The Somerset reporter., 1893-11-30
IDYL OF THE PLAINS.
STORY ofkTEkez ROOTS Thanks
GIVING On THE ROUNDUP.

IN never forget my first Thanksgiy-
IN on roundup said an old cattle
man as we all 'swapped lies one night
around the campfire on a deer hunt in
the Indian Territory. 1t wus out on
the Wichitas which wus then the stamp
IN ground nv the frontier stockmen
That WAS long in the fall Of ix-tee-fiye,
| reckon. | know | wus nothin but a
kid somewhat bout 10 or 20"
We saw that Uncle Jim was tuned for
one of his good old rambling yarns and
settled ourselves to listen. while Uncle
Jim passed round the coffee and tho to-
bacco bag.
Yes, he went ON ruminatingly as he
knocked the ashes out of his pipe ON the
heel of his boot and refilled it from the
bag Il reckon | wus a mighty green kid
in them days.
THAT WIS before the days nv round
up outfits, tents, blue wagons, cookin
stoves an canned goods an sich highfa-
lutin fixins.
But started ou' to tell about my first
Thanksgiyin on the plains, didn't |; Well,
Iwus left 10 keep camp Oh that day. Keep
in camp meant stavin behind with the
packs an things, scarin the coyotes off'n
the grub, hobbin out an waterin the
mules an extry ponies, an, above all,
havin supper ready fur the boys when
they got in at night, fur cooks, mud
You, didn't come tell the blue wagons
ali cookin stoves did.
Each Teller took his turn at keepin
camp, but mos ginrally If thar was a
greener in the gang he wus 'pinted 10y
silent acelimation az it WIS. We'll. |
done confessed | WIS a greeucr. an |
llnowed the sooner | took my medicine
the sooner I'd git well. So | raisod'no
objections when the boss tole me Ire
reekoned I'd better keep camp that day
| loafed round mos nv the mornin
washin up the bfeakfas' dishes, putin
the boys blankets ont to sun, an about
noon rounded up the mules an extrys
an watered EN-, drivin EN- To the
creek about a half mile away down in
the spurs ny the mountains.
"Thcn Iamused myself shootin prairie
dogs till long about 3 in the eyenin,
when concluded I'd better be hustlin
up some grub fur the boys by the time
they cot in | built me mn bir fire.
wood WIS mighty sca'ce-nothin but
mesquite brush trifted up in the gullies
but thar WIS plenty NV buffalo chips, an
they make Il fire hotter'n thunder IF YOU
know how TO Eindle EN-. | had good
flint and some uunl, which always ear
ried handy in my bootlaig. When | got
my fire a-roiu. begun to investigate The
nacls an found u lot nv dried ar,,les-
not These new fashioned ring-o-ro,1nd-a.
rosy Steam dried ones lint tLo OLD fash.
Toned brown sticky ones fnt in GOOD
sized chunks core an all am fine hest
film fur mics. with n GOOD snrinlxlin nv
cinnvmo,, and s,,.a,, hnueo ,nal,.sas--h,t
that amt neither here nor tLero
ayyoll concluded rd bila soma mn.
piles fur tbe bovs, simmer sort of am az
try TO celebrate the day rot ont n
bnckct fnll nm washed 'on nice an clean
an all fine ti,ne WINS vashin 'e,n ono nv.
fine ole mules named / q STANLEY
Grimes-I1l never FORGET that moon. Gle
mnle's name thonob fine Inr,l l;unv.s If
WINS uncommon euouoh ia rrmomber-
WIS uo,in Ground irwin his best tn Git
his lii,on them aunles
"Bni ken him off. and p1rty soon
had 4 5,lcs in The biooest kittIo we
had Then | went off an laid down ON
some nv fine blankets to tol;r, little nan
4 hadn't got moren half asleeu. however
when I WINS awoke by tbe friazliu nv fire
an water an fine smell nv burnt armies
Lordl how them apples had swelled.
There seemed like there wus more in the
fire thon had mi in fine LittIe Int fine
kittle was still rnnuin over ful got
another kittle. a smaller one. AN dipnod
about a third of the applies ont nv the
bia one into il
"Tbcn | went back to finish my nam
But. Lordl | had to git up again. Thu
liz kittle mn fine little one WINS both bjliu
over. and ole J. q. Stanley Grimes ca
yortin eronu an irwin 10 eli close enough
tn cat fine sniIt ones
"Wcll gentlemen. that WIS the be
oinnin nv nv tronbles I've seed = bean
nv on.a, tbin.,s lint fine way then5 an
- - 49,. .,,.;,'l;l
Pc '''1 ''''' ,'i' 'l'''.'l''." ,''
isheu 'he 9ear'h nfat amy tlii'i@ | yer
WIS witness TO- ou Il lhouSht mar
WIS holes III the bottom Of them klitles
/ an volcano spouiin dried ;pplos under
EN-. In less than a hour had every
pot. pan. kIttle, irwin pan and bucket in
+ that shnbonp full nv dried ai,,les an
tLo,n sti1l 5'.v,ol1in Nv tbis tima tho
~ -
iiio -" Us i'',''o'' ~ o' u 5'oN ,i'' ! u d