The Irish standard., 1889-03-02

and had such bad luck with it that he is
only anxious to get back to the old home he
left long ago, in order that he may die in
peace.
s'And say, pardner, won't you give US
few ears of corn for tba horses and little
meal for the l1dsl"
1t is said that once upon time man
with a crow-bait team detected wife and
len struggling children drove north over the
Arkansas line, and having arrived at a con-
veuient camping ground on this side, I'M
hooked the animals and turned them loose
to Craze. Then he built a fire, and while the
wife busted herself with pork and corn meal
she man began slowly stirring some coffee
into pail OF water. About this time
native came down to the camp fire, and
stopped in d social way to chat The Ar
kansas man kept or slowly stirr2n g the coffee
without lookingup
elbow d'y', strangers" said the native.
The Arkansas man stirred on for d mo-
snent in silence, then answered:
'sHor d'y'?n
'sWhar " from, stranger?'' said the ma
Eve.
A. longer interval OF silence. Then:
" Arkansaw; now laugh, gol darn you.''
Nature greatly favors the strollers. The
climate even in the fall of che year is de-
Eghtful. There is q frost at night. Sill
water freezes over, but when the sun gets
up the air becomes warm and bracing. CT
course there are storms now and then, and
the strollers suffer as tramps do every
where, but the pleasant days far outnumber
She stormy.
Then wood and water and grass are every
where abundant, and the native would
think himself "pretty tolable mean" if he re-
fused a man q few ears of corn and a little
meal, in spite Of the fact that he may be
very well assured that the stroller's pork
syas {. stray pig gathered III by the svayside.
However, the stroller does not live on
pork and meal alone. He carries some sort
OF 4 gun. In this country, where small
game is abundant and tame as chickens, cats
auG dogs are, be- can live Oh fresh meat con.
tinualy. For powder and shot he sells tho
skins OF deer and 'coons ssnd 'possurls that
he kills, and when near enough to a. mar
aet the whole deer itself and maybe few
turkeys, for there are always people in the
villages willing TIC buy the game they do
not care about hunting. The prices re-
ceived are small three or four cents
pound for dressed deer and from twenty
five to fifty cents each for big fat turkeys
but still the price keeps the stroller IN cot
fee and ammunition. His tobacco he
sborrys'' when he can and buys when lie
must
Not AL the camp fires are built by stroll
ling beggars, however. In fact. the major
lty OF the people who travel through the
country are honest folks, who are Just what
they represent themselves to be. This is
OF great advantage to the begyars, for one
can seldom tell the honest from the dishon-
est. Hundreds of teams pass thro Ugh this
country every year carrying men who have
some money, and who will eventually locate
and become reputable citizens. A very
large part Of the population here came into
the country i'll just that way. Very natur-
ally the man who has travelled with team
ard his family perhaps hundreds of miles
through g strange country feels strong
sympathy fer others who come along in Like
plight after he has found his home.
There is another class Of campers worth
mentioning, and that is the freighters.
Springfield is tie mart for region two
hundred miles across, wherein the goods
purchased must be carried to the stores in
wagons. The country merchant wants
more goods. His wife and family want to
20 to the city. They hitch the team to the
hoops, put in hay and bedding, cook
&AAc u9SAoAc7 's@ASl AOOA! GtIO away NAOJ
60. Net q cent in money does it
cost the merchant to go to Springfield,
not cent while he stays, not cent to
come back. His travelling expenses ara
nothing There is practically belt OF
charcoal and ashes clear around Spring
field which the camp fires have made. OF
course some Of the merchants stop at
hotels and put their teams in the livery
stables But these get no heartier wei
come from the wholesale dealer than the
others. III fact, stopping at botel may
excite suspicion. Perhaps the merchant is
putting on style, in order that he may ap-
pear wealthy and get credit. The mer-
chant who camps very frequently owns
miles Of land, has q log-cabin store well
stocked, is enormously rich-worth, say
SIS, 1000 or $4,000. He camps from choice.
His wife invariably carries home some
thing NICE for herself OF the house which
the willy wholesale man has sheen saving
for her for three mouths While the
merchant, as he drives to town, could
scarce be distinguished from the stroller
so careless is he usually Of appearances, !!
yet it takes no experienced observer 10 tell |
that his wife and family are not Of the emo
accounts The Missouri man is ALWAYS
proud of his family. and generally has rea-
son to be,
There is still fourth class of strollers.
They are easily distinguished. They are
the horse jockeys. The man has his family
along, as a rule, besides from QUE to three
men to help care for his bunch of stock.
He will trade any thing for any thing
else. His stock includes every thing from
q three-months old calf to yoke Of oxen,
irom mule colt to q Hambletonian stall
lion. His stock improves as he goes along,
partly because be is a shrewd trader, and
partly because he cares for his animals.
Once in awhile he heads away for a market
and sells OFF the surplus. His route in
cludes Missouri, Arkansas, Texas and In
dian Territory, and he wouldn't leave his
Btrolling life for the finest estate on the
Hudson.
a coLoRED man found $4,000 in green
backs between the leaves Of an old book he
had bought at g second hand store at Paris,
-. 81,