St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-09-02
FlODllNo JlMMle.



bor Thlftoen.
The Southwestern Stage Co. needed
I man 10 take care Of the relay station
down in No Mans Land, known ON
their books rs No. Is. As no one who
knew that country could be persuaded
to go there for love or money, it was .
case Of anybody at all. Hence IL was
that "Fiddling Jimmie" fresh from an
eastern Kansas farm, was sent down 10
all the vacancy. He was tall, lank,
red-haired, and he carried . black.
shiny satche1 In one hand and violin.
case in the other. The Office people told
him it was . lonesome place, but he
said he didn't care SO long as they kept
him in grub and his fiddle-strings stayed
with him. They failed TO tell him
that the last man there had been found
with . bullet In his head = few
yards from his dugout, and that
all the mules had been run of either
by rustlers or Indians straying mp from
the territory reservations. It might
have made some difference had Jimmie
been told Of this; but he was not, 80
we need mot speculate on the matter.
No. Is was lonesome place. Twice
. week each way = buckbo came by
with the driver and the Tascosa mail.
The mules were changed, . sack OF
-four or a bale Of hay was dumped on.
and then Jimmie was left to himself
and the solace of his violin. The sta
tion consisted simply of q corral and .
dugout in q high bank overlooking =
deep water hole in creek. Jimmie
set . line in the hole and always had
fish for dinner. He shot wild game at
times, and the report ran around among
drivers that 1.-THE blamed fool at No.
Is was getting fat and fresh in his
talk
Things went on until the summer
passed into the early autumn. It was
night. Jimmie had eaten his supper
and was sitting on his solitary stool
saving away for dear life ON his violin,
1t peace with the world and himself,
while up the creek valley came steal
ing Big Tooth, Yellow Horse and seven
other prdkeges of the government.
fresh from the reservation, bent ON cat
tle-stealing. thievery of any kind and
general deviltry. So silently and swift
ly did they file in the dugout that Jim
mic only had time to lower his bow and
stare open-eyed across the vanished
surface Of the instru ment, while the
fragrance Of their many ounwashed
years filled the little interior.
The Indians calmly squatted ina cir
Gle around him, and Big Tooth, patting
his Winchester with one hand, pointed
with the other at the violin and SOL
emnly grunted out:
''Play tune"
Jimmie played at once with energy.
When he wanted to stop another buck,
with the same movement, nade tho
same command, and Jimmie played
again. Then another commanded and
still another. The night advanced.
Occasionally mule outside braycd, q
coyote howled, but there was no cessa-
tion to Getting Upstairs" Cotton
Eyed joe" 1.-The Arkansas Traveller"
and all the melodies in Jimmie's roper
toire: The late moon rose; still it was
"Play tune" and Jimmie played. Mid
night passed away and the earlv hours
Of dawn. It grew first gray, then rose
colored, over in the east, and still the
strains Of music foated out from the
open-mouth Of the dugout.
Just when it grew good daylight Big
Tooth and his companions arose, pos
sessed themselves of Jimmie's amuni-
tion and gun, and also of sundry port
able articles, and with a parting "Much
good time" betook themselves of and
to other parts.
About ten o'clock the man who ran
Station No. IL, down on the Beaver,
happened to look out of the open door
way of his cabin. He saw q black dot
way mp the valley. The dot was NOV
ing. 1t soon resolved itself into
larger shape, and moving arms and
legs became discernible. Then it soon
became manifest that il was = red
haired man on a very tired mule. rid
ing for dear life. When the mule
stopped, tired and blown, At the door,
the man keeled over in q dead faint.
He had q fiddle in one hand and bow
in the other. The fiddle-strings were
broken and the bow bent, for they had
been used on the mules sides with
energy and vim. Fiddling Jimmie had
resirned.-St, Louis GlObe-Democrat.