The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-08-21

Some suspicious-looking Vaqueroes had |
been lurking in the vicinity for week |
or two, and didn't feel altogether easy
in my mind, and one night walked
with a sitting sensation as if 1 was
smothering in smoke, but didn't mind
it, though it's since clear to me it was
warning.
"Pd been off all day with one of the
mules after grub, and I'd been delayed
little, and when got back to camp it
was night, though it was light, like day,
as it is now, almost, and the men were
messing by a campfire, and l knew
something was wrong the minute came
in sight.
"'Guess what's upP' says Sam, and
1 could tell by his pale face that there
was trouble.
1.-the hays burned says 1.
"'How dye knowf says he.
"'Felt it in my throat says 1, and
as sure as 1 hold these ribbons l did
feel it in my throat at that minute, like
the smoke of burning haystack, c1-
actly."
did not question the peculiar sensa-
ton.
"what are you going to do nowP'
says Sam.
". Let her ripr says 1. Excuse me,
madam" and the man made a bow in
the moonlight that would have done no
discredit to Beau Nash; EXCUSE me,
but that's the slang of the road"
"All right" said 1, "please proceed,
am deeply interested"
"'Let 'er rip says 1, and Sam ripped
out some awful oaths. Not that he
swore as q general thing. He had to
be awfully worked up before he'd swear.
"Then the Greasers and the Kanakas
wanted their pay, and there was nothing
to pay 'em, and they're ugly devils
when they're stirred up; so things
looked blue. The Vaqueroes had
tramped with the horses, and we had
left only the one pack mule I'd had
away after grub.
".Fll sell the mule and the men may
divide the price among 'em, if they'll
call it square, says 1.
Agreed says they, and there hap
pened to come alongs prospector whose
mule had a sore back, and he gave me
a hundred dollars for the only hoof the
pillagers had left me. The Greasers
and Kanakas divided the money, leav-
ing Sam and me without a red of it.
"As fate would have it, Sam With
ers struck luck right away, for the fell
low that bought my mule gave him a
job at once.
".Never mind me, Sam.' says 1
though did think little hard of him
that he seemed ready to abandon me in
my sorest streak. But 1 would have
died before he should have known how
miserably used up 1 did feel. Guess l
was born under an unlucky star, for
I've never had any good fortune, ex-
cept as stage-driver.
"Well, l went to Downieville. On
my way a wagon overlook me, and l
had q bundle of clothes, the only thing
under the sun l had left, and 1 gave
them to the teamster to carry in the
wagon over to town and leave 'em at
| the hotel.
"Then trudged on. 1t was night
again; Just such a night as this, mad
am, and 1 had only fifty cents-the
price of the plainest meal was a dollar
and I didn't know where to go, or
what to do. I've wandered a long way
from religion, ma am, but 1 remem-
bered the Scripture and realized what
it meant as applied to my case at least
when it said: The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests, but
the son of man hath not where to lay
his head"
| THAT was Jesus" said 1, timidly.
cit was me, madam, that night, and
for several nights after, as sure as
you're born"
1 did not controvert further, and he
continued his story.
II went up to two or three different
men when morning came and asked for
work. Appearances were ag'in me,
mas am. hadn't changed, or shaved,
/ .lol he
and the scallawag who took my bundle
on to Downieville hornswaggled it"
WHAT"
"Stole it, ma am. Beg gpardon. It's the
slang of the road. So I had nothing to
wear. 1 bought me fifty cents worth
of crackers, and spent all my capital.
1 ate sparingly, strolled idly through
the town by day, slept in an old stable
at night, and woke every morning half
frozen. My rations were reduced to
three crackers day. couldn't look
anybody in the face. I felt wolfish, and
believe was wild"
Here his eyes glared upon me, and /
could see by the paling of the harvest
moon that daylight was dawning, else
l should have been badly frightened.
"Do you know what resolved to do
nextP" said he.
Commit suicide?" asked.
"No; it's strange, but 1 really didn't
think of that. meant to wait till dark
and then go and rob somebody's house!
And I'd have done it, ma'am, but for q
woman! She saved me. You see, Mrs.
Chatham was keeping hotel at Downie-
vile, and I'd often patronized her when
had money, but now for three days
} I'd been skulking past her house like q
famished wolf because 1 was dead
broke. was walking aimlessly along
the street just after I'd resolved to com
NIT burglary, when she ran over from
the porch and said: Mr.. Rankin, is
that youP Come over here
"sWhat do you wantp' saysI I.
"'I want you to come and stop al
the hotel like a gentleman
, "'But I've no money!
!. "tThat's no difference
, "'Nor no good Clothes
Brother Jack has clothes, plenty
of them. Come right along
al forgot that was bent on burgla
, rizing, and l was soon hid away in the
, bathroom, scrubbing off the accumu.
, lated dirt and arranging myself in
Jacks clothes.
w ucu Cdiuc " tuc ululHS-IOOiI
the widow asked me to sit at her table
and introduced me to Jack. He proved
to be fine fellow. He gave me en-
ployment, and was soon in comforta
: Bile circumstances, the only trouble be
, ing that / would take too much liquor
now and then, which, when Mrs. Chat
ham discovered my failing, caused hel
to set me afloat again, and so Pm des
i tined to be q drunken stage-driver fol
the rest o. my days"
"Butcan you not break off the habitP'
"What good would that doP Inevel
get drunk when on duty, and when I'm