Wichita eagle., 1889-05-07
BEATEN AT HIS GAME
An Old.Time Cowboys First Case
OF Tootnache.
Tired OF Lie on . Ranch Ke Concocts O
Scheme to Go to Denver-Leaving q
Cattle Camp to Face q Dentist
"A Joke That Didn't Work.

"Charlie" Metcalf is an old-tinne cowboy,
says the New York Tribune. One would
not know it now TO look at him, for he
kicked OF his spurs and discarded bis SOM
brero years ago. Nor would any one know
that he had been a theatrical manager, a
school-teacher, steamship purser and a
| private secretary, but he has gone through
ali these experiences and many more. His
first venture was cattle raising. He had
| just been graduated from college when he
went West to become seattle king" Az
he himself tells the story there were many
circumstances which conspired to prevent
his becoming much of king. In the first
| place he put all his money he had into the
business. Accordingly when some cattle
| thieves swooped down upon his camp one
night and stampeded with the whole herd.
! the young cattle raiser found himself in
the position where there was not only no
! power behind the kings throne, but no
throne. In the language Of the plains, he
| found himself after that reduced from
| the position of cattle owner to a
! ''cow puncher." In the course Of the
next four years ne managed TO branch out
again, buying some hundred head. The
following winter was something like pro-
| longed and wicked blizzard, and when spring
came Colonel Metcalf Che was called
| "Colonel" on the plains because he had
tried to get admitted to West Point, and e.
| though ne failed dismaliy, he always boast
! ed that he passed his physical examination
with credit) found himself the owner of
| just five bony, dried-up head of cattle. He
could not sell them, for no one would buy
them, so he turned them loose On the plains
and again took to the saddle at fifty dollars
month, -four, spurs and lariat thrown in.
| THIS was in the spring of 1881.
! The Colonel" whatever his failings at
cattle-raising, tells good story. He fell to
talking with friend the other day about
the toothache, AID he told the story Of the
first and only case Of toothache he ever had
After briefly sketchipg his two failures at
raising cattle, he described the winter that
followed his return to ''cow punching
1.-THE winter" he said, twas not less Sc.
we're than that Of the year before and when
June of 1889 finally came around we were q
sorry looking lot. Every herder had begun
the season with five bronchos Bronchos
are tough, but that winter settled them,
and it would have settled US, too, if we
hadn't had plenty OF blankets. Inever saw
any thing like the way it rained that spring.
Our clothes, tents and blankets got so soaked
that for weeks we had not had dry rag on
US. began to get pretty sick of being q
cowboy, and what made my complaint worse
was the fact that the girl to whom I was
engaged was visi ting relatives in Denver
had not seen her for three years, and al
though my employer had promised me
week of when good weather came. there
seemed to be no chance Of going to Denver
for long time, for we were in terrible
fix. Our temporary camp was at the Old
Battle Ground, on Big Sandy creek, where
the Indian massacre ('massa-cree every one
calls it there was committed in &c, by the
First Colorado Cavalry, under Colonel Chiv-
ington. 1t was about all we could do to
| hang on to the ground to keep from slipping
down the side of the gully. The cattle were
stampeding every day, and We had to work
! all the time To make matters worse, there
warn't half enough bronchos to go around
and we had to be on our feet good deal of
the time, hard trial for a cowboy.
81 made up my mind to 30 to Denver.
and began to cudgel my brains to find
some good excuse for deserving my outfit
hit upon the toothache, and for three DAYS
suffered untold agony when any of the
men were around. I protested to be una
bic to eat, and the men began to feel
alarmed about me. At the end of the three
days l began to weaken. could not starve
to death and thought that must give up
the toothache. / finally decided to take
w Risky Hank the cook, into my conf
dence, and | made clean breast of the
whole thing to him. After that he brought
me my meals when the men were all off
punching the cattle, which every day were
becoming wilder than buffaoes / kept
this up for a week when the head man came
70 me and said: See here, Colonel, you go
to Denver and get that tooth out protest
ed that it would not be right for me to desert
the camp at such time, but he insisted,
and finally start ed.
"My employer was at River Bend, the
home ranch, near the Kansas Pacific and
/ started for Kit Carson, the nearest rail-
way station, twenty miles away, in great
glee. had not been in town, big or lit
tie, for over year, and when l struck
Denver the place was not big enough
to hold me. / got there in the morning
and went straight to the st. James Hotel.
After Teasing at breakfast, | lighted a
cigar and stood on the front steps awhile,
just to see what civilized people looked like
was just going down to the street to hurry
around to Herman avenue, on Capitol hill,
when came face to face with my employer
For an instant l wished that was back at
the old battle ground, chasing cattle over
the slippery ground l whipped out my
handkerchief and clapped it up to my
cheek.
MISUNDERSTANDING murmured.
" Toothache, eh.' he said, looking at me
keenly. Come with me and have it out
Il hadn't the courage to say word and
followed him meekly around to the office of
dentist. l sat down in the chair in a state
of utter collapse, pointed out back tooth
and groaned pull it The dentist had hard
work to get that tooth out, for it was one of
the best teeth that man ever had. l had
TO pay two dollars for the operation, too,
and when the tooth was out and the dentist
had soothed my wounded jaw my employer
took me down to the station and saw me off
on the next train for Kit Carson, bound for
the camp. l never dared 70 tell any Of the
boys bow got beaten at my game. Even
the COOK never learned the truth"
BAD iucs Is simply man with his hands
in his pockets and pipe in his mouth, look
ing on to see how it is coming out. Good
luck is man of pluck, with his sleeves
rolled up, and working to make 1t come out
all right.