The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-02-05

But one evening Wnen tne SHADOWS
had fallen on all the valleys and the
upland, when there was but lighter
shade over the west to show where the
sun had hidden its daily fsrewell, there
came Sinking up Lost Creek old Crawl
ing Wolf and seven of his dirty, ILL
smelling brethren-foul birds of the
night-ready for anything, from petty
larceny up to murder, provided the
situation allowed crime without danger
to the criminal.
They had herd OF stolen ponies cor.
relied some miles below and were COM
ing up to see what No. IL might afford
in the way OF diversion. In single file
they fitted along noiselessy as shad-
ows, now and then stopping, heads up,
to listen, as is the wont of beasts of
prey. Suddenly Wolf stopped shorter
and more suddenly than usual, giving
vent to a startled grant. All stopped,
rigid as statues, to listen. A faint wind
rusted for a moment, died down, and
then from afar came an unwOnted
sound in the wilderness. 1t was the
sound of Jimmy's fiddle.
and closer, stopping now and then to
listen, until they reached the foot of the
bank at the water hole. Just above
them shone the light from the dugout
entrance. The noise of the tortured
fiddle was loud and clear, and at times
Jimmy's voice was uplifted in old
hymns and camp-meeting songs remi-
Discent of other days back in Missouri.
Quiet, but swift as crawling snakes,
the in ruders swept up the incline of
the clay bank. A moment later they
swarmed in on the musician. Jimmy
was sitting at the side of his fireplace,
and his Winchester was near the door.
Thus he was cut off from his only
weapon.
When those Indians came in, filing
up the little dugout, l doubt that if in
all the world there was more sur
prised and frightened being than the
keeper of No. 49, The music stopped.
The hand that welded the bow dropped
as if paralyzed. Jimmy stared at the
apparitions, while old Wolf smiled
hypocriicaly and grunted Howl !"
Somewhat treasured by this apparent
sociability, Jimmy managed to gasp out,
"Howdy do?"
The sons of the desert deliberately
Wolf once more grunted out:
Play fiddle more. We like"
Jimmy played something at once,
and of course after while wound up
with a flourish, as all performers do,
and stopped.
The sombre audience gave no sign of
approval or dislike. They sat perfectly
still, except that their little eyes gilt
tered and shone in the freight like
diamonds. But when Jimmy stopped
Wolf grunted again:
"More."
Jimmy played more and kept on in
response to the request after each ces
sation. Finally he lowered the bow
and protested:
"I'd like to be obliging, but I'm get
ting too tired"
Wolf simply loosened Winchester
from the folds ola dirty blanket, cooked
it and presented it at the protester's
body, grunting again:
"Play more. Much heap. Play
quick"
| There was an immediate revival of
musical activity.
And so they kept the frightened i'd
dler to his work. He played his whole
repertory over and over again, the audi
ence never caring for the repetition
The night wore N. Far over the fats
came the answering howls of the melan'
choly coyotes, quavering and dying
away in a long drawn note of utter
lonesomeness, but the sound of the fd-
die never ceased. A late moon rose
and slowly climbed toward the zenith
The big dipper in the northern sky
dropped down and around the polar stal
as though time were not the essence OF
the performance. Still the sound OF
the constant fiddle vibrated in the chill
air. At last over in the east came 6
faint streak of light, and then all crea
ton grew dim and gray. And with the
first light Crawling Wolf stood up anc
shook himself. His brethren did like
wise. They took Jimmy's rifle anC
everything portable on the premises
never allowing him to cease for mo
ment, then quietly fled out and disap'
peared in the morning mists.
About ten O'Clock next morning the
keeper of station No. II, over Oh hi
Beaver, happening to look up, saw
something coming very rapidly over The
hills from the southwest. The some
thing soon resolved itself into a mar
on the back of some creature. AS /
came closer it was apparent that thu
creature was mule running for dea
life, while the man was using boti
hands and feet with great energy. Thu
mule stopped, all blown and wet, il
front of the station, and the man fel
off in dead faint. He had broker
, fiddle bow in one hand and in the othe
ruined fiddle, the body part beaten t.
a FRAGILE and the strings flying all abou
in perfect maze of tanges.
And the very next driver to arrive a
Dodge City announced to the powers q
: the stage Office:
Fiddlin' Jimmy's done quit
Philadelphia Times.