Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-23
MADE THE BEST OF IT.
The Story That Cowboy Mary Told and
Philosophy She Saw in 1t.

Disheveild hair, a face hardened by
reckless life and herring evidences of
continued dissipation, dark, bright eyes
that have a Beenness in them still, dress
the worse for wear, that is shiny with age
and soiled with stains of liquor, tall
form, careless gault, a matter of-fact
way sometimes and frequently an exhibit
ton of devil-may-care philosophy, voice
rather harsh than musical-that' It's Cow
boy Mary. THIS woman has been brought
rather prominently before the public, and
that will serve as an excuse for again
putting her on the boards. Her surround
in care like herself-rough with no regard
for appearences-a mean hovel in ba d
locality.
A man died in Cowboy Mary's house
the other night-a poor, wretched opium
eater-Tamele Pete. A reporter accom-
panied bya stout policeman went III to
learn the particulars of the death. He
had taken his death by swallowing power
full dose of ''venshee. y
Eyes, | knew that man. said Cow
boy Mary, in response 60 the reporter s
query. " He was a good enough fellow
of his sort, too. He was unfortunate
like some of tie rest of us, and like
more of US was fool, | helped him
out time after time when he was In a
pinch for money, but that's nothing; I'd
help anybody out.
"What was the mans name?"
Name? | never asked him and didn t
care to know, anyhow. | called him
Pete, and he called me Mary He
never knew my name, either. Still we
were well acquainted, and when be hadn t
any other roof to shelter him ne came
down to my shack and wasn't turned
away.
Il guess he just thought, seeing he was
on deaths road, he'd shorten it up little,
and so ne concluded that he could get a
room to die in at my house, and so came
in and died.
'He was an opium-smoker- used up
with the poison, and was dying by inches,
and suppose he was right in helping
himself on with the least possible trouble.
You see, he had reached that point where
he wasn't any use to himself or anybody
else, and | think when MIA hasn't any
excuse for living he might as we'll go off
and crOak.
''You wouldn't believe me if l told you
that was once pretty fair looking girl,
but | was, and | used to fix up as neat as
the next one Why could dance like a
top, and | was respectable then, too. But
you know what whiskey will do. It. did
it in my case, but | never used opium,
and l pity the people who fall slaves to
the Chinese drug. It's horrible it gets
to be regular leprosy.'
But what about Pete?" insisted the
newsgatherer ''Do you know anything
more of him? Has he relatives that you
know of?
"Oh, | don't bother my head about a
mans connections. I've got enough to
take up my time without digging into
other peoples business. | size up man
End Judge him all by myself ALI | know
about Pete was thai ne wrecked himself
and was to blame for his own misfortune.
He reaped what he sowed, and guess
wei all get the benefit of our doings
Sometimes | wonder wat on earth some
people we're ever made for. Then again
say to myself. If it were not Tor the
wrecks of humanity, the good portion
land whole lot OF them are misnamedl
wouldn't know low to appreciate their
lot 1t takes all sort of people to make a
world and we're in it. I'm making the
best of a bad job. Goodbye. Seattle
Telegraph