The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-09-13


'Stoppcd hyar yesterday jest 70 see
that grave. Put up one or two o the |
stuns rs he'd rolled down. It's all
right now.
when fust met Eli he was guide
for chaps a'crossin' tho plains. Santa
TO way. Tor thar want no railroads
them days. A good guide n a trurty.
Curious though bout some things
He'd never use cuss words. nor drink.
but Lord, how he'd smoke. al day long
| Il half tho night, too; good-natnred
but the solamncst chap ever struck.
| Stranger. ] never lSnow'd Bill ter
laugh. never. not oncest Told me
his heart was brcise. m he couldn't
laugh. What did he mean? Lor. man.
| | dunno. for he never said much about
hissclf. asked him his name m he
said IL was Bill ask'd him whar
no was from. n he said from No
whar.' spec thar was woman In
the case thar mostly is. notice. But
Bill wa, built like a clam n kept his
mouth shut.
wall. Bisi an mo got ter be great
chums an ! was mighty sorry when he
quit pilotin' trains. an jincd some
hunters. an pulled out into the heart
o tho Injnn country.
"l;imcby, year later, havin' got a
bit crazy on the subject o silver min
, ing. struck this same reeio we are
now passn through. hui we he'd no
luck at all in iindin' silver. though !
felt l he'd struck il rich one line day
when two hunters walked into our
camp. one OF EN- being my old friend
Bill.
Glad to see him. chs Young man.
ef yc'd seen old Bill an me huggin',
yc'd thought we vas A couple o bars
for sure.
"Rill had been tharabouts for sew
erai months an. said thar was no sill
YER signs about. an so our party
pulled up an went farther south. but
stayed with Bill an t'other chap TO
take hand at trappin' beaver
THE old fellow had nice bit o a
! hut nigh quiet valley. where thar
!. was heaps o. beaver. an as thar was
no redskins around we enjoyed our
a selves immensely.
but | didn't fancy Bills compan.
ion. an he didn't waste any love on
!, me either. Bill had picked him uT
on the border jest fer company. an
took to him d bit because he seemed .
!. ncrvy. brave fellow. lie was a half
breed Mexican. named yumez. a small
! wiry fellow. with sallow checks. coal
black eyes and hatchet face. ant
n crafty ways like fox. At first HI
4 showed his dislike OF me plain enough
but BY and by he became suddenl!
!; very friendly. which made It mucl
plcaSanter all round.
"One day | went up the creek 70 cx
,. anime the traps. leaving Bill and Yu
/, mcz mcnding some OF the old ones a
home. Having been gone about a
! hour was gittin' ready to return
when heard the crack o. n rifle an /
r bullet grazcd the tip o my ear DRAWN
= drop o. blood.
IL rcck' jump'd nigh rod high
q for it was pooty clost call TO climl
!. the stairs. an then locked to SEE
whar the internal thing come from
Is seed wisp O smoke hangin' over
clump q bushes nigh the hill top tina
told me all cared TO know. an grab
bin up my gun l made for home. I'm
der the shelter Of the creek bank. at
2:4O gait fearin' second shot from
the Injuns.
Nigh our hut met Yumcz. gun Il
&c hand, who said he had heard the sho
q an started out to help me II needed
y II struck me as bcin' cur Gus he cou
have heard the report over mil
n away. behind the hill. an the win
=. blowin' half a gale in t'othcr direction
d but o. course there want nothin' to
+ said.
y ''Bill was inside workin' on III
N traps. an when told him what ha
= happened he was quite Uneasy. an "
discussed the situation rs to VIVA
70 should DO done. Meantime Yumc
b had hung his gun on the pegs an
!. gone for bucket O. water.
N :" Wonder II Yumcz seed any lnju
\. signs when he was out?' said Bill
4. Why SEE !, was he out whilst
g was gomez Thought he was hyar wit
y YOU
e ~ lie went out with his gun 500
}? after yc did, said Bill. I'll AK him
And Bill left the hut.
d THAT gave me another suspicion
'. to / arm that Yumez had left the hi
- shortly after ! did. What for? Ar
why did he pretend he'd heard til
. rifie-shot an como out afterwards I
! see what IL meant? got up an wen
'r to the pegs an examined the Mexican
1 rife. Ididn't see the result. for tn
II gun wasn't loaded ut all, Things ha
m ugly look. While was putting III
h gun back the Mexican returned. al
scein' what was doin', he look
g guilty as thief. an then | know
d tho rascal had fired that bullet at m
k hissclf.
10 Il wos on the pint O. denouncin' tn
~ villain to onccst nm scarcely ondcl
stood why didn't II was drcffr