, 1888-08-08
BILL jerks STORY.

DILL Nd DlOllls
1t was late in October, and the mount
ain air was chilly, but the fire which we
had built, and which reached up with its
long tongues of fame half way to the
dark pine top above, made the camp
comfortable. We had stopped for the
night just off the great Deadwood trail, a
dozen miles from that place-that great
wagon road which leads from the gold
mines to civilization, over 200 miles
among mountains and across plains, over
government land and through Indian
reservations.
"l'm goin' to bed an to sleep to-
night said Gene Brooks, a freighter,
with three great freight wagons and
twelve mules, which he drove alone, as
is customary; 81 set up all last night
tellin' you fellers stories, but you cam
rope me in that way tonight" We
had fallen in with Gene on the trail the
day before. We looked at the fire, now
burning lower, as we listened to the
night wind, unfelt below, singing
through the pine tops the same low, sad
refrain which the wind and the pines
ever sing.
Hanged if there amt a stray mule"
said Gene, as he strained his eyes through
the darkness toward the trail. Looks
some like one of Bill jerks leaders, too,
but Bill don't let none of his mules get
away. Sides, he's gone to Sundance
this trip, though it must be bout time
for him to get back-he hurries long
kinder fast now-he gets lonesome, l
reckon. | b'lieve ! must tell you bout
Bill fore / forget it, " and Gene cut off a
chew of tobacco with a pocketknife and
rolled over and kicked his toes into tho
ground as he gazed at the fire, while the
pines ceased their complaining song for a
moment, and the murmuring of Bear
Butte creek came to our ears as it bub-
bled along over the rocks a few yards
away, all grayish, milky white, mud
died by the silver mining along its head
waters in the Galena district-all the
streams in the Black Hills run either the
same grayish, milk white or blood red
silver or gold mining.
you heard me mention Bill last
night" went on Gene. Hes a good
one-ain't 'fraid of nothing that walks.
Been freghtin' ever since l have-nine
year. Got a twelve mule outft-three
wagons. Bill amt exactly quarrelsome,
but if he has got anything agin' anybody
he don't go round tryin' to forget it.
AAOiS iANig hO JUMPS tHC ACliCi Oil
cleans him out. Bill amt never been
licked on the trail. Carries n gun in tho
wagon to use in cases of necessity. Good
teller if you know how to take him-I
never had no trouble with him-but q
little queer an not n man to monkey
with less you're lookin' for mighty
lively exercise"
Gene meditatively took Off his hat and
blew the dust from the wide brim-the
red, powdery dust of the trail, the
dust that is blown hither and
thither, On everything, through every
thing; that is stirred by the treas
ure coach and passenger coach, mule
train and bull train, by the passing
breeze and the gale as it sweeps down
out of the canyon and whirls it along in
great clouds that shut from sight coach
and wagon train, dusty passenger and
dustier driver. Then he began again:
'Well bout two year ago we was all
freightin' from Pierre-nearest railroad
town then, you know. Them was lively
times at Pierre. Killed a man every
night, buried him the mex mornin', or
mebby the day after, 'cordin' to how
busy they was.
There was a girl at Pierre named
Pearl Queen. Least that's what the bills
said her name was, though l al'ays
thought it was a little mixed bout it
bein' right. She acted at tho Alhambra
theatre, you see. Danced on her toes
remarkably pretty like. She'd been
there some time, and we all knowed her
more or less. She was u little thing,
midlin' young, l jedged, though I al'ays
calculated she looked a little sort o.
faded. She was kinder quiet, though
she had a pertty peart look, too They
said she shot a Teller at Sidney, but Pete
Ferris said it want her.a tall, so / don't
know nothing bout it.
Anyhow, Bill jerks got acquainted
with her one trip, and they jess seemed
to muchu'ly fall in love with each other
at first sight. Well, we didn't pay no
attention to this, but we want quite
ready for what follered. Bill got "A load
of merch'ndise for Lead City, an the
mex mornin' pulled out, an the pint is
right here: Settin' up on the saddle on
the near white mule was Pearl Queen,
? jes' 'sif she'd al'ays been there; an Bill
was waikiki 'longside, mebby a little
closer'n gen'ral, swearin' at the mules
jes' 'sif he never pulled out no other
way.
"Well, we all looked an that's bout
all we did do when We see 'em comm
there happened to be quite n lot OF us in
camp there an we was jes' hookin' up
Bill had camped down by the freight
house. Pearl had on a new caliker
dress, mostly red and pretty like, an l
noticed she 'peared rather better lookin'
than central, 1 thought. Big Smith was
camped with us; he's one o. these ere