The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-11-22

=" breakfast now ready In the dining
carl yelled the cook, as he poked his
round face through the flap of the tent.
There was no answer from within. Last
call for breakfast" he repeated. And this
time there came grunt from the depths
of canvas roll, and head, surmounted
by awoolen cap, protruded just far enough
TO allow its owner TO see that dawn had
scarcely broken.
Say, isn't IL going TO snow" queried
the newly awakened
"Not cloud in the sky" answered the
knight of the skillet. "You bet you'll
have TO work today, if it is Thanksgiv-
ing"
The newly awakened glided into sit
ting posture. Wake up there, Smiler,"
he shouted, singing "a shoe at a similar
bundle, myself on the other side of the
tent. A smothered groan was the response.
Then the bundle began to move, hand
protruded from one end, a couple of spring
hooks were unfastened, and head sim
liar TO the one already described and fol-
lowed by n long, skinny body, appeared on
the scene, like snake issuing from its
hole.
You see, my blankets were sewed up into
kind Of bag just large enough to receive
my body, and at night crawled in and
fastened up the end, thus keeping off the
chilly air. When the weather was excep-
tionally cold, would take the additional
precaution of inserting u small puppy into
the orifice and kicking it down to the bot
tom, where the faithful animal would re-
main until morning, emitting a cheerful
warmth
Though deoked for the hours OF slumber
we were entirely clothed, with the excep-
ton of shoes and coat.
"Beastly cold Tom 1 remarked to my
companion, as 1 shivered into my coat and
shook on my shoes.
"Worse and more of it, replied Tom,
and, completely dressed, he disappeared
through the tent door. In moment 1
heard the strokes of Ratchet 1t was
only Tom breaking the Zoe in the water
bucket. at froze three inches last night"
he remarked, rs | issued from the tent.
We'll have day of it, I'll bet freeze
TO death"
A little dab of water around the eyes
and vigorous use of the towel comprised
the extent of the morning S ablutions, and
then we hurried into the cook tent, shiv
ering, and stretched our fingers over the
comfortable warmth Of the gasoline stove
The other men were already there, seated
around the oicloth covered table and de-
vouring oatmeal by the bowl, fried eggs.
hot biscuit and pints of delicious coffee
from big granite cups, an example we were
not slow to follow
But in spite of u good breakfast the Sit
uation was pretty tough. This was thb
day that the pres ident of the United States
had declared should be given up to thanks
giving and which is from one end of the
land to the other set apart for ruinOus
feasting, and here were these poor fellows,
Uncle Sans very servants, preparing to
start out for days hard work, driving in
the cutting wind, with stiffened fingers
trying to depict on paper the contour Of
the rolling plains. OF course we were GO
ing 10 work. Men in the field never take
holidays, especially toward the end of the
surveying season, and the only Thanks
giving we expected TO have was little
better dinner than usual on the following
Sunday.
We were camped within sight of the
twin cupolas of Hays City, and were it not
for the cottonwoods which line the course
of Big creek, the abandoned military post
of Fort Hays, with its decaying buildings,
would have been plainly visible.
The sun had just risen when we pre-
pared TO get under way. The horses had
that is, all except my constituencies Ches-
apeake, who had nosed all his feed out on
the frozen ground with an impatient toss
of his head. At this period Of his career,
by the way, Chesapeake's wild oats had
not yet been all sown. He evidently knew
IL was Thanksgiving day and expected
some of the delicacies with which my in
diligence had often supplied him. For
Chesapeake was the only horse 1 ever heard
of who liked fried chicken. He would pick
the meat off a drumstick as daintily as
you or /. Them l always used TO give him
bite of my pie at lunch time. He just
loved pie-mince or pumpkin or lemon; IL
didn't seem to make any difference what
kind il was so it was pie. Perhaps the
most remarkable thing, though, was
olives. He'd eat all the pulp off and spit
out the stone-why, it was simply beauti-
full.
Well Chesapeake was hitched up to my
buckb board and tied to the wagon. load
ed in my map making stuff and put on
my wraps-quite an ordeal, as 1 already
had on two pairs of trousers two vests, a
knit jacket and a couple of coats. Then
had to don pair of heavy felt boots over
my shoes, over them a pair of goloshes
lined with red flannel. My throat must be
protected by a silk muffier. Then came
the big overcoat, tightly buttoned. A
wooden scarf was drawn over my hat and
ears, and, after rolling into the blackboard,
i wrapped myself carefully into horse
blanket and then put on big fur gloves
over lighter pair of dogskin. You might
suppose all this would be enough TO keep
me warm, but 1 tell you there are not
clothes enough made to protect man
from those Drairie winds on an all day drive
in an open vehicle.
After was arranged to my satisfac-
ton, Jake, the teamster, let go the head,
and In moment had forded the creek
and was striking southwark on an angling
road across the prairie toward the Smoky
Hill river.
It didn't seem TO get any warmer. A
sort Of mist had come up and obscured