The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-04-15

I'll RulOo 10 Cuc Oututs ycu AuOWj W
move camp across the 'Divide'-about
20 mile in the meantime. So, after
breakfast an the dishes he'd been wiped,
we packed up the outfit an struck camp:
but it was well on in the day before we
pulled out.
"Now, Mis- LiI'field he'd a spankin'
bay boss specially fer her own use. ]
hedn't no objections to her ridin', of
co'se-not commonly. Butyeh know it
amt jest nice to be rollin' down a
blamed, co'kscrew mount'in trail after
dark, an gettin' into camp late, an
hevin' to plant yer tents an square
things out, cut yer kindlin' an git yer
water by cat-light, an wait till nine
o'clock, mebbe, fer yer supper. This
was what happened different times
through Mis- Lilfeld. She alters
wanted to ride when we shifted camp,
an follered the wagon on her bay boss.
1t was understood that when I 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 I jest natterly lowed
I'd give her -an'-dance, hevin' a
pretty smart day ahead O. me an'wantin'
to git into camp early. Consistently,
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 little 'hand-out,' and the descent
begun.
II didn't lose no time. The mules
stepped outgay-me a-poppin'the buck
skin among 'em oncet an awhile jest to
keep 'em cheerful an in good humor;
an the hill-well, chain-lightnin' could
go down--with britchin'. hedn't went
a great ways when heerd fur-of call
like coyote got astray. Jumbo
shifted kind of uneasy like, on the seat,
and squinted sideways at me; but I
was a whistlin' The Gal with the Trav-
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 look
hams tween his knees, an chuckled
to hisself. l paid no manner of notice.
Now he screws round again in his seat,
chuckles an twists a little harder,
souints at me sideways again, and says:
"'She's a-wavin', JIM
"'Set still, you blamed, black-breast-
ell sand-piper,' says I; let 'er wave
'He was toPabul quiet fer shot
space-while you might cut pipe O
terbacker, mebbe. The calls sounded
pretty faint now. Far back up the
rocky trail, I could ketch the clear,
sharp ring of her hoss's hoofs-'pit-e-
pat! pit-e-ratl pit-e-pat!'-remindin'
me somethin' o. one O. them gals from
the east down in Benton chassayin' up
an down the room in new-fangled
war-dance they call the 'Rushin'
polkay.'
"Jumbo's head swung around again
on it's pivot. He squirmed an twisted
an chuclxled 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 wavin'.
Now-now! she's a-wavin', Jim. Now!
she waves. Jim-Jim = Jim - she
waves. Jim-she waves-she waves!
she waves!'
"Here he throwed out his wings
undulatin'- like, and very takin', and
winds up in loud Yah! yah! yah!'
-doublin' hisself 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! tried to kick him under
the seat-but fact is, I was a-laughin'
at him till was nigh non campus Mem
phis myself.
"'Pit-e-pat! Pit-e-pat! Pit-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.
q he'd changed The Gal with the
Travail Train fer The Gal 7 Jeff Be
him Me.O 1t was still middlin' early
in the afternoon, an mighty hot. After
awhile 1 got my team down to a walk,
an before long heerd the boss hoofs
COMM closter.
81 turned around an watched her as
she come up. Say!-I've eat canned
lobsters-but you'd oughter seen that
woman's face! -. Whoosh!-to
stat fire fer the pu'pos' o. toastin'
a 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 sage
hen with a brood o. young 'uns; it stuck
out in pints all over her. An yeh could
see where the tears he'd left marks on