Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-10-23
TWO KINDS OF DUDE.
IN THIS CASE ONE MAN REPRESENT
Ed THE DUAL CHARACTER.


of Philippians In soldier Uniforms.
What is the most gratifying thing in
life. What spectacle is that which is most
pleasing 20 the eye What is it that makes
you glad and CHEEKY of heartY
Assurcdly it IS the calling Of bluff.
This is the prologue. The story is brief
enough to afford an approach of some kind
1t is the story of Manning and his colored
guard
Manning, IN the steamboat days Of the
upper Missouri. was an assistant pavmas-
ter in the federal service 1t was part of
his duties to journey off across the prairies
or up the river to the whereabouts of the
soldiers, in forts or environments, and to
bring them the money which they could
by no means spend They could gambl
it, however, and that was something Adj
equate shops and trading stores were few
and far between, but blanket under the
brow of the river bank was an ideal spot
for the promotion of monte and the cir
culation of the gold coin from one to an
other was lively enough to suit the live
lest Imagination
Manning used 60 make Fort Pierre on
his travels, and Fort Pierre was charm
ing town in which to go discreetly to bed
at a very early hour of the night. Its pop
ulation was composed of rousta bouts, bull
whackers, thieves and mixed quantities
made up of an intermingling of the attri-
butes of all three of these 1t was the
point at which the wagon train Joined the
steamboat in advancing civilization Brief
ly, it was tough There were women
there, but they were ten degrees worse
than the men.
Into this town one day in the early
eighties Manning rode with an escort of
I colored troops. He was on his first pay
trip, and this was n sort of resting point
Manning's negroes were picked men who
adored combat They did not get it fire.
quently enough to make it "A thing palling
to the stomach courageous, and so were
ever ready for anything that promised half
a chance to shoot their shining guns AS
for Manning himself, he was great, tall.
muscular fellow, handsome as leading
man in society drama, and he wore a
/ lowered tie. Moreover land this was an
especial sin in the sight of the community
into which he had injected himself and
his negroes at 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
when, at o'clock in the evening, he APP
peared in one of the dance halls, chiefly
given over to rOuStcrs, he wore cuffs and a
clean collar. This would not have been
altogether intolerable, but he walked up
to the bar with the tourist who had come
down from the yellow Pine hotel with
him and asked for drink. He should
have invited the whole house cup"
Manning and his rather timid friend
drank, and, turning from the bar, looked
upon the dancing tcamsters and river
men, who, with awkward step, secthed
about the hall, gripping their feminine
partners and canccling the Gripping by
libations of strong waters. While they
were thus contemplating the queer scene
Big Hank rose as one who saw his duty
clearly before him, and rumblng over to
the bar, he appeared in front of Manning
Dude" he roared, git Quit This here
ain t no expletivcd dude dance, you double
blankcd epthet This is n bullwhackers'
dance and "A rousters' dance. Gitr'
That puts it somewhat more elegantly
than was the manner in which he actually
conveyed his sentiments, but in general it
gives his idea. Manning looked mt the
giant, with his wiry black beard and his
naked chest, and said simply, Perhaps
you are right" and withdrew.
When he got outside, he leaped up into
the air and danced madly upon the side
| walk and was voluble. But he knew that
had he made answer in any other form ev-
cry rouster in the hall would have set upon
him, and they would have beaten him to
death. He made for the river
Sergeant Beddiwell and his men were
! gathered in a merry campfire company
when the picket hailed the chief of the
treasury box which they were guarding.
Manning gave the black sergeant "a few
words of direction, and then, leaving n
small detail to guard the governments
property, the escort fell in and approached
the town. AS the soldiers walked up the
street Manning noticed that game of fan
tan was i'll progress in Ho Bong's laundry,
and that half dozen Chinese were clam
oring over the play. A detour was made,
and the laundry was captured, with all its
occupants The prisoners We're conducted
to the Holy Smoke dance hall, where the
eviction had occurred.
Manning at the head Il sort of reproduc-
ton of Napoleon, marched into the room,
scattering dancing couples right and left
He drew near to the bar, and, taking COM
mand, ordered the soldiers to halt and
then directed the sergeant to put them
through their manual. Big Hank looked
on in wonder. Then Manning spoke
"a few minutes ago, " he said, "a mis-
take was made in this place That over
there, indicating Big Hank, being led
astray by queer notions, said that this was
"a bullwhackers' and II rousters' dance
am compelled by circumstances to de-
muir. This isa Chinee dance, Gentlemen. -
to the heavy browed roughs who had before
been impatient to back up Hank in outlin-
ing the character of the revelry, "you will
please take partners and proceed to whirl
You, you big bully" to Hank, will
dance highland fling with this one eyed
Chinaman. l don't know whether you
can, but you will do it, -
Big Hank looked ugly, but when his
eyes rested on that line of black soldiers,
with guns ready at hand to proceed on
Manning's orders he decided that the thing
TO do was to dance with all his heart and
soul and spirit The wildly affrighted
Chinaman was rushed about the dance
hall in manner athletic and gymnastic
to see And while the women looked and
lnnuhnn tho lnssnr linhfa If hnrdnr thr1nr-