San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-15
A MORMON STORY.

They were the mos. contented family in
the world. The father was by turns pros
pector, trapper OF a rancher, but he never
succeeded in making a cool living in any
way. He was remarkably handsome
mountaineer, tan and strong, and he looked
onhonest labor as quite beneath him. His
word was his bond, he contracted no debts
that he could not pay, yet he often cut up
fat steer and divided the meat among his
neighbors, who sent him vegetables and gro
ceries In return, and never asked where the
fat steer had come from. Perhaps they
knew. When herd passed along the dusty
high road, the women smiled at each other
and said: II guess we'll hev some fresh meat
tomorrow"
Sometimes he would drive into town with
a team Of high stepping, smooth coated
horses attached to his rusty old buck board
Then his friends crowded about them, strok-
ing the glossy necks, examining the white
teeth but no one in this little Mormon SET
Element ever thought Of inquiring where he
got them.
Dick johnson was the kixdest OF men to
his friends and family, yet he had his record.
He would be lynched promptly if he should
ever return to Montana; he had shot a bridge
keeper who demanded toll Of him, and, alto
gether, the sudden deaths OF L Galf-dozen
men were caused by the well known fact that
"Ole Dick wuz mighty lively with his pistols
when he'd got huff whisky aboard"
His wife did not always have 4 good print
dress to wear to town, the c.i!:ren were sell
dom provided with shoes, but she always
seemed contented and lazily happy, and there
was not a merrier set Of little ones. The
mother was a fair haired, blue eyed woman,
and the children all looked like her.
1.-THE children mostly awl looks like me-"
she would say, with an amiable smile; "awl
of 'em 'cept Caddie, an l guess she looks
more like her pa"
you kin jest bet l do, and Pm mighty
glad havn't no towhead like these here
young 'uns," Caddie would answer. She was
a remarkably handsome girl, and people who
admired her delicate, dark face were always
shocked when her coarse voice and coarser
language were heard. Of course, this ener-
getic girl ruled the whole family; the man,
who, in spite of his strength and ferocity,
was as tender hearted and simple minded as
q child, the INDECENT, an.iable woman, and
the swarm of tow headed children.
Caddie Lad dreams of something different
from the vagrant life that satisfied the rest
of the family. Sometimes she saw herself
busy wife and mother, moving about the two
or three rooms of log farm house, with
few hardy flowers struggling for existence in
the small front garden, with currant bushes
strawberry vines, and 6ourtshing vegetables
surrounding the house, and with waving
fields Of grain stretching away to the dark
mountains that bound these western valleys.
She confded thsse visions to her mother
once.
81 tell yer what, maw," she said, "when I
git married haint a goin' 10 hev no sech a
ferlorn dolby shanty ez this here It'll hev
TO be a log house, an derned we'll plastered,
an whitewashed inside an out An there'Il
be the purtiest rag carpet on the front room
floor you ever see, an a good board floor in
the kitchen, too An I'll hev likely colt to
ride, an some cows, SOS to bev lots of milk
an butter, an yer bet yer life I'll be the boss
o the hull goldsrned ranch"
"Yew've always he'd fine idees in yew're
head, Caddie,- drawled her mother; IAN eff
yew marries Bishop Burns, like yew're pa
wants yew tew, maybe he'll Civ yew log
house, but yew know well enuff that Dan
Williams CANT do no sech thing fer We"
"HuhI" observed Cadde; "ef that bull
headed old Burns ever comes a shinin' round
me, he'll get sech a crack in rs jaw IL make
him see stars, or else my name haint Cod
johnson"
"Wall, guess he'd better not risk it them
said the woman, with feeble laugh; "yew're
pas hitchin' up the HOSES, Caddie, an
reckon yewd better pack tibet there bit O.
butter in box, an mebbe ole Burns ull give
yew some shoes fer it eff yewre real nice
tew him"
GAN right" answered Caddie; '7ook-a-
here, you Tom, III kick you into the middle
Of next week if you don't stop tryin' to lssso
that there pig. Come along here now, an
git yer face washed We're goin' 30 the
Coop, an mebbe you'll git some candy, eff
you behave yourselves"
There was only ono seat IN the wagon, and
on it sat Dick johnson and his wife, who
held the baby in her arms. Caddie sat on
the Jox in the back Of the wagon, and the
children rolled around her In the hay that
was always taken along for the horses to eat
while the women were trading in the Co