The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-02-17
MRS. BUCK UPPER.

My profession is that of civil engineer
ing.
After q very unsatisfactory year spent
in the employ of certain mushroom rail-
road companies | resolved to seek q
shorter route to fortune by joining the
throng that was just then rushing to the
Siver mines of the southwest.
But, alas, for the best laid plans Of an
unsophisticated tenderfoot! Six months
later 1 found myself one day stranded in
q wretched little mining town without a
dollar in my pocket.
How l happened just then to meet and
make friends with Colonel Dingler it is
no part of my purpose to relate. Suffice
to say that when he offered to send me
rs miles into the country with a party
of men who were to take charge OF II
Of his ranches accepted without demur.
There We're five of us, with all possible
diversity of character and bringing up.
Dennis OFlaherty was a brilliant
young Irishman, the son of a New York
alderman. He had broken with his fam
lily because of his disposition to firt with
pretty girls rather than to ''study for
ORDERS" as had been intended.
ST Larki1S was a typical down easter,
big and rawboned. and until six months
ago had never been beyond the New
Hampshire hills. His very opposite was
Ross Harper, a dapper little fellow who,
in spite of his sombrero and brace Of
pistols, looked very like one of the dunn
mics that used to adorn the front of his
clothing store back in Cincinnati, but
for all that he was plucky and clear grit
to the backbone. Then there was Buck
Buck Topper.
Just where he hailed from no one
ever seemed to know.
He seemed to be a part Of the wild
west himself, and his knowledge Of its
bold, wicked ways was something mar
velous.
He had a playful habit Of gallop-
ing across the country, firing right and
left simultaneously, or of dashing II
heralded through shops and saloons on
his mustang. Buck was an ~inyeterate
gambler, though something of a bungler
it seemed-at least his earnings went
regularly into the hands of the faro bank
dealer at Waho.
One afternoon as Buck and / were re-
turning from beyond the canyon, where
we had gone IL search Of some missing
cattle. we came upon the trail of a COM
pany of horsmen.
From the broken bits of saddle, cook
ing utensils and papers that were scat
tered about the gorge, it was evident
that there had been a runaway. AS
reading matter was at a premium just
then, l was Off in an instant and was
gathering up the papers, which proved
to be of recent date.
So absorbed did I become in their con-
tents that it was some minutes before [
noticed that Buck also had dismounted
and was examining with great interest
something that he had picked up from
the roadside.
1t proved to be the pF 0tOgraph of q
woman-a fine, oval face, the slightly
waving hair brushed simply back from
the low, broad forehead. The eyes, that
you would have sworn were a clear gray,
seemed to look into your own with o
sweet, trustful expression. Several times
during the ride home Buck took the pic
ture from his blouse, regarding it with
an air of pleased ownership.
When l came into the house after put
ting away the horses, I found him busily
engaged in fastening the picture to the
smoked wal above the chimney piece.
sit amt no place for such,' he said,
nodding his head at the picture and
glancing apologetically about the room,
"but Buck Tupper's proud to give you
the best he's got"
Looking upon the matter as a great
joke, when the others came in led them
to the picture, presenting them with
mock ceremony to Mrs. Buck Topper.
The name seemed to tickle Bucks fancy,
and he repeated it over and over to him
self with a pleased chuckle.
From that time "Mrs. Buck Upper
became a household word with us, butt
was not until some weeks after this that
we learned how much of a reality she
had become to the eccentric fellow. One
day, when one of his chums from Waho
was in the midst of a somewhat doubt
full story, Buck had interrupted:
"Gimpsey, I don't 'llow that's jest the
talk a right nice woman likes to listen
to-" glancing significantly at the face on
the wall. Gimpsey stopped, discomfort
ed and astonished, but he did not finish
the story. I think he went away believ-
ing that Buck was a bit touched; indeed
I am not sure but that the rest of US
shared the opinion.
It was evident that for some reason q
radical change had taken place in him.
He went no more on his boisterous cru
sades, and on Sundays, when he was off
duty, 1 had found him several times try
ing to spell out the words in the little
Bible I had carried with me in my wan
behring's.
For several weeks flaming bills had
been posted about announcing that there
was to be a great time at Waho on
Christmas eve. However, when I men
toned it to Upper he shook his head
slowly:
"Naw, l did think some about it, but
Mrs. Buck Tupper'-looking up at the