Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-03-21
My R0om.Mates I'm Texas.

By q. ID. BREWERTON.
We were in camp at Fort Mcintosh
near Loredo in Southwestern Texas. I
had my quarters, as soldiers lodgings
arc called, in jac0l (Which please pro.
nounce hah coD,-a hut built of logs
set UPRIGHT in the ground, with chinks
half daubed with clay, and steep roof
matched with grass. I took no heed
OF It's ill-hung door and solitary little
six-pane window when moved in, but
was thankful to have a shelter for my
lead and even row of logs between
me aud the chill northors which sweep
with bitter force the broad valley of the
Rio Grande.
As for furniture, my new abode was
for frontier dwelling, really sump-
tuous in its way. The mud floor was
always more or less sloppy in the rainy
season, needed no carpet. I had an
old four.barrel for washstanL, q
r1ckety table with at least two sgame -
legs, and u big wooden tub for bathing
purposes. A homemade, clumsily
built four-pest bedstead stood in the
centre OF my apartment, Just under a
huge beam which ran across the middle
of the unceiled room and helped to
support the roof. Here lived quite
alone till an accident gave me the room
mates OF whose behavior and soclable
ways l am about to tell you.
The first to arrive were Mr.. and Mrs,
Gopher aud the two little Gophers,-
now don't mean the turtle by that
name, but sort of ground squirrel
with bright, peery eyes and soft, mouse
like body, whose risky, funny ways
kept me busy watching them in spite
of myself. They called first, not 80
much out of regard for me, but to pay
their respects to my bath-tub of fresh,
clear water for, though the river was
close at hand, the banks were too steep
to permit of their reaching it without
some danger of slipping into the tide
and being swept away by its rapid cur
rent. So one morning as F lay half
asleep upon my bed, I saw old Mr..
Gopher peeping knowingly in through
the half-open door, and then withdraw
ing as he caught sight of me. Growing
holder by degrees he entered, and, hav-
ing apparently assured himself that I
was harmless, retreated to return i'm
mediately with Mrs. Gopher ana fam
lily, who tripped daintily across nv
earthen floor to the brimminp bath. tub.
where they went nosine round a. ii
they longed for taste of it's impid
contents; desire made still more EVIL
dent by Mrs. Gopher, getting upon her
hind legs and licking wet spot on the
After watching their vain endeavors
TOR while, 1 determined to help my
little visitors to drink so, stepping
noiselessly out of bed, I found BIT OF
board, one end of which I placed on
the floor, while the other rested on she
side OF the tub, forming gentle ascent
to the surface of the water within. Tn
doing this, however, I dropped INV
stick. frightening my visitors and cans.
ing them to beat q speedy retreat. in
which old Mother Gopher led off. While
Father Gopher, like gallant old gen.
tleman Gopher, was last in flight, GOV.
ering their rear in true militar,
style. Thinking I had lost them
went to bed again, leaving the sticl
leaning against the tub ;but before lona
the little creatures came stealing in. and
after careful examination of nv con
trivance old Father Gopher mounted
and on reaching the top took his drinl
and then descended to the floor, wher
after some apparent consultation thu
remainder of the family followed hi,
example. From this time the Gophers
VISITED me once or twice a day, oul
friendship being cemented BY sundr,
bits of commissary biscuit and othe1
edible fragments which they finally
grew so tame as to eat almost at m,
feet.
Becoming weary at length of so dis
tant an acquaintanceship I determined
to capture my guests, and laid my plan.
accordingly. removed the board b,
which they had hitherto assembled t.
drink, and in its stead placed stick nc
nicely balanced that it's upper extremit,
extended over the surface of the wate,
and only needed the weight of pophe,
or two (for latterly they had gone up in
at first) to upset the little creatures into
the tub, from whence I proposed t.
fish them ont by their long tails a.
they swan to and fro. It was, more
over, my intention to imprison m,
captlves in certain large wooden. bot
toned box, the four sides which wer,
composed Of glass while the top wa,
left open. OF these boxes we hai
several, as they had been made to pro
tect our candles from the draughts, no
to mention the clouds of insects which
in those latitudes would otherwise
speedily clog the wick and extingaist
the flame.
My trap being thus prepared, l "a,
quietly down to await the result. On
this occasion it so happened that old
Gopher let his spouse and children
precede HIM, the three going Up almost
together; a moment more, and q tiltine
Of the stick, followed by a series oil
splashes, assured me that nv scheme
had sthus far proved successful. Rush
ing to the tub began to extricate my
friends, taking good care to seize them