The Lone Scrub Oak

By Jay Kaiser

Fred had no occasion to notice Harold. He was just another browneyed kid in overalls until he saw him. feeding Blackie apples and rubbing his neck which was not only unusual but unbelievable. His stallion disliked boys. The very sight of one near him. irritated him. He was that way when he bought him, from a rancher with six tough, ignorant sons, and had never changed. To avoid trouble whenever he came to Glenbrook and kids were playing on Main street he tied Blackie to a cottonwood across the creek. But the impossible had happened and he wondered what the horse had sensed in the boy to suddenly change him. He saw Harold a few days later coming from school. He was alone. Other boys were in groups or pairs. One yelled at him, "You comin' to the game tonight?"

Harold shook his head.

"Jesus! Your old lady won't let you do nuthin'," the kid taunted. "If she was mine I'd sure tell her off."

"He ain't got the guts," another snickered.

Harold bit his lip and hurried on. Since he became aware of Harold. Fred was conscious of the boy furtively glancing at him but whenever he smiled or tried to speak to him he quickly turned away. It hadn't oc-

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curred to him to ask who Harold was until he was in Pete's Barber shop getting his hair cut.

His school books in his hand, Harold came in and without a word put his books and his cap on a chair, drew a pail of water, then with a bar of sapolio and a rag, began washing the windows. After the sapolio dried he wiped it off, stepped back, cocked his head to see if there were any streaks.

Pete ignored him. His only concern was Fred's hair. "Wish I had more heads like yours to cut. Most of 'em are so damned dirty they dull my shears," he managed despite a mouthful of Star Plug tobacco.

Fred nodded toward Harold. "Your boy?"

"No. Annie Benson's. She supports 'em takin' in washin'. Gets most of her work from a woman here in town."

"You mean Miss Palmer?"

"Miss!" Pete snorted. "You mean madam." He snipped off more of Fred's hair then blew on his neck. "How come you never give her none of your business? A good lookin' guy like you oughta get a rate.”

"How do you know I don't?"

Pete shrugged. He ached to say "None of the guys ever see you go there. If you got a woman somewheres why don't you talk about her

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