Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-08-19
THE GENTLEMAN OF LA PORTE.
BY Brete H8rCe.
From London Belgravia.l

[From London Belgravial
He was also pioneer. A party who broke
through the SHOWS of the winter of 81 and
came upon the triangular little valley after
wards known as La Porte found him the sole
inhabitant. He had subsisted for three
months OH two biscuits q day, and few
inches of bacon, in hut made of bark and
brushwood. Yet when the explorers found
him he was quite alert, hopeful and gentle
manly. But l cheerfully make way here tor
the terser narrative of Captain Henry Symes,
commanding the prospecting party:
''We KEN upon him, gentlemen, sudden
like, just abreast of rock like this de-
monstrating the distance-''ez near ez you
be. He sees US and dives into his cabin and
comes out agin with tall hat-a stovepipe,
gentlemen,-an blank me, gloves! He was
might be-and off color in his face, ez was
nat'ral, takin' in account his starvation
grub But he lifts his hat to us 80, and sez
he. Happy to make your acquaintance,
gentlemen! I'm afraid you experienced
some difficulty in getting here. Take cigyar.'
And he pulls out fancy cigar case with two
real Havanas in it. Il wish there was more,
seZ he.
"'You don't smoke yourself?' sez l.
"'SeldOm,' seZ he, which war lie, for
that very afternoon seed him hangin' onto
short pipe like suckin' babe onto bottle
I kept these cigyars for any gentlemen that
might drop in
~ reckon ye see a great deal o'the best
society yer, sez Bill Parker, starin at the hat
and gloves and winkin' at the boys.
"a few Indians occasionally, sez he.
Injins! sez we:
eyes. Very quiet, good fellows in their
way. They have once or twice brought me
game, which refused. as the poor fellows
have had pretty hard time of it themselves
CHOW, gentlemen, we was, ez you know,
rather quiet men-rather peaceable men but
-hevin' been shot at three times by these var
good Injuns, and Parker hisself havin'
matter o. three inches of mis- own skelp lying
loose in their hands and he walkin' round
wearin' green leaves on his head like Ro-
man statoo-it did kinder seem ez if this yer
stranger was playin' rather low down on the
boys. Bill Parker gets up and takes survey
O. him and seZ he peaceful like
"'Ye say these yer 1njuns-these yer quiet
Injuns-offered yer game?
"'They did = sez he.
"'And you refoose?'
"I did, sez he.
"sMust hev mad 'em feel kinder bad-sor-
ter tortered their sensitive matters {? sez Bill.
"'They really seemed quite disappointed
"'In course, sez Bill. And now mout l
ask you who you be?'
"'Excuse me, says the stranger and, darn
my skin! if he didn't hist out keerd case,
and handin' over to Billy, sez: Here's my
kyard.'
'Biil took it and read out aloud, j. Trott,
Kentucky
Its pooty keerd, sez Bill.
sI'm glad you like it, sez the stranger.
eel reckon the other fifty-one of the deck
ez as pooty-all of 'em Jacks and left bow
ers, sez Bill.
'The stranger says nothin', but kinder
draws back from Bill, but Bill ups and sez:
'''Wot is your little game, Mister j. Trott
of Kentucky 2
"I don't think I quite understand you,'
sez the stranger, holler fire comm into MS
cheeks like ez if they was the bowl OF pipe.
"sWat's this yer kid glove business ?-this
yer tall hat paradin' '?-this yer circus foOlin'?
Wot's it all about? Who are ye, anyway
1.-The stranger stands up and sez he: 'Ez
don't quarrel with guests on my own land,
sez he, i think you'll allow Ina gentle
man. sez he.
.With that he takes off his hat and makes
a low bow, so, and turns away like this-but
Bill lites out of sudden with his right foot
and drive his number 10 boot clean through
the crown of that tall hat like one o them
circus hoops.
.sThat's about as fur ez remember. Gen.
tlemen thar warn't but one man o that hull
crowd ez could actooally swear what happen
ed next. and that man never told. For
kind o'whirlwind jest then took place in that
valley. disremember anythin' but dust and
bustin'. Thar wasn't no yelling, thar was no
shooting. It was one o them student things
that left even q six-shooter out in the cold.
When came to in the chapparel-bein' CON-
Portable like from hevin' only half shirt on
Il found nigh on three pounds of gravel and
stones in nv pockets and stiffness IN my
ha'r. looks up and see Bill .hangin' in the
forks of hickory saplin' twenty feet above
me. -.
"sCap,' sez he, in an inQuirin' way, 'hez
the tornado passed
"'Which ? says l. :. =.
This yer elemental disturbance-ls II
over?'
".I reckon, sez I. ,
I. Because. says he, 'afore this very cleo
trical phenomenon took place he'd signt
misunderstanding with stranger ana Ia
like to apologize. ,oaoof,,
like. and goes into the shanty, ana come 0u.,
hand in hand with that stranger, smii1 nke
an infant. AND, that's the frst nme, reCK-
on. we knowed anything about tne gente-
man of La Porte.
Nearly 600 veterinary surgeons have signed
a declaration that the use of the bearing rein,