The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-07

OAuohiHS prettlly.
The cowboys had struck camp and
pitched their tents Mt the first branding
pen.
They had eaten tho first supper Phil
had cooked for them, and they had en-
Joyed 1t, praising it in unequivocal
terms.
One OF the boys had occasion to 90 to
the wagon for something after supper
and saw something white, neatly fold
ed, lying to one side. He picked it ND
to see what it WAS and found it to be !,
white shirt with highly CLOSED front.
= a boiled shirt!' he exclaimed.
For moment he hesitated, then he
rolled tho shirt up carefully and took it
to where his companions where sitting
or lounging around their tent
There was whispered consultation.
Some of you kindlo fire." said
Daley. IN get the branding irons.
A couple of You fellows had better 90
over to where Phil is busy and keep
him there as long as you can.
The fire was kindled The branding
irons were put into the fire, and when
they We're sufficiently heated the boys
went to work and run every brand
they knew upon the white shirt spread
out upon the ground before them.
There were numbers and letters and
combinations of both. There were the
rail fence" the bulls head" the
"antlers" and the Jug There were
circles and semicircles. bars and double
bars, with all their variations. and lines
straight and crooked in every possible
position and curve
Altogether 1T was an artistic piece of
work, covering every inch from hem
to neckband and outward to both ends
of the sleeves.
The next morning when Phil got up
before daylight to prepare breakfast no
found the shi spread out, fastened to
the hind enc OF the wagon
He looked it over carefully and smiled
forgot to put it back i'll the valise
yesterday evening"" he unused to him
self as he was hurrying with his work.
II was somewhat surprised when |
found 1T among the other clothes, but
III the hurry of packing it must have
slipped i'll somehow accidentally
During the time he was cooking
breakfast he chuckled to himself fire.
quently. and once or twice laughed out
loud as he thought of the plan he was
forming to pay the boys back in the
same coin they had given him.
From day to Gay pieces were cut from
the branded shirt, which Phil had left
hanging to the end of the wagon where
he had found it. Tho boys watched
the pieces disappear, until on the even
ing before they were ready to break up
camp and return home there was moth
ing left of it but tho seams and wrist
bands.
What's become of your boiled shirt,
Philip one of them asked.
Phil looked around and viewed the
remains of it.
1T looks like somebody has been eat
ing it, - he said laughingly AT any
rate, there arc only the tough parts of it
left
That was all they could get out of
him just then.
They returned to tho ranch tho next
day, and the boys, with one voice.
praised Pills cooking very highly 10
Mr.. Middleton.
"Bulliest cook we ever had" cried
Daley.
And ho takes IL joke like man."
put in another
Then they told Mr.. Middleton and
Della, who had Just Joined them, how
they had treated Pills white shirt, and
how he had apparently enjoyed the joke
as much as any of them.
LET us have look mt it, cried
Della, laughing and clapping her hands.
Phil went TO tho wagon and held up
before them what remained of the shirt.
But what became of tho rest of it -
Della asked.
u fed it to the boys, - replied Phil,
laughing now. They thought they
didn't like boiled shirt, but / noticed
that they devoured good piece of it
every day. Every morning | cut off a
good slice, chopped it up fine, fried it.
Drowned it. scorchcd it and ground it
up and put it into everything l set be
fore them. You have their own words
for it that they liked my cookery boil
ed shirt Il Ia Phil Ames.''
For moment there were some low
ering brows, but when Daley stepped
forward and gave his hand to Phil the
clouds vanished.
Phil" he said, you're n brick!
NOPE you VIII stay at the ranch always,
and when the day comes, durn my pic
ture if | don't wear boiled shirt and
dance at the wedding
Della and Phil looked at each other
and blushed, and Mr.. Middleton laugh
ed heartily. John P. Sjolander.
Snow In Switzerland.
Some of the mountain railroads in
Switzerland find it advantageous to
open long before the SNOW melts ON