that the

  trying to remember something.

  darndest thing to forget? Shucks!”

  “Say, judge,” says he, “you told me to

  “What did you forget to tell him?” asks

  remember something that I was to be sure and Magpie.

  not let you forget, and I can’t seem to think

  “He told me to be sure and not forget

  what it was?”

  to tell him to do it!” wails Tip.

  “I am not a judge,” says Aloysius,

  “What?” snaps Magpie.

  severe-like. “I am—a—a—a—huh——”

  “To load his danged movin’-pitcher

  “Drive on, Aloysius Van Fleet, before

  machine,” says Tip.

  somebody thinks of something more,” says