Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-08-08


Lake Puckaway is an extensive, shall
low lake. overgrown with wild rice and
celery. and is famous breeding place
for aquatic fowls We had to go in
wagon, and the morning after our ar
rival General Harrison seduced away
my man, Sam Marshall, and went off
into the lake, leaving us to find each
boy to push his bout for him.
The weather was windy and bad, and
DIR. Kinban and |, not having any sport
at all. returned to shore and to the house
where we had all found lodging We
were down in the mouth and somewhat
put ont by General Harrison's flank
movement, and the doctor opened his
gripsack and produced "a real bottle of
real champagne, which we sucked dry
in the generals absence.
There were few struggling houses at
the place, and small country store, in
which could be found something in every
line. Strolling around alone that after
noon, | met native who addressed me
Familiarity as Myers. | did not correct
him, and when we went into the store
the man there also called me Mr.. Myers.
and when left them they both had no
doubt they knew me and that my name
was Myers
That evening Rev. George Beecher
and his wife and mother. and all his
dogs and guns, arrived at our lodging
house, and from him learned that the
prairie chicken shooting was as good as
/ the duck shooting and determined TO
try it the next morning early. | found
a man who knew the country and had q
horse, a wagon and dog. He agreed
to take me out. But before concluded
with him | asked him if he knew where
Mr.. Myers lived. He said that he had
never seen the man that he knew Of, but
he knew that a man by that name lived
| in a cabin some six miles back in the
| woods. He said that we would pass
/ over some fine prairie going in that di-
rection, and we arranged to go.
That evening, while DIR. Kimball was
chatting in another room with Harrison,
| Lockwood and the Beecher family,
| took theempty champagne bottle, filed it
with water. drove in the cork, tied it
1 with Irvine from guncase aud then
4 pressed over it some tlnfoil which TOOK
: off from package of cigarettes. then
took out the doctors only remaining bot
tie of real champagne and put the harm
less water in it's place. The wine | hid
in my kit for use the next day.
We were off long before daylight, and
spent pleasant morning in beating tho
prairie. We bagged number of birds.
We travelled toward the residence of Mr..
Myers, and about noon reached it. 1t
was log cabin Of three rooms. one of
which looked like the summer camp Of \
gentleman. There were guns and traps,
boots and books. cigar boxes and some
old magazines lying about in careless
confusion We found a woman in
charge, and an old man who seemed to
be nearing the shore line.
asked the old fellow il Mr.. Myers
was at home. and he replied only by a
quizzical look and an idle wave of the
hand. But the woman eyed me from
head to foot and disappeared hastily.
The old man thought | was Myers him
self with different clothes on, but the
woman took me to be his twin brother.
Presently Mr.. Myers himself appeared.
II is not worth while to describe him.
Whoever has seen Inc has seen him. and
after that no one will doubt that he ap-
peared well and behaved better Ac-
cording to the custom Of country people,
he gave us the best entertainment the
house could furnish, and appreciated
with zest the flavor Of cigar which
was able to offer him. After dinner,
while we were lingering on the bench
by the old cabin door, | bethought mo OF
my stolen wine and proposed that he
join me in post prandiGl glass, which
tasted very well out of a brace of tin
cups
When a good flow of good feeling had
been established by the cheering wine
and by our pleasant conversation, tried,
as adroitly as | could, to draw Mr.. Myers
out. He did not seem to be suspicious,
nor at all reticent. but seemed most OF
all to enjoy friendly meeting, no mat
ter how short, with a person nearer his
own level than those with whom his life
was spent. He told me that he had lived
in the cabin for two years, doing moth
ing but passing the time. He amused
himself at fishing and hunting, reading
and sleeping. In the summer time the
members Of shooting club came up 70
Puckaway, and he spent day now and
then in their congenial society. His
! long winters. however, were tedious and
desolate enough, and did not fail to ex.
tort from HIM that the reason why he
endured them was because he had be-
come soured, and was disguised with
the world and had turned his back on il.
When ! thought it safe to venture it,
the conversation suddenly took this
turn:
Murray, you ought not to bury
yourself in the woods like this.
He with a look of mingled alarm and
surprisel-Murray, did you say?
Yes; and TO give it all might say
Charles Wilson Murray, alias Myers.
! He-Who are You and what are you
: after?
IL am nobody in particular. and
| am after t1nfhfnU