The Red Cloud chief., 1889-08-23
out here with the spade and 60 70

shovelling dirt in
'.Ano:her interrupted me with:
Is your name DAM
when / said that it was, they got
up. One started the fire. another went
to the we'll to I'LL the kettle. the third
got n broom and went to sweeping up.
the other threw a cloth over his arm
and commenced to wash dishes.
when the fire burnt up. n went to
the corne Of the house, where an ante
lope hung. and began to cut steaks.
" believe I'd a little sooner have
ham said l.
They looked At one another, and
then one said: L reckon if he wants
ham (he spoke as though addressing
the others. not mel he'll have to turn
cannibal.' and in corroboration another
produced the ham bone.
However. they stayed the night.
and We put in a right sOciable evening.
playing poker. When they left next
morning l was sorry to see them 60.
for all my spare cash went with EN-
and in those times thirty odd dollars
was thirty odd hard iron dollars.
'.But beans. skunks, grAsshoppers
and cow punchers' were nothing.
There came. a few days later = poor
mar from Missouri.
He had come West to make a home
for his family. and rare EN- up with
the countrv:' the East was over
stocked He took up the north half
Of the section cornering N mine. and
lived with me while he dug his well
and got his house up (Of course ]
helped him.
SO the time passed. and Thought
was glad to have q neighbOr.
He said that his family were on the
road with the furniture and stock. and
| he reckoned. since all was fixed Che
had put up a good deal bigger house
than mine. but 'reckoned he could fur
nish it, he'd go East and meet EN-
LAS l had advertised to prove up. ]
persuaded him to stay a week longer
| (you see. it would take the family a
matter of sever weeks or more to drive
out from Missouri) and be one Of my
witnesses.
We'll 1 proved up (after consider
able trouble: but then. you see. ! was
green and didn't each on that the
judge only made these obstacles to get
80 or SO or so for himself). Honest
John was my other witness.
Il looked up north from the shantee
one day. about noon. and here zane a
| cloud of dust. In it l could see a
| prairie schooner and some cattle
trailing behind.
when they came up quite close
was able to take in the whole outfit.
| Sitting on the front seat. and looking
out from under the wagon cover. vas
the old man: next him was his wife
q youngster in each arm. and strung
| along for two or three hundred yards
behind were cattle, horses and chill
dren Of all sorts and sizes. till you
couldn't see out To this day l don't
know how many there was in that
family. for l never took the trouble to
round EN- up
1T was about a week after they had
got fairly settled. when the old man
came over to me one morning with the
two biggest boys, one Of them . fine.
grown fellow about sixteen.
Zine Lad that l said. as I shook
hands with the boy; i suppose he's
the eldest?
..No. replied the lad smartly. lie,
me see Che reckoned on his fngers).
there's Eve gals and two boys Oldern
me-but l can lick EN-.
"'You see.' said the father proudly,
Bill here is left-handed. That's it.
why he is SUCH a right smart chance OF
a lad. Yer see, We raised EN- up (such
raisin' a they had) on hash; they had
it set out to EN- in q big bowl. All
the rest Of EN- is right-handed. WAL.
they would all go for it. till round and
round went the hash in the bowl, 80
as none of EN- could catch much be-
side soup. Then Rill come in with his
left-handed sweeps. yer see. and caught
all the chunks. But. he went on. just
as l was going to speak. 4 come over
this morning ter see you on bisness.
Seems ter me it's about time this town
ship had a schoolhouse.
The deuce. you say l exclaimed
(tor you see We were the only two set
tiers. and half the expense would come
on mel. But l added. I've got nc
children to send to school. SO l dom,
see how it affects me-
More fool YOU ne replied-and ]
don't know nov whether he meant for
having no children or for not seeing
how his having enough for both Tor a
dozen, for the matter Of that affected
me.
You see.' he went on in an author
alive tone, the law provides that when
there is a certain number of children
in a township there must be a scotible
schoolhouse. Now you and me is the
only voters-in fact. we're the school
board and the taxpayers. Sort o rocky
OF you. he broke of. but laws Is laws-
perhaps the old man saw q queer