, 1888-08-08

Hes steps up when they comes along, an
GAYS he: .Mornin'. Bill 'Mornin', Big
Smith, says Bill, and stops his team. j
sec you got Pearl Queen with you,' says
Big Smith. 1t does pear that way,
SAYS Bill. 4 b'lieve I'm somewhat
acquainted with Pearl myself, a y Big
Smith, kinder Emart like. 4 low you
don't know anything bad bout her. says
Bill, bitin' his teeth together hard.
We'll, + Crack an Bill hit him
one on the jaw SO we could all hear it,
sayin' at the same time: What is it you
know2' Big Smith fell like a log an lay
there for most a minute, Bill all the
time waitin' for an answer. Pertty soon
Big Smith got so he could kinder roll n
little, IN then said: Bill it amt worth
mentionin'v Then Bill whistled to his
mules and went on.
Nothing but fights for Bill jerks af-
ter that. He had to stop an lick the
man hat KEEP the Red Corral fore be
got out o town, and he pounded two
f~reighters at Willow Creek, an at Bad
River he an the man that run the road
ranch there fit twenty minutes, an Bill
finally got him up on the bank of the
stream an showed him in an that settled
him. He would meet a man, the man
"NAAN 1"l CCAASbAAAA6 oDchAe a "a VI ~
to GRIMM, an Bill would stop an step
up an whale him, come back, kinder
mop off the thickest of the blood with
his sleeve, swear at the mules an go on,
while Pearl reached down an patted him
on the shoulder an cheered him up.
Pearl stayed with him right along.
She didn't ride on the mule so much
after he first trip 'cept when they were
goin' inter town. when Bill always had
her ride it, SO that II there was anybody
round wanted to make any remarks, that
she would tract their 'tention an they
would make 'em, an Bill would stop an
have it out with 'em. But it wasn't long
fore folks got over sayin' much in Bills
hearin'-awful unhealthy practice. Que
day when they was pullin' into Rapid
City n of these pictur' men tried to
take their pictur' with Pearl on the
mule, but Bill caught him at it an went
over an kicked one O. the legs off his out
fit, an as that only left two on it, it
didn't stand very steady, an the cuss
looked kinder sheepish, put it under his
arm an made a sneak.
''Bill al'ays fixed her up a nice place
TO ride in the trail wagon, an when she
wasn't there or on the mule she would
walk long by his side. / s'pose it was
very pleasant for her TO hear Bill swearin'
at the mules all day, cause she thought
a heap of him. When one o. the rest of
us camps. of course we al'ays nave to
rustic round an cook our own bacon, but
she done his cookin' right along, an good
cookin' it was too, cause Bill asked me
to eat with them sev'ral times. Biscuitsl
WY she used TO make biscuits that tasted,
wy, durn it all, they tasted most like
they used to at homel Bill an Pearl
al'ays got along powerful 6ne together,
They wasn't married regular, you know.
Bill said he didn't believe in any such
monkey business, an / reckon she didn't
neither, but Bill told me it was going to
be a steady thing; an it was.
"Well, it was a hard life for the girl,
al'ays on the road-cold an stormy
through the winter an hot and dusty
when summer - sleepin' in a
house an not hardly ever being in one at
all, 'cept occasionally mebby n store, or
freight depot, or something. But she
seemed to stand it first rate an not want
nothin' else. Bill was mighty careful
bout her stayin' in the wagon an keep
in warm in cold or rainy weather, SO l
dunno, mebby the life was bout as easy
as any she was used to. Her m Bill was
alays happy anyhow, AMI s'pose that's
a better record than some folks that live
Inc an are more solder married can
show.
"Well, l reckon there amt SO very
hluch more to tell, though it's kinder
hard work TO tell it a tall. One night,
way long this summer 1 camped back
here, near Sturgis. 1 got up early and
pulled out for Deadwood, not thinkin'
bout anything. I'd gone six or seven
mile an was gittin' long fine, when l
come round a bend in the Dad right
'mong the biggest of the mountains,
when what should l see but Bill jerks
outfit camped ahead a ways. 1t want
no regular campin' place, an 1 couldn't
make it out at first, but then 1 see Bill
a-walkin' back'ards in for'ards side o.
the wagon with something white in his
arms, an then, says 1, Il know what's
up. Git, you mulesl' An l elm on the
near one an hit each of 'em a crack
with the whip, an I'll be hanged if l
didn't come up to where he was on the
troll l stopped an was goin' to yell,
an then l thought l hadn't better cause
it might not be the thing for such an &C.
casion. Then 1 was glad l didn't, cause
MS Bill come over, 1 saw tears in his eyes.
First l thought he felt bad, then l lowed
he was glad, then / didn't know; but
Bill steps up side the mule an III be
teetotally blanked-yes, sir, l will--if he
didn't turn back some sort o. soft cloth
on the bundle an showed me the all
firedest, blankest, smallest, little cuss-
baby, you know-that you ever seenl
That's what he done, an my
eyes stuck out a foot, though
l knowed, soon as seen Bill
waikiki what was comm, too. hen
says Bill: "Gene, that's my boy. Don't
he look jes' like mef 1 was stuck for a
minute cause 1 couldn't sees it looked
like anything 'cept jes' baby, but l
braced up, an says L: Bill, he's the pic
tur' of you 'cept his eyes-he's got his
mothers eyes, 'Yes,' says Bill, his
mothers eyes, N mebbe her hair, too,
only, it's awful short Then / started
to say something, but Bill stopped me,
an says he: Pearl is awful sick, an /
want you to get onto one o. my mules an
ride OF to Deadwood an git a. doctor to
come DOWN
80 1 done so, goin' bout as quick as
anybody ever did with a mule hat was