The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-06-19
Where the Bad Bows Go To 2

The Kansas City Times correspond
ent, writing from Denver, gives this
theory, and story as well, of where the
bad boys go to. The usual ones are
well known, but he has struck new
lead, rs follows -
The bad boy of the family often goes
West. L have seen him often. The
last noticeable time he was in the yard
OF not very large house, about two
blocks from the post-office, in Denver.
He stood in his careless, lazy way be-
fore short, thick-set man, who held n
greasy memorandum book in his hand.
This was the wagon boss. The covered
wagons, three or four, were standing in
the yard, and dozen or fourteen young
fellows were sitting and lying around,
just such as used to crack their whips
and bang thew revolvers about the
bluffs of Kansas City.
"Been out before? ?"
eyes just come in."
Understand mules p
"You bet"
Ready fixed for trip ?"
"Yah."
"How many Injuns are you good
for?
This bad boy of somebody's swung
off step or two sideways to the fence
corner and picked up a belt, raised the
flaps from the butts of a pair of the
largest navy's and answered "About -
reckon"
"Talk Iniun or Greaser any ?"
"Some."
"All right. What's your name ?"
Our bad boy looked over at his chums
and grinned while thinking over which
of his half dozen aliases he should give,
and then said, Harry Smith,"
"Well, it's $40 "A month ; good ra-
tions start at daylight be on hand to
load up"
Outside of the fence and out of sight
of his companions, he undid another
button of his hunting skirt, and showed
a concealed belt and purse.
"Beppo," said he, ."when L come
back from this surveying expedition
down the Platte, / shall have enough to
buy six mule team then I'm going it
on my own hook when I've made my
pile, I'm going back to the folks. Have
you seen them lately? They don't know
where / am"
"But in spite of his good intentions,
it is more than likely he will do nothing
of the sort. The purse will shrink and
fill again many times as it has before
when lying around Denver or coming in
from trip, and when the required sum
is about complete, a partner is sure to
get sick or in prison and have to be
helped out, and they will both ego on
a bum with the remainder. Hans
Christian Anderson, among his many
stories, tells capital story of an "Ugly
Duckling." 1t got among the steady
going ducks and geese somehow, but as
it had little likeness to them, they drove
it out as q deformed and ugly creature.
But when at last it reached its. proper
waters and it's kind, it discovered itself
to be stately swan. These ugly ducks
of bad boys lose their deformities on the
plains, for, after all, kid gloves and
walking canes are not the best things
to go surveying among the Indians
with, to say nothing of correct morals.
Denver is having troublesome time
with ugly ducks, warning with their
cricket varieties" closing their gamb
ling dens, enforcing ordinances. When
the boys can no longer stand the pres
sure they "put out" After awhile the
icy barriers of correct society of the
West will freeze around the bad boys
closer and closer, till they are quite
froze out, and the only place left for
them to migrate to will be-the peni-
tentiary.