Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-04-16

WdUCI NY SaOIBhbp ga WcAo VIA AtAAo
o'clock, mebbe, fer yer supper. This
was what happened different times
through Mis- Lrl'feld. She alters
| wanted to ride when we shifted camp,
an follered the wagon on her bay boss.
1t was understood that when was goin'
| too fast or he'd got fur in the lead, she
would wave her handkerchief, an was
to slack up or stop till she ketched the
wagon. So ! jest natterly lowed
I'd give her song-an'-dance, hevin'
pretty smart day ahead o me an'wantin'
to git into camp early. Consistently, I
told the nigger-who rode with me
not to look back.
"When we stated, of co'se, the fust
ten mile or so was uphill mostly, an
I couldn't travel extra fast; SO it was
bout two when we hit the summit, an
everything he'd went lovely. Then we
he'd a little 'hand-out,' and the descent
begun. ra-
81 didn't lose no time. The mules
stepped outgay-mea -poppin't the buck
skin among 'em oncet an awhile jestto
keep 'em chee'ful an in good humor;
an the hill-well, chain-lightnin' could
go down--with britchin'. hedn't went
great ways when heerd fur-off call
like a coyote got astray. Jumbo
shifted kind of uneasy like, on the seat,
and squinted sideways at me; but 1
was whistlin' The Gal with the Tray
all Train and didn't see nor hear
nothin', of co'se. Pretty soon the mig
ger he couldn't set peaceful an on
concerned no longer, an stealed q look
benin. Then he leaned forrard, TIL his
hans tween his knees, an chuckled
to hisself. I paid no manner of notice.
Now he screws round again in his seat,
chuckles an twists a little harder,
squints at me sideways again, and says:
"'She's a-wavin', jim
"'Set still, you blamed, black-bresst-
ed sand-piper,' says 1; let FER wave
"He was tol'abul quiet fer a shot
space-while you might cut a pipe o
terbacker, mebbe. The calls sounded
pretty faint now. Far back up the
rocky trail, could ketch the clear,
sharp ring of her hoss's hoofs-'pit-e-
pat! pit-e-pat! t-e-pat!'-remindin
me somethin' O. one o. them gals from
the east down in Benton chassayin' up
an down the room in a new-fangled
war-dance they call the 'Rushin'
polkay.'
"Jumbo's head swung around again
on it's pivot. He squirmcd an twisted
an chuckled some more; the fun was
too fast fer his ornery, woolly scalp,
an he bust out:
"'Dah she waves, Jim. Now-now!
she waves. Dah-dah! she's q wavin'.
Now-now! she's a-wavin', Jim. Now!
she waves. Jim-Jim - Jim - she
waves. Jim-she waves-she waves!
SHE wavesi'e s# ,f
d. "Here he throwed out his wings
undulatin'-lik and very takin', and
winds up in loud Yah! yah! yah!'
-doublin' hissef up an contortin' an
rollin' round on the seat till thought
he'd drop out o the wagin. He was
the most extropulous coon ever see
that's right! l tried to kick him under
the seat-but fact is, was a-laughin'
at him till was nigh non campus Mem
phis myself.
"'Pit-e-pat! Pit-e-pat! Plt-e-pat!
come from far back in the distance.
NOW 1 commenced to pull in my
mules. We were gittin' pretty well
down the slope, an few miles more
would fetch us TO the camp-ground.
Il he'd changed The Gal with the
Travail Train fer The Gal left Be-
him Me.0 1t was still middlin' early
in the afternoon, an mighty hot. After
awhile got my team down to walk,
an before long I heerd the hoss' hoofs
comm cioster.
81 turned around an watched her as
she come up. Say!-Fve eat canned
lobsters-but you'd oughter seen that
woman's face! Whoosh!-to
stat a fire fer the pu'pos' o. toastin'
bannack while she wer' round an that
color lasted, as the poet says, 'wer' on
necessary But that want all, neither.
She was mad clean through-as a sage
hen with brood O. young 'uns; it stuck
out in pints all over her. An yeh could
see where the tears he'd left marks on
her cheeks-through the dust; an her
hair was like a shower-bath on her
shoulders.
"'How could you be SO mean, Jim,'
she says, a.a.H aHr.E4
Well-you see, mum-er-this here
-ah-blamed hill is so confounded
ornery pu'pendiclar - uh Il couldn't
hold 'em up-'pon honor couldn't!'
"Of co'se I guess she didn't b'leeve
me badly, but what could she say?
We travelled pretty slow the rest O. the
road to camp. 1 did feel tarnation
mean, as well as sorry fer her, an that's
right! 1 wanted to kick myself, to
make myself -er-ah-oncomfort
able. l he'd half a mind to make Jumbo
do it. But, then, he was niger, an
didn't know nothin'. ...
swell, Lfl'field got his leg broke
sho'tly after, an that bust up the ex-
pedition-got into q wrestle with
grizzly nm took second money. He
left his boss an'went close to git a good
pull, but the bear was only wounded
an charged. He waltzed with him.
reckon it 'ud "a been all day with LII
field if Wells hedf't been nigh; he was
a dead shot, yeh know. AS it was, he
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