The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-01-08
Among the Old Boys.

( Up in the hall Of the Pacific Coasl
Pioneers. a few evenings since. severs
Of the "old boys" aud number of latel
eomers, their friends and admirers
were talking over early days in Califor
MIA.
Il shall never forget my first ball il
California, said Bud Crowner. IL,
was in Hangtown, in 52.
"In crossin' the plains we had all sort.
of bad luck We had some of our horse;
stolen by the Injuns. some died, and a,
last we left behind wagons and every
thing but what we could carry on ouI
backs.
/ 1T was every fellow for himself in q
short time. travelled on foot and tool
the desperate chances Of finding grut
smosg. snch wagons and camps as
pesssd oa. the road. =" ~
Nearly naked and half starved.
finally got to Humboldt. l found q
large party Of emigrants camped thar
for day or two to rest, wash clothes.
bake bread and the like.
II was rough looking customer. !
had on an old roundabout or wammus,
that had wore all the way from Pike,
trowsers that were ready to drop off me,
and a pair Of moccasins / got from Q
Shoshone Indian for an old jack knife.
"A man at the camp took pity on me,
and. showing me two pairs of green
baize drawers, told me if I'd wash em
might have one pair for my trouble.
"As they were sound aud much
better than my old pantaloons, l jumped
at the chance washed the articles
and hung 'em on bunch of willers to
dry.
Presently the feller came and took
one pair, leavin' me the other. He was
little, spindlin' bit Of q cuss, while /,
even at that time, starved as was,
weighed nigh on to 40 pounds.
II took the drawers and went some
distance down the river. behind a bunch
of willers. to make my toilet The
washin' and dryin' had shrunk the
drawers to sich an extent that it took
me half an hour to git into them. They
was skin tight; and lacked six inches Of
reachin' down to my ankle jints
IL walked up aud down the bank Of
the creek Tor long time before could
make up my mind to 60 back to camp.
went and looked for my old breeches.
but I had throwed 'cm into the creek
in the start. and they had foated of or
sunk somewhere.
"As l walked up and down thar by
the water my long, slim. green legs
made me look like Ayupthecreek. a
crane. or some sich water fowl
"Whon went to camp everybody
roared and laughed. some rollin' them.
selves on the ground and roarin' till
they was black in the face.
ITO keep the sun from burnin' my
ankles got some cloth and made
straps SO could strap the drawers
down to my moccasins.
I'm passin' along by the wagons !
overlook l had to stand all the fun that
people saw fit to poke at me. Here
comes the great crane Of the dssert!
some would say. while others would
call me the green dragon of the plains.
when / got to Hangtown l found
out that there was to be grand ball
that night in the edge of town. Before
sca.terin' out into different parts of the
country the people were goin' to have
a big dance together.
I'm the evenin' thought Id slip
down to where the dance was to come
off and look on awhile. I found they
had set up lot OF crotches in which
they had laid poles. coverin' the whole
with pine aud spruce boughs, maxim 4
sort Of canopy. The ground had been
lcveled of aud beaten down till it was
like brickyard.
II found two or three fiddlers mount
I'd on pine boxes and with them feller
With o clsronet. They were maxim
pretty fair music and great crowd was
dancin' away for dear life.
II looked on for q time, but pretty
soon ! got excited like, forgot all abou,
my drawers and sailed into the thick
Of the business with big Pike county
gal. with sun bonnet of aud hair hang
in halfway down to her heels.
~ can tell you we made the dust fly
soon saw that, though my drawers
might be listle tight, / had On abou,
the soundest and gayest rig in the
whole place. | looked as though in
some kind ofa masqueradin' outfit. and
begun To consider myself the beau OF
the ball-a regular dandy.
II made them long, green legs oi
mine fly. in swingin' on the corners.
| aud was the wonder of every mao
woman and child at the bali. go. SO
excited about the sensation l wAi
maxim that l cut oil kinds Of pigeon
wings and fancy fioarisles. bring,n
down the house every time
"Go in green legs the fellers out
side would holler. and go in l did
Finally. couple of children came
waitxin' along. I thought it would bs
q good trick to sling one Of my long
green legs, circus fashion, over the
heads of the little couple.
II tried it aud heard somethin' rip -
you can guess wha. had happened.
left that hall runnin' like skeered kio
tee and don't know that I've ever so,
eyes on man. woman or child that was
thar from that day to this"
Guess you have" said m old char
among the listeners; Il was thar. and
my oldest gal yoa was a-dancin' with
THE little gal You tried to swing
your leg over" said another otd cock
was my child. aud she is now th,
wife Of Senator VS. OF California. y
Il am the very nan who gave you
those green baixs drawers" said an
other Of the party. Il remembered