The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-06-25

particular moment. "Now, Armstrong, s
said the imperious head of the firm, "
4" you get right into the middle of that a
roa |, sir, and walk in that dust, behind t
that wagon, all the way to the Packers |
RDost, on the Yuba river" What, t
with these clothes on?" eyes, with c
those clothes on" "Why, it is fifteen {
miles and dusty all thewav." Ono mat {
ter, sir; take the road. You sQuander !
you money at throec card monte ; III
teach you a lesson"
"Glang glang !" drawled the drl-
yer, as he looked over his shoulder with
curious mingling of pity, contempt
and wonder on his dusty face. More
and more spitefulIy snapped the swing,
ing whip as the slow-paced oxen toiled
mile after mile under the heat of a Sep
tember sun. And there, in the road,
trudged Armstrong behind the wagon
slowly, YEARLY, thoughtfully, but not
silently. He was n 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" "It will spoil these clothes
"Well, don't you deserve it?" "The
dust fills my eyes" eyes, any man
who CANDLES all his dust away at
three. card monte deserves to have dust
in his eyes-and alkali dust at that.
"The dust chokes me-" All right
any man who will buck at monte de-
serves to be choked. Keep the road,
sir-the 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, selt-arrestedd,
self-condemned, coughed, and sneeHedi,
and choked, and walked, and talked,
mile after mile, hour after hour whiie
the great wagon groaued AMI crcaked,
the driver bawled and swung his whip,
the patient oxen gave their shoulders to
the yoke, and the golden sun of Sep
tember sunk YEARLY toward the west
The shadows of evening were begin,
, ming to fall when the wagon halted at
= the place called Packers Roost, on the
: Yuba.
j, "Here we rest" sighed Armstrong,
l lust above his breath, rs he looked at
the stream. "No, You don't, answered
the head of the firm. " You buck your
. money away at monte, and talk about
. resting Now, Armstrong, 60 r'ght,
. down the bank, sir, into that river
As the command was peremptory, ana
!, spirit of obedience was thought the
% safest, Armstrong obeyed without par,
- lev and down he went, over head ana
> ears store-clothes and all, into the colo
= mountain stream. 1t was a long time
- that he remained in the water, and I'M
10 der the water. He would come to tho
~ surface every little while to talk, yor
i, understand. 1t was impo 's,bo To-
a. Armstrong to forbear talking. ~
~ =, YES" he would say, as he came mp an,
- snuhed the water from his nose, You
t 60 bnck your money away at thre'-car'
70 70 monte, will you? How do you llk
50 =, wafer. cure ?" His words were, o
u, course, duly punct,lated by irregul5a
IN nlunpings and catching of the breath
-. y. 1t s. happened that the man VIII
~ w. kept the shanty hotel at the dacKGf'
~ Roost, had woman for wife. She, pt
VI inc kind hearted creature, besougt
Is, her lord to go down and " help tn
re moor crazy man ont of the water,
Up, "Pshaw!" said the oX-drlver, y
hH Ns amt a crazy man; he's fool; Il
vi ", walked behind my wagon and talked ,
'in ona himself all the way from Scraool
town." ,..a;,
Thereupop rose lengthy discussl'
n8 about the difference between a crai
!h' man and n fool. But, after awhlie, Il
Inc landlord and the ox-driver went doV
an TO the bank and agreed to 60 Arl
n9, otronr's socnrity against bucking
NJ monte in the future, it be would con
-cS- -t.S ont of the water. SO he came out al
~, went mp to house
~" "Will Won have cup OF tea or c'
,CS, foe ?" said the woman Isl. d'y.
re- "Yes, madam, said Armstrong;
o. J., will take both, ;,
J, " " "He is crazy, sure as can DC, 81
u IL The woman. But shc brought the t
fiul ems as ordered. "Milk and sugar
III. nt she inquired kindly, as before
Ih"' "No, madam, mustard and red p'
i"u' nu per-" answered Armstrong. =,
pe- " do believe he is fool, said
|, nus woman, as she went for the pepper g
bis mustard.
> ";s 10 Ar. strong, with deliberate cooln'
rm. put spoonful of red pepper into
;, was "a tea and spoonful of mustard INTO
him. @ coffee. Then he poured the two
Ior n pether into a large tin cup. inen
old conflict ragged again, and, high 40
nina the din of rattling tin cups and pew
",ou Won spoons, sounded the stern comma
nsopd sodd "Armstrong, drink it, sir--drink
;1 liU'l down" A momentary hesitation al
1I ;thin few desperate eulps, and it was 90
'V'''" +" ON, yes" said our hero, as his TIN
,;ort burned and the tears ran from his e
,Un' ~, "vou buck your money away at I'll
tino card monte, do you
form Now, the Thomsonian dose above
orig. scribed very nearly ended the D!
thaf with poor Armstrong. He was 81
tb;no for mite A time, and everybody
rrma, was silent. After while the land
4 of n ventured to suggest that bed conl
thot oroyidel if IL was desired. No,
W no Armstrong. "Tll sleep on the t
ent n Won see. stranger" said he, eyeint
landlord with peculiar express
onok "this fool has been squandering
g and dust ut mon'e-',io nod >
re al does not deserve to sleep IN neu
fnallv So Armstrong ended the day -
which nv going to bed on the foor;
haul came the dreams. nv ';,, n'hi h;s fe(
ps mp that he was S'gePimS, h;a head il
agons, the North 'lI 10, ".'u t n,;rcrs of
rs just tropics, while an ! sue ~ n'iu h;s ator
ow, ir- were ground slulc.hB iu i,o hod swa
keen, Next, he dreaine' d tr sl,'' snnrcr m and
issouri ed Mount ohaSc' iot 5ionIv br
.haw ~ the old mountain i'"'. a ,roa von
driver, an ac'lve Voicunoi - ',T Iayo
a side acres aui acres oi noO sp,f,o1 ,% an
store. seemed to have found his hnal @ ap q
, wben a nIace of vile smells and herce y