Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-03-31
OVER THE CONTINENT.
-Four Thousand Miles Travelled on
Cheek BY Two American Boys.
The Unique Nerve That is Generated
in the Climate Of California.
fphlladeIphIa Times. !

.
The taller boy wore q visorless cap,
blue shirt many sizes to large for hin
and pair of army brooches whicl
under the hosting powers of a singl
suspender sat bias. There was an eX
preston of keen intelligence in hi
face and his large black eyes sparkle,
like beads, His companion had on
sort of cover-all or ulster that in it
original condition was an arm,
blanket. This with badly tatterel
gray flannel shirt made up his cos
tune.
After they had sat down to heapinp
plates of pork and beans and foamina
mugs OF coffee, railroad man who fol.
lowed them across the street said, adj
niringly, to the waiter, as he pointe
to the boys: "See them? Well, they
are the two smartest boys in America.
They have just slipped in from San
| Francisco; they didn't have anything
! but nerve when they started and Their
capital has grown, you bet. They are
hustlers from way back. and it won't
be long until the people of this town
will know that they have arrived
The Times reporter abandoned the
side To strike up an acquaintance with
the "hustlcrs.p The task was not q
difficult one, the boys being about as
ready to talk as to eat Naturally
enough they were proud of their un-
precedented achievement, and they
related their experiences, between
bites, with Sufficient gusto There
was ten OF us when we started from
the bay (slxdg for San t'raucisco), but
except me and Jimmy the rest of us
was spilled out on The way from Reno
to Chicago. Jimmy and iue-his
name is Jim Shaw and mine is Bob
Elliott-we started for New York, and
that's where we're going to get before
we stop. Wen have to make some
dust here first, dough; wonder where
we can get All outfit?n
what kind of an outiit?n
"a box and some brushes to
blacken, don't you sabee?F said Bob.
"Mebbe his nibs will stake us.
Strike him." whispered Jim.
beating" no THE EASTWARD.
"Will you, hosp" inquired Bob,
eagerly, as he sized upr the reporter.
The writer said he might IF they
would tell him the truth about their
closed with the bargain at once, and,
away the empty dishes. Bob
settled down to his story: Business
kind o. played out in iF'isco,r he be-
gan. Everybody WAS goin' East, and
on kearney and Montgomery and
Californy streets ii was like Sunday all
the time. Jim aud me used to have
blAckin saloon, with barber chairs
l "a al lana
died, then the Coinstock lode went
up ana Consolidated Virginy went to
nothin', all the miners and money
men began to skip out for Colorado
and receipts fell off SO we could hardly
buy blackin'. Then we Thought IL
was time to shake The camp. Ten of
us started and there was not eleven
dollars in the crowd. 1t was "A picnic
a-gettin up to Sacramento. We did
the boat for that, but, sufferin' Moses,
what kick there was when they
found out the whole Of us. They
didn't come on to US in u bunch, YOU
can bet on that. We split up and
they kept right on fndin' us for about
three hours, and then the captain said
he'd be I'D ii he wouldn't let us
ride on our gall. That's the way we
was a-ridin' and ii didn't hurt our
feelin's bit.
LEAVING SACRAMENTO.
They didn't get mashed on us in
Sacramento, and after we had sash
aged around for an hour or two the
chief of police gave us five hours to
get out of town. We took the first
freight train east. Me and Jimmy rot
on the bumpers and the rest OF the
fellows hung on to the brake beams
under the cars. You'd ought to seen
them when they got into Reno. They
looked like n Caster massacre the sand
gravel had cut up their faces so. Four
OF them had enough, and they went
up to Virginia City; four more drop
ped out ut Winnemucca and started
back, but we tumbled to racket there
that was as good ms a.'sleeper.' Wasn't
il, .Iimmy??'
Jimmy said 1t was and Rob pro-
ceeded: "A young fellow that was
travelin' emigrant East gave us the
point. The emigrants are hauled hy
the freight trains and they change
conductors about every hundred
miles, NJ the end of the freight diyis,
ions. 70 beaf them all you've rot 10
do is to get ahead Of the train one
water station beyond the beginning of
the division. Then the snap is to Ron
ON the train, borrow conductors
check from an emigrant, stick it i'm
your hat and ride to the end Of the di-
vision. you can't borrow one steal
IL anu repeat ms often az YOU strike n
new division and you'll get there.
Eth, Jimnly 2n
~ should smile,n said Jimmy. as
he kicked back his chair and rose from
the table.
That's the way we did il plum
through To Chicago added Bob. as
the pair walked toward the door.
Then we watered cattle for drovers
on the train to Pittsburg and the cat
tle men fixed ii for us to PHILADELPHIA.
Wen strike New York in day or
TWO ana then Wen take in Wall street
and hunt up our friend Jim Keene.
Ta-ta.r
80 long, yuhg fellow.n
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