The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-02
HE WENT WEST.

! HE WENT WEST.
The farms in Illinois upon which We
were reared were not far apart, but boo,
who lived with bis uncle, left home before
he was 81 and went west had been In
town to get the plow sharpened, and on
my way home saw Doc climbing across
o cloddy field behind a barrow, and he
hailed me- When he came out, he hung
bis chin over the top Of the fence and said,
nI'm goin west."
"WhenY'
"!Eonight.
"No."
"Yes Will you jine mef"
"Whats II cost" asked.
"FoEty nine dollars second class from
ST. Louis to Denver"
"Haye you got the money"
Doc shook his head.
ibid you ever 500 that much money!"
"Weil, not at one look, but I've got ii
all figured out. ..
elbow much have you gotp"
Haven't got any, but got job at
Whitioer's stable In Carr street, and If you
20 I'll see that you never want. We can
sleep in the haymow and board around"
"How'n we get to st. Louisp" asked.
"Rk]e when we're tired o. walkin and
walk when we can ride" was his reply.
"I'm In the silk, and you're in the tas.
sci" he added tboughtfully. "Life Is all
before Ns, but you can't get anywhere on
a farm. Look at the jays around hese.
What do they know They simply stand
round on one foot like gander TIL the
beard breaks through the freckles, and
then they push the old folks of and take
the plow and in little while get pushed
off themselves. Lite on farm is one con.
tinual round Of work and want. Will you
line Ine?"
The thought Of getting up at morning
and not knowing where WINS going to
sleep at night frightened me, and l told
Doc 80, and we parted.
A few years later, when the west bound
train s,Spped at little,bleak and dreary
mountain town where !, having gone
west, had elected to drop anchor, looked
out from the car window and Gaw Doc SIT
ting close up 10 the cr0ppeS Of an old sorrel
horse that was hitchtd to an express wagon.
went over to him at once, for / was
lonesome. A mountain town is not q
thing one is apt to hove at first sight Des-
olate! That Is better than four columns
of agate to describe the place. The dry
March winds came out of the canyon and
swept tho sand Of the mesa up into eddiss
that swiRhsd and swirled In and around
your collar and cut your face. The sunlight
was go dazzling that 1t bewildered and
seemed unreal, and the cold winds were
constantly contradcting its warmth.
care you homesick, Doof" asked as !
rode up town with him, for he was there
to haul people and their baggage up to the
hotel.
"Nop," he said. "It's the dry wind.
It's busted my lip go that / look like I'm
goin to cry when Pm tryin to laugh. I'm
goin back home this fall, " he added after
a pause, ito get my money. I'm 81 now,
but I'm comm back out here. This coun-
try is all tight"
Doc, who had earned his title by doctor
ing his unole's horses, had inherited n lit
Ito fortune Of 1880, and when the sum-
mer had come and gone no went back
homo in Pullman cur, for he had saved
$50 out of his salary Of $50 and board ev-
cry month,
Five years later in the dawning Of the
morning, as was climbing out Of an up
per berth az another mountain town, a
man caught hold of my coattail, and
found that the imam under my bed' was
Doc Pippin. He said no was living In
Denver. So was !, and in few days he
came in to see me. He came often and
told the best stories had ever heard. lie
was thin and pale, and I noticed that he
coughed and pounded his left lung when
he did so. These stories were not told to
me for publication, but know he will not
care for he is careless now.
Doc went to Chicago after receiving his
money and became acquainted with well
known detective. think he said it was
Billy Pinkerton. 1t was like the Pinker.
tons to detect In this almost beardlcss boy
u remarkably intelligent person.
Pippin got an offer of employment. He
accepted it and was sent at once to n small
town in Illinois to find out q band of
thieves who were stealing hogs and rob-
bling shops.
If Doc had tried, no could never have
dressed we'll. Even clothes that were made
fer him didn't fit, and he wore his hat
funeral. His appearance upon this occa-
sion was in his fnvor, and he was not long
in forming tho acquaintance Of tho tough.
est lot Of loafers in the town, They liked
Doc, as every ono did who knew him, but
1t was long time before they would trust
him. DOCS money gave out, and he tried
to borrow, and the gang gave him the
laugh. "Git out an turn trick-work II
said one of the men.
"What can i dor Show mo and then
watch me-" said Doc.
See that jny ridin out O. town" said
the tough, noddiDg down the road where a
lone horseman was going away with the
sunset at his back.
Eyes"
"Woll, he's goin out to his place in the
country-goes every Sat'day night and
comes back Monday. Hold i'm up"
Doc knew the man, as he knew nearly
every man In the place, by the description
given him at Chicago, and by the middle
Of the following week this wealthy citizen
had been notified from headquarters that
he would be held up on the next Saturday
night Doc was at his post, and as the
lone horseman came down the road the
highwayman stepped out from the shadows
Of u jack oak and covered his man.
That night the gang drank up the best
part Of the $28. 10 and voted Doc "a dead
game TOUGHER"
The verdancy of the gang he had to deal
with made Docs work comparatively easy.
He invariably drank gin and water, and
by simple trick that child ought TO
have detected-the trick OF drinking the