Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-05-24
CHUCK-A COLORADO ROMANCE.

LII you stand upon certain bluff on
the south side of the Arkansas river, a
few miles above the mouth Of the Pur-
gatoire, you will be the spectator of a
scene not easily forgotten in future
wanderings.' Eastward stretches dirnly
away the winding, sedgy valley of the
dreariest river of the West-treeless,
sandy, desolate All around you are
the endless undulations of the wilder
ness. Beneath you are the yet silent
camps Of those who are here to-day and
gone tomorrow. Westward is some
thing you anticipate rather than see !;
vague and misty forms lying upon the
horizon But while the world is vet
dark below and around you, and there
is scarce the faintest tinge of gray in
the east, if you chance to look north
ward you will see something crimson
high up against the sky. At first it is q
roseate glow, shapeless and underlined
Then it becomes cloud castle, battle
mented and inaccessible, draped in
mist and hung about with a lowering
curtain of changing purple, But as it
grows whittier and clearer the vague out
lines of mighty shape appear below it,
stretching downward toward the earth
What you see is the lofty pinnacle
which has cleaned first inv the flying
darkness, sun. kissed and glorifed in
the rosy mornings of all the centuries.
1t is Pixies peak, sixty miles away.
Y ears ago, q victim of the nomadic
instinct named Lemuel Sims, a man
who had forsaken his home in the Mis-
souri, bottoms for gold-hunting jour
ney to California, and who, after many
changes, had again started eastward,
was finally stranded upon the banks of
the-Arkansas, within the magic circle
of protection around old Fort Lyon. Sims
had grown middle-aged in wandering,
and had consumed almost the last re-
mains of that dogged energy in migra-
ton which is the characteristic of his
class, by the time he reached spot
than which it would have been hard
to find any more utterly wanting in at.
fractions. But he was not alone, for he
had wife who had been his companion
in his journeys, and three daughters,
who had irregu)arly come in upon his
| viclssitudes. In sending those guests
which are always unwelcome and never
not been kind. What he needed was
boys-boys of whom hereafter should
be made the ranchers, the Indian
fighters, the hunters and the poker
| players who should diligently follow in
the footsteps of their wild predecessors,
and live hard and die suddenly. When
Sims came to his last residence, the or
der of march was as follows First,
Sims, hundred yards in advance, gun
in hand; secondly, two mules and an
old wagon, Mrs. Sims at the helm
thirdly, three cows, four sheep, four
dogs, and behind all, two freckled,
brawny, moccasined girls. The third
and youngest, the darling of the family
too young, indeed, for service-occu-
pied cozy nest among the household
goods, and peeped out from beneath
the tattered cover, plump, saucy, and
childishly content. She had acquired
| the name of Chuck, abbreviated from
chacquita-" little one"-and amid all
the changes which befell her thereaf
ter, the name clung to her as part o1
herself.
The Sims outfit" was only an inte
grail portion of cavalcade of such
strong enough for all purposes of mu
tual society and defense. Months had
passed since the family began this lasi
move. The long summer days hao
passed, and the nipping nights and
scanty pasturage were the cause of the
premature ending of the .journ y. Hav
ing stopped only for right, they hao
concluded to stay until spring, or some
other time when spasm of the migra
tory disease should seize them. But
| the rough house of cottonwood logs
Sims made with the help of his family
4 was a sheltered nook which soon be
came home-like. There was game in
abundance, and what was not immedi
.ately consumed the old man exchange
for groceries at the post. What was
Istill more fortunate, Sims house was
near the route of travel, and he coulo
indulge his love of gossip, as well as fur
nish an occasional meal to travellers
When spring came the stock had grown
fat, and, save the mules, had increased
in numbers hundred fold. Impellec
by the force of circumstances, little
garden was inclosed, and it came about
that by June the frontiersman and his
family found themselves prospering be
! yond anything in. their past history
The shanty took upon itself the dignity
of 81 ranch; and in truthfulness it il
necessary TO state that the commodity
which met the readiest and most profit
able sale was fluid which, chemically
speaking, it was slanderous to cal
whisky Simss" " became known fa1
and wide, and the proprietor began to
think himself gaining upon the world
both in money and fame-two things