Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-08

Intending to his duties. Jim Carroll, the
oreman-who was popularity believed to
POSSESS fine literary requirements, shame
ully wasted in cow punching-was quite
AIKEN with the cooks appearance and with
capt. Dicks adventure Of the morning, and
he declared that henceforth the newcomer
should be known as Don Quixote de Santa
Rosa, which name was adopted by acclama-
ton, and promptly shortened to Don.
Day by day the men learned to like |
the Don He had such modest way
about him; he was never clustering, never
profane, but always quiet and cheerful He
was not didactic or puritanical, but he had a
singular habit of interspersing scriptural Sc
lections through his conversations that at
first was very puzzling to the men He did
this without the slightest notion of the incon-
gruity, or Of the unpleasant effect it had on
some, for he did it all in deeply reverent
way. He never drank again, and was deeply
mortified at his one unfortunate lapse, 1t is
true he could not cook-true, indeed that he
made worse failures than any cowboy ever
made before-but, somehow, no one could
find fault with him.
Them biscuits hev got considable sally
ratus in EN-, | expect, he used to say, apollo
getically, as he daily laid a pan of heavy,
saffron colored Jumps of dough on the table,
"but it seems to take heap of it Z operate
on this -four callate there's four parts sal
lyratus to three of four-fear We not death
but you won't mind it with little raw onion
and plenty O salt"
His mode of cooking beef, too, was darby
mysterious There would appear on the
table, three times a day, a dingy, blackened
pan, filled with a something or other, floating
in melted grease, and as the Don laid it down
he would smile benevolently, seeming to say
that no one could guess what that contained,
net If he were to try a week.
9Th foundation fur it is fried beef he
would say, but there is other things in it
fur to give it twang-I bring We good tidings
of great joy-such as chopped pertaties an
pork It's got considerable nourishment into
it, though it don't look so very good.n
One day there was great excitement at the
Barzee-the Don had been there about four
months then-for neighbor rode up and re
ported that there was TO be dance the next
night at the 'Widder Davis,n four miles up
Los Tanos.
The wilder was the relict of the late Jim
Davis, who came to an untimely end some
FIVE years before by reason of the pistols
missing fire Besides the ''widder,n Davis had
left behind him a son and daughter. The
son was harum scarum fellow, even for q
COW puncher; the wilder was admitted to
be rustler. As for the daughter, Mirandy,
she was the belle of San Miguel county.
| Few who saw her could resist her fas-
cinations. She was none of your sickly, wee
thtnrc. fhat bind IOaS Apurish
| frontier. No. Mirandy was stout, strong and
handsome withaL And Vet, frontier born
and bred though she was, she had all the
coquettish ways that some think are only &C
quired by society training, but which are
in truth, as much a part of woman's MAKE
| up as her back hair. 1t was a liberal educa
ton to see Mirandy modestly drop her eye
lids when one of her admirers was touching
| on dangerous ground, or to hear her say
Get along now, Bill, or III lam ye," and t,
| note the stalwart cuff she administered t,
Bill if he attempted to steal kiss. Ad
mirers she had by the score, suitorS by tn
dozen, but never an accepted lover anon
them all She was believed to be hear
whole and fancy free, a condition whic
added an indefinable charm TO her society
OF course, such an event as a dance wa
hailed with pleasure and every one at ono
made ready. There was greasing Of boots
and polishing of spurs, and busting O
clothing all that day and the next. The tim
for starting was impatiently waited, but q
last it came, and the party was of-a cava
cade of SIX including the Don. The dane
did not differ greatly from the usual affair
of that kind. No one was shot, no one wa
even physically hurt, but there was one c
the party who was apparently wounded in
serious way. | refer to the Don, and tn
Don's very susceptible heart The attention
that he lavished upon both the wilder an
Mirandy that night were the cause of niue
remark With what grace did he lead Il
matron out on the floor, and take his places
the head of the reel; with what stately DO
did he salute her, as the accordion and fidd
struck up Money Musk" with what ca
and dignity did he guide his buxom partn
down the middle, his huge spurs and chail
playing a jingling accompaniment to Il
music, and then, when the dance was owe
how gallantlv did he lead her to a seat az
hurry to get her some negus. To see hi
you'd have thought he was a carpet mig
born and bred, instead of the cook of &
BARGE ranch.
And then, when he appealed to Miss n
randy for the favor of her hand in the boiler
how cleverly he showed his versatility. Wi
the dame he had been dignified with t
maiden he was as agile and graceful as JIG
Garcia, the handsome young Mexican, sa
to be the best dancer and the worst liar
San Miguel county. The other dance
paused TO watch the two as they swayed a
pirouetted to the music, and when, at la
they stopped, cheered them rightly hearth
ItwouId be worth good deal to you con
you have seen the gallant way in which t
Don led his breathleSs partner to a seat, n
stood by her size, tanning her with hu
palm leaf that raised such breeze in t
room as to blow out one of the lights. Al
: not the worst part of it all, either, was to S
: the savage scowl that came over Jose Garci,
8 swarthy face at finding himself beaten by
d cook The Don treated Joes's ill humor wi
|, the naughty disdain that it merited-and
II out Mirandy TO supper.