The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-30
Plain Tales or the Prairies.

/. broke in western Texas he had been a
solder in the regular army for five years
ard he naturally driftei 10 those places
where the uniform Of the government pre-
F., dominated. This time he drifted into Fort
Davis and set up a restaurant II was
a small affair. the soldiers were nearly
all broke and what Jake made was OF the
scant.est- However. by dint OF much scrap
.ng re managed 10 control about seoa Then
payday hove into sight and Jake began
| operations against the day when the SOL
/ c-ers would al have money IN their pock-
cts. Jake had sol6iered and knew that ;se
| more money a soldier had IN his pocket
| the hungr:er he got So he expended the
entire 500 in provisions. The evening OF
payday dropped on western Texas and
on Jake. Respondent among prodlg:ous
| hams. sides OF bacon. leaves OF bread and
pyramids OF pies. With evening also came
the pay-master. and with evening also came
| orders 10 march,
With eyes bulg.ng from their sockets and
great globules OF Icy sweat starting from
his noble brow, Jake stood there while the
| fellows mounted with a clat;er OF spurs
and a clank OF caparison and the tiakie
| OF sword and the grind Of bit; stood there
| while the whole company. the whole Of
| his prospective custom formed into a col
\
up 10 the pay-master. received their money
and moved on, stood there among his far
| hams and pyramids OF PIE. paralyzed and
specifies. Meanwhile the commisssry
Wagons were slowly getting their effects
| together Quick, Jake had boobed around
ard secured possession of spring wagon.
Into this he sailed his pes like fat peo-
| bles; into this he dumped his hams Ike
| fat ten-pins and into this he shoveled h.s
bread and away into the night OF western
Texas he shot. with has freight humping
behind him.
i The company was marching for Maria.
a town on the Southern Pacific. About
s O'Clock that evening Jake overlook the
rear of the column plugging along silently.
Presently, as though by an electrical shock
| a strange disorder overcame those SOL
d:ers. Girths became loose bridle-re,ns rot
| ted into. blankets slipped. IN fact the whole
company went to pieces in an inexplicaole
! way. Everybody began 10 crawl TO TIE
ground and fix things. IL is fair TO say
| that previous 10 this strange movement
among the men II had become oruitec
about that there were han-sandwiehes IN
the rear-at twenty-five cents sandwich
that there was pie In the rear at twenty
| five cents a cut.
l Ana away DaCh thS NN.H-
| missary wagons were still h.tchlng UP when
Jake had absolutely solo out and was max
| ing a long circuitous waltz around the
| marching company. He pushed into Mar
| ia and made haste TO interview nearly ev-
erybody in the town. The good peoplt
| there thought 1t was little strange that
| a man should appear al 9 O'Clock in the
| evening with a yearn.ng 10 buy eggs 10
| shin to Chicago but Jake assured them
| that such was the case and n half an hour
| ne had very egg In the town. Soldiers,
| according 10 Jake. Will die first for theif
| country. second fro fresh eggs. The peo-
| pie OF Maria were surprised little iates
10 discover company in their midst and
/ Jake Schweitzer. with cinched monopoly
on hens fruit. absolutely taking posses
son Of the FINANCES of the United States
] amy.
That night Jake counted his money. He
| nad 81 200 In cash. Three nights after that
ne lost Il in FL Paso-but that is another
story
Terry Adler. who lives In Garfield coun-
| ty, Oklahoma. tells this story. He says:
| AT the opening of the Strip, my brother.
| Watkins Adler, and / made run foI
claims / may have been little wild. that
!s. / drank liquor sometimes and rather
| liked il. and ] didn't Ike 10 go 20 church
| IL l could find a poker game going Wat
/ kins wasn't at all like that. He never
| smoked or chewed or drank or swore. and
| he was the most regular church member
| in those parts. Before we left home W
| had our lives insured OF the same agent
and I remember telling the agent OF my
| general viciousness and Watkins goodness
ard asked him If he didn't think me ex-
| ira hazardous. He took US at the same
rate. strange 10 say. and we Tx out Tor
| ,he blooming west That night bs;ween
| Wichita and Arkansas CITY IN our coach
everybody was getting rid OF superfuous
luggage Watkins and / each carried
small grip. ! remember there was in my
grip a white shirt and bottle Of whisky
the whisky. by the way. was about half
gone In Watkins grip there was two
White shirts and Bible. Right in front
of Us sat an old gentleman who was fixing
up just south Of Wichita, and presently
ne hands up two bottles OF the good old
stuff.
Young men," he said. How would you
like 'em?''
Il took one bottle. quick. while Watkins
took hold Of the other ilmidly. took out
that extra white shirt and threw II our
the window 20 make room for the bottle.
Watkins was s,ni holding his bottle. look
ing a. Il vacanty.
What Is it, ne asked.
It's whisky says I. and you're
chunp II you don't throw the Bible over
board and make room for IL IN your ysiisc.'
He kind Of shook his head and shuatere9
Then throw away q shirt says l.
But even ss I spoke he tossed the bot
tie out Of the window and saw TIE fine old
stuff trickle down a telegraph pole
Now / don't pretend 70 be q paioso-
pher: neither DO know much about liter
allure, bat in this experience / am tsilas
there ought 20 be some kluf q moral but
for the life Of ne ! cant figure Z ouf- We
broke .or claims. We got them long
nays apart. The second day ~as bitten
By a rattler. remembered The Oh mans
uresen; IN the vaIse ard I swallowed tas
whole thing IN my agony. And ] cot well.
II sbou: three weeks ! got word from
Brother watkins \ Fattief had bitten him
and he died in four sayz. There was 10
whisky around. Nothing could be done FOR
I'm and ne Just died :hen ard there Tacn
thought how he rad broken ne bottle on
the telegraph pole and wondered along that
gne. Where vas the moral 20 the coatras,
between BIN and me- ! was mead like
WHISKY. he was pure ard good and ihre1
ais whisky away. And was spared
That -s1't all There don; seem % b
airy moral % it not onEy. bit the pniiose-
phy % ire thing - horribly nsi1ed ~. 81
months after poor Watkins had 6.es and /
rad saved NJ llfe ] net ths % nan zho
had given - those bottles holding down
80 right sizu-up against En-6-
he recognized ne ard sail: 'HsIe
ihere BoS al yog Ike it2
Pine. Sal I. = ssye1 ny If
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