The Arizona sentinel., 1876-08-19
A Strange Bedfellow.

we CID Cne loIioWAhS iion Eastern exchange:
 I haven't dated this letter, be- cause I don't quite know where I am. lam about nine miles from Julesburg, at a little settlement on the South Platte River. At day light tomorrow I am to catch some of the finest salmon you ev- CT saw. They will not bite at any other time of day. IsuppOse they learned this disagreeabie habit Of early breakfasting from the "bull- whackers" who navigate these plans. I am stopping at little hotel about 30 by 10 feet. The scarcest thing in this country is lumber, settlers having to pay ev- CT so many dollars a foot for all they use, besides what they brought in valises. The landlord is from Pennsylvania, and seems to be doing a thriving business. By dint of hard talking and llb- eral promises I got room to my self. It is just large enough for the bed and candle-box set on chair upon which ] am writing this letter. It is in one end of the building, and separated from the next room by bed quilt, which you crawl under to come m or go out. But it is my room, and after the iolting I have had upon the Indian pony, I expect to have a good nights -
 Was ever a poor pilgrim in such a fix? Just as 1 had written nights above, and had sleep upon the point of my pen, l heard a knocking on the floor outside the bed quilt. "Crawl under," said I.
 Enter the landlords daughter, a buxom young lady of r years of age, 1 should judge. She opened her rosy lips and spoke as follows
 Mister, don't take off your clothes tonight when you go to bed"
 "Why?"
 "Because I am going to sleep with you"
 "Well, if you have no better reason than that -"
 "Hush Shet up! You told par that you would not sleep with a man."
 "Had rather sleep with a wet dog"
 "WeIl, Pve given up nay bed to sick man. have been hard at work all day, and have to work hard all day to, morrow, and cant afford to set up all night. That bed is wide enough for us both. 1 I shall stay on my side, and if you don't stay on your side, you'd bet ter, that's all." l As she said this she raised from her dress pocket an infarual jack knife, such as farmers use in trim ming fruit trees, and then let 1t fall back with a chug. 1 compre- hended the situation in half a mo- ment, and unto this maiden l quoth as follow:
 "Miss, young lady. your inten- tions may, or may not, be honor Iable. ana travelling entirely by
 myself. My natural protectors are miles and miles away beyond 1 the boundIess prairie, ignorant of
 the perils which may beset their
 idol. Thus far I have not been insulted by your sex. am a man of few words, but they are always
 emphatic. I will give you part 1of that bed and that's all l will
 do. If you attempt, during the silent watches of the night, any
 thing contrary to this firm deter
 imitation, by St. Joseph, my pa,
 tron saint, will shoot you right
 through the midriff."
 | AS I concluded I laid SlOcum
 pistol upon the candle box. A low
 chuckle outside the bed quilt gave |, evidence that p0ter f0naiti0s had
 heard and approved the arrange , ment. My antagonist laughed. and saying, "Mister. I reckon we un, derstand each other," bounded over to the back side of the bed There she is now, pretending tc be asleep. I can't do anything , Talk about the trials of the earlier
 saints-about being broiled over , lives coals-about being f1ayeo alive-about being boiled in oil What was all that to this?