The Hickman courier., 1873-07-26

I
slaughter house, And the pants well,
one look at the pants would fetch tears
from any distance. I don't know as
their faces were dirty. Perhaps they
were not. If any one could get down
to where their faces are he would find
out
They were strong, healthy looking
men and women, but they didn't have
that ferocity about them that scares
work. How they live I do not know
They may hunt fer a living. If so, it
goes TO show how wonderful are the
ways of creation. I know of no better
place to hunt for living than on those
plains.
There was none of that wild grandeur
of apparel which had been led by cir
Gus representations to believe monopo-
Hzed the trunks of savages. The blank
ct and pants, with soft hat, where
tbcl. was any hat at 81 al censtitatsap
There were no feathers, no fringes.
But there was paint. 1t was streaked
evidently gave great dead of attention
to this branch of art, and had attained
a success that appeared marvellous
When you got down from the car-in tie
night, and in the light OF the station
lamp saw one of these sample clrks
from the great national paint 7hop
come toward You, you got ON tb car
again. You may not have sprung on.
But that's the way it looks.
. We passed a few of their houses.
Some of these were formed of yoles set
in circle in the earth, and tiei at the
top with strips of hide, and patty COW
cred with bits of cloth. In the center
of this pavilion fire of stick, and roots
cooks the meals, and here the family
gathers to think of the traditions of the
past, and cough up smoke.
The Pukes-that is, the Piutes-are
people of few pleasures They have
no homes, so they ride on the cars to
pass away time They get up on the
platforms to the baggage and postal
cars, and viii sit there for hours and
dodge cinders. When they become
tired Of the motion they viii get down.
Wherever they stop they are at home.
They may miss their clean linen and
bath and parlor organ, but they control
their emotion so perfectly that you do
not suspect It.
Beyond Sherman, the highest point
oE the road, we met the Chinese, and
have had them in several capacities ever
since. They have chattered back to us
as track hands, and eonforted rs as
cooks, and exasperated us as walters.
But. in looking back over the trip. we
can conscientiously say that we feel no
i'll toward John. In all phases in which
we have met him. we have found him
patient, industrious, temperate and
good-natured. All these qualities show
in their expression. 1 cannot nov re-
call single vicious-Iooking Chinaman.
rrIaai. costume -, 4ha -oa.I - =, lo-.s,e,
blouse of blush color and light materi-
al, and pants of the same stuff. The
blouse came to the knees. Their shoes
were mostly the wooden pattern. Sur
mounting their shapely heads were
straw turbans, with wide brim and with
edges that curl under. Something like
the cap to an acorn. In the cities they
wear soft wool hats with straight, mar
row brims. All of them wear the cue /;
on some it is pendant; on others it
forms a coil at the back of the head.
This mode of wearing the hair indicates
the company to which they belong As
walters the blush blouse is replaced by
one of spotless white And they make
good walters, although there is occa-
sionally difficulty in fixing their atten-
ton on you. Both men and women
preserve the customs of their native
land. though in costuming eolors are
avoided.
Car life on the plains is monotonous.
Anticipation, regret, guide-books,
watches and meals absorb most of the
leisure, although there is little time
devoted to lying about various subjects.
But you find people who can lie SO
much more tortuously than you can
that this department is soon vacated.
The eating occurs pretty regularly.
The meals are uniformly good and well
served. 1 can hardly tell you what
they are composed of, and it is too deli
cate subject to guess at. The steak
was always tough. 1t was so constantly
tough that the fact finally filed me
with uneasiness. They say it was beef,
and I hope it was. We ehad other meats
cut from the same animal, and a good
selection of vegetables. The coffee and
tea were always excellent, and so was
the bread The meals were one dollar
each, and to watch fifty persons endea
voring to eat dollars worth of stuff IL
twenty minutes was sight only the
more favored of earth's children ar'
permitted to behold.
Russia's Last Grab