The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-04-14
most of the traps myself, for Dave was
weak in the chest, and had to 60 light

tuo bluU0Cs L AuOW0u nom the VINO
in it that that smoke didn't come from
any open fire, but came through
chimley, an we soon sighted cabin in
clearin'. Then up flies big, yaller
rooster an gives howde-do that put
more strange feeln's in me than I'd he'd
fur long time poetry and music to-
gether, you know. Carried me back to
the days when I was boy on the old
farm, an lump came to my throat an
my eyes got moist. What do you sup
pose Dave said? Says he: Jim, we'll
have eggs for dinner, as sure as the
Lord made little apples
The very thing was thinkin' Of
SAYS 7.
The door of the cabin was open, so
we didn't have to knock, an q nice, tidy
woman, with fresh white billed apron,
asked us in. Her man was in the field
back of the house, and he and hired
man came to see us. Travellers ale
scarce out there. The woman saw that
we were hungry-we hadn't he'd any
thing to eat for two days but handful
of parched corn. She said she was
sorry there was so little in the house,
an all that sort of thing, but would try
to get something up. Dave asked if
she hadn't eggs, and dozen packages
of chat fruit, billed with the husks on,
would be agreeable. Two round-eyed,
tow-headed boys were sent out to find
'em.
swell, there they was, heaped up be-
fore us on plate, in their nice white
kivers-a dozen of 'em-an' Dave an
me pitched in. That wasn't all the
meal, though, fur there was jerked ven
ison, an as good bread as ever was
turned out of pan, an ginewine yallar
butter. But it was the eggs that ketched
me. Eggs an civilization go hand in
hand an shoulder to shoulder. Did you
ever think of that? We started In on
egg apiece.
my first egg just struck the spot, an
1 let out my belt couple of notches,
an took egg number two. Dave lifted
his second one the same time. So we
KEEP company, egg fur egg, right along.
At the fifth or fourth egg, I don't know
which, Dave says: Jim, this reminds
me of old times. I used to have little
bow-legged, hump-backed hen I got off
one of the Brazier boys-Biu Brazier,
dead now; killed out on the pike, east
of Gray's mill; throwed off'n his horse
down the steep hill there, an struck his
head on bowlder.'
"Then we both reached for the plate.
II reckoned he'd lost count while
tellin' his story, so I says: Go slow,
old boy, that eggs mine.'
"Not much,' says he, you're off
your nest
"This was too much. I fared right
up. To think he'd tried to blk an old
pard outen egg, after all that pard had
done fur him, soured me clean to my
heels. You see, I'd shared everything
with him, drug him through his sick
ness, tended him like woman, an now
to have him come the hog game on me!
The devil was in me, an drawed the
revolver; it was layin' on the floor be-
tween us, an was goin' to let daylight
through him, when the woman screamed,
and the man of the house spoke up.
This brought me to myself; but tell
you had him down fine. We both got
up from the table, leavin' the last egg
on the plate, Dave takin' the shotgun
from the place where it was leanin' out
side the door. I scorned to take any
advantage of him then, mad as I was,
an gave him a fair chance to git the
gun. We walked on fur quarter of
mile without speaking, each looking
out of the corner of our eye for fear the
other'd get the drop. Dave says I,
this business has got to be settled
Yes says he, and some other
thing has got to be settled, too. might
have been an honest, happy married
man in Indiany this minute if ithadn't
been for you, instead of the tramp I
now am. 1t was my money you wanted
to bring you to Californy, and you
made me run away from the only WON
AIN I ever loYed.'
| Your money, you say; your
money. Do you want me to tell you
who the only woman you ever loved is?
She's my divorced WIFE
"This staggered him some.
"Well, what of that-that wouldn't
prevent her from maxim me a good
wife, would it?'
"'Dave Gilchrist, you was young, an
l wanted to save you. I had some
things in my own life I didn't care for
even you to know. When I first met
you in the regiment had just served a
term of two years in the Ohio peniten-
| tiary.'
$3.50 you're prison bird, are YOU
Yes, I'm prison bird. Iloved that
woman and married her. We had
scarcely been married three months be-
fore We were both arrested charged
with stealing, and the goods, roll of
black silk, was found in the house. It
had been stolen from dry-goods store
one day when we were both in town. I
had heerd of kleptermaniacs- people
who can't help bnt take things, and I
couldn't call my wife's offense stealing.
I couldn't bear to see her, young and
| delicate, go to prison; so I confessed
that I myself had took it, and, on plea
of guilty, was sent up. Well, the part
ing between us was bitter one, but I
thought I had done my duty. But in