The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-01-26
Of merrily jingling bells from behind a

music OF scores of bells of different
tones, till Icounted l2 great teams roll
ing down the descending ground.
As soon as | had made known to the
eeamsters the condition of the emigrant
family there was "a regular strife about
going 20 their relief. All were going
back to California with empty wagons,
and all declared they could as well as
not take the little emigrant craft in tow
their teams would never know it had
been hooked on behind them.
Only a single team was needed. A
hne. strapping young fellow. about %
years of age, was driving the leading
team of the train. All the other team
sters were much older and had about
them the s~ubjugated look of married
men. So l said:
'Gentlemen, as there is a confound-
edly good looking girl over there, and
a most of you appear to be married
men. suppose we say that this young
buck goes?' pointing to my young chap.
With shouts of laughter and many
sly jokes. this was agreed to at nee,
and | mounted to a seat on the wagon
of my young fellow to act as guide.
My man had a team of 10 huge and
splendid mules, all carefully selected
and Matched team worth a small
fortune. Each mule wore housings of
bearskin, and above the names of each
rose a steel bow filled with bells Of va
rious sizes and tones. His vehicle was
a great prairie schooner" as the i'm
mense freight wagons used in crossing
the Sierras are called. and everything
about both team and wagon was in per-
feet order.
On one side of the wagon-the huge
hull of the craft-was painted in red a
large wing, like the wing of some sea
bird. In explanation of this hieroglyph
my young fellow said, You see, sir.
l call her the Red Wing"
1 told him the folks out on the desert
would most assuredly look upon him
as an angel, Notwithstanding he had
but one wing.
When we reached the forlorn family
and u huge craft rolled up alongside
their diminutive vehicle, we looked
like a "A gun ship bearing down upon
a canoe.
The family had evidently never dream
cd of such a wagon OF such an array of
animals for a team. Thomas rose from
his seat on the rock, rubbed his eyes
and gazed upon the whole rig in utter
establishment. The old grandmother
pushed back her immense sunbonnet
and giggled aloud, while the two boys
stood and stared in open mouthed and
speechless amazement.
Sticking his blacksnake whip under
the housings of his saddle mule, my
teamster, John Henderson by name,
jumped to the ground, and teamsterlike
first of all went to look at the old bald
faced horse.
AS young Henderson walked around
the old horse and surveyed his many
unusual points, his face wore a Gu
rious expression-half sneer, half pity.
Going to where the dead mare lay,
ne gave her a careless kick, which in.
stantly brought a beseeching Don't.
Enister!" from the younger of the boys.
Smiling good h~umoredly, Henderson
turned away from the mare, and now
for the first time deigned to notice the
human beings present.
WELL" said he, turning to Thomas,
Il s'pose you folks don't care how soon
you get out of here. Ugh! with all these
dead cattle about, this is no good camp
ing place"
Said Thomas: II must tell you plain
~, mister, that we hain't got any mon
ey. We are"-
'Oh, Mumford! Oh, Mumford." cried
the old grandmother, and squatting
upon the ground she began rocking her.
self to and fro.
Henderson wheeled about and sur
veyed tho rocking figure in amazement.
Then he began to look about in wild
eyed fright. Seeing no one rush to the
cid woman's assistance, he stepped to
my side and asked: is she sick? Does
the old lady have fts?"
"Oh, no., whispered l. "A little pc
culiar, that is all. She enjoys these lit
tie tantrums."
Enjoys them?"
Il suppose SO. Mumford was her
husband. They buried the old man at
Green river"
"Ah! Yes, yes, l see!" said Hender-
son. Poor old lady! 1t sets her about
crazy!"
Mary and her mother had both been
watching our movements from the wag-
on front, the mother in her anxiety hav-
ing left her couch and crawled forward
on her knees. Evidently mother and
daughter thought, on seeing Henderson
turn away from Thomas and seeing
the old lady again agitating herself upon
the ground, that some hitch had occur
red and that the teamster was, after
all, ABOUT to drive away and leave
them on the desert. | heard Mary say:
II can stand it no longer, mother! L
must speak to him. He must help us!''
Then, leaving the sick child beside her
mother, she came rushing to Henderson
with flying hair and streaming eyes.
''Oh, sir, do take us! Don't, for
Gods sake, leave us here! If you will
take us, l will do anything! L will
work for you-I mean for your father
and mother, sir. Oh, don't leave us
because we have no money!"
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