The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-07-24
xooa. u s. tysiS / Is :; 81 ID j ddcs suot

wood u 81 -LseiS ID go oiT . duck hunt
on Lake Pnckaway, some twenty miles
further into the Wilderness
Lake Puckaway is an extensive. shall
low lake, overgrown with wild rice and
celery. and is famous breedihg 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 boat for him
The weather was windy and bad, and
DIR. Kiinball and l. 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 out by General Harrison's flank
movement and the doctor opened his
gripsack and produced real bottle of
real champagne, which we sucked dry
in the generals absence =. ,,sn1
There were few struggling houses at
the place, and a small country store. in
which could be fonhd something in every
line Strolling around alone that after
noon, f'met, a native who addressed me-
familiarly as Myers did not correct
him, and when we went into the store
the man there alsotcalled 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
man who knew the country and had
horse, a wagon and dog He agreed
to take me. out. But before | concluded
with him l 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 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 DR.. Kimball was
chatting in another room with Harrison,
Lockwood and the Beecher family.
took the empty champagne bottle, filled 1t
with water. drove in the cork, tied II
with Irvine from guncase and then
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 its place The wine mid
in my kit for use the next day.
We were off long before daylight. and
+ spent pleasant morning in beating the
I prairie We bagged number of birds
| We travelled toward the residence of Mr.
| Myers, and about noon reached 1t II
was log cabin of three rooms, one Of
! which looked like the summer camp of 4
| 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 If Mr.. Myers
was at home. and he replied only by a
quizzicaI 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
1t is not worth while to describe him
Whoever has seen me has seen him, anC
after that no one will doubt that he ap
peared well and behaved better Ac
I cording to the custom of country people
he gave us the best entertainment th'
house could furnish, and appreciated
with zest the flavor of a cigar which
was able to offer him After dinner
while we were lingering on the bencl
by the old cabin, door, bethought me C
my stolen wine and proposed that b.
, join me in post prandial glass. whicl
tasted very well out of a brace of til
cups $50 eIlC
When a good flow of good feeling ha,
been established by the cheering win
and by, our pleasant conversation, l tried
, as adroitly as could, to draw Mr.. Myer
= out. He did not seem to be suspicious
: nor at all reticent, but seemed most o
] all, to enjoy arfriendly meeting, no mat
, ter how. short. with person nearer hi
own level than those with whom his lif
was spent, He told me that he had live
in the cabin for two years. doing moth
/ ing but passing the time. He amuse
! himself at fishing and hunting, readinl
q and sleeping In the summer time th
: members of a shooting club came up t
: Puckaway and he spent a day now an
then in their congenial society. hi
= long winters. however, were tedious an
desolate enough, and | did not fail to e1
! tort from him that the reason why
: endured them was because he had be
a come soured, and was Disguised wit
: the world and had turned his back on il
: When thought it safe to venture il
the conversation suddenly took thi
turn: ~-ss'a ~
# Murray. you ought. not to bur
> yourself in the woods like this.
d He with look of mingled alarm an
,, snrpriseeMurray, did you say? a
I-Yess and to give it'all Iemisht ga
b Charles Wilson Murray, alias Myers, s