The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-23
CAP WAS ON WATCH
Shepherd, the Warrior, Was Herding
Sheep When Christ Was Born.
TWAS HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS
He Bathed In the Orinoco While
Monroe Enunciated His Famous
DoctrIne-He's as Young as
He Used to Be.

rounds. At one OF MS statons' altei nIo
customary compliments and beverage
had been passed as is his custom. the
captain turned and with 11ds eagle eyes.
now made gray with age. calmly viewed
the crowd that occupied all the chairs
within easy distance Of the stove
Hello, Captain" said a certain seden-
sary dispenser of gossip. who occupied
his usual seat within range OF ths stove
but yet far enough away to enable h1m 70
tilt his chair back against the wall. do
you remember the first ChristmasT The
aged warrior looked at the interrogation
for a moment, and then, with something
like scorn In his tone. replied: say.
child. do you take me for a spring chick
en-? Do I look like i had not put on my
first coat OF feathersT
Then. relaxing his features, he went on
10 say:
Yes, certainly. Bless you. remember
Il well. And II i should live Thousand
years ionger ! WIN not forget 1t.
Seeing the old mans countenance was
becoming reminiscent, one OF the COM
pany offered him a comfortable seat near
the fire and the proprietor also offered
him q cup of strengthening cordial 20
keep the captains memory from falling.
After taking the cordial and smacking
hts mouth once or twice. the captain
said:
Eyes. that first Christmas was one of
the biggest times I or anybody else ever
saw. The weather was just perfect.
There was a lot of us fellers detailed to
watch some sheep. The herders was ell
there but them burned greasers was the
the biggest lot of thieves you ever heard
Of They would come up On crowd, yell
ing and shooting Off their guns and scare
the herders to death and stampede the
herd and play the devil.
well, we was all setting around the
fire spinning yarns and telling what we
would get In our stockings IL we was only
home. when all Of a sudden there was the
brightest light you ever seen at night. 1t
struck US so sudden that before we knew
anything we was all bending over with
our hands over our heads and looking up
to see where the meteor was going to
light. And them sheep herders set up
the biggest kind OF a yell and ran TO us.
Well, we was as scared as they All of a
sudden we heard the prettiest music-talk
about musicl The Butte & Boston band
wasn't In It. After a few minutes the
herders, finding they wasn't hurt. went
back to see what had become Of the
sheep. Would you believe It, gentlemen,
every one OF them sheep was a sittin' up
on his launches. like a dog begging for
a biscuit. listening to the music, and
them shepherds all left their sheep sitting
up that way and went to a stable about
a mile away and came back after awhile
singing and dancing. and wanted to open
up a prayer meeting with us. They told
us how Christ was just born up there In
that stable. and that ne was just the
prettiest incest baby anybody had ever
seen. They wanted us to go up there and
see him for ourselves. but we dasn't leave
our post You see, old Zach Taylor was
strict about US leaving our posts when we
was out on picket duty, and IL he ever
found anybody had left that feQler suf-
fered for Il. So we told the shepherds we
N.s IL
know Christmas had come and they could
go and hold their prayer meeting over
there by their herds.
well. the next morning. just before
daybreak. we heard the children firing on
firecracxers in the town. and just before
the sun was up here comes about a dozen
of them with their stockings full of toys
and candy to show us what they had got.
They was the happiest lot of children l
ever seen. Bless my soul People don't
know how TO treat their children nova
days. They have trees now instead of
stockings. and the poor little things have
TO wait until night now and be dressed
up fine and have the tree lighted and
their neighbors and friends have to be In
vited. and the poor children don't have
room to scream and yell and dance and
carry on. i tell you, 1 am afraid we
won't see anymore of them good old days.
II am going to hang up a big stocking
fnls CHRISTMAS ana see III Il can't nave
one more big time before / die"
One of the crowd then asked the cap
tain IL they hoisted the American fag
that first Christmas.
Yes" said the old man. ''that is, there
was no poles arrived there. but every lit
tie rascal that came out to see us had a
little nag in his hand. and Il would 'eI
done you some good to see how the peo-
pie had the houses draped with the stars
and stripes In our honor. II IL hadn't 'er
been for the stockings full of toys and
candles and such and the rocking horses
and new toy wagons about the houses
we might 'er took dt to be the Fourth OF
July"
Another one Of his auditors asked. "Dc
you remember TO have seen Hypatia ir
your travels?" The old captain hesitatec
and thought. He held his hand 10 his
head. trying TO recall the name. Fearing
mis- memory might not be equal to the oc
casion. another dose of cordial was of.
fered. accepted and applied internally.
''Hypashy?" said the captain. thought
fully. Yes" with an effort, 'Yes, tha,
is the place me and General Taylor Wis
fted after the Mexican war. It's dowr
there in Venezuela. in that part England
is trying to get hold of. IL is a prett,
nice sort of a town-pretty women. mic,
streets. Boys. you mustn't let England
get that place / and him was talkins
about the Monroe doctrine when we wa
there and we said we was afraid W,
might have some complication about tha
place yet. And Il was Christmas whei
we was there. too. You ought to 'er seei
our stockings that we hung up there
The women said they was too small en-
direiy. and II was the women of tha
place that put me on to having big stock
ings made expressly for Christmas. 90 al
my friends might have a show. But
won't get around to-day II don't start
Good bye"
az elegant diamond rings from 81