Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-08-25
BEFORE THE FIRE.

"Pve seed some brave fellers in my
time" said Denver Bill, filling his short,
black pipe with the air of man settling
down to long story; "and l don't
'zactly think myself coward. But the
bravest chap | ever see war my pard,
Dandy Jack HOUSTON.
"When he fust come to us at Dog Hol-
low he looked so all fired spruce, and
had such fine show of Boston togs on,
that we thought him a reg'lar soft 'un,
not worth cuss; but he showed us
what grit war fore he got through, you
bet! He had been thar two days when
Gougin jim, the ugliest man in the hull
crowd, got playin it down pretty bad
on poor old crippled Frencher, who
kept a possible store. Up steps Jack
and says, very quietly, but as if he
meant it:
Don't you see that mans cripple?
Let him alone.
Jim looked quite took aback for a
minute, and then he whips out his knife
and hollers:
"'Hold your cuS5ed tongue or I'll cut
it outr
"But fore he could strike Jack had
him by the wrist, and give him the neat
est little wrestler's trip as ever yer seed,
and down went Jim, fetchin his head
stitch lick agin stone that for more
than an hour he didn't know the ten O.
clubs from the Ten Commandments.
"Wal, from that day Jack was jist
like king among us, and Gougin Jim
froze to him as eff he'd been his brother,
and thought nothin that cud do half
good enough fer him.
'But it's jist when yew've struck pay
gravel that the water ginerally begins
to soak in, and it was jist when every
thin was goin right with us that suthin
came and spoilt ALL
'Old Jack and war standin by Hag-
gerty's grocery one mornin when the
Rockville stage cum along, and all at
once seed him turn pale as peanut. l
looked up, and thar, inside the stage, l
seed jist bout the puttiest gal ever sot
eyes on, and beside her tall, black
aired chap, who 'peared to be maxim
love to her as if he were hired at five
cents the word.
"Jack jumped for'ard, quite wildlike,
an hollered:
"'Hev you got a place left aboardY
"'Guess so-jist one.'
"'All right-I'll take it.
"And fore l cud say whisky he gev
my hand grip and says to me. Take
care O my traps till come back, Bill,
an he war off.
"That war the last | saw of Dandy
Jack, and it warn't till good while
arter that l heerd the rest O. the story.
But when l did hear it, yew may bet
yer boots didn't forget 1t again, and
kin tell it you jist as if seed it all my
self.
"This gal that poor old Jack war 80
sweet on war the daughter of rich old
chap who'd got ranch not far from
the upper fork of the Rio Grande, and
her dad had sent her to visit some folks
at the east, and she war comm back
arter havin quite a good time.
"This black aired cuss that was with
her was fellow named Granger, an
old chum of her dad, and pretty nigh as
rich as he was. He had managed to
jine her on the road hum jist as if by
accident, but reckon that air accident
war done O. purpose.
"Jack went with them right on to
Rockville, but he never got show, for
this Granger was one O. them smooth
tongued, oil and honey cusses that don't
give nobody chance, and he KEEP SO
close to his gal that Jack cu'dn't get
sayin word to her.
"As for the gal herself, guess she
war sorter balancin between 'em, and
hadn't quite made up her mind which
on 'em she wanted but anyhow, when
poor Jack squeezed her hand at partin
she Civ him back just huff of his own
squeeze to make him feel heap better'n
what he done afore.
oval, at Rockville, old dad and some
of his friends war waitin for the gal,
and they all went home together.
Zone day all the folks went out for a
ride over the parairy, and the gal, never
thinkin no harm, put her horse to speed
and sot off for a good rousin ga1lop by
herself But Granger had his eye on
her, you bet; and he KEEP her in sight
till all the rest war out O. sight, and
then he ranged up alongside of her and
got hold of her hands and asked her
fiat out, would she marry him or not.
"What she'd ha' said in answer tc
him can't tell yer, nor nobody else
neither, reckon, for, afore she cud
open her mouth, a man cum gallopir
along as if old Nick war arter him with
a ten pronged pitchfork. They'd jist
time to know him for Dandy Jack wher
he lifted hisself in the saddle and
screeched out to bust his throat:
"'Ride for your ivesl The prairie'i
on fret
81 guess they didn't wait to be told
twice, and indeed the hosses war Of