Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-07-26

beardlCss volunteer, and she thought she
had waited long enough. All this came
to Adams in long letters at such intervals
ns horseback Journeys could be made
from the range to the post Office eighty
miles away, and he wa' te1 TO sell out
and 20 hone and settle down. But old
Matt demurred. lie thought they were
doln' powerful well, and II was better to
hang ON another; year and double their
pile. Finally one day old Matt came
back to the camp from long trip. He
had been clear to Austin. In Austin he
mad met a man from old Kaintuck, and
Ibis man had told him that his mother,
olghtyi almost blind; with no one left to
leau upon as she passed down the river a
littlt way beyond found an apology for
home with Pome distant kindred who
were patiently waiting for her to die.
Matt was mOodler and more taciturn
than ever, now. The next day he mount
ed his mustang, and when he came back
H. the course Of three days Ike knew just
what the firmi of Gnsby ~ Adams was
worth. lie was ready to yield to Adams
and srll out. IL was not difficulty to ind
Il purchaser then, for it had begun to be
nois'd abroad that there was money,
mints of il, ia Texas cattle. go there was
activity for a few days on the Grisby ~
Adams range. The cattle were eoralled,
the steers that were fit to drive were pick
rl out and driven away out on the range.
The stock cattle, cows, calves, yearlings,
ETC., rrpfest tnting the brand, were sold To
"a couple of ranchcrs for twenty thousand
dollars, and old Matt and young Adams
took The Chisholm trail with twelve hun
drtd head Of steers for the Kansas City
market.
As they moved slowly northward
" iIh their hoofcd and horned wealth in
front of them, and the Proceeds of the
sale Of their brand In their saddle-bags,
cueh busted his brain with his own day
dream with his near future. Young
ans dream had in ii the cOmely image
of n huxOm Illinois girl ia the foreground,
who hnd been waiting for him these seven
years, since he had gone away In blue
IN SiXty-lwO. And his mother and little
sisters, in their poor little home on the
prairie, waiting too. When he got home
with cool twenty thousand in
Lis pocket, wouldn't he open people's eyes
in that hum.dIum, spring-w heat raising
country Wouldn't he buy nice farm
that he had in his minds eye, and fix
up the house in fine shape, and make n
neat home for HE mother and sisters, and
for his girl who bad waited so long and
, true Old Matts dream had in Il no
such spice of romance, but it was just as
sweet to him for all that. For he was
going back to Kentucky to see her who
had lSytd and nurtured him fifty years
ago, and whose few remaining years il
should be his mission TO fill that enjoy
ment with which her humble life had
been, perhaps, all to unfamiliar.
ESQ the old lady's jist stayin' with
! folks that'r waitin' fur her to die Is
she ." unused Matt. "Well, l reckon I'll
relieve both parties by goin' thar 20 take
car on her. l don't seem TO be much
good In the world nohow, but | mought
do the old lady heap o good while
,he stays an that'll make up for a
power % tdllln'," And so they moved
along.
1t takes q long time to get to market
with Texas cattle. But the beauty of the
thing is that they gain in flesh and valu,
ms they 20, there is II compensation and
no time is lost.
The trail leads through the territory oi
the Choctaws, Chickasasaws and Chero.
fces. Aud, under the treaty laws, these
Indians are entitled to certain toll fOi
the privilege of driving stock through
their lands. Now ii is easy enough tC
get along with the full-blood ChOctaws
They are civil hosptahle-as far ms thtil
means of hospitality go-good Haturcd
lazy, and for the most part, just comfort
ably shiftless or shiftlgssly comfortable
as you like, and they never quarrel with
the callle-men or anybody else If the!
can help IL. Butthe Choctaw half.brecd
are Il different species of animal alto
gether. The offspring, generally, o
a most internally vicious class of whit
men, they rombine all the eursednes
of the two races thatare mingled IN them
to such ropletion that there is no roor
for any of the virtues of either. Abou
the only similitude they bear TO the full
bluods in the matter Of disposition,
lheir dcep-seated antlpnthy 10 york G
any kind. But their cupidity is by n
ucuus u- Ia siyc as their lazInc,s is III
cuiuh.r; a. td thus il sometimes happen
that they seek to levy the eXtorliunat
toll upon the passiug herds. Now I'll
Texan PAYS this toll none too cheel full
under any circumstances. Ile cherishc
10 deeI.seated conviction that "Ih
Government is d-n fool, and doe
a heap o trinin' with the redskins.
l'thc Vincent Colyers and the Freedman
> Bureau Towards, and that ilk of humaI
itariaus, have been exercised from tim
out of mind to solve the Indian problem
he could solve il quite readily if the gON
crnmcut would just stand out of the wa
for year or two. II occasionally hal
pens that there is a half bre, ds iuneri
: not long after an attempt has been mad
To levy double toll. But il must not /
! Imagined that the funeral business is n
en- the half.br6ed side ON the account
for many Texan has found a blood
burial along the Chisholm trail. Wha
ever may be the ha I. orcd's vices, thei
il no lack of fight in him. Thus, whe
u he and the Texan come together, with u
sentimental affection to overcome at q
start, ii is quite like introducing Il re-
>. hot iron into keg OF powder.
> We'll, an attempt was made, near Il
!. Canadian, to levy double toll ON Il
4 herd OF Giisby ~ Adams. When il va
q overland It was over soon-the firm
1 Gr.shy ~ Adams, lacked junior partne
4 and ont of party of five half-breeds, ol
4 had gotten away alive, to say nothing
q "a "Grcaser" or two who hsd been hel
+. ing ON the drive. This was no new C.
, pcriencc for old Matt. lie sOrrowiul
e buried his dead partner, put gum plastc
1, on two or three slight gashes where clio
bullets had laked his own skin in d
i scrimmagc, and resumed his drive
n though nothing had happened. Po
o Adams had made no sign except liti
t convulsiye quiver after he fell. Not
is last word or message for his mother
+ his sisters or his betrothed, who W
- waiting for him. Not even last dyii
II smile for old Matt, who loved him
A he might have loved his own son. I
l. tight had been of that quick, sharp so
IS where no time is wasted in the sentime
Ie tai.
.r 81 knowed that boy was game wheI
If lrst sOt eyes on him in Shreveport" " Sd
Il old Matt to himself satisfedly. Ilavi
/. said this much he had exhausted I
ID Texan vocabulary of eulogium. 1t
" grand TO die admirably. Poor GeOT
l., Adams did not enjoy the opportunity,
went so quick. The half-breed's bul
1t that crashed through his brain calm
lf his hot wrath in the sudden freezing
IN death, and there was nothing to She
- that he died game, more than that I
IL bullet-h1le was in his forehead. l
of that, together with the TACT that II TO
Ne force to dislodge his pistol-butt from
of dead fingers, aud that two Of the de
MS half-breeds lay close to the illinois,
re satisfied old Matt and so the poor
r. found a place iu Matt's memory alol
side Of the hundreds Of his old-t
X comrades who were embalmed in
rugged admiration for having Sd
of game"
ne This list of Matt's heroes was head
&c by the name of Fannin. And the
ed man would warm up the blood
- ThiGty-s X that the "reminiscences OF
ed iiad brought back 10 his veins aga