Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-12
A MORMON STORY.

They were the most contented family in
the world The father was by turns a pros
pector, a tepper or rancher, but he never
succeeded in making a COOL living in any
way. Ee was q remarkably handsome
mountaineer, tall and strong, and be looked
on honest labor as quite beneath him His
word was his bond, Be contracted 10 debts
that ne could not pay, yet he often cut up
fat steer and divided the meat among his
nei5hbors, who sent him vegetables and gro
csries in return, and never asked where the
fat steer had come from Perhaps they
knew. When q herd passed along the dusty
high road, the women smiled az each other
and said: Il guess well hev some fresh meat
tomorrow"
Sometimes he would drive into town with
q team Of high stepping, smooth coated
horses attached to his rusty old buck board
Then his friends crowded about them, strok-
ing she glossy necks, examining the white
teeth, but no one IL this little Mormon set
Element ever thought Of iuquiring where LIE
got them
Dick johnson was the kindest Of men to
his friends and family, yet he had his record
Ee would be lyncued promptly If he should
ever return to Montana; lie had shot bridge
keeper who demanded toll Of him, and. alto
getner. the sudden deaths Of q half-dOzen
taen were caused by the well known fact that
sole Dick WIZ mighty lively with his pistols
when he'd got 'nuR whisky aboard"
His wife did not always have good print
dress TO wear to town, the children were sell
dom provided with shoes, but she always
seemed co2tented and Iazily happy, and there
was not rerrier set Of little ones The
mother was a fair haired, blue eyed woman,
and the children ell looked Ike her.
The children mostly awl looks like me"
she would say, with an amiaole smile; ''awl
of lem 'cept Caddie, an I guess she looks
more like her pa"
You kin jest bet I do, and Tn mighty
glad ! havn't no towhead like these hero
young 'uus," Caddie would answer. She wa3
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-
Eetlc girl ruled the whole family; the man,
who, IN spite Of his strength ard ferociCy,
WIS as tender hearted and simple minded az
Il child. the INDECENT, auiable 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 a
busy wife and mother, moving about the two
or three rooms Of q log farm house, with a
few hardy flowers strlr- M for existence in
the small front garden, with cyIrTant bushes
strawberry vines, and hoUrishiRg vegetables
surrounding the house, and with waving
fields of grain stretching away TO the dark
mountains that bound these western valleys.
She condded these visions 10 her mOrhsr
once.
II tell yer what, NAV" she said, ''when
z
ferlorn DOLBY shanty Cd this here tn hev
to be q log house, an derned well plastered,
an whitewashed inside an out. An thereu
be the purtiest rag CARPET on the front room
floor you ever see, an = good board floor in
the kitchen, too. An III hev a likely colt to
ride, an some cows, SOS To hev lots Of milk
an butter, an yer BET yer life III be the boss
o the hull goiderned ranch"
''Ye7've always he'd fine idees in yew're
head, Caddie," drawled her mother; IAN ef
yew Ilarries Bishop Burns, like yew're pa
wants yew tevv, maybe he'll Civ yew q log
house; but yew know well e2uff that Dan
Williams CANT do no sech thing fer We"
HUH observed Caddie; ''ef that bull
headed old Burns ever comes shinin' round
me, bell set ssch crack il is jaw Il make
him see stars, or else my name haint Cad
Johnson
WAL, guess he'd better not risk it then"
said The woman, with feeble laugh: '.yewre
pas hitchin' Up the bosses, Caddie, an I
reckon yew'd better pack theJ there bit o.
butter in q box, an me5be ole Burns ull give
vow some shoes fer it eff yewrs real nice
tew him"
"An right answered Caddte; 'look-a-
here, you Tom, Il kick you into the middle
Of next week if you don't stop tryin' to lasso
that there pig. Come along here now, an
git yer face washed We're goin' to the
Coop, an Inebbe you'll sit some candy, eff
you behave yourselves
There vas only one seat in the wagon, and
on /. sat Dick johnson and his wife, who
held the baby IN her arms Caddie sat on
the box In the back Of the wagon, and the
children rolled around her IN the hay that
was always taken along for the horses 10 eat
while the women were trading II the Co
operative store and the Ioaa was drinking at
the one saloon.
Tho road ran along the bank Of the river,
whose cleaning breadrbs, seen at intervals
through the oyerh2nging willows, together
with the long sweep Of green. and brown,
and gold bunch grass that bowed Its tas-
seled heads as the breeze passed over it,
waving like 4 many colored sea away to the
dark mountains with their snowy tops,
IoTuSu = plCLlA-S HLA-cSS suoAkL4e Il as per
feet loveliEesS.
THAT there grass IS cen a-rnCst ready to
rat remarked old Dick; u guess IL borry
The bishops hay rick to-norrer, an go after
a load o hay, an you yunguns KIN come
Rloug an help stamp 1t, et You want TO-"
The chlldren set up joyful shout, for
this was treat Tor them, as il would be 10
any ere. to tumble about II the long grass;
to fish for minlows II the coal, gurgling
creek. 70 wade into il knee deep for water
creSs; To pick tart, Wild strav berries, and TO
eat ell these 0elicacles with the sweet home
made bread and country butter And after
ibis delightful day, how pleasant II was 10
roll n the sweet s-neiliE. hay, with the
breezes cooling their s1n burned cheeks,
curing the long ride home.
The wagon drew up az last II front Of the
Siliage store, and tie girl rlarshaled tire
children into the Coop" viii a good deal
pf forcible persuasion
"How &c do, Sister Johnson said the
Etorekesper, who was aLso the Mormon
bishop; well, Caddle, I see you're IS tat
md sarsy es you ever was
Csddie stared AZ him scorntuliy, not BE-
cause she was offended &c his free language,
she Was quite used 70 that; bat lis 1nco1.h
creature had as much natural COG 1et-y Is
CIV other I5-year-oi6 girl
''How uucr be you payin' fer tip top out
ter norT' she aSked; I'm let you hav tn.
here. e you'll Civ ne six bits roll fer TT