The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1898-03-03
SOMETHING HAPPENED.
A BIT of Excitement in the Nevnds
Desert.


The town of Gait, in the middle of the
Nevada desert, contains III houses, and you
step out of the First precinct of the First
ward into boundless alkali-covered space.
For two hours we had been lying on the
main track waiting for the engineer to find
out Just what was the trouble with his loco
motive and to remedy the disability, and
there was little prospect of a resumption of
the journey short of half a day of lingering.
Every passenger had already investigated
tne half-acre OF town at least six times, and
the delay was becoming so monotonous that
complaint rose and Travelled in waves.
For heavens sake!" cried a stout wine
dealer from California, doesn't anything
ever happen in such a town as this? Can't
somebody think of something to do to pass
the time! What interesting occurrences
have you here, anyway?". The last question
was addressed to a thin, lazy-looking young
man, the only male adult resident in Gait
who was visible among the II or IA women
and children gathered at the railroad tracks.
Don't nothin' much ever happen here"
said the local dweller. "Blame it all, ev'rv
COINS on is up at Podiga, the county seat,
where there's as many as IL houses. They've
got a trial up there this week, an all our
men folks has been drawed on the jury.
That's why I'm the only one here. I'd
a gone, too, but l got a sore knee, an the
s%hurreff wouldn't take me. Always nv
luck. Never see nothin' nor have no ex-
Perience. Them six men that went from
hereU come back an talk for two years
about bcin' on that jury. Plagued shame.
a man with a sore knee'd make as good a
teller tor a jury as anyone else"
well, can't we get up a fight or m
thing diyerting to pass time away"
~ amt aEin fghtin', but | don't fight only
with Ben H~ackbarth, fer l can lick him
easy. But Ben's on the jury. He'll come
back an blow about it, too. Dog him."
III give a dollar if you'll wrestle or run
anything!" =,
Ben Hackbarth, cause ! can throw him; an
don't care to run a race, either, unless with
Ben, an he's on the jury. Wisht l was up
there havin' experiences, too"
well" desperately pursued the tired out
passenger, isn't there something you can do
without Ben Hackbarth? Anything? Any
thing, | say. I'll make up a purse OF $40 for
any"
"Mister. did you say slO?" one of the
younger of the Outstanding women interrupt
ed, The wine dealer said yes and the
girl called the disappointed youth aside and
prietor of the lame knee then approached
the knot of passengers and said:
We've deci5ed we'll take you up, mister.
That is, if thieves airy preacher with you"
"Preacher?. You bet your life! We've
got a BISHOP" yelled the New York business
mai VI DtTCn q. anu ne Tusneu 1Or the
sleeper, for he understood the purport of
the remark of the Gait man.
The idy, is this here said the latter:
ben Hackbarth an me both been kind o.
tryin' around fer this young lady to marry
US, an Ben bein' a kind o travelled an ex-
perienced man seemed like it'd be natcherl
fer her to take him, as she told me in our
talkin' just now"
He'd been as fur as Elko once" said the
girl.
"But when you spoke Of givin' $40 fer any
thing, from gittin' married to shootin' at a
mark, just so it was done right here and
now, she took a notion"
"Ten dollars is Sl0," said the girl, sue
cinctly.
The bishop was not averse to uniting two
loving hearts. and the whole train turned
out to celebrate the occasion. The marriage
took place on the rear platform of the sleep
err, and some of the women passengers lent
effects to deck the bride out regardless. The
festivities continued up to the time when the
engineer announced that he had patched the
defect in the locomotive and was ready to
proceed, and then the wine dealer took up a
fund for the new family. The conductor
even agreed TO carry the couple on to the
next station for a bridal tour and the Pull
man conductor welcomed them to the fine
furnishings of his domain. The two left the
train at FL Boco, being in a sort of daze of
delight. The last observation we heard from
the bridegroom was this prophetic remark;
"Pil bet when them six fellers git back
from Podiga they'll be sorry fer thinkin'
hat nothin' ever happens at home. They'll
be sorry they was ever called onto that jury.
Specially" with a grim smile, Ben Hack.
barth. "-Chicago Record.