The Newtown bee., 1881-01-12

chance, thought. I'm losing big money not having stock to eat this grass. I took my jaekass and started for Eastern Nevada on foot along the over land stage-road for California, calculat- ing to fetch hosses on the shares to Nevada. Besides my jackass, had also dog-a dog that peremted me--a mixed dog-a kind of St. Bernard and shepherd dog-and he was mighty wise dog.
 t'On the stage-road them days there was no houses-no houses anywhere near it--only the stables and 'ostlers' quarters at stations fifteen to twenty miles apart. At these stations weren't no women or families-just men, and mighty hard citizens most of them men was. There being no place to stop at or fool away time on, kept right.ahead, day after day, with my procession. There was fust the jack, then me, then the dog. one behind the other, all as solemn as could be. I wasn't feeling no ways cheerful myself, but by the looks of things when my face wasn't too thick with dust, I was the cheerfulest of the lot. If the jack wasn't solemn his looks helied him, and as for that dog. Nep, being 8 black dog, with down tail, l think he was the most serious critter I ever did see. He seemed mostly to be on the point of going to sleep, but he wasn't half as sleepy as he was sleepy looking. There was mighty little carry ing on day or night within halt mile of him that he didn't sabe. And the | fondest dog he was of little children that ever l saw.
 Well, used to make, with my sol emn little procession, twenty to thirty miles day, and, as l had about eight hundred miles to go. ye see, including delays, I was in for months steady tramping. Some days I would travel for hours with one or another of the | west-hound emigrant wagons or trains, as they came creeping along toward the end of the hard journey across the con- tinent, foot-sore, weary, dusty, and | delapidated. These trains had cbil- l dren with 'en of all ages. and when my 1 dog got in among them children he was | happy. He walked right up, raised his | dropping tail, and was new dog. But l never camped at night with any of these trains on account of my jack being liable to make mischief among the emigrant stock, and 50 I gin'ely waited only Ions enough at the common camping places 1 to let my animals drink and to fill my | water keg with fresh water, and then I'd pass on mile or two,o more and | go little off the road to good grass and some kind ot shelter, if any shelter was to be had. In such 8 place I would unload Canary Chat was the jacks name) strip him of his saddle, give him | a piece of biscuit, scratch his head 8 little, tell him how handsome he was, and let him go to grass. Ialways found him in sight, sound asleep in the morn ing. After letting Canary goI would rather 8 few sticks or dry weeds, make my little fire, cook ny, little supper. eat it, give Nep a bite, roll out my blankets soundly till after daylight. Nep mostly laid down alongside of me on the edge on my blankets, and though he often EeOv fstt 41fguU, ITrIcVer pafi much attention to him unless he got to be extra ferocious; because, while I knew the plains were prowled over every night by coyotes. just as well as Nep knew it, it didn't need to affect me as it did him. l wasn't afraid of no coyote.
 "One night, howsomever, after had made very long and mighty tedious days tramp, l Thought the dog was mighty unsettled about something; but after rousing up 8 couple of times ard finding nothing, I laid down and fell into very heavy sleep, from which 1 did not awake until near sunrise. don't suppose l should have awoke when 1 did, only that I thought I heard child's voice saying:
 .'' Do mus not make suehla big noise wiz co nosep
 Well, sir, I opened my eyes. and there. standing beside my face, was a four-year-old girl, holding Nep by the ear with one hand, and shaking the fore finger of the other hand at me, repeat ing:
 No; co mus not make such asbig noise.'
 was not, and never had been mar ried, up to that time, and didn't know much about children, but began right there to feel like 8 father. I took the little blue-eyed, red-cheeked, white haired plumpness, and sitting her upon my breast, I was just going to commence talking to her, when she said, pointing:
 Look at co dog.'
 And, sure enough, there was that fool dog just a-tearing around camp, a-wallopjng his tail on the ground, and every now and again jumping high over me ant the young one, as he had plumb lost his natteral senses. He was the gladdest dog ever see.''
 "' Now,' I said to the young lady, what is your nameP'
 Lainey.'
 "' Where do you livep'
 In ow wagon
 st Where does your mamma live?'
 "' Oh, my other mamma, she's dead 1 the bad Ingins killed her. Now mes got anuther mammal
 ..s Where does the new mamma livep'
 In ow wagon
 Where is the wagonP'
 . Down there,' pointing forward.
 Down where p said I, rising with the child in my arms.
 = Down there,' pointing again.
 Oh, no, there isn't any wagon down there. That's away off the road.'
 ". No, co ask e dog. He knows!'
 ss looked inquiringly at Nep, but he had fallen into his old, solemn, sleepy looks again.
 'ss Where did you sleep last nightp'
 Go know. sleeps wiz co and e dog.'
 :. held the child in my arms. and looked all about the sage covered plain. crd x7r srd Hrxu,. ho 1<,,, oo <~,,.