The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1884-04-25

NhtAA rIANuAAut AaAA &hHAA khN AtANNl
footprints. and try TO saddle them
onto the primeyal man. the Irish elk
and others who are gone and cannot
now defend themselves: II may be all
very well. say. and entertaining. and
within the just limits Of scientific
slander and research. but Il Is not NOR
al. For know the cold facts about
the footprints. and know they were
not made 10y the primeyal man. or the
Irish elk. or any Of that sect: they
were made by the Nevada legislature.
and was there when IL was done. II
was done at the time of the sine die adj
journment. IL had rained rain all the
evening outside, and it had rained
whiskey all the evening on the inside
inside the fence, mean, for there WAS
no buildings in that early day-and
neither you nor much older man
could have told on which side of the
fence the weather was most inclement.
| was on both sides Of IL, and some
times on it. for brief uncertain sea
son, and ] couldn't tell. The footprint
quarry. where that legislature sat
stood where they could, mean-was a
dry alkali Hat, with fence around it
when the rain began: just II dry alkali
fiat, containing fence full Of dry hon.
orable alkalied flats from all over the
territory; aud in three hours the first
mentioned fiat was absolutely soaked
to the depth of three inches; aud the
others all the way through. make no
exceptions; | say all. | was there, and
| know. So the place was become q
regular marsh. full of irregular Marsh
ers. so to spe2k-meaning the legisla.
ture. but intending no disrespect. And
when the weather moderated so that
no one could venture outside-outside
the fence - these latter adjourned.
They adjourned in the usual form
form used by territorial legislatures of
that day-the speaker bringing down
his gavel on the head of the member
mistaken by these scientists for the
irish elk-which he, the speaker, mis-.
took for the fence post-and thus, as
you see. is the gloom and sorrow of a
double error spread over this molder-
ing historic incident-and said-com-
mon time, four beats to the measure,
that is to say four hiccoughs to tue
sentence. "The modder having wealth
Grated" and SO OH, in similar strain,
TIL he got through. remember it as If
1t we're but yesterday. Thus dissolved,
they departed thence.
IL was then that they made the
tracks. They couldn't help making
them; for the place was marsh, as |
was telling you. saw 1t done; for |
was there. | was there, and | shall
now east upon this pale dim void of
scientific conjecture the lurid glare of
history. was there, and | saw them
The primeval man was absent,
the irish elk did not arrive; the cave
bear responded not to the summons;
he old sllurian ass got left. The me-
nagerie was wholly local. Part of it
saw, aud the rest of it | was. This is
history; this is cold history; and his
Tory cannot lie.
The speaker went first. lie made
the large tracks-the ones eight inches
broad and eighteen inches long and re-
sembed the footprint of champagne
basket. lie was prime man IN two
or three ways, and evil in forty, but he
was not the primeval man. just the
same; reflect upon this. ] was there,
was there all the time. and knew
him well. lie made the large tracks.
A nd he did it without an effort. He
could have done it with one hand tied
behind him. He said so himself; he
iidh't tell me so. but he told others so
lhuugh | knew him well. His name
was Welsh; either Welsh or Sanders,
don't remember which; but it was
name that sounded like those. He
was a rancher. kept ranch; cattle
-anch, and did not wear shoes. such not
being his custom, though a praying
nan from his mothers knee. And al
ways when he went forth ranching
with all his might into the pasture
among the cattle, there was much hay
and straw lying scattered about, and
with it much other material-materia.
If a plastic nature; mud. to wit; acres
IF IL: and this material and the straw
lid of truth and by custom combine
and form unto him uncreated sandels,
rs you may say--uncreated, because
not projected by volition nor wrought
by art--nay, they were but the accu-
mulative achievement of time; that is
to say, time and patient neglect. And |
as the prosperous years rolled on. his
sandels waxed. and gathered grace and
style, and magnitude and majesty; in
somuch that the footprint Of him was