The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-02-19
Che Circuit Aider:
A TALE OF THE HEROIC ACE.
By EDWARD EGGLEsIoN,
4athor Of" Tie Hoosier School Mas
ter" End Of the World" etc.
From the Christian Cnion.l
CHAPTER VII.
TREElNG A PREACHER.

those gentle titles now in vogue, a
"The Wild Hunters of the Far West,
or even by one of the labels will
which juvenile and Sunday-schoo
literaturc-milk for babes-is nov
made attractive, as, for instance
"kike, the Young Bear Hunter.
| might here have entertained tht
reader with vigorous description o
the death Of Bruin, fierce and fat, by
the hands of the triumphant like
and Of the exciting chase after deel
under the direction Of Morton.
After two weeks of such varying
success as hunters have, they founc
that it would be necessary to forege
the discomforts Of camp-life for I
day, and visit the nearest settlement
in order to replenish their stock o
ammunition. Wilkins store, which
was the center Of settlement, was q
double log building. In one end the
proprietor kept for sale powder anc
lead, few bonnets, cheap ribbons
and artificial flowers, small stock ol
earthenware, and cheap crockery, q
little homespun cotton cloth, some
bolts of Jeans and linsey, hanks oI
yarn and skeins of thread, tobacco
for smoking and tobacco for "chaw.
ing,' little "store-tea"-so called
in contradistinction to the sage
sassafras and crop-vine teas in gen.
eral use-with a plentiful stock Of
whisky, and some apple-brandy
The other end Of this building was a
large room, festooned with strings OF
driving pumpkin, cheered by an enor.
nous fireplace, and lighted by one
small window with four lights OF
glass. In this room, which contained
three beds, and in the lott above.
Wilkins and his family lived and
kept first-class hotel.
In the early West, Sunday was a
day sacred to Diana and Bacchus
Our young friends visited the settle.
ment at Wilkins en- that day. not
because they wished to rest, but be-
cause they had b. gun to get lonely
and they that Sunday would not fai
to find some frolic il progress, and il
making new acquain,ances fifty mile:
from home; they would be able L
relieve the tedium Of he wilderness
with games at cards. and o,her socia
enloyments.
Morton and like arrived at vii
kins' combined sore and tavcrn al
ten o'clock in the morning, and found
the expected crowd of loafers. The
newcomers s.,ook a hand in all tn.
sports, the iuming, the foot-racing
the quoit-pitching, the "wras'lin,
the target-shooting, the poker-play
ing, and the rest, and We're soon ac
cepted as clever fellows. A frontier
man could bestow no higher praise
to be clever fellow in his sense was
to know how to lose at card, without
grumbling, the peltrics hard-earnec
in hunting, to be always ready te
change your coon-skins into ''drinks
for the crowd" and to be able to hi
three-inch ''mark' at two hundred
PAGES without Dragging.
Jus: as the sports had begun tc
lose their zest little, there walked
up to the tavern door a man in home.
spun dress, carrying one Of his shoes
in his hand, and yet not seeming te
be plain backwoodsman. He
looked triiie over thirty years OF
age. and an acute observer might have
guessed from his face that his life
had been one of daring adventure, and
many vicissitudes. There were
traces also of conflicting purposes, o1
a certain strength, and certain
weakness of character; the melan.
choly history Of good intentions over.
slaughed by bad passions and evi
associations was written in his coun.
tenance.
'.Some fcller 'lectioneerin' I'll bet,
said one Of Morton's companions.
The crowd gathered about the
stranger, who spoke to each one as
though he had known him always
He proposed 1.-The drinks" as the
surest road to an acquaintance, ane
when all had drunk. the stranger paio
the score, not in skins but in silve
coin.
"Sec here. stranger, said Morton
mischievously, "you' re mighty clever
by hokey. What are you running
for?'
"Well, gentlemen, you guessed mi
out that time. | low to run 70
sheriff next heat" said the stranger
who affected dialect for the sake q
popularity.
'What mout your name bc?" aske'
one of the company.
"Marcus Burchard's my nam
when I'm at home. live at jenkins
vile. | sot out in life poor boy
I'm so used to bein' bar'footed tina
my shoes hurts my feet an have I
pack one of 'em i'll my hand most G
the time"
Morton here set down his glas.
and looking at the stranger with pei
feet seriousness said, dryly: "Wel
Mr.. Burchard, | never heard tha
speech so well done before. We'r
all goin' to vote for you, withou
t'other man happens to do it u
slicker'n you do. ! don't believe h
can, though. That was got off yer
NICE"
Burchard was acute enough t
Join in the laugh which this sally prt
duced, and TO make friends wit
Morton, who was clearly the leadt
of the party, and whose influence W;
worth securing.
Nothing grows wearisome SO SOC
as idleness and play, and as evenin
drew on, the crowd tired even Of NJ
Burchard's choice collection of funr
anecdotes-little stories that ha
been aired in the same order at evel
other tavern and store in the count
From sheer ennm it was propose
that they should attend Method
preaching at a house two miles ava
They could at least get some fun o
of it. Burchard, foreseeing a d