The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-21

General Ben. Harrison, now Senator
Harrison, of Indiana, and MIR. Lock
wood, of st. Louis. to go on duck hunt
on Lake Puckaway, some twenty miles
further into the wilderness.
Lake Puckaway is an extensive, shall
low lake, overgrown with wild rice and
celery, and is a famous breeding place
for aquatic fowls We had to go IN a
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 a
boy TO push his boat for him.
The weather was windy and bad, and
DR.. Kimball 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.
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 l 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 I learned that the
prairie chicken shooting was as good as
the duck shooting. and determined to
try it the next morning early. l found
a man who knew the country and had a
horse, wagon and a 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 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 dl-
rection, and we arranged to go.
That evening, while DR.. Kinball was
chatting in another room with Harrison,
Lockwood and the Beecher family, l
took the empty champagne bottle, filled 1t
with water, drove in the cork, tied it
with Irvine from a guncase and then
pressed over it some tinfoil 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 l hid
in my kit for use the next day.
We were off long before daylight, and
spent pleasant morning in beating the
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 woman in
charge, and an old man who seemed to
be nearing the shore line.
l asked the old fellow if 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 I 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, 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 favor of cigar which l
was able to offer him. After dinner
while we were lingering on the bench
by the old cabin door, bethought me Of
my stolen wine and proposed that he
join me in post prandial glass, which
tasted very well out of 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 l could, to draw Mr.. Myers
out. He did not seem to be suspicious,
nor at all reticent, but seemed most Of
an to enjoy friendly meeting, no mat
ter how short, with 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 a shooting club came up TO
Puckaway, and he spent q 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 hum 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 it.
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 look of mingled alarm and
urprise}-Murray, did you say?
Yes; and to give it all l might say
Charles Wilson Murray, alias Myers.
He-Who are you and what are you
after?
IL am nobody in particular, and
am after nothing.
Heidi ever meet you in Philadel-
phia?
Never; 1 never saw you before to-
day.