The times., 1897-08-15
A HEALTHY TENDERFOOT.

''He putting up nogame on US hewas
as simple and innocent as he looked-hut he
puIledoutordGficultya Y an / got hisownaga'n
in way that would have won the adnlira-
tion OF the oldest-timer from the west bank
of the Nissouri River to KIoHdike "
J c. Emery, who has mined. ranGhed and
hunted east ana west OF the Rock y Mountain
divide for twenty-five years. was telling
some stories of the far West in an uptown
ho.eI last night, and the men around him
were glad OF .he chance to listen.
when frs saw Milt Masters in 1873,
he was driving a pair of borses, a gray and
a Haze faced roam, in his own wagon ami
alone, beading west from Larned, Kan
The horses were likely animals, Tie wagon
aad harness were brand new, and Masters
lin sell seemed stlctsE5Jiy newer than
his outfit Re was an unsopbsticated
young fellow OF twenty four or thereahouts,
ho Lad passed all his years in an eastern
Missouri farm, and having at last got the
Weseerp fever. had packed up and started
to seek bis fortune in Colorado
'Iy partner, Tim Stayton, and l wen.
on oar way 30 Pueblo in prairie schooner,
and we camped at the SAME water hole
with Masters one night. We had consfd
erahEe fun on the quiet out OF his verdancy.
and recunpensed him by giving him some
pointers about the country and people he
would he likely to encounter as he Travelled
y-es1 ward. He told Us of the 'Socials' and
singing schools in his old Missouri home,
Of the girl he expected to return for and
marry when he should have got settled
on the homestead he proposed TO take up
in Colorado, and, altogether, was so in
noceut and conflding that We felt sorry for
the hard lessons he would have to learn be
fore his freshness wore off.
we saw Masters next about a fortnight
later ,on The Arkansas Valley wagon trail
hundred miles east Of LIS Animas. plot-
ding along afoOt and crying Horses and
wagon, ali his outfit. were gone, except the
clothes ne wore and the roll OF blankets on
his back lie was hungry aud footsore and
we took him into our wagon His story
was sad enough Three days before ne
had fallen in with Ii party of emigTants
hailing from somewhere in the southwest
EN- part of Missouri, who had invited him
To travel with them, and he had gone on
in u cir company. They had been very
friendly and obiiging through the day and
evening When next morning came his
team and his wagon and everything in it
Were missing. None of the enigrants SEEM
ed able to give him any information IN
the natter, or TO account for the absence
of two young men of their party who had
been especially kind TO him the day before.
The party gave him his breakfast, and
then hitched up and drove away from him,
leaving him afoot on the prairie without
nrny-isions money or WeapnnS.
..Wefed the youngfeliow gayehim stout
drink of " hls1y, and Cheered himu up the best
W. could, promising Otake him along with
US to Las Animas, where he could lay his
case before the sheriff. That he would ever
get his property again, We thought about
as likely as that wings would sprout OF
his shoulders. lie had been shamefully
robbed in country W here such things often
went unpunished, and that was all there
was to be said OF it. The next day we
overlook the Missouri emigrant party. Be
lore coming up with them we told Masters
to lie downin the wagon out Of sight, and
we passed them without their suspecting
his presence. They We're a tough-looking
lot, and by the looks of their faces stayton.
and / made 10 doubt that the whole party
| had connived at the robbing OF Masters,
and would help the thieves escape with
their booty.
Wecamped thatmghtabouta a day'sdriv
| eastofLas Animas. We We're getting supper
when two COW boys rode up and we invited
them to havea cup Of coffee. Ashley drank
their coffee Stayton asked them II they
had seen a wagon team driven by two
men, and described the outfit.
"A gray and blaze-faced roam, and
and turned to his companion. WIZ, Bill,
that's the outfit we saw an hour ago head
ing for the Arkansas River. They came
from off the prairie and went straight
across the trail, and we wondered what
they were up to. They can't cross the
river with the water that's unning today.
and they re still on this side of the Arkansas
if they AIM drowned. / reckon that's their
fire burning over there now
He pointed as he spoke to a blaze and
smoke among trees by the river bank
That fires in the oottonwoeds five miles
away he said. "A mile to the right of
the trail
las the cowboys rode away, Masters,
who had been sitting with his face bent
down into his hands, looking as if he had
lost every hope on earth, lifted his head
Did these men say that the thieves
| that stole my outfit are over there at
| that fire. he asked, which astonisbed us,
| for he had given no sign before that he
| had heard word that had passed while
the cowboys were at our camp.
They think so,' answered. IF they
are there tonight it will be an easy matter
for the sheriff at Las Animas to track
them down. Wen make an early start
tomorrow 50 as to get there by noon
He got up from the roll of blankets on
which he was sitting. TN go over there
| and take look at EN- he said. He was
for staftingright away, but Sta yton stopped
him.
It's five miles to CO. my partner said,
-'and-you have no shooter. II you think
| best to go remember not TO let them know
you're 'ronnd, for they'll be only too glad
To Kill you and have you out OF the way
OF troubling them any more. Take this