Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-11-20
A TENDER EPISTLE.
Extract From a Tenderfoot's Letter to
the Old Folks at Home.
GREAT FALLS, Nov. 10, 1886

L
DEAR A.:
Your letter etc. Our hot weather is
over now and it has become nice and cool.
l am doing we'll here. My land will cost
me about $780, When the railroad gets
here it will be worth at least $4,000 !
have been living in another mans shack
for some time; but when he came baci L
had to move out to the stable and bunk
with my cayuse, until a young English
man, who has taken up ranch near me,
kindly invited me to live with him. |
thoughtif bunked in with him | could
lie in bed mornings and take a snoonze
while he got breakfast, and did house
work generally. But as minds Of great
men perambulate the same meandering
streams. Johnnie Bull had the same idea.
SO, as we lay in bed the first morning the
clock struck seven and finally the hands
reproachfully pointed to 1:3o. But still
neither of us made a move. Then we
decided to rise unanimously. So we tried
the zone, two, three" racket, but that meth
cd failed as ANONYMOUSLY as it did at the
Sanders rally in Great Falls, an account
of which | wrote you. After we had
united our feeble efforts in building a fire,
an animated discussion began, upon what
we should have for breakfast. AT this
point / discovered that my chum had not
a great mind. for his did not run with
mine. on the same bill of fare. | wanted
bacon and potatoes, while he insisted, with
British tenacity, that he must have potatoes
and bacon. After the controversy had
nearly led to blows We compromised by
preparing both dishes, bacon and potatoes
and potatoes and bacon. Afte our
bounteous morning repast each
went to his respective work.
When noon came | kept right on at work
thinking that the Englishman would go
home and get dinner. But when | went
over to the shack at about 1 o'clock | met
my partner following up the same cue.
He had been quietly taking rest IN the
hay-stack waiting for me to take the initi-
ative step towards getting dinner. Our
menu was substantially the same as the
one wh:sh We had for breakfast. As
neither of us would wash the dishes, each
took the same outfit which he had for the
previous meal. Each tried to secure the
largest pieces of bacon and potatoes. But
towards the end we each, with commenda-
ble foresight, saw that there would be an
odd piece of grub LETT. So we began
stufdng ourselves, each trying 10 eat faster
than the other to capture the coveted last
mouthful from the platter. But we both |
reached the goal at the same time and |
there was a general charge upon the sacri- |
fee. 4 war Of words followed; enc ours
ing IN French verbs, the other il hog-latin.
Finally. an eight-cornered oath got tangled
in ny false teeth and before I could ex-
tricate it, Her Maiesty's subject had com
pleted the acquisition by conquest. At
night neither would build the fire. | said
/ wasn't hungry; but he was. So he cook
ed his own bacon and potatoes for supper
and for fear that would get some Of the
crumbs, Johnnie Bull gorged himself to
such an extent that he lay awake half the
night with the colic. Hungry as | was,
that made NE smile. My triumph was
complete The next evening we heard
there was to be a prayer-meeting III town.
AS my chum had never been and | never
went, We concluded to try it. aIy spirit
ual' partner is one Of the biggest rakes in
Northern Montana, so you can imagine my
surprise when he arose with becoming
gravity, and began prayer. It proved to
be a very lengthy one, but beautifully
worded I saw that he had committed it
to memory from some good book. But
when venerable deacon sneezed as loud
as Gabriels tru,nphetmy friend of the bo
gus piety, was moved to laughter and for
got his lines. But his gall with more con-
stancy than his memory, staid with him,
until he surfnounted all difficulties by
up with with laundering amen,
which was taken up and re-echoed by
some of the sincere church people. Yes
terday, in driving down steep butte our
cayuse fell fiat. The Englishman jumped
out and sat on the horses head to hold
him down while I watched the wagon.
But the plug would not recline. Up he
jumped, smashing the thrills into splinters
u 4 |
rocks which terribly lacerated his best