Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-16
ASA FLEETWO0D'S STORY.
By HENRY LOTHR0P SMITH.

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| FAer lN-%# in the little cabin after
| rltT9Ls:asA a long days tramp over
| IS eStASs..e9 the hills; the dogs lay
%:&&HEHF ;s:ss!sa VT: Ct IN: . Tough
| linus toasting before the fire; and the smoke
from our pipes was poisoning the sweet Sep
TENDER air with every degree of smouldering
long cut, line cut and mixture. The guns had
been cleaned and polished and put away; the
shells were loaded for the morrow; and we four
delegates from civilization had been willing
away the last drowsy hour before rolling up in
our blankets by the recital of adventures real
or imagined-such tales as hunters love to tell
and other hunters love to listen to. Then the
doctor, with sly wink at the rest that signifed
something of interest, had called upon our
guide old grizzled Asa Fleetwood, for his con-
tribution to the marvellous.
II dunno if kin give you anything that'll
striAe you, gentlemen, worth the hearing
on: L We seed some strange things out yere in
| this IonesOmeness-yes, and been in EN-, too;
but can tell you OF SIGH things you We
Deen telling on-no deers killed with pop
guns Asa's disrespectful name for our silver
trimmed revolvers-''nor wild bosses
ketched by sailing of their tails''-and the old
fellow grinaeJt'at hIs own joke-"but kin tell
you Jest PLAIN, everyday story of something
SEED onct tia: I'll never forget-not to my
! last minute on this earth
lie paused with a ''by your leave" to fill his
corncoD FROM the nearest box. and tapping the
bright Virginia into the bowl looked around
Mt the faces silhouetted against the fire. pulled
| moment at the pipe to get it well aliSht,
settled himself back into more comfortable
position and began his story.
ABOUT the time first located in these parts
when deer and bar and wolves and gamo was
plenty and everything Teller needs to be had
Tor the taking on 1t, along the trail one
one day, pack on back and whole gun shop
OF wepins stuck on all over him. kinder sing
ing softly to hlsself as he walked, up comes a
niue cnap what says TO me: 'HowGy. stranger
allows as how his name was Marlow-Jim Mar
iow-ciaps hisself down by my fire like as if he
was coming to party, and jest makes hissef
Jest an ornary homely little cuss. but
GEAR grit and heart o gold, as
found out afterwards. Well, L won't
bother you with telling how it came about, but
anyway we became pardners, Jim NARROW and
me, and worked our traps in cahoots and took
turns at the cooking and dish Washing Oh,
you needn't laugh, We washed 'em all right
when we wasn't in too much on a hurry.
BlmeDy-maybe two weeks, maybe more
ne lets on as how he has another pard in the
amt onconvenient--which I wasn't noways-
he d be glad to have him kinder join in and be
one OF US. And l allowed tine woods was big
enough for three and anybody as jim had tied
TO would 90 all right with Asa Fleetwood. And
sure enough, afore the month out, along
he comes jest of nightfal, a-leading of one
moss and a-rlding of another; and when he sees
our camp smoke, out he lets a great .halIoO'
that sets the woods a-ringing. and when Jim
hears that, up he jumps and tears away down
the hill like mad. and tina Otba- no offli h.,
and runs to Jim; and SIGH shaking of hands,
ana clapplng each other on the back | never
did see in all nay days. Well, presently along
they come up the hill, and Jim allows as how /
was Asa, and this other, he was Rube; and we
onpacks his boss. and slows his kit comfortable
Ike, and inside of two DAYS We might ha' been
three brothers, Eeuben Wethersbee jim Mar
low and me, SO snug and smooth everything
was a-runnlnS.
And one day, along in the fall, and the
leaves turning brown and some on 'em red on
the trees, and the squirrels aiming I'D their
winter nest with acorns and a-chirp-chirping
all Che day long, and the chick patridges
a-skurrying arter the old birds pretty nigh
under your very feet-which S pose made him
think OF his own little chicks-Rube saws:
Boys, this yer thing is selorious, and l don't
want nothing better than for to spend my DAYS
right out yere along o you and in this yere
clearing. And We was agreeable sure enough,
ana ne goes on to say as how he'd "a mind to
build hisself a little home and slick everything
up line, and when he got her done, why he
send away to the states for his wife and little
ones Well, sirs, that thing gave me a kind of
turn, for let alone the building of =
house out thar i'll the woods and a rough
teller like me a-sleeping anywhere but
out o doors like I'd been used to. |
weren't much on hand for women folks no
ways But when looks at Reuben and sees
his face all lit up and the tears a-shining in his
eyes. jest gives in right thar and let's on as
how this we're thing was downright mostly
needful for to perfectly our little camp
And every spare minute arter that We was a
working on the little house and a-widenng out
the clearing. And SIGH a chopping down of
trees and SIGH hauling of EN- we're and a hist
Ing of EN- thar, YOU never hearn tell on And
blmeby she begins to look like house, and
Jim NARROW and RUDE and me was a-riding over
to the settlement. twenty mile away. and
a-swopplng pelts and SIGH for doors and win
dys, and pots and kettles and fixings; and
a-totlng EN- back over the hills. and a-Dumplup
EN- aSin the trees and a-yankins EN- Through
the brush till IT was wonder We didn't smash
the whole outfit
And all this while we was a-guessing. Jim
and me. how he was a-going to let EN- know
about 1t, away off thar in the states for bar
making "a good black mark on paper when we
took up the land, we was no scholars neither
on us. nor had no booh-larning though I've
picked up maybe smatterinS since And we
knowed a whole wilderness OF them little blacl;
crosses wouldnt tell her nothing OF the little
house. nor of Jim NARROW nor me- nor how to
get whar we was unless she was to take EN- for
blaze marks on the trees. You see l was dread
tui ignorant In them days. Bu. Reuben. he
was eddIcated and when the time comes. out
he gets a bit OF board by the freight and a
piece o. paper. and thing he calls a onyyloop.
or some sich name. with little pIctur pasted IN
the corner, all handsome and convenient. and
he falls 20 a-writing of his letter, and jim and
me, we helps with our idees quite promis-
kyous, ana when at last he gets
her done and folded up and sticks
her in the envyioop, all hands takes lick to
wet the gum and seal her up. SO to say the
whole on us. this we're invitation was our senti-
ments. Then we gives three cheers for the lit
tie house and for the little fambily a-coming
out 10 hive IN it, jest Tor lack and good feeling.
you know, and next morning Reuben rides
away over the trail to ketch tho Wednesday
stage for the cast and post lis letter.
well, about a month afterwards-and Rube
a-rldlng into the settlement every time the
stage comes through, to get his answer-one
night, back he comes a-Thooping, and a-ietting
GU; halloos and hoilerings Tor very jcy and
when he comes in sight o US. he waves a little
IN hin