The record-union., 1896-04-05
BUCKEYE JOE.'
Mafest Once Paid on a Loan by
D. 0. Mills.
Alie on One Of the Early Day Stage
Lines in Sacramento
County.

Everyone who Travelled by stage
through Sacramento County thirty
years ago knew Buckeye Joe." "Buck-
eye was a fixture, and was sure to be
round acting In his capacity as hostler
at some station on the road. Money was
plentiful those days, and the hostler's s
was no mean position, viewed from a
pecun1ary standpoint Dollars rolled
into his pockets tips being as frequent
as they are now seldom. A dollar for
sweeping out carriage was the usual
thing, and an extra pat to the "off'
gray and scrutinizing look under the
collar Of the nigh sorrel for an imag-
mary gall, was often the means of Sc
curing another broad piece of money.
Buckeye was very independent, ac-
corddng to his own story, and often
made his contributors look small fry
by a masterful exhibit Of his superior
knowledge Of horsefesh.
AT the particular time in view he was
chief of the hostelry department at
Wilson'S" which many old-timers will
remember and which was situated near
where the wire bridge now crosses the
Cosumnes River, at Dixon's ranch, and
l propose to allow him to tell his own
story:
Il had a pocketful of money those
days." said Buckeye Joe,'' "and there
was no sign of a let-up to prosperity.
Tips came along as regular as meals,
and a man who wore good clothes was
worth more than a dollar in that di-
rection anyway.
fine team and rig came in from the hills,
and the driver told me to take good
care Of his horses and give them an ex-
ira rundown and feed. as he wished to
make Sacramento that very night.
scented a fat tip-two-fifty, at least
and tried my best to give him his
moneys worth. Both he and his part
ner were logged out in great style, but
/ didn't know them from Adam.
while they were at dinner I swept
out their rig, busted the cushions and
robes, rubbed the horses down and gen.
orally made myself useful, and when
they came out and got in 1 handed up
the reins with my best 'scrape.' The
man who was doing the driving took
them and started off leaving me aghast.
Only for second though, for I was
pretty well seasoned, and then yelled
at him:
Hold up, Mister! here's something
you forgot
He pulled up, and I stuck my hand in
my pocket and fumbled with the coins
that were in it. I was after a dollar,
but, as luck would have it, the piece
fshed up was a ten-dollar sinner. Well
wasn't going to be put down, and so
stuck 1T up to him and said:
Here, Mister, just take this, and
give it to the next hostler who takes
care of your team and rig
THAT man looked at me and grinned
a little queer, but, sure enough, he
reached out and took my tenner and
thanked me as it disappeared down into
his NAV of a pocket. Then the laugh
was on me, and all the boys about the
station roared with mirth and drank at
my expense, while they assured me that
a fool and his money were soon parted
But / didn't care a lot. In fact, /
was a little bit proud of my achievement,
though it did look like wishing ones
self dead so that somebody else would
be sorry. / wasn't even sure that my
subject felt sorry.
However, the day passed, and when
the stage came in the next morning the
driver rolled down and, after swearing
g. time or two on general principles,
tossed twenty-dollar piece over to me,
and said:
There, "Buckeye!" D. o. Mills told
me to give that to the hostler. He said
he was fiat broke yesterday and bor-
rowed enough money from you to get
home on. He'd been over to see the
big trees In Calaveras.
They tell me that D. o. Mills is a
banker now and worth millions, but I'll
bet a bit he never in all his life received
as much interest on loan of equal size
as he paid to me that day at Will
sons"
Buckeye Joe' is still on earth, and
lives in the eastern part Of Sacramento
County.