Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-09-16
BILL jerks STORY.

It was late in October, and the mount.
ain air WAS chilly. but the fire which WI
had built. aud which reached up with lis
long TONGUES Of flame half way to the
dark pipe top above, made the camp
comfortable. We had stopped for the
night j'f,t OF the great Deadwood trail, q
dozen 4,iIes from that place-that great
waghI road which leads from the gold
mine 20 civilization, over 200 miles
-amu Z mountains aud across plains, over
gov nUW.rj laud and through Indian
res, rgEuons.
i'm Elin' to he'd an TO sleep TO.
nj It, sid Gpuc Brooks, a freighter,
with thrno great freight wagons and
twelve mules, which lac drove alone, as
j. customary; II set up all last night
gellin' you lellers stories, but you can't
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 II 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 OF a
chew of tobacco with a pocketknife and
rolled over and kicked his toes into the
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 Oh gold mining.
you heard me mention Bill last
night, went on Gene. ''He's a good
one-ain't 'fraid of nothing that walks.
Been fregltin' ever since | have-nine
year. Got n twelve mule outfit-three
wagons. Bill amt exactly quarrelsome,
but il lie has got anything agin' anybody
he don't 20 round tryin' 10 forget it.
More likely be jumps the Teller an
,I.nr- liz, -. Di1 .ip'f ft.-sr iY.Y,
licked on the trail. Carries Il gun in the
wagon 20 use in cases OF necessity. Good
Teller il YOU know how 10 take him-I
never had no trouble with him-but a
little queer an not n man 10 monkey
with less you're lookin' for mighty
lively exercise"
Gene m~cditatively took OF his hat and
blew the dust from the wide brim-the
red, powdpry dust Of the trail, the
dust that Is blown hither and
thi;her, 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 il
great clouds that shut from sight coach
and wagon train, dusty passenger anu
dustier driver. Then he began again:
"WC!l, bout two year ago we was al
freightin' from Pierre-nearcst railroad
town then, you know. Them was lively
times at Pierre. Killed n man every
night, buried him the mex mornin', o.
mebby the day after, 'cordin' TO how
busy they wus.
'There was a girl at Pierre named
Pearl Queen. Least that's what the bill,
said her name was, though | al'ayi
thought it wa a little mixed bout il
bein' right. She acted at the Alhambra
theatre, you sec. Danced on her toe:
remarkably pretty like. She'd been
there some time, and we all knowed her
more or less. She was a little thing,
midlin' young, / lodged, though / al'ays
calculated she looked n little sort o.
faded. She was kinder quiet, though
she had a pertty peart look, too, They
said she shot q fellcr at Sidney, but Pete
Ferris said il WANT her a tall, so / don't
know nothing bout it.
Anyhow, Bill jerks got acquainted
with her n trip, and they jess seemed
10 m%uchu'ly fall in love with each other
at first sight. Well, we didn't pay no
attention 10 this, but we want quito
ready for what follered. Bill got a load
OF merch'ndise for Lead City, an the
mex mornin' pulled out, am the pint Is
right herei Settin' up On the saddle on
the near white mule was Pearl Queen,
jcs' 'sif she'd al'ays been there, an Bill
was walkin' 'longside, mcbby a little
c~loser'n gcn'ral, swearin' at the mules
jes' 'sif he never pulled out no other
WAY.
"Woll, We all looked an that's bout
all We did do when We see EN- comm
there happened 10 be quite a lot Of Us in
camp there an we was les hookin' up
Bill had cGmpod down by tho freight
house. Pearl had on a now calikcr
dress. moytly red and pretty lie, an
noticed fhe 'pearod rather btu loolin'
tllnn geD'ral. | Thoughts Big Smith wa.
camped with US, hos ons o tblke 'er,