Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-12-28

was SlOWeQ away III his own Deu,
''you tend ter this man, and if yer
got any idee in medersin, an know
how ter dish it out SOS ter pull him
outer the mire, | want you ter do it.
Eff yer don know whut's good fer
i'm. fill i'm up on sumthin' en-keeper
tryin' till We hit it. When ye're done
come around ter me fer yer day. l
bin in this shape once myself, boys,
an / know whut it is ter suffer fer err
little tension, an eff Joe Biggs is con-
sidered tough cuss, he'sgot a little
heart left fer er Teller mortal who is
sufferin', an even ole Shanks is
worthy NV some kindness, an he's err
goin' ter git it, the best / know how
ter give it ter i'm"
As day after day passed and the
sick continued in n delirious state
tossing his hands wildly about and
uttering wild broken sentences, Joe
sat by his side and watched over him
with the tenderest care, no doubt in
these kind offices finding some sort
of solace for his oyertroubled soul.
Joe's life in the West had been a busy,
rushing one, and no time had he
found to indulge in thoughts ofthe
past-of the years away back toward
his youth, when his was an innocent
soul and his hands werefree of crime.
But in the silent vigils of the quiet
nighttime when all of Savage Gulch
lay still in sleep, he sat through the
darkness and his thoughts went back
to the old home in the east. Up
through the gloom of the year came
a trooping of memories, and above
all and the brightest of all was the
face of a fond mother. He shuddered
as he recalled her love for her boy,
and mentally measured the awful dis
| lance he had drifted away from her,
and tears, the first that had come to
his eyes in years, coursed down his
coarse, hard cheeks.
Themenaround thecamp sometimes
came in to offer assistance, but usually
Joe sat through the nights alone, and
he preferred it, for somehow since the
fountain of the past had been opened
and stream ofmemories set to flow
ing through his mind, he loved to sit
and enjoy his thoughts in solitude.
One day as Joe passed by the sa-
loon, some of the loungers remarked:
"Joe's stickin' ter old Shanks liker
er brother"
"That's whut he is. An its Their
quarest thing ever see, too. He's
ther last men in Their camp I'd a
thought OF a dom sech thing"
"Thar's sometin' mighty GURUS
erbout it. I'd never dreamed o.
Joe takin' no interest in sick Teller,
an specially Teller like ole Shanks. :"
HE hain't bin inter Their s'loon for
several days; he'd yer noticed thet?"
II guess / he'd, replied the bar
keeper, SER Joe's alters bin one o. the
stidiest customers we he'd, an eff he
was sorter quarrelsome sometimes,
he want never close with his money"
"Joe want never so bad a man, mo-
how" said another, ''es some people
thought.
When. he wus friend to TELLER he'd
do anything for i'm. But somehow
he seemed to sorter got er notion
that Their world was ergin' i'm"
J Yes" said another. ''but how'd
he ever come to take to ole Shanks,
dyer s'pose?"
Just then one of the ''boys" called
for the drinks and the loungers
dropped the conversation and stood
up along the bar ready for any emer-
geney.
One day the doctor came and pro-
nounced the crisis passed, for he
found the high fever had ceased, and
the sufferer lay calmly sleeping, while
his cheek was no longer hot and
flushed.
"He'll get well now" the doctor
said, if he has proper care"
''An' hill hev it," Joe replied with
emphasis, ''if I'm able ter give it to
i'm"
That evening as the twilight was
fading into night, Shanks awokei
and after his eyes had wandered
: around the room, he fixed them on
the face of Joe Biggs with u startled
wondering gaze, and for a moment
the two men looked into each Others
eyes.
"What does it mean?" Shanks
, asked, in a voice scarce above 9
whisper.
you've been nigh ter DEATH" JOE
replied. "Fer days we've bin dowr
with the fever. But you're all right
now, the Doc says, only you've got
ter bekeerful an not take no relapse.
This is your cabin, Joe?"
"Yas."
Chow come me ter be here?"
eve found you down to the ten
, with terrible fever, an he'd yol
brought here"
cam you've bin nursin' me?"
"Yas, I've bin sorter helpin' you {
/, little"
/ you're good man. Joe, an de
i serve my thanks. But / wish yol
hedn't done it. / wanted to die"
a "Come, man, don't less hev non o
, that sort o. stuff"
Then after little Shanks looked
, Joe in the eyes with an almost eagle
! like gaze and asked: