Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-06
THE FOUR BuLLwHAcKERs OF BITTER
CREEK

dent of his early years which he would
really like to forget-something that re-
suited from the freshness and vast mex
! perience of youth. Remember one which
have spent good deal OF time trying to
| forget just before the Union Pacific Rail-
road reached the Bitter Creek country,
made my first overland trip to the Pacific
coast. | staged it from the then terminus
of the Union Pacific to the Central Pacific,
which was pushing east. The stage broke
down on Bitter creek, and the passengers
| had to walk to the next station. | grew
tired of walking before reached the sta
tion, and coming late in the afternoon to
where some teamsters were camped, | con-
cluded to stop with them for the night.
On asking their permission to do so,
| they assented so heartily that | felt at
home at once. Life in the West was some
thing new to me. | was young and buoy
ant, and just out of college. was fond of
talking | thought it would be novel and
delightful to sleep out with these half
savage OK drivers, with no shelter but the
vaulted, star gemmed heavens. There were
| four teamsters, and as many wagons, while
thirty two oxen grazed around in the vi
cinity. OF the teamsters, one was giant
in stature, and wore bushy black beard /;
another was shorter, but powerfully built,
and one eyed the third was tall, lank,
and hame jawed while the fourth was a
wiry, red-headed man. In my thoughts
pitied them, on account OF the hard
life they led, and spoke to them in kind
tone, and endeavored TO make my con-
versation instructive. | plucked a
flower, and, pulling it to pieces, men,
toned the names of the parts-pistil,
stamens, calyx, and so on-and remarked
| that it must be indigenous to the
locality. and spoke of the plant being en-
dogenous, in contradistinetion to exogen-
Gus, and that they could see that it was
not crytogamous. In looking at some frag-
ments Of rock, my thoughts wandered off
into geology, and, among other things, |
| spoke of the tertiary and carboniferous
periods, and of the pterodactyl, icthyo-
saurus, and dinotherium. The transfers
looked at me, then at each other, but made
no response. We squatted down around
the frying. pan to take supper, and as the
big fellow, with his right hand, slapped, or
sort of larruped, long piece of fried
bacon, over a piece of bread in his left
hand, sending drop Of hot grease into my
left eye, he said to the one eyed man
"Bill, is my copy of Shakspere in yo'
wagon l missed it to-day"
"No. My Tennerson and volum' of the
Italian poets is thar-no SHAKESPEARE.
The lank.looking teamster, biting off a
piece of bread about the size OF saucer,
said to the big man, in voice which
came huskily through the bread, cake
did yer ever read that volum' of po'ms
that | writ %
No, but hev often hearn tell on en-"
g Yer mean 'Musin's of an Idle Man,
spoke up the red headed man, addressing
the poet.
Eyes"
Hev red every line in it a dozen times, "
said the teamster with the req hair and
as he sopped a four.inch swath, with a
piece of bread, across frying pan, he re-
peated some lines.
g Them's they, nodded the poet. THE
Emp'ror of Austry writ me letter highly
eomplimentin' them poms."
They're very techin'," added the wiry
man.
took no part in these remarks. Some
how / did not feel like joining in.
The why man, having somewhat salts.
fed his appetite, rolled up piece of bacon
rind into sort Of single barreled opera
glass, and began to squint through it to-
ward the northern horizon.
"What yer dom, Dave?" asked the
stout nan.
"Takin' observations on the North Star.
Want to make some astronomical calkila-
tions when git inter Sackrymenter."
scope. l could er tux yo' observations for
L. T |. la
"Git out thar, yer burned ole carboni
ferrous pterodactyl,' yelled the hane- jawed
driver to an OK that was licking piece of
bacon.
81 give good deal of my time to
stronomy when l was in Yoorup," re-
marked the tall man.
cover thar long," asked one.
GOOD while. Was Minister to Rnoshy.
Then Ispent some time down ter Rome"
Rome !" exclaimed the lank individual.
"Was born thar. My father was a
sculptor"
"Good sculptor?"
eyes"
"Well, one wouldn't er. thought It, to
look at yer
Z" I never was in Yoorup," remarked the
one-eyed man. "When | ocypied the
cheer of ancient languages in Harvard Col
lege my health failed, and the fellers that
had me hired wanted me ter go ter Yoorup
for an out, but concluded ter come West
ter look-Hold up thar, yer internal ole
bitten ichthy 'saurus, " he bawled to an
OK that was chewing wagon cover.
felt hot and feverish, and long way
from home.
81 got ready once ter go ter Rome
wanted to complete my studies thar-but
give it up" said the one called Dave.
What for?''
"They wanted me ter run for GUNNER
in Virginny. ~
81 Yer beat 'em?"
Thunder, yes.
"Why didn't yer stay thar 2
"Well, when my job as Guv'ner give
out they 'lected me Episcopal Bishop, an /
hurt my lungs preachin. Come West for
my lungs"
Found EN- ?"
"Well, I'm improvin'.
l did not rest well that night. As day
came on ard the men began to turn over in
their blankets and yawn, the tall one said {:
Hello, Bill. How yer making it
"0h, I'm indigenous"
&c An Dave ?"
I'm indigenous.
An you, Lanky, yer son Of sculp-
tori"
Exogenous.
How you feel, Jakes" inquired one of
the three who had responded.
Cryptogamous, sir, cryptogamous.
l walked out few steps to a little
stream, to get drink. l felt thirsty, and
I ached. Then heard voice from the
blankets
"Wonder if them burned ole dinother'-
uus of ourn are done grain.
Then reply
81 guess they've got to the tertiary
period"
walked little piece en- the road to
breathe the morning air.
I kept on.-[Lock Melone in the Cali
fornian.
AROUND THE YEAR.
Love came to me in the spring time,