New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18
EAST SIDES" PETITION
A STORY OF THE ALKALI PLAINS.

4 STORY OF THE ALhALI PLAINS.
From The Argonaut
L vas not a pretty story but it was more
r vas traught with that primitive ruggednes.
an gels an impression Of along with CUTTING
r-a!rie winds, bucking hronc0s. the crack Of !
revolver t1- WhiZ IF a bullet
The fellows name was Thompson. and be
could han -la bunch Of steers with the best OF
.rz-r bar thare was air Of metropolitan
se-1 a. -- -5r- -l4t assorted Ill with his sur.
-7ln55--- And although he drank harder
sF1re better and went rougher than any man
n .ra-. he had never been able 10 live doUr
ms nickname OF East Side Thompson Under
ne influence OF rolling prairies the bound less
sweep rf cloud and sky. an intimacy with the
Clements and reliance upon nothing but MS
rz1 U.- ard courage. man grows 70 he a
s--rrz sIs1r-ruS. vital C-ea rGre - different
from 1L~ .-r. inscribed ideas OF q man that for
u-11- II a better -ern we call him COW
-u-cher
The Thr-e-N outfit u COW punchers had been
"a thr -r--. more man ! month and according
t5 Ill PRECEDENT and reason the rains should
nave ser -u weeks before. but they had NOT
The grass that had sprung I'D with the first
-a-Iy showers had scared and died before the
-zzt rain came 10 keep il alive The shallow
s--Eisr --.e streams Of bracklsh wafer mar
-~aE-eE %. r- the bottom Of their beds. which
-he year -6-r= had been swollen beyond their
banks ---..y gave out utterly. In every di-
7.c1on --- hite aIkau plains glistened away
70 the meeting line Of the skv in an infnituda Of
ts5at-9r The oldest lnhabitant n all thar
country -Hl11 gould not recall a winter that
--ualle6 tnls In Lryness-
H5Vre.-. Nevada vas then 4 new State. and
m poT--a-.sl migratory Wilson. the boss Of
M 5urf- rad hoped 10 get OUT or the sagebrush
a1u1--T ana sITlk2 The California line some
.s-re above B0Cie by the END OF the first month
5-r bur There vas no rain water and the
pans lag ~ open cracks Day after day the
sur arcs. smiled down upon the parched little
rHCh 1f uE-D and cattle fourteen long hours AZ
h- sailed across the cloudless sky serenelv IN
conscious ~ the. malecictiOns hurled against
him W1.2 'le bare. burning prairie stared hack
IN r-r
sunsets every eyening-momeurs when the
zr-a- fiery ball seemed almost TO stand still 10
eve a long backward glance before dropping
5g- II sigh and with a Midas touch turn all
m world 10 molten gold But 10 the PLAYED
1g- coz pUGcher sunset means nothing but bed
rz--be1t-1-e after q hard. parched. hopeless
DAY Th=r= were clear. chaste moonlight nights
4 womb Us radiance. TOO, but the moon was
sci 5ny IN The Early morning. when they rose
q anathe- day mora hard, more parched, more
hopeless The ca-te-Tnere anatomical charts
tT IRIS invent staggering about in crazv
Erl= %" weak 10 need watching the three
Is n -E--- banks reduced TO half the original
sze By rl- sl-ivelling Of the hide or fell heavily
20 ne ear--. n rise again. after many seasons
II SUI and shower. as prairie flowers and salt
E-zss. Their believing was reduced TO a moan
almost human n its misery. for the one voice
ru--cn ID all created things animal or human
me voice II suffering
The Msslgrian, great, huIking young fellow.
Vas frs ~ The men 10 show signs OF weaken
II Ihz- - the most terrible moment in all
Ike experiences. when the men who have held
r. grin-y and endured together See one Of their
Ean5er losing MS grip This had been an i'll
4sir-ec .l-l- when they started out with the
attic across he plains, but standing together
s11ulCar ~ shoulder defying death against
-7--f1l ODDS. knlts a man deeply into the life of
Us fellow Among these men there was no
ElE5n yEpathy, no overt act Of kindness. but
2 -hsir very sullenless was that grirnrnest OF
FL Sacrifices each man enduring n stole silence
p order mat he might not intTude MS own suf-
---llgs ~ 2 his already OvercrOwded neighbOr-
l17 cInc--ng Of the lips 10 suppress a groan
WEN On = -hirSt-maddened may require more
-zralSn nan facing a cannon with flags flying
--1 drums beating, inasmuCh as he that ru7 eth
E 1En spirit Is greater than h that taketh q
Il ,as- one day The AIisSourfan gave out Ut
ely He was not # the cowboy build in
-- FRS place. but his splendid horsemanship
Il enthusiasm had Induced Wilson. the boss
-Ea-z-e Bill" as ne was called 10 take him
r. n his 1-liriur1 h. lay and cried for water
zy and night He blubbsred and begged for
s--er, ard called upon the names Of those he
Lad known III MS childhood Every man went
lalut las own business, which was largely the
-l-1u-a--rE Il ferV-nt and eloquent 0aths anent
% h-a-. the dr0uth and the delay: and appar-
---E Oh. one heard ms cries. Water the
-e thing he wanted. and the one thing they
9l1 70 get 50. after they had put his boots
-l1er MS head 10 make MIN comfortable. they
y him alone Under ordinary circumstances
Missouri more OF less was Of no great con-
s=guenCe "a. Yankee Bill" but this break in the
tz-ks sra---r-- The last v-Srige # hope. What
9=f ma have been done after that in the eff
- 10 keep ID their spirits was mere brayadO.
~ each man fJr=saW -he end
The Miss -rlau had been q quiet sort in the
amp and no one had ever heard him talk
1-ucl but now ne talked necessarily II the soft.
mex draw = the South And always II home
ses1es u III memories Of bOyhO0d that Whet-
= he edge # their torture till Il was beyond
z e=du-tIE. Now be was fishing along some
al7zIr round a