Omaha daily bee., 1892-02-14

| one OF my legs, an II makes me sort o.
slow, but supper's most ready"
! We sat down presently to the meal
Despite the simplicity of the table APP
pointments and the uncertainty as TO
| cleanliness, everything looked wonder
| fully good. The meal consisted of ante
lope steak, canned tomatoes fright out
OF the shell, not even warmed), soda
| biscuit and coffee. Billy stood by, keep
ing the flies off with that awful Turkish
towel, and watching the simple food
disappear with tenderness that was
almost maternal.
| Being anxious to cover ground while
| our horses were fresh, we resolved to
| drive on TO the next post station, which
was about twenty miles distant, and
make it our stopping place for the night.
| As we drove over the lonely waste lands
| the sun was setting in such flood of
| gorgeous coloring that it robbed the
barren landscape OF half its dreariness.
| Bunches of lean cattle stood about
| staring at the team with bovine interest.
| We did not meet q soul in that drive in
the gathering darkness. The sound Of
| our voices, tho clatter of the horses
| hoofs, the rumble Of the team, we're the
| only sounds which broke the stiffness of
/ the desert.
1t was almost midnight when we
| reached Bohacbs, which, besides being
| n road branch, was also u postoflice and
barroom. This combination Of attrac-
| tions drew u goodly number of sheep
herders, cowboys, trappers and pros
] pectors to the place. There were no
women folks at Bohacks, out our host
worked industriously to supply the
deficiency, cooking us a hot supper,
| though it was past midnight, and turn
ing his guests out of the bunk room to
sleep on the prairie, that it might be at
our disposal.
We girls were both as sunburnt,
grimy and travel-stained as it was pos
sible to be. Still the frontier gallants,
all of whom we're armed to the teeth,
kept coming into the room where we
were eating supper to set their watches
by an old clock which our host told us
parenthetically had not gone for three
years.
We found Mr.. Bohacl bit slangy.
During supper he gave us the frontier
names for the different articles, of food
on'the table.
II suppose couple o. lady tenderfeet
like you don't know what's meant by
overland trout or Cincinnati chiclen?"
We confessed our ignorance
Sail the same thing. Overland
trout and Cincinnati chicken is just
pietu c'Sohs tihiu ONSi yuuN buSoh' iiOh
fruits eggs. Dope or sop is stewed
blackberries or apples. Ointment is
butter, an that's all the buttor ye get
round these diggings is good for" We
did not press our host for larger
glossary.
We had brought our own bedding
along in the wagon, not caring to sleep
on the hospitable mattresses which re-
ceive guests night after night without
change of linen, Next morning we sat
down to breakfast with about fifteen
men of various degrees Of frontier dis
tinction, from Hanks, the misanthro-
pical stage-driver, who had been Tilted
some months before by n prairie flower
known as Mountain Pink, down to u
hunted-looking wretch who had just
been acquitted for the murder OF his
father-in-law. The murder was declared
justifable, as the father-inlaw was in
the habit of tapping his children on the
head with an awhile int oxicated.
When we were introduced to Hanks
he merely gave us passing glance full
of cynicism. and distrust. In fac6,our
sex was against us, the stage driver hav-
ing small opinion of womankind in
general, and not without some reason.
He was formerly great character.
people used to go miles to hear him tell
about his blood curdling encounters with
stage robbers, or how he slew a whole
family of bears with only u jackknife.
In fact, no one in that section of the
country was regarded as we'll informed
traveller who had not made the trip from
Bohacks to Rawlins and back again on
his stage. It was regarded as sort of
doubling the Horn" In those palmy
days Hanks kept stocking which,
rumor said, was swelled to the same
bulbous proportions as those exhibited
on chiropodists' signs to illustrate the
appearance of a foot before treatment.
The swellings on Hanks stocking, how
ever, were the result of the treatment of
a long and systematic dosing of $50 gold
pieces, administered internally to the
stocking.
The following melancholy narrative
will show how the stage driver lost his
money and his confidence in human ma
ture at ono blow.
AT the terminus of the stage route
dwelt a lady known by the name of
Mountain Pink, >" who enjoyed the re-
spect of the community for many sterling
qualities. Hanks took dinner and |
changed horses at Mountain Pink'sn
every other day. The acquaintance
gradually "ippened into love. There |
was an impediment to the union Of these !
''two souls with but a single thought"
for the lady was already married. But
as ''she had never got on with her hus- |
band nohow,' to quote local gossip, she
proposed getting a divorce from him |
and marrying the stage driver, if the |
latter would furnish the necessary funds. |
Hanks gave her the stocking containing |
the accumulated wealth of his life.
In the meantime II stranger had taken |
up his residence at "Mountain Pink's"
ranch. She always spoke of him as |
that gentleman from Missouri what |
herded mules" No one appeared to |
take any notice of him. Imagine the
CONSERVATION therefore which fell upon |
the community when one morning it
was discovered that the faithless |
Mountain PINK" and the Missourian,
who followed the gentlemanly calling of
herding mules, had been made one.
The truth was finally forced upon the at
first unbelieving Hanks. They had
eloped, married and set up housekeep-
ing at Rawlins on the contents of his
stocking. To quote the remarks that
the stage driver made on that occasion
would require fireproof paper and u blue
pencil of the strongest color.
We left Bohacks rs soon as possible, |
despite the numerous inducements which |