The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-03-11

in his hand. He was ridin' little Pinto
pony they called Blue jay one Of the
best all-round COW ponies ever see.
"Old Blue Jay he jist seemed to
sabe what was wanted of him, an
swan long without any fuss. When
Jackson gifts out close to the
millin' steers he begin to holler
an Shoot an he called to the fellers in
the boat to come back an try to stop
'em. Now, you all know what a risky
thing it is to get near steera-swimmin'
in the water, for he's sure to try
to climb up on you. Jackson knowed
this, but he swan Blue Jay right slap
dab inter the bunch an tried to scatter
'em an stop 'em from millin'.
"Just how 1t happened we couldn't
tell; but first thing we seen jackson
was right in the middle Of the millin'
critters, an in minute. they had crowd
ed pore old Blue Jay under, an all we
seen of Jackson was his hands went up,
an then he was lost in the whirlin' mass
OF horns that was goin' round an
round. A man had no chance ut all to
swim, cause their hoofs KEEP him un-
der all the time, an they was packed so
close Teller couldn't come up between
'em, any way. The boys in the boat
tried to do something, but t want no
use, fer he never come up, an when
they got too close one big steer throwed
his head over the side of the boat an
purity nigh upset 'em, so they had to
keep away to save themselves. But
they KEEP up a-shootin' an a-hollerin'.
till the leaders finally struck out for
the shore, an in few minutes the
whole herd was strung out for the OPP
posite side, an sooner than kin tell
it they was all standin' on dry land, an
not single one missin'.
Meantime, the boys in the boat had
watched everywhere for pore Jackson's
body, but they never got sight of it,
though they went clean into the mouth
Of the box canyon. They was lots of Big
trees an drift a-runnin', an we guessed
his body had been caught in the
branches of foatin' tree an carried
down with it. Pore old Blue Jay come
foatin' past 'em, an they tried to catch
him, but the current was so swift they
couldn't do it. All they wanted was to
get Jackson's silver-mouthed bride
otf'n him, cause twas easy huff to see
that the pony was quite dead.
"Well, the rest of us crossed in the
big ferry-boat an rounded up the steers,
which was grain up the canyon on the
other side, an moved 'em out couple
of miles to camp. Shorty, bein' the
o1f1ast hopd.{n +ho o,16+ 4ool, ohorra
an sent two of us back to the ferry, to
try an see eft Jackson's body could be
found but the Teller what run the ferry
said It want no use lookin' fer him,
cause the swift current would carry
him miles and miles down the canyon
without ever lodgin' anywhere. So we
went back, an Shorty gave 1t up an de-
cided to push the herd on next day.
We was blue ole crowd that night
around the campfire, l tell you. All
the boys liked Jackson, an besides,
they was a-thinkin' Of his wife an two
kids what was a-waitin' for him ut the
head-quarter ranch up in Utah.
Shorty sent letter from the next
settlement to the ole man, a-tellin' him
what had happened, an we come along
up with the cattle, arrivin' safely at the
ranch without any more misfortunes."
can didn't they never find Jackson's
body, Colly?" queried the Kid.
oval" said Colly, ''that's singular
thing, too. When we gets back to the
ranch the ole man he was orful cut up
about it, an hated to think that the
body wasn't found. He'd been down in
the Grand Canyon the summer afore
with @ lot of fellers, an he said he be:
leved he could find it bout hundred
miles below the ferry, cause thar were
place thar down in the canyon whar
the walls widened out fer some 20
miles, an thar was quite wide valley
with grassy tneadows an trees. So he
takes one of the boys an pack-outtit
an goes off down thar. They had to
leave everything on top Of the canyon
an climb down a-foot an pack their
stuff on their backs. The walls was
5000 feet high thar, nm they had hard
time gettin' down. Course it was jist
n scratch, but I'm blest If after four or
five days hunt they didn't find it lodged
in pile of drift along the river. Twas
easy huff to tell Jackson's body, fer
he'd had two fingers of his left hand
shot off in fight once; SO they takes it
Oft to a place in the valley whar it was
safe from flood, an buries it as well as
they could, an the next fall, when twas
cold, he went back an packed the re-
mains out of the canyon an took them
clean to the ranch an buried 'em jist
as If it was his own brother. tell you.
the boys was ready to swear by the ole
man after that"
But Colorado's story was finished,
and as 1t was about ten-tilirty the Sec
ond guard-nen began putting on over
coats and heavy gloves preparatory to
two hours and u half of watching the
herd.
The stars were shining clear and
bright, the bells of the horse-herd came
softly over the prairie. making q tune
full chime on the frosty night air, and
as united the rope that bound my roll
of bedding and kicked it out on the
ground, could not keep from thinking
of poor Jackson's death and wondering
if the morrow held like fate in store
for any of us-San Francisco Argonaut.
Servant Girl Famine In Manitoba.
Manitoba is suffering from girl
famine" Servants, apparently, cannot
be hired. The young woman who acts
rs general servant in a private family
can easily command SIG n month at