The Dickinson press., 1894-11-17

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sRigxed Out ter XIII Something"
seasick that my piratical aspirations
came to an abrupt end.
When l sadly admitted to myself that
being a good boy was more enjoyable
than being a seasick pirate, I turned
my still surviving aspirations for an
adventurous life in another direction.
Should I become a highwayman OF 4
Western cowboy?
l looked little like becoming either
at that time. l was tall and pale and
thin, with very little muscular develop
ment. Indeed the boys at school often
addressed HE as ~"Beanpole." My hair
was 20 red that 1t was Il stock joke
Of my boy companions that | might
make my living by hiring out to the
government as II lighthouse.
Let them jeer," | said to myself.
"Perchance in the years before us will
come a day when, III some lonely noun
tain pass or on some desert plain, l
will have We ut my mercy"
One day in June my Uncle Philip
Brewer came into II house and said
to my mother:
"See here, Sarah, I've been thinking
of something. How would you like to
let Teddy 20 out to the mountains and
spend the sumnc with me?"
l was Teddy, and l listened eagerly
as Uncle Phil went II
"rhc boy is looking paler and thinner
than usual this spring. and u summer
among the hills would do him good
In more ways than one. He could make
himself useful to me, and he'd come
home in the fall looking like another
boy"
The idea was as new and un expected
to mother as to nc, and she said, laugh
tngly:
"Oh, I don't know, Philip. Ill have
to think about it,"
Uncle Phil was superintendent Of q
silver mine away out on the top of a
mountain In Colorado.
He was back East that spring for
q few days on business, and had taken
Ia great liking to me-, while l looked
upon him with wonder and admiration
because Of the things he had seen and
done while ''roughtng it" in the West.
1t thrilled my young blood to hear him
tell of the bears and mountain lions
he had killed, and of Il scrimmage in
which he had once engaged with a band
of Ute Indians. Uncle Phil usually
had his way, and / was not greatly
surprised, although wildly delighted,
when mother finally gave her consent
to his suggestion.
1.-The boy does look i'll, and DR.. Walk
er says he thinks the trip would do him
good" she said. so he may 60 II
you will be sure to have him back
safely in time for school, the first of
September"
Uncle agreed to this, and four days
later we left the quiet little Connecti-
cut town in which my whole life had
been spent and started for Colorado.
l had become an object of envy and
admiration to all the other bows in the
town us soon rs they knew of my pro.
posed trip, and I dare say l gave my.
self Il good many foolish airs; but nc
matter about that. We all do it when
we are young-some Of us to continue
to do 1t when we are old enough ia
be wiser.
We reached Camp Good Luck in ter
days, having spent several days III Den
yer, where Uncle Phil had made nv
happiness perfect by giving me a hand
some little rifle, promising to instruct
me in the use Of it.
Camp Good Luck consisted Of a new
lily developed mine, with it's engine and
-haft-hOuse. and two or three log cab
tns in which lived the men who worked
at the mine. Uncle Phil had IL cabir
of his own some distance from thu
others, but we took our meals-very
good ones, tOO-at the boarding house
with the miners.
The cook was a big raw-boned Swede
and Uncle Phil said that If 1 wanted
to make myself useful 1 might help hin
In peeling potatoes and grinding cot
fee. But such tasks us these did no
6t in we'll with my cowboy aspirations
There was a roguish-looking littl'
black burr0 at the mine which wa!
used to carry bags Of ore down to TIN
smelter, five miles distant, and pro
visions up TO the mine. Uncle Ihi
said 1 might have it to ride arount
on when it was not needed.
l named the burro Fleetfoot, although
he was the slowest and LATEST litti
tascal any boy eve mounted. BY din
Df much prodding and belaboring on hi
sides ! could sometimes get him t
change his slow %plodding for a mil,
md brief, as well as unco nfortable
hot. But when mounted on Flcctfoot'
back l imagined myself IL reckless COW
boy in pursuit of lndia..s who were fee
ing in terror before me-. would FIR
away recklessly ut birds and groun
squirrels with my shining little rifi
but although l had named it "Sur
shot," 1 doubt If l ever hit anything
except the trees and the rocks.
"Where's your game, boy? Unc
Phil would ask when / returned cmpt
handed.
"Wcll." 1 would say. in reply, I'll
shooting wasn't very good" .
mo, I don't s'pose it was," Unc
!" Phil would say dryly; and then l me
q tally resolved that I'd show him whet
er. l could shoot or not.
One morning l rode down by t
mine with my rifle OH my shoulder al
the cooks carving knife thrust in
my belt by the side of II of Unt
Pills bowie knives. The handle Of
pistol with a. broken lock appear
above n boot-top, and I had t,
long, shining rooster ta%il-featllers flaul
Ing from my cap. I don't think that
ever felt n looked quite so much II
O terror Of the mountains as on til
3. day.
N well, sonny" called out a min
known as Shorty" Sampson, from t
top of the mine dump. yer rugged Q
ter kill something this time, sure, al
ye! Ye'd ortcr clean out all the b'i
an lions an c%attymounts there is in t
gulch, armed like that"
you'd better 60 up by Big Pet
. cabin" added Jack Shaw. land put
bullet into the bar that come 'rog