News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-02-07
TIE +" CLAIM JUMPER. F"


STORY OF THE GREAT BLIZZARD.
''What's that over thar, Billl" asked
Joe Scaggs, pointing towards an object
that had made its appearance on the
prairie, mile to the south. Bill Bar
mum looked in the direction indicated.
"A house. or I'm liyin' liar I" ex-
claimed Bill, with emphas s. "An' on
Dick BARRIERS claim, too 7" he contin-
ued, with a gesture of excitement.
'sDo ye suppose he's goin' ter jump
Dicks claim 2" asked Joe.
81 Dunno" answered Bill. ''I guess
he's not stoppin' out thar fer his health.
If ne is, I'm thinkin he'll soon go way
on the same arrant, won't he, Joel"
tYou bet :" sanctioned Joe "But
the way ter find out is ter go over an see;
and while We are cookin' supper, I'll
ride over an interview the stranger"
With this, lie walked from the door of
the half-board, half-dugout shanty,
where the two had been standing, and
approached a small barb wire corral
near by, where he mounted a powerful
cayuse, and gallope1 away across the
stretch of wind-swept prairie that separ-
ated him from the distant shanty on the
prairie to the south
A few moments ride brought him to
the front OF "a little dug-out shanty that
nestled in the front of little hill at the
edge of small ravine. Just around
the slight elevation in the prairie stool
covered wagon, or 'prairie-schooner, :"
as they are familiarly termed in the
West
A Of
rear end of the wagon, were busily en-
gagged in eating their evening meal of
corn and dry grass out of the wagon
box. A man came out of the shantv
with a frying pan in his hand. and
held it over q fire Ill front of the dwell
ing.
''Hello, tharl'' exclaimed Joe. an
grily. "What in the deuce air We doin'
hyarf"
The stranger turned and looked at the |
vlsitor.s IliofIloat, andflleu said quietly:
'Fryin meat"
Joes anger rose. "Oh, ye air, air yea
Wal, as ye seem ter be so smart, mebby |
ye ken tell me whose claim ye air squat |
tin on q
''I reckon ken; hits NINE"
Hit is Z"
'sThat's the way hit looks ter me-"
''Iook hyar, strangerl" said Joe
Seaggs, clinching his fist, ''me an my
partner over THAR" jerking his thumb
over his shoulder in the direction of his
own shanty, ''air holdin' this yere claim
fer Dick Barber, who's comm out hyar
in the spring from Injiany, an wen jist
give ye tel ter-morrer ter git out o
thisl"
g 'Tain't long enough time" said the
stranger, deliberately turning over q
liberal slice of "muddIing" that smoked
in the frying-pan.
''How long do We want? ?" questioned
Joe, his wrath somewhat Modified By
the strangers evident intention of leav-
ing.
Chow long does man have ter live
on q claim before he ken git deed for
h'itf'' was the reply of the stranger.
Give years, replied Joe.
"Wal, them" continued the stranger,
''make hit five years, an hits a bar
gin"
''You impudent skunk % roared Joe,
now thoroughly aroused by the strang-
er's cool manner, ''fer cent I'd wallup
the ground with yer onery carcass. Z"
''Yas, We might undertake hit fer a
cent, but ye'd never lay up any money
at hit" was the answer, as he set the
frying pan down and confronted Joe
Scaggs.
Joe now moved his hands towards his
pistol, but hesitated.
f'Look hyar,' said the stranger, 'tyou
order me ter leave this claim. Is hit
yourn 2"
''No, not exactly mins; but we'er hold
in hit fer a friend, me an my pardner
air. We've got the two lynn north o.
this, an we'er holdin this fer Dick Bar
Der, an we'er goin' ter hold hit"
"All right, he answered "I guess hit
won't need much holdin'. Hit'l be
hyer when yere friend comes-so will ].
If hit is yere claim I'll git off; but ye
can't holdh'it fer somebody else. know
the law"
''Yes, We may know the law, but ye
don't know our law. We've made a
special Jaw for sich feller's as We, an
we're goin' ter go by that, an don't We
fergit hit.
'tWal, when ye force me ter go I'll go
not before.
Angry words rose to Joe's lips but he
hesitated. The cool, Indifferent manner
of the elaim-iumper puzzled him.
He was about to speak, when the
tramp OF horses feet sounded n the
grass behind him, and Bill Barnum rode
up, a Winchester rifle swung across his
saddle
Thought mebbe ye'd have trouble, "
he explained, can that I'd come over
an see ye OUT
"Bill," said Joe, gaining courage at
the arrival of reinforcements, "he says
he h'ain't a-goin' ter leave"
''Won't he9 Bill answered, bringing
his WInOhoatar on fl1n afronnar
'Now, ye load up yer traps an git.
Gall right" he answered, doggedly.
''You'ye got ther advantage o me. Ill
go, but I'll git even with ye sometime,
see if 1 DON'T" and he began tumbling
his effects together.
Bill and Joe watched him while he
piled his traps into the wagon.
''Stranger," said Bill, eve don't want
fer be hard ON yer, an we don't mind
payin' ye fer yer little shanty, seein' as
ye can't take hit along"
''No, hit amt worth nothin'," wss
the answer. don't mind givin' good
neighbor little thing like that"
"Wal, Bill, said Joe, ''hit's gittin'
late, and we'd better be gittin' back ten
the shanty and lookin' after our sup
per-"
s'.5upper!' exclaimed Bill. "Thal
h'ain't nothin' fer supper, nor breckferst
either, unless that onery cuss gifts bach
from Atticy ter-nigltt.
"Don't say that" answered Joe
"H'it makes me hungrier an a bar te1
hear We speak like that. H'ain't we go
nothin ter eat 2"
"No, nothin' but few pieces O. hare
bread an bit or two O meat. Tha
onery cuss, John Biggs, that We sen
after grubb to Attiey, i'll git drunkel
an billed owl, and not come back til
ye go after him, like as not.
With this they turned their horsei