News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-03-29

on each side of the road. Some of these
carcasses were those of animals that
had died only the week or the month
before perhaps, while others were those
of animals that had there fallen and
died as early as 1849 or 1850. Here on
these alkali plains dead animals be-
come mummies. They do not decay as
in other places, but dry up.
1t was about on that portion of the
road over which | was travelling that
such animals as had received deadly
doses of alkali ON the Humboldt, the
Twenty-Five Mile and other great des-
erts succumbed and fell to rise no more.
The early settlers made miles of fences,
both in town and country, out of the
skins of the mummified animals that
strewed this road, for at that time there
was no lumber in the country. Twist
| ed thongs made of the skins were
stretched between posts as we now see
wire fences made in many places. In
this way both town lots andl ranches
were inclosed.
AS was plodding along | had sew
eral times caught glimpses through the
Pickering heat waves that lowered over
the alkali whitened plain of an object
that looked like small tent pitched in
the midst of the brolling desert. AT
last | was able to make out that the
white object was a small covered wag-
on, standing directly in the road.
Finally, as l approached, | could see
several persons seated on the roadside
| near the wagon, small two horse af-
fair. Then l saw that one of the horses
was down, while his mate stood by
| with dropping head.
Here is trouble" said |. "Evi-
IDENTIFY a sick horse.
When pulled up alongside the ship
wrecked family, not one of them said a
word. They were the most woebegone
| and fOrlorn party had ever seen ON the
plains. They hardly raised their heads
to look at me. All seemed utterly de-
Jected-given over to some inconsolable
grief.
A hasty survey of the scene before
me showed a small and light two horse
wagon, looking very shally about the
wheels, broken about the box and sur
mounted with cover stretched over
bows of very unequal height. The COW
er was of hOmespun linen, was patched
in places with pieces of butternut col
Ored jeans and had painted ON one side
in great sprawling letters the defiant
warwhOop "Caleforny or Bust" A
large water Cask was slung underneath
the wagon, and red feed trough. near
ly gnawed III two, hung behind.
In front Of the rickety wagon stood
an old bald faced horse, still attached
to the vehicle by the trace chains and
his end of the neckyoke. Poor old fell
lowl Such another angular, harness
CALLED, sunken eyed, melancholy beast
had not seen in many day.
Near by his mate lay dead" aka
lied. He seemed to have dropped
down in his tracks and died-died with
no greater struggle than to throw his
head and neck out across the fOOtpath
running by the side of the wagon track.
On "A fragment of rock near the dead
horse sat mana man about 40 years
of age-looking as though hope had ut
terly forsaken his breast. His feet, in
eased in alkali Redeemed and torn bro
gans. were half hidden in the dust of
the road in which they were listlessly
planted. His head was bowed until II ,
almost reached his knees. and the wilt
ed brim of his home wrought straw hat
almost concealed his sun Drowned and
unshaven face.
Near to this mantle head of the
family-sat a bundle-a bundle which
1 should not Immediately have recog-
nized as a human being had not OBJ
served pair of shriveled, clawlike
hands clasped across what seemed the
knees. There was something so weird
about this object in its shapelessness
that, after | had discovered it to be
alive and evidently human, it quite fas-
cinated me. found myself constantly
Glrning to watch it. A rather star
Ling phenomenon was chat the bundle
continually rocked to and fro and occa-
Iionally gave out some kind of mutter-
ings, during the delivery of which it
rocked quite violently. AS the face
and all the upper part of the body We're
covered with huge sunbonnet-a bon
net to which was attached an eXtraOr-
dinarily voluminous cape-l arrived at
the conclusion that the mumbling par
ty" before me was woman and prob
tion.'
Two boys of about and 10 years,
each with his baggy tow linen trow-
Sers hitched up nearly to his chin, sat
fiat in the dust at the head of the dead
horse, whose nose one of them was
fondly stroking The faces of both
were smeared with dust and tears, and
both were still quietly blubbering and
whispering together.
A girl of about II sat in the front OF
the wagon, vainly striving to quiet
child that was moaning in Il weak, sick
way in her arms. The features of the
girl were finely formed, but her face
was sadly sunburned. Her bonnet was
off, and wealth of brown hair fell in
waves over her shoulders and hung in
tangles about her face. At glance ii
was to be seen that many cares and
troubles had fallen upon this young
girl, leaving her little time in which to
think of herself or her personal appear
ance.
A little girl, with faxen locks hang
ing about her eyes, was on her knees be
side the young woman, leaning over
the end board of the wagon and gazing
with blue eyes full of wonder upon all
around-that is, when she was not Ell
gagged in gnawing, Childlike, at the
board upon the edge of which her two
little brown paws rested. All this ]
saw almost at glance. For some mo