The rustler., 1891-12-25

A TELLER CANE DRIVING ALONG.
awake, m I caught my little finger
nail in my teeth n bit it of Wcil,
had plenty o pain then, and jumped
ahead like tired OK when you gad hirr
deep.
THAT lasted me for mcbbe half an
hour, but | couldn't tell nothin' ab0ui
the time. I'd lost track O that entirely.
/ Then the cold began to numb me again.
Twas frightful cold night, an / dun
no how twas the ole man KEEP I'm
freezing To death.
Finally, staggered m fell, m Just
as ! did, N thought 10 myself I |
wouldn't bother to git up fur 'twant
wuth while, the ole man spoke up. :
don't think he'd said anything afore. all
day long. Joe, he says, spcalsin' sharp
an loud, but not hollcrin', Joe, heae
the Christmas chimes"
First / thought he was ravin' again,
but 1t started me up an ! listened. an
sure enough the church bells was a.
ringin, Boys, | never knowcd afore
what church bells mean. Talk about
good tidings of great Joy, thar never
/ was tdings of joy came 10 me like
them bell brought 1t was Christmas
eve, an hadn't never thought of il all
! day. Thar | was, within hcarin' o. the
bells, an givin' out, an | made up my
mind I'd make another stagger, n /
struggled up again.
"Twan't no use, though. I'd got
! plumb to the end o the run. plowed
along bit, but as | lSnuwed a'tcr.
wards | must ha gone clean off my
head, fur left the trail an wandered
off somewhere, the Lord on'y knows
| where, but lie must ha' been looltin'
out fur us, fur | kinder wandered
round, like, till ! come back ter the
| trail agin, an rs luck would have il |
come back ter the top of bluff. an
stumblin' ahead, KNOWN nothin'. l
went plumb over, draggin' the sled
along with me.
wall, we tumbled square inter the
roadway. IF it hadn't been for the
snow we'd both ha' been killed, likely,
fur we fell nigh fifty feet As twas l
couldn't git mp, fur ! was dead beat,
1
united him. | was skeerd TO do IT, Bus
he wasn't hurt an he lay on one side,
| eXpcctin' to lay there an die, when he
hccrd sleigh bells. blamed If Teller
/ didn't come drivin along with a fust-
rate horse. Seems he lived out on the
| perara an was goin' home FIN town,
/ but he was good-hcartcd fcller, an
when he found out what the situation
was he turned right away an TOOK us
into town hyin. The ole man lad
sense enough left To tell him about it
an To tell who we was.
1.-The fcller drove right. to the ole
mans house. m we found they was
havin' a little Christmas party there.
an natral enough they was tallIin'
about the ole man when we come TO
the door. | was that tired | never
woke up till the next afternoon, an
there | was in bed in the ole mans
house, with the doctor loolin' at me-
''lIe laughed when looked 'roun an
asked where / was, an he says: L
thought you'd be all right, soon as
you'd had your sleep out An says:
| Yes, I'm all right; but how's the ole
manY' Then he looked mighty grave,
an he says: L can't tell yet He's been
hurt mighty bad, but reckon maybe
with good nussin' he'll come round
mcbbc. He would ha' died. though. IL
he hadn't been brought home Then
he shook hands with me an said all
sorts o foolish things bout me bein'
hero, stead o. what / am, n big man
with tolabie strong legs an arms. But
Lord bless you! what he said was
nothin' to the way the women took
on, when dressed an went
downstairs. They hugged me, an
kissed me till was fairly 'shamed o.
myself, an the ole woman says Joe
Pelton. you brought me my husband
for a Christmas gift, and III give YOU
a wife fur yourn. Then ] know / ii
were all settled, cause / lSnowed the
ole man wouldn't never go back on
what she said. An he didn't, neither,
when he got stronger, as he did alter
n bit. He won't never be strong like
he was but he's tolable well now, an
likely to live a good many years
"Well, them women made me talk
all the afternoon bout the walk down
f'm camp, an when they wanted to
know how I'd hurt my finger, an
told 'em. I'm blamed II they cidn't cry
till felt like fool Texas Siftings.