The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-03

three of us chums; and, very sing'ler, we
was all named Bill, and they gave us
names to know us apart. / was Centre
pole Bill, cause drove that wagon there
was Canvas Bill, as drove that wagon :
and Stubby Bill, as was a general hand
We travelled and travelled until we got to
Mound City, in Ioway; and there Stubby
was knitted for something or other in a
row, and died. He and didn't 90 cahOots
so much as Canvas and me, but we missed
him for all o that. We see some hubby
life off and on, we did; and if | was a
yOungster I'd rather set up in any profcs-
sion but circus driver, but man can't
always have his 'drathers. Leastwise if
he could, p'r'aps he wouldn't be no better
Off"
"We got to Ioway, as was sayin,' and
the boss was mighty teary one night. He
had swivel-eye, and was hot when he
was drunk; and he give us partichler
diviltry, which no man bankers fur if he
don't deserve it, which we didn't; and
that night Canvas comes to me, and says
he, 'Centrepole, hain't gon' to sling
this cart any more And l says TO him,
'Why?' No man, says he, can drive
over me with sharp -cOrked horses Which
1 knew then he meant to leave the show,
and was bound to jine him any way.
And he SAYS to me, There's an old pard
of mine here, and he says as how there's
Guv'ment train goin' to start from
Omaha next week, and we can get job
there to go out to the Injun country.
Well, Canvas says |, kinder slowly like,
if you goes, l goes All right says he.
| couldn't help wishin' twas sOmers else
than the Injun country, for l had heerd
them critters was lightnin' to fight, and
ate up the dead uns. It's all well enough
TO stay at home and talk about it but
when it comes to going, it's horse of
another color"
"YOu teamsters have strange, wan
dering life. How do you manage to live
so:"
"Most fcllers as comes out here to work
or drive has run away from the East for
robbin' or murders. And they can't stay
in no one place: it hunts them all the
time, and they must keep agoin'. But l
never did no such thing. Have you ever
been in the Injun country
Never in my life; but | have often
wished to-"
"You had better stow that, and keep
out of it. It's temptin' Providence and
many red devils to go there. But as l
was sayin', we squared up with the boss
which there wasn't much comm to us,
as there always is, for we was just
like sailors, and never had dollar
in the dunnage-bOx-and it don't
take much drinkin' and dancn' and
poker to clean feller out. But we
got away from there, and got to Omaha
the best we could-there wasn't any rail-
roads in them days-and Canvas and me
wasn't long in hirin' out ter drive; for
some o. them Guv'ment sojers-partickly
them as has dirty uniforms-has a bug
gered smart eye to pick out feller as
knows his biz, and they see at onct as
how Canvas and me saveyed hosses up to
the handle (which it was true, though |
say it, for Canvas and me had saveyed
hosses ever sence he was knee high to a
snipe-and some o them drivers didn't
know no more about hosses than a dog
does the price of hymn books"
W hat made you and Canvas such
friendsi'
WAL, you see, we had padded to-
gether, and was made to go in double
harness. Don't you know that Natur'
makes everything in pairs? And some
men gifts married-which l never could
sence that city chap carried off 'NIelia,
and which is resky, anyhow, cause one or
t'otheT is bound to kick over the pole or
bust the breechin'; but there's some as
gets to pards, and thems better nor man
and wife. And old Canvas, he onst saved
my life when | was attached by euchre-
singer in Chicago, which | sometimes
think he didn't ought ter, as | hain't been
wuth much to nobody"
:" But" said /, "therc's always some
thing for man TO do il he only knows
it."
And the teamster drained his glass, and
answered
"YOu're right, there, but it's lucky il
any body can find it out, if he onst gifts
down. like. You amt getting tired
are yc? I'll go through the rest like the
Ten Commandments through Sunday
School"
by no means; it interests me very
much
"Waal, we started on our trip, and was
bound for Arizona; twenty eight wagons
four amb'lauces, and two companies o
cavalry-a right smart line of us. 1t aim
very interestin', gOin' over the Plains
| nothin' but sage-brush and jackass rab
bits, and deer, and such vermin. And the
| deserts where we had to drag along, hub
deep, in the sand, water forty miles apart
and no grass nor nothin'-in some
o them nights / used to wish to get home
agin. But Canvas and me was goin
to git gold, and go back ricf
and see the old folks-but which it car
never be. Canvas and me done the bes
we could. We didn't see many Injun,
fust along onst in while a few woult
hang around behind us, or we would SCI
one or two skurrying up a canon. Afte
we got well away from the settlements
they tried to stampede the cattle; but W,
was prepared for them, and they didn'
get but few. II wasn't pleasant for
man to be thinkin' of Iniuns all the time
and many a night as I've been on guard
thought | see a big 'un under every bush
My old mother used to read in the Scrip
tur' about 'roarin' lions and seckin' to de
YOUR but that book don't say nothin
bout 'Paches, which is very singular, if
makes for to show us how to go. P'rap
the fellers as wrote it never was in Arizo
ma, and often thought as how God lef
that country out of his dayboOk, as bein
o. no account-leastwise p'r'aps that wa
theplace where the devil squatted whel
he was jerked out o. the gardin, as gran
'ther used to tell on.
Il guess I'll lie up little; it runs ray
ther heavy tonight" said he, as he file,
himself another glass, and continued:
1--WE camped out one night at the jay
of canon, ate our suppers, and Canva
and me was on guard together, in tn
early watch. We used to meet at the en-
of the walk, and stop bit and talk. Bu
we had good look out all the Will,
1t was very dark, and every one wa
asleep. Bye and bye, Canvas. says h
Center, I'm going up to the spring to &C
drink The spring was about a hun
dred yards up the gulch, among tn
bushes. WELL says /, don't be Ions
and if you sec anything, yell And o
he went, whistlin' softly like to hisself
and stepped away again lie was gon
long time-longer than he had any ougf
to, and though hadn't heerd any noise,
| was kind % narYOns as we never knoxe