, 1888-08-08

| could jos hear it: Gene says she,
look after Bill a little an cheer him up
when Pm gone An then she looked at
the baby with her big eyes m up at Bill,
and tried to raise her hands, an Bill saw
what she wanted an put one of her arms
round the baby an the other up round
his own neck an leaned over, an 1 come
away quiclk's l could an went round to
the mules an tried to make b'ieye / was
fixin' the harness or something. A mule
is very Cheerin' IN such a 'casion. An
after a few minutes Bill come put with
the baby still on his arm-the little Teller
never whimpered-an' he set down on
the wagon tongue an his head kinder
dropped in his hand, an says he: Gene.
there amt nobody to take care o me m
the boy nowr
1--WE waited a while an then l got a
Teller that came along to drive my outfit
an took Bills, an he got in the wagon
an we went to Deadwood. The next
day was Sunday an we had a funeral.
Ev'ry freighter that could be was there,
an lots of other folks that knowed Bill
come down where we held it. 1 had q
preacher, too; Bill was doubtful, but l
told him it 'u'd be better. When he
come Bill took him to one side, an says
he, 4 van to tell you fore you begin.
You know who l am an who she was
my wife-you've heard our story. Now
don't want you to preach no sermon,
cause you might say something ag'in
her hen you didn't mean to an it would
be bad for you, an, of course, me, too
SO jes' read a little out O. your Bible-l
reckon that's all straight talk-an' if you
must say something jes' say she was
squar' an never went back on Bill
Jenks!'
80 that's about the way it was; the
preacher read some In then he sung q
song l heard at church when 1 was a
boy, IN some of us fined in a little, an
Big Smith whistled the tune kinder soft
like, an looked at the ground; an then
the preacher said that her that was gone
must have been a good woman or the
husband she left would not mourn her SO
much IN so deep, an then he put on3
She was always rue to Rill jerks, an
that was all.
1--WE buried her down the gulch, n bit
off from the trail in a little park 'mong
some pines-Bill wouldn't have nothing
to do with the regular graveyards-he
said folks might not want her there, an
they needn't have her. He dug the
grave himself, SO it would be right, he
said. He sent clear to Oma "a after a
headstone an it's a beauty-nicer IN n
they got in the buryin' ground.
1.-The baby, hey2 You bet he's all
right-the preachers wife took him for
a while an then Bill got her an her hus-
band to go with him an take the baby
down to his folks in Iowa-all Bills
family down there are a good deal more
on style am all that sort o. thing than he
is, an they got lots O. money an were
tickled to death with the little cuss, an
are taking the best kind o. care of him
an when he gifts big are goin' to send
him to school, an give him an edication
an a big start in life. The old folks
wanted Bill to stay home too, but he said
the life would kill him it was SO regular,
SO he's goin' down to see the little Teller
once a year. 1 wonder when he grows
up an gifts wearin' fine clothes an one
thing m another II he'll ever know any
thing bout the start he had way out here
by the trail in the big freight wagon all
covered with dust? Oh, mother thing,
Bill named him William Queen Eugene
Jenks-nothing ornery bout that name,
is there?-Frederick II. Carruth in New
York Tribune.