Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-05-28
TOMS RUG.

grew tired of the regular round; and
turning to one evening, as we sat to-
gether, he exclaimed:
Perkins. old fellow, shall write Q
book r.
Do said, laughing; and let me IL
lustrate it. The Fatal Gilt; or, the
Poisoned Penholder,' q romance In three
volumes. illustrated with twenty-four
drawings on wood by Arthur Perkins,
A. B. c. D. E. F., etc. etc.
The very thing l mean, said Tom.
But none of your romance stuff. i
mean nature, sir--glorious nature. I'm
sick of titles, chimney-pots, and socie-
ty.'
Whatever do you intend, them
asked wonderfully.
"A hunting trip, my boy.-right away
into the fasnesses OF nature. Central
Asia, Central Africa, or Central Amer
ica.'
Must it be very centrals / said.
.Well-no,' he answered. wouldn't
mind that, if it were in some out ofthe-
way place.
why not the Rocky mountains, then"
I said.
'rhe very place, my boyv he ex-
claimed rapturously. Buffalo, grizzly
bear Indian. Couldn't be better. Wen
co.
win wev l said laughing. How
about my plcture'
Bother your picture. Those old duf-
| fers won't hang it if you send it in.'
But must try said, lugubrious-
ly. r.r.
Il don't see the necessity, he said.
Then I've wood-drawing to finish
for an engraver BY Saturday.
Finish it, thea, and we'll start on
Saturday night
But. my dear fellow l exclaimed.
this is hurricane work. How arm to
go''
MY dear Perkins, will you thus illus
trate my book of travels and natural
history for me p
'Ofcourse will, ifyou give nae the
commission / said laughing.
Take 1t. then at your own price. We
start on Saturday night for six months
and I'll fnd eyerythine-oulfits and all.
Take your paint-boI, old man,
rather felt as ifmy breath was taken
away; but over cigar l recalled the
fact that in these DAYS ofsteana. a run
over to America and back was only a
matter Of days, and meant little more
than trip to Scotland hundred years
ago. So as I had no ties TO stay me, l
determinedto accompany him; and a
week after our conversation at the club.
the Hon. Tom and we're tossing Abort
far away on the Atlntic. with half the
passenger, on board desperately Ill.
| won't detain you with our every
day adventures on board ahip, or on
the Pacific railway; suffice it that two
months after the subject was broachsd'
we were leading regular rough camp
life far up on the eastern slope OF the
Rocky mountains. We had killed BIZ
son; we had hunted for bears. and seen
none; whe had been alarmed by Indians,
unon whose hunting grounds we were,
but tbey turned out to be Of friendly
tribes, and we were living in daily ex-
recitation of coming in contact with the
unfnendly gentlemen, and losing our
scalps.
Tom used to call the dangers We ran
pickles = saying they were zest 70
our buffalo beefand dried fish; and, evl-
IDENTIFY, the constunt sense Oh 'nponu-
inc danger did give spice OF intense
excitement 10 our life; for though dam
GERS held aloof, 1t was far from imagi-
nary. -.
! Nv companion was exuberant in his
m;rth. yowing that our wild lie was
} nerfection; and certainly the rude health
we enjoyed, and its concomisant' ofap'
petite and dreamless sleep in the keen
mountain air, were most enjoyable. l
was as busy as bee filing my skeich-
book. not only for Toms work-though
I honestly believed that it would new
ar be written--but for future use; and
obtained some charming little bits oil
J scenery which hope some day 10 trans.
fer to canvas. -.
J Tom used to bully me for spending
J 40 much time with my pencil, when
: n,iyb, have been out with him and hl'
; Indian scouts; but wanted to make
T hay while the sun shone, and worked
away.
: One of Toms great ambitions wa
: 10 shoot bear-a really big one; and
: day after day, while We were amons
e the mountains, he used to tramp up ant
a up, through ravine and gorge, but ONLY
n to return at night wesned out and dis
: appointed. ''
t Il don't believe there's bear left II
1.-The whole blessed range he exclaimed
e sayagely. Those eopper-colored hum
+ bugs are only deloding me.
Don't look for the bears and per
y haps they'll come to you'll said philo
r sophically, as 1 lay beside our hr'
smoking my pipe. e,.4t,sW H.
y 'Bosh y was the uuconplimentary re
. ply. sg 5au y'fA,oI alur
a And soon after heavy snore at reg
= ular intervals told me that the Honora
t Bile Tom was fast asleep. b, .,l ro,i
r Come with me to-day, Perkins, h
a AZ "a mo "a wa were making osr NOR