Evening star., 1898-10-22

ITOOptT the OtHbE tdS, III answer 10
| question. Indeed 1 have, on his Dakota
ranch at Elkhorn, and along the hills Of San
Juan 1t was more fun out in the bad lands
than 1t was in Cuba
The colonel, as we all call him now. had
two ranches when I first knew him in the
bad lands, the Elkhorn and the Chimney
Butte he named en-. They lay on a gov
ernmeut range along the Little Missouri
river just south of Medora. There was
plenty of big game whel he first went out
to that country in 'S3 and everybody sized
him up for a grassy tenderfOot. Twas in
Medora manned after the Marquis de Mores'
Wife, New York LADY,, in front of zoe
Ferris store, that lot of us planned
little surprise for Mr. Roosevelt. He looked
like kid believe he was only little
past twenty, and what with his eyeglasses
ard his Knee breeches and his little brown
mustache he did look too nice for any
thing. While he was in Joe Ferris buvine,
postage stamps, VIII Dow, who afterWard
worked with me on the ranch, and a COW
boy namad Mcrrifield, and myself unsai-
died Roosevelt's pony. led him off and put
the saddle and birdie on a hT0rrbt, thar
was a dead ringer for his mount We knew
al about that broncho. for he'd already
thrown Hellroarin.5 Bill Jones once that
morning. So We kind of sided eft to see
the fun. BY and by Roosevelt came gu: of
the shop and started to mount. He was
near-sighted. but he couldn't have told
those cayuSes apart, anyway.
The White-FuccG Isid.
The broncho let him get into the saddle
and then the beast punched his feet and
kumpcd his back and Roosevelt went off
as easy as you please. Nobody said any
thing except Joe Ferris. who came out of
the door and asked if he was hurt
mot a bit of it, said Roosevelt and up he
went again. But the White-faccd nil. that's
what we called the hrDncho. didn't wait
for him to get his right foot in the feathers
this time before he pitched the ycung fell
low right over his head. II was III" all
firedest jolt I ever saw. Roosevelt turned
a soinersault and tnen sat down so hard his
glasses broke. VIII Dow and I went TO
help him up; Merrifieid was lau%hn.; 50 he
couldn't move Roosevelt GiGnt notice anY
of He just looked kinder surprised as
he scrambled up-the dust was four inches
thick in the road. rs too bad broke my
glasses said he, and ne limDed into the
store.
I'VE thought he'd had enough Of il and
were wondering how could change nags
again, when the tcnderfo0t came out with
new pair Of glasses he'd lished out of his
handbag. and blast my eyes if he didn't
jump on the Kids back again and so
quick this time the broncho didn't feel him
till he'd got both feet in the strrups and
a good grip with his knees. Then maybe
Il.
split. In a minute he was out of sight in
cyclone of dust.
Made Him Popular in tledora
There Were only about eleven inhab-
itants in the town then. and it wasn't long
until the news got out that the White
faced Kid was numbering a tenderfoot
We held a mass meeting in front of Ferris
store and when the overland train from the
east pulled in, and another tenIerfoot got
off and asked for his friend Mr. Roosevelt
and said his name was DR.. Lambert and he
came from New York we said as how his
friend Mr.. Roosevelt was just about need
ing doctor, and bad. too. But before we
could explain, iickety split through the
dust came the Whte-faced Kid and there
on his back. with all his teeth showing was
the doctors friend, Roosevelt. When he
clapped his peppers on DR.. Lambert he let
out whoop that couldn't have been beat
by any cowboy on the Little Missouri We
took a shine to him from that very day
Any fellow who could ride White-faced Kid
at one trial and holler like that was the
man for our money, except that we didn't
have any money-until we'd hired out to
Roosevelt.
At the ElkhOrn Ranch.
cat first l went to work on the Maltese
Cross. But when DR.. Lambert came out
for some shooting the boss sent word for
me to come down and hunt with 'em at
the Elkhorn ranch That was pretty
a place you ever saw. right on the bank
of the Little Missouri, with a wide valley
on the other side, and then a range of
sharp cliffs that cut off the view. The
house was one story high, of squared logs,
but there We're plenty of rooms in It, big
easy chairs on the porch and buffalo and
bear skins all over the floors. The colonel
owns it yet and the boys are just crazy
for him to come out again. He owns the
Chimney Butte ranch, too, but the house
on the Elkhorn's the best. AS for wild
game-well you can get lost for three DAYS
even now in the triangle cut off by the Lit
tie Missouri, the Big Missouri and the
Northern Pacific railroad.
"Hellroaring Bill Jones had come to work
for the colonel when DR.. Lambert came cut
in September. '93. You see. Bill had been
chief of police in Bismarck and he and the
mayor had words one day. Bill pulled his
gun; he was tco much of a gentleman 20
shoot the mayor, so he batted him over the
head with the butt end of the pistol That
ended the argument. But after that the