Omaha daily bee., 1892-02-14
ADVENTURES ON THE FRONTIER,
A Girls Notes of Journey from Rawlins to
Lost Cabin.

NeW York Recorder.
Early in June we two girl bachelors
| decided to visit our ranchman brother in
an unsettled corner of Wyoming known
| as Lost Cabin. We started with vaguest
ideas in regard to our destination. We
knew only it was somewhere across the
American Desert, in the heart of the
Big Horn Mountains, u hundred miles
from the shrek of the locomotive and
seventy-fve miles from the smallest col
lection of houses which could be digni-
fed by the name of town. Our railroad
journey terminated at Rawlius. from
tier settlement which may be said to
have graduated in touPhness. Next
morning we started on a five days Jour-
ney across that barren tract of country
known as the Great American Desert,
formerly existing in my mind as an alb
stract map question, but since that trip
as the sternest reality.
There were four in our party, our
brother, q friend of his and we two girl
bachelors. Our, conveyance was an un-
covered spring wagon drawn by two
stout horses ut would not have been so
uncomfortable were it not for the load of
freight which our brother was bringing
out free OF charge to people living along
the route. Freights are so high in that
section OF the country that the residents
have no delicacy in asking neighbor
who is going to town to bring back any
thing of which they stand in need, from
cooking stove to a spool of cotton.
Which explains why tho floor of our
with mill nails
churns, pots, pans and kettles, flannel
shirts and high boots. Our brother in
tends to run for congress some day, so
he always makes it point to be oblig-
ing.
We jolted on over ruts and gullies for
about eight hours, a blazing sun shining
full upon our hands and faces. The
scenery, or, more properly speaking, the
absence OF it, is the same all over the
desert. The eye wearies of arid wastes
and sterile foot hills, varied only by a
and prickly cactus. Seeing no prospect
Of anything to eat, we began to think
regretfully of the blue coffee, leathery
steak and soda biscuit which we had
consumed that morning at breakfast.
The hope OF coming to n road ranch
where we could get something to eat and
rest for while had buoyed us up all
day. But as time slipped on we began
to fear that we were all acting a sort of
latter day "babes in the woods" tragedy
The conclusion that we were upon virgin
soil was only dispelled by the battered
up tomato cans and fragments of
sloughed overalls which we came across
from time to time.
After we had gone tobogganing down
the very abysses of hunger and wretch
edness, one of the boys called out that
the hotel de Sagebrush was in sight. 1t
was little one-storied cabin, built of
rough cottonwood logs. About it
lounged group of idlers, sombrero COW
cred and top-booted AS we approached
one of them arose and shouted with n
strength OF lung one would not expect to
find in anything but Durham: "Billy!
Here's wagon with wimming!" Wo-
men are still Il sufficient rarity in the
American Desert to command the at
tention given to rare animals
Out came mine host, apologizing pro-
fusely: "For Gawd's sake, why didn't
ye let me know y was coming. I'd
turned out few pies. Pies are the
highest notch of the culinary art on the
frontierl The fellows" indicating the
group about 1.-The door, 'has plumb
cleaned me outoof yictuals." Seeing the
cannibalistic gleanh in our eyes, he has
tily added: 'sleretkin l kin get you a
bite, but don'tiike this yere way of
taking a man by surprise.
We two young women were then
shown into tha bunk room, which is n
general sleeping room, free to all who
take supper at the ranch. The furni
ture consisted bf several beds covered
with queer looking quilts and looking
glass which gave back green and wavy
reflection. Our host presently knocked
on the door aud handed us dishpan
half full of water, with the remark that
he thought the ladies might like to
clean up bitg He then gave us a
Turkish bath towel which had grown
old, gray and discouraged. chunk of
brown soap followed in the wake of the
towel, and lastly a comb and brush on
which was enough hair to start wig
shop. | waited patiently, feeling sure a
tooth brush would come next, but it did
not We made "A hasty toilet without
the assistance of Billy's public toilet
articles, however, and rejoined the re-
mainder of our party in the kitchen.
Billy was making rapid preparation
for supper, swabbing off the oilcioth
covered table with towel, twin to the
one he had presented us with. Owing
to shortness in one of his legs he
limped rather slowly about. Turning TO
us he said rather alphabetically: Look
hare ladies' iva got "a disprenancV i'm