Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-10-30
PARTLOW'S LUCK.

PARTLOW'S LUCK.
The blackboard and steady going ponies
Of Mr.. Jackson Bits, late of boomless
New Chicago, rounded bend in the tim
Der road a moment after man, mounted
on q racking horse, entered it from a
sideway which joined the main road a
little beyond the bend.
The racking of the equest1ian's steed
was kept from becoming monotonous by
tendency upon the part of the racker to
stumble at the slightest provocation, and
his rider, as he weakly reversed the horse
at the sound of the buckboard's 5 approach
and came racking toward it, looked as if
persistence in that mode of travelling
might speedily result in shaking him to
pieces.
He was thin and wan, as if from a re-
cent illness, and his mouth had a dis
couraged droop at the corners.
He begged to share the blackboard seat
with Mr.. Bits, supplementing the ex-
cuse that he was in danger of being un-
able to long keep his joints together if
forced to continue the victim Of the rack.
"a feller," he said presently, with a
mournful tone that was almost sigh
ga feller must save himself all he kin
specially when luck's agin him.
He had fastened the racker behind The
blackboard and crawled onto the seat
with an ''Um-ah!' of relief
The two men exchanged the civilities
of passing the time o day" and Mr.
Bits, having done all that courtesy de-
manded of him, was ready to resume
the attack upon the chaotic schemes
with which he had been wrestling before
the appearance Of the other.
''When luck S agin him" his passenger
repeated sighfully, s'as it is agin mer
81 reckon so, agreed Mr. Bits, en-
couraging but little the evident desire of
the other to indulgei in reminiscencing.
Mr.. jackson Bits, late Of New Chicago,
was interested moro in Junction City
and the financial benefit ne expected to
derive from the place than in the woes
of the man beside him.
liz i4ctAt eillJlCttCDCu LtGM NJll1CGEO StA
months before with the same wrestling
with schemes that now tore him
The boom at that settlement had waxe,l
and waned, and Mr. Bits had failed to
enrich himself; but with the ever SPRING
ing hope that animates the true boomer,
he was now on his way to junction City,
filed with still greater confidence than
he had entertained upon approaching
New Chicago.
1t was decided and announced that the
Dakota and Gulf railway would cross
the Transcontinental railway at a GER
tain point where there was not little of
natures handiwork to be seen.
The road bed of the Transcontinental,
a shanty on the line between two home
stead claims, an apology for fence, an
other for a stable-that was about all
there was to be seen.
This was at noon. A little later the
agents of the two railroads and one of
the proprietors of the shanty on the line
between the claims were actively at
work with a gang of men, and before 10
o'clock of the following day the entire
section had been staked off in streets and
lots.
AT noon the sale Of lots began, and be-
fore night many had been sold. By sun
set half dozen shanties had been
slapped up" and Junction City began
to be.
The rapidity with which the news Of
the new born boom Travelled was aston
ishing. The next day the building Of
houses and the coming of inhabitants be-
gan In good earnest.
Shanties sprang up. Others came on
wheeled trucks from deserted claims and
more OF less excuseless settlements.
Tents were plentiful There appeared
what out of courtesy were called stores.
There, too, was ''hotel, the accom-
modations' of which were little short of
awful, and saloon where was dispensed
liquid comfort mostly Of the 'Battleax"
brand.
A day later the initial number of The
junction City Pioneer was sprung upon
the settlement by an enterprising gem
tleman who had previously founded The
Sumner Pioneer and The New Paris Pi-
oneer. There were also many other evil
dences of the daring and activity that q
new born boom develops.
Bits passenger wriggled about ON the
seat of the blackboard and sighed again.
s'Luck's ben agin me ever since
kin remember" he ventured presently.
esName's Partlow-Oracle Partlow."
+ ~ . r.
announcement.
Mr.. Bits uttered an ''uh-huh" of as
sent, and withdrew within his shell.
"Yep," continued Mr.. Partlow with
pathetic pride. Il reckon I'm the un-
luckiest man 'twixt this an anywhurs.
I've ben mighty nigh everything but
plumb killed
ssThat's bad" commented Mr.. Bits,
without emotion.
..Um-ah! you betr' pursued MIR. Part
low, warming up. I've ben shot by a
deputy sher'f for a hawse thief. I've
ben blowed nearly out NV the county by
a cyclone. I've stood ON u barl with a
rope around my neck, waitin' for Wig
ilantes committee to decide whether |
was the feller they wanted on not, an
was tarred an feathered once by mis-
take. I've ben held up by road agents
an robbed nv my last three dollars. I've
ben chased by crazy man. Ny wife
ran away with man who owed me, an
who was reckoned by me to be sure pay.
A well caved in on me once, an kept me
buried for forty hours with a half inch
crack to breathe through. Eve had the
rheumatic off an on for ten years, an
the ager right smart nv the time. An,
All rn1ngs considered, 1 reckon IucKs
agin mel''
Looks sol'' agreed Mr.. Bits, mildly
interested.
'.Wal, resumed Partlow, after had
drifted about all over the west, finally
struck this part nv the state an settled
down, u few miles south nv yere on a
claim iinin' the one that Ike Blue took
up next day. lowed that out thar on
the flat land, with little to steal an ap-
parently nobody to poster, might sort
O. live down my lucki''
He went on to tell how Mr.. Blue and
himself had erected their shanty across
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