The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-03-05
FIDDIIING JIMMY.

He was long, lank and lean, light
haired, with pale blue eyes, the product
of the Missouri bottoms, where things
sprout up with such amazing quickness
and then mature with so much delibera-
tion.
When he dropped from train at
Dodge City, he had an old fashioned
carpetsack in one hand and under his
other arm was a fiddle in faded brown
bag He looked about him somewhat in
wonderment at the river and the roll
ling, treeless country merging into the
sky far away to the south and then
again at the long, crowded street on
the other side. He looked but for a mo-
ment, however, and then proceeded
straight to the office Of the Southwest
ern Stage company. His inquiry there
was short and to the point.
Have ye got airy job a feller kin
do?'
This was years ago, when Dodge was
the end Of the overland cattle drive and
fully entitled to its reputation of wild
and woolly town To the south fer a
few miles was a sprinkle of settlers and
beyond that all was lonesome and in
hospitable
The Southwestern company always
had vacancies. Along the many routes
were certain relay stations, some Of
which were sure to be in need Of keep
ers. There was one line in particular,
running down to Tascosa, on the South
Canadian, in Texas, stretch of $50
miles, and Just little over half way
was a station, No. 13, where a man
was needed at once. The pay was $40 a
month. The duties were simply to watch
half dozen mules and have team
ready for the weekly blackboard that
performed all the transportation, the
freight being usually two of Uncle
Sam s mail sacks. The company sup
piled gun and ammunition, flour, cof-
fee salt and groceries. Truly it seemed
a bonanza to our knight of the violin.
There was no haggling over terms,
and Jim CusenberTy, fiddle and carpet
bag were duly dispatched the very next
morning to the field of his new labors.
And Jim was duly dubbed Fiddling
Jimmy by clerk, driver and all who
came in contact with him.
Jimmy had been duly informed that
he would find things 'sorter' lonesome
out at No. 13, but had responded that he
didn't "keer durn" for being by him
self. The fiddle was plenty of company
so his grub came regular.
Now, there were certain things about
| No. l3 that had been discreetly over.
looked in the telling. 1t was 30 miles
| from the stations ON either side and
consisted of square hole dug at the tor
Of steep bank overlooking a water
hole in one of those plains creeks where
such holes occur at long intervals, the
remainder being simply grass grown
depression. The hole was rooted with
cottonwood poles, upon which dirt ha6
been thrown-a dugout pure and sim
pie. There were rude fireplace and 9
hole for chimney. This was Jimmy's
residence, There was a stockade up Oh
the fiat for the mules, and with this you
have the station complete.
No man who knew the country could
be induced to take No. 13 for love ol
money, so the company had to depend
upon the ignorant and the transient
The country was full of rustlers anG
COW thieves. Occasional gangs Of In
dians from the nation used to slip along
there, bent on any deviltry that came
handy. When No. 13 was occupied, il
was shining mark for such gentry,
The last occupant had been found, moi
fortnight before, lying out on the fiat
with bullet in the back of his head
The man before him had had a 80 mile
ride for life and month in bed from 9
leg broken by winchester bullet. Or
each occasion No. ID had been gutte6
and the mules run off.
But in blissful ignorance Jimmy
took possession Of his new home. The
blackboard ratified away, the driver
looking back, sympathetic but noncom
initial.
For some weeks all was quiet anG
peaceful. 1t was the pleasant season Of
the early autumn. Jimmy put line il
the water hole and had fish whenever
he wanted Twice he shot antelope com
ing down to drink and reveled in fresh
meat. He shot everything of any size
that had wings and feathers, and being
unversed as to what was good or bad tC
eat cooked and tasted all. Some he ate
and some he threw away. The buck
boards came by with prompt regularity
dumping off sack of -four or meal, anG
the report came weekly to headquarteri
that the 'feller with the fiddle out OF
Lost creek hadn't been pestered yet. "
The "feller" put in his days watching
his stock, fishing, hunting, cooking anC
eating, and when the chill of the even
ing came after supper he would throw 9
little wood on his fire, draw up soap
box seat and play on the fiddle until hC
was sleepy enough to roll up in hi
blankets on the clay floor and sleep tn,
sleep of the man perfect in health an(
conscience.
But one evening when the shadows
had fallen on all the valleys end tn,
l,..k a.,