The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-06-01
HAD THE TOOTHACHE.
THE "cOLcNEL," AN OLD TIME
COWBOY, GIVES HIS EXPERIENCE.

COWBOY, GIVES HIS EXPERIENCE.
Iiarti>hips of Herder During the Rainy
Sca,on-He Wanted to Sec His Girl in
Dcnver-Givins Up Sound Tooth and
Then Hustling BACK to Camp.
Charlie" Metcalf is an old time cowboy.
One would not know it now to look at him,
for he kicked off his spurs and discarded his
Sombrero years ago. Nor would any one
know that he had been theatrical manager,
a school teacher, a steamship purser and
private secretary, but he has gone through
all these experiences and many moro. His
first venture was cattle raising. He had just
been graduated from college when he went
west TO become "catte king" AS he him
self tells tho story, there were many circum-
stances which conspircd to prevent his be-
coming much Of a king. In the first place,
he put all his money he had into the business
Accordingly, when some cattle thieves
swoolcd down upon his camp one night and
stamlcdcd with the whole herd the young
c;ttle raiser found himself in tho position
where there was not only no power behind
tie kings throne, but no throne.
In tho language of the plains, he found
himself after that reduced from tho position
of Il cattlo owner to "cow puncher" In
the ursc of the next four years he managed
to branch out again, buying some hundred
head. The following winter was something
like II prolonged and wicked blizzard, and
wien spring came Col. Metcalf lle was called
Colonel Oh the plains because he had tried
to set admitted to West Point, and although
hc failed dismally, ho always boasted that he
passed his physical examination with credit)
found himself tho owner of just five bony,
dried up head of cattle He could not sell
them, for no ono would buy them, so he
turned them loose on tho plains and again
took to tho saddle at $50 month, -four,
spurs and lariat thrown in. This was in the
spring of 1881.
HARD TIMES ON THE RANGE.
The "coloncl," whatever his failings at
cattle raising, tells n good story. He fell to
talking with a friend tho other day about tho
tootlache and he told tho story Of the first
and only case of toothasho he ever had. Af-
esr briefly sketching his two failures at rails
ing cattle, he described tho winter that fol-
lowed his return to ''cow punching"
"'Iho winter" lie said, twas not less severe
than that of tho year before, and when June
of lss2 finally came around we were sorry
looking lot. Every herdcr had begun tho
season with five broncos. Broncos are
tough, but that winter settled them, and it
would have settled us, too, if we hadn't had
plenty of blankets. Incver saw anything like
tho way it rained that spring. Our clothes,
tents and blankets got SO soaked that for
weeks we had not had dry rag on us. I be-
gan to get pretty sick Of being cowboy, and
what madc my complaint worse was the fact
that the girl to whom was engaged was visit
ing relatives in Denver Ihad not seen her for
three years, and although my employer had
promised mo week off when good weather
came, there seemed to bo no chance of going
to Denver for long time, for we were in
terrible fix. Our temporary camp was at
the old battlo ground OH Big Sandy creek,
wllcro tho Indian massacre tmassa-cree' every
ono calls it there) was committed in D6, by
the First Colorado cavalry, under Col Chiv-
ington. 1t was about all We could do to hang
on to tho ground to keep from slipping down
the side of the gully. Tho cattle were STAN
pcdng every day, and we had to work all tho
time. To make matters worse, thero waren't
half enough broncos to go around md we
had to be on our feet a good deal of the time,
hard trial for n cowboy
THREW AWAY A TOOTH
| began to cudgcl my brains to find some
good excuse for deserving my outfit hit
upon tho toothachc, and for three days. suf-
ferel untold agony when any of tho men
were around. professcd to be unable to
me AT the end Of three days | began to
weaken. could not starve to death, and
thought that must give up tho toothache.
| lp Inl IA, t,l- l., In
cook, into my confidence, and made clean
breast Of tho whole thing to him. After
that he brought mo my meals wen the men
were all of punching the cattle, wu.
every day were becoming wilder than u';tfl-
loes kept this up for week when .ae
head man came to me and said See here,
colonel, you go to Denver and get that tooth
out protested that it would not be right
for mo to desert tho camp at such time,
but he insisted, and finally started.
My employer was Mt River Bend the
home ranch, near tho Kansas Pacific and
started for Kit Carson, the nearest railway
station, twenty miles away, in great glee.
had not been in II town, big or little, for over
n year, and when | struck Denver the place
was not big enough to hold me. got there
in the morning and went straight to tho st.
James hotel. After fcasting at breakfast,
lighted cigar and stood on tho front steps
while, just to sec what civilized people looked
like. was just going down to the street to
hurry around to Herman avenue, OH Capitol
Hill, when came face to face with my en-
ployer. For IN instant | wished that | was
back at the Old Battle Ground, chasing cattle
over the slippery ground. whipped out my
handkerchief and clapped it up to my cheek
roothache-terrble,' murmured.
'roothachc, ch2 he said, looking at me
kccnly. Como with mo and ha pe it OUT
81 hadn't the courage to say word and
followed him mcekly around to the office of
dentist | sat down in the chair in a state of
utter collapse, pointed out back tooth and
groancd, pull it, Tho dentist had hard
work to get that tooth out, for it was one of
the best teeth that a man ever had had to
pay 81 for tho operation too, and when the
tooth was out and tho dentist had soothed
my wounded jaw my employer took mo down
to tho station and saw me off on tho next
train for Kit Carson, bound for tho camp |
never dared to tell any of the boys how got
beaten at my game. Even tho cook never
learned tho truth New York Tribune,
Mixed Up In Making Change.
1t odd how confusing some little prob
lens in figures will sometimes be. A gentle
man sat in q business mans office writing a
letter, the proprietor being close at hand.
When lie had finished he asked for stamp,
and his friend pulled open drawer in the