Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-06-10

q good spell. an dunno why do now,--or
| ly twas nigh this time . year, an Jest scl
n night as this.
Suppose you tell me about it, suggest
ed, as | threw away the stump Of my cigaI
and wrapped myself in my blanket.
'Taiut much to tell he answered, only
t makes wanderin' felel like me feel
| kinder lost to see folks have all an' more'n II
they want. an kinder riled to see EN- throw
it away ike fools. But that's neither here
nor there and he began:
| Nigh three years ago | was at Omaha,
| Jest agou' to start for the West. had
been out tradn' with the Injnns an sich a
good spell, ar it was nigh seven years since
Id seen the Missouri River so | come back
to look ron d nm sae the old campin'-
grounds But, Lor, it wasn't mite as t
! used to be- the land was all bein' settled,
| an towns agon' up. an it didn't look nat
ural-like an laid I'd jest go back to the
! hutfaloes an bars-they're alters the same.
| So, rs said, was al Omaha IT wa Mt no
place at all thcn) agoin to start for what /
| call the West. jined company with a lot
| of fellers eoin' ON to Calitornv. We had
good stock an a plenty o grub, an we start
! ed.
There was some fuss at first bout a wo-
| man that wanted to go as cook-wanted to
cook the grub Z pay for gcin'; and some OF
the chaps wouldn't take her, cause the H.
| luns WAS goin' tn BE- on the path, an the
didn't want no women. SEES !, 'ef she's got
pluck enough to 90, iake her; she won't do
no harm. an e: the Injuns gets us. | kin
pu: ball thro' her head. Thank you,
ses q voice behind me. / turns round, an
there she stands. When sees her, amt
sorry said what did. knew she would
Mt be no trouble, an ef the Injuns come
wouldn't yell, ut ask me to kill her et
| didn'. She want Altered o nothin', | see
it ir her eye, and she wanted to go bad
'Foks out there, l reckon ses /. yes,
ses she, shy-lke, and turnin red, my man.
| out there. &c less you'd better take her,
saws to the men; her mans out there, an
she won't be no trouble. She looked at
me grateful-hke. az they said she might
| go.
Well. we started. Hannah--.hat was the
woman's name-want a mite o trouble.
She was a mighty good cook, an do"e a
heap o work an she alters had pleasant
| face. an 4 smile that made the cakes as
! good agin. When we sat round the fire AT
| night. see she alters looked to the west
an her face would git bright-like when the
| Captin said bow fur we'd gone, and knew
she was thiukin' of her man; an' sometimes
! thought Id 90 round the world to know
such face was lookin' fur me. Sometimes
after supper Ia say suihin' to her, an got
acquainted some but she alters peared
| keerlul bout bein' too free and easy-like-
though, Lor' knows, she needn't with me.
/ Things went on all quiet and smooth VII
we come to the Laramie Plains, to Alkali
| Run. When We got there we camped close
to old Tom SCOTS chebang, an he come
! al asked US to take along a woman that
had been LETT there by a train, cause she
WAS sick an couldn't 90 10 further. She
WAS most well now, an wanted to go to her
husha, d in Calitorny. She wanted to 90
bad. The men said No; ! but Hannah SAID
she, 90 an see her. When she come back
| So" she'd bin erwin and She told the men
they must take the woman-she wouldn't
| he no trouble, an she'd take care on her
! s. af er while they lei her dos she'd a
rnjtd to. an she brought her. She took
| her inter her own wagon, and waited on her
k" she'd hin chi.d.
| The women wasn't n mite alike; Hannah
had bin raised in the West, and she was
| tall and strog, an her black eyes flashed
when she was mad, kin t Il ye; but the
| other woman was a little white thing, an
| her eyes was soft and terder-jlst like a
| Young rabbits under the sage. She looked
/ I u 4. l,.,, H.,
nah took to her right away. Hannah tried
/ to cheer her up, and was alters bright an
cheerful; an they'd talk about Callforny
! tiil you'd think there wasn't 10 other place
! in the world Hannah had bin there, and
! the other woman hadn't. and ono was nj ers
! a>kim' questions of the other; though | no
! ticed she never said nothin' bout the folks
| she WIS qoin to see, only bout the country
an what WAS doin' .hore.
Well, one night Jest such a night rs This
the women had got inter their wagon, an
we was all asleep 'cept Ben Jones and me,
who was keepin' watch. | set right hy the
pened could take kecr of them first ; aud
pretty soon see Ben dozin' on the other
side of the fire, and everything was still.
| Before long | heard the women's voices in
the wagon, an moved off closer to the fire,
! cause | didn't 'spose they wanted Inc to
| hear what they was sayin'; but. they talked
loud, ana ! condn't help hearin'. Any
way ses to m;self. it's only old Bill, and
| he never tells 10 tales 1t was the other
woman who was l. kin. and her voice was
clear and soft, like Il hell heard onst when
| | was a boy; aud she was excited. and
| spoke so loud and clearlike ! couldn't help
| hcarn'.
'Oh, Hannah, am so happvr she said
it was only u lit.lp home, but it Was pretty
an neat. an was so proud il. an
| loped nv hushard more nor can tell. He
was stead an good IN those days, an he
went to his work every morning, and | did
my part at home. The house was alters
clean, an biz supper ready when lie cen'e
home at night, an et | was tired so was he,
an never made no complaints; for
thought there wasn't n happier home in the
world. But after baby came ] vas ailin,
an worn ont with havin' my rest broke, an
| forgot to have smile for him when he
come home, an WAS cross an tretiul. s.
pretty soon he took to goin' out of evenings
when he'd had his supper, cause he
couldn't have no peace at home; an then
he got unsteady, and dida't go to his work
regular. These things went on from bad
to worse-an'- hen he went away.
Here she broke down cry;n but after 8
while Hannah says, in a queer tone, jest as
| if i, had been pinched ont o her:
but where did your-where did your jim
go?'
He went to California she ses. between
her sobs, 'and I've never seen him sence.
'They were quiet for a while, an
thought they'd gone to sleep; but the wo
uan spoke agin:
when lie was gone the baby took sick
She was sick long while, an then she
died / hadn't nothin' to live for, an
thought should die, too. But pined lol
jim; thought that e. could only see hin
onst more could die happy. After lon9
while 90, better. an then ] sold ever,
thing I had and started TO find Jim.
don't know where he is, only he was III Cal
ifornia somewheres, an III find him eff
live. / never was good t him the poo
thing went on, 'an' may be he's torgo
me by this time; but | would be goo'
wife l. him now, an try t make HIM hap
py.' ;.
What did you say his name was? jim
what?' asked Hannah.
Jim Myers
NV Godr was all heard. I jumped
| IT, h.,rJ e;,l n moan onst in AN Iulut