The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-15
BIG BILL

can find deep gorges, ravines and valleys.
Some twenty miles above the city there
is a road that winds up and up into the
hills, over acres of barren rock, and then
descends down into beautiful valley
where grass is growing luxuriantly, and
sheep and antelope are grazing Follow
the road by miniature lake, and by and
by it will lead you around the base of a
tall mountain, and there you will find a
little log cabin beside willow lined
stream, and you viii see there a large
sheep corral.
Twas lounging on the ground few
years ago in front Of the little cabin
smoking peacefully, and listening to the
wind signing through the willows and
pines, the bleating of the sheep in the
corral and the howl of the coyote up in
the hills.
"As far as I know, Big Bill and me
were the first white men who herded
sheep up here in the hills" said the &C.
cupant of the cabin, as he sat in the
doorway with his pipe in his mouth.
eve came up here from the home
ranch down on the Laramie river and
built this cabin and the corrals in n.
We had about 5000 sheep to look after,
with the dogs to help US, and it was
pretty hard work, for then the hills were
full of mountain lions, and they din't
know the difference between the sheep
and the antelope, but we got along all
right. AS the old man sent some of the
sheep down on the plains and others to
the home ranch, Bill and me didn't have
anything to do, so we went up in the
northern part Of the state rounding cat
tie, but in the latter part of 1887 the old
man sent for US, and so we came back
and took about 5000 sheep up here to
look after.
Eve hadn't been here long before a
young tenderfoot came up from Omaha
to help us, the cid man said, but in real
ity he only wanted a little outdoor exer-
else. Jim was mighty good fellow.
though, if he was a tenderfoot, and he
and Bill became warm friends. Jim was
small, thin and pale, and Bill was big,
bronzed and full bearded, with hair that
fell down on his shoulders. Jim just
used to stick by Bill as close as sick
kitten to hot brick, and used to follow
him away over by Dirty En- mountain
and Ragged Top, and when he came in
at shutdown he would look like corpse,
but after a while he got as strong as an
OK and slept like horse. After supper
they would take their pipes and tobacco
and go out there under yonder tall pine,
and would talk until long into the night,
and used to sit here and wonder what
the mischief they would talk about. But
Jim was the best natured fellow that
ever lived, excepting, of course, big Bill.
All that summer they were as insepara-
BILE as the lamented Siamese twins, and |
when one went down to the home ranch |
or to Laramie the other would go too.
''One day Jim wasn't feeling well, and |
I'm blessed if Bill didn't camp right by
his bedside all day long, and me and
Shep, the dog, had to look after the
sheep. Jim was only sick couple of |
days, and the next Sunday when the
men from down on the ranch came up to |
bring Us some papers and canned stuff |
they brought letter for Jim from his
employers down in Omaha asking that |
he come home at once. When Jim got |
ready to go 1 am an Indian if he and |
Big Bill didn't cry, and Bill he walks
clear up to the top of the hill, and sat /
down on bowlder, and kept his eyes
fastened on the wagon as it turned
around the serpentine road, and watched
it until it disappeared on the plain be-
low, and then he came back here and
sets down awful glum, and says he to me:
"'Jake, Jim's an all fired good feller.'
"'You bet he is
"That's all | said, but Big Bill under
stood me. Every Sunday when the men
from the ranch didn't come up Bill used
to walk clear down there and get the
letter that would be sure to be there for
him from Jim, and he would bring it
back up here, and we used to work pretty
hard to read it, even if it was written
with typewriter, for you know neither
Bill nor me had ever had any schooling
They were awful good letters, though,
and once he sent US some fine WOODEN
shirts and mittens, and some crack to-
oacco and couple Of pipes; this is one
IF them now. About month after he
eft we got letter saying he was going
% be married, and he was dead anxious
or Big Bill to come down and take it in,
out Bill wouldn't do it, because he said
Jim might be ashamed of him; but Jim
wasn't that kind of fellow, as I'm going
% tell you pretty soon.
About three years after his marriage
Tim wrote letter asking both Bill and
ne to come down and see him and his
wife and the kid. and there was lot of
cribbling, which Jim said was the
)aby's invitation. Course knew it was
Big Bill they wanted to see, although
lin and me were good friends, but as
Bill allowed he wouldn't go if | didn't
20 with him, consented to go, and SO
when the sheep had been moved down to
he ranch we went down TO Omaha.
We didn't tell him we were coming. for
Bill thought II would De Dig Iun 10 sur
prise him. When we got into Omaha
we were kinder scared, seeing ali the
people and the rustic; but policeman
comes up and asked Us who we wanted,
and we told him the name OF the firm
Jim worked for and he explained how to
get there. Bill and me started out and
crossed the viaduct. l believe that's
what its called, a big bridge over the
railroad tracks, and when we got to the
other end and walked around bit we
saw the sign up and we crossed over and
went in. There were lots of men work
ing there, and Jim was standing up talk
ng TO girl who was a-writing like a
Whan Bill SAW him lie