Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-06-26
But mere words were not sufficient.

IIl1l as we'll NS COO ScuSlDlc 1Or C03C
Yet he was resolved upon something
real and practical in the way Of re
for1matory punishment. He felt the
need of a sclf-imposed decree of bank.
ruptcy that should render the present
failure as complete as possible, and
prevent a similar course in the future.
So the broken firm of "Armstrong
Il Self went forth in meditation long
and deep. Some Of his thoughts were
too deep for utterancc. But finally he
stood by the dusty road along which
the great freighting wagons were
hauling supplies to the mining camps
up the Sacramento. One Of these
wagons, drawn by six yoke of oxen,
was just passing. Snap, snap, snap,
in slow, irregular succession, came
the keen stinging report of the long
Missouri ox-whip. "Glang! g'lang,
wo-haw!" shouted the tall, dust-bc-
grimed driver, as he swung his whip
and cast side-long glance At the
broken firm, wondering "What in
thunder all them store-clothes was
a-doin' thar" Now, when Arm
strong saw the long column of white
dust rising behind that wagon he
was taken with an idea. So he
shouted to the driver, to know if he
might be allowed to walk in the road
behind the wagon"
'Get in and ride" said the driver.
"No, said Armstrong;; 81 wish to
walk"
''Ihen walk, you crazy fool,' was
the accommodating response, as the
driver swung his whip.
Then came the tug of war. Greek
never met Greek more tierccly than
did the two contending spirits COM
posing the firm of Armstrong & Self,
at that particular moment. "Now,
Armstrong" said the imperious head
Of the firm, ''you get right in the
middle of that road, sir, and walk in
that dust, behind that wagon, all the
way to the Packers Roost, on the
Yuba river" "What, with these
clothes on?" "Why, it is fifteen
miles and dusty all the way" mo
matter, sir; take the road. You
squandcr your money at three card
monte; I'll teach you a lesson"
"G'lang! g'lang" drawled the
driver, as he looked over his shoul-
der with a curious mingling Of pity,
contempt and wonder on his dusty
face. More and more spitefnlly
snapped the swinging whip as the
slow-paced oxen toiled mile after mile
under the heat of a September sun.
And there, in the road, trudged Arm
strong behind the wagon-slowly,
wearily, thoughtfully, but not silent
ly. He was y man who always spoke
his thoughts.
"This serves you right, Armstrong.
Any man who will fool his money
away at three-card monte deserves to
walk in the DUST" at will spoil
these clothes" "Well, don't you de-
serve it?" "The dust fills my eyes,"
Eyes, any man who CANDLES all his
dust away at thrce-card monte de-
serves to have dust in his eyes-and
alkali dust at that" "Thc dust
chokes me-" Cali right, any man
who will buck at monte deserves to
be choked. Keep the road, sir-thc
middle of the road-close up to the
wagon. Do you think you will ever
buck at monte again, Armstrong;"
And so the poor culprit, self-arrest-
ed, self:condemned, coughed, and
sneezed, and choked, and walked,
and talked, mile after mile. hour after
hour; while the great wagon groaned
and crcakcd, the driver bawlcd and
swung his whip, the patient oxen
gave their shoulders to the yoke, and
the golden sun of September sunk
wearily towards the west. The shad-
ows of evening were beginning to fall
when the wagon halted at the place
called Packers Roost, on the Yuba.
"Here we rest" sighed Armstrong,
just above his breath, as he looked at
the stream. "No, you DON'T" an
swered the head of the firm. "You
buck your money away at monte, and
talk about resting! Now, Armstrong,
60 right down the bank, sir, into
that rfver." As the command was
peremptory, and spirit of obedience
thought the safest, Armstrong obey
ed without parley; and down hewent.
over head and ears, store-clothes, and
all, into the cold mountain stream.
1t was long time that he remained
in the water, and under the water.
He would come to the surface every
little while to talk, you understand.
1t was impossible tor Armstrong to
forbcar talking. 80, yes" he would
say, as he came up and snuffed the
water from his nose, "you'll buck
your money away at three-card monte,
will you? How do you like water
cure?" His words were, Of course,
duly punctuated by irregular plung
ings and catching of the breath.
1t so happened that the man who
kept the shanty hotel at the Packers
Roost, had woman for a wife.
She being a kind-hearted creature,
besought her lord to go down and
"help the poor crazy man out of the
water"
'Pshaw!'' said the ox-driver, che
amt crazy man; he's a fool. He
walked behind my wagon and talked
to himself all the way from Scrab-
ble-town."
Thercupon rose a lengthy discus
sion about the difference between y
crazy man and fool. But, after a
while, the landlord and the ox-drivcr
went down to the bank and agreed to
60 Armstrong; security against buck
lug ut monte in the future if he would
come out of the water. So he came
out and went up to the house.
"Will you have cup Of tea or cof-
fee?" said the woman kindly.
eyes, madam" said Armstrong, 81
will take both"
ale is crazy, sure as can be-"
said tho woman, But she brought
the two cups, as ordered. "Milk and
sugar?" she inquired kindly, as be
fore.
"No, madam, mustard and red pep
per-" answered Armstrong.