The St. Johns herald., 1900-12-15
} TUCKER AND ROSE : By Chas. E. BrimbIecOrn.
THE deputy assessor snapped the
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 tate; s. e. is section IS. township 8 south. range west, etc; s3 acres or chard. l2 acres pasture and hay land, 65 scres timber land
 Well. you ain't a-goin' before din her, SO jest set right down here" said Ezra Tucker. genially, and the tired'of fieial did not hesitate to accept seat On the cool vcranda beside his host.
 You've lived here long time," said the deputy.
 '"Twenty-seven years this spring" re- piled Tucker. Made some little changes in that time, too. Mighty nigh this whole claim was thick woods when I fust seen 1t.
 Twas curious thing, too. I'll tell you how twas. You see, kinder got a notion that it would be good idea to take up some goY'ment land, so I rode up here from Santa Cruz, 16 mile, over a pesl1y bad trail. and my friends, the Crawfords, over here on the San Loren 70. they showed me this quarterSec- tion.
 There was little shack of a cabin on the place. built by Tom Tutor, a feiIer who ueed to hunt and trap for Twin, but he never pre-empted the land, and at that time he'd gone to Arizona. So took up the ranch, without any idee of trouble, and then went back to Santa Cruz to git some things, cause 'cordin' to law you had to live on your claim six months before you could prove up.
 "But the next time l come up, Nal colm Crawford he told me that he'd heard there was another feller pros pectin' round my ranch. He'd been up there himself with his gun to inquire about 1t, but didn't see nobody; but he said I'd better git up there as quick as the Lord would let me and hold down the claim
 ''I left my horse at Crawford's, cause there want much feed in the woods, and made up pack of four, bacon, cof- fee and sugar, and Malcolm lent me shotgun that be said might come in handy. On the way up fired both bar rels of the gun at some quail, and then I found that I'd forgot to bring any-am- munition-
 Everything was stili as death, ex- cept the crickets chirpin' with lone some sound, and put the things in the cabin. There was little fireplace built of mud and sticks in one end, with chimney of split boards. and built 8 fire to git bite of supper.
 As l was standin' in the doorway feelin' kinder doleful, see man with pack on his back cOmin' up the trail. He was stout and his face was pretty red. and when be see me it got quite bit redder. He come up puffin' and seemed put out bout something, and jest then if come into my head that mebbe he was the other feller.
 What you doin' in that cabin?" he says, real cross.
 "'My residence at present. says I. Won't you come inT
 "'None O your blarsted sarce wi me- he says. This ere is my claim, and want you to git of it directly
 You're laborin' under slight mis- take says I. This is my claim; but you needn't be in hurry bout goin'. Stay till mornin'. anyway. Darned if sin't glad of company
 "Well. we talked awhile, and he kep' gittin' madder and madden.
 "'You've got the advantage of me now he roars out, but if it want for that bloody gun you've got so andy I'd put you out of my cabin quicker'n a wink
 "'You needn't fret about the gum eays. Q'd left it outside leanin' against the cabin.) Why. fired off both bar rels at some quail down here, and didn't bring 8 mite of ammunition with me-
 "'You carnt come it on me- he says, kinder sneerin'. You'd like to hentice me to come on and then Let me lave it, wouldn't you?'
 "'Wen, take the pesky gun and see for yourself says, holdin' it out to- ward him.
 No, you don't, old smoothly he says, turnin' away.
 "'Come in and have bite of supper, anyhow I says. The waters bilin' and I'll make some coffee in a jiffy'
 ''He grumbled something and went off and camped under an oak tree lit- tie ways off That's the very tree down there by the barn.
 'I'd done my best to be sociable, so made my coffee and fried some bacon. Some way twas kinder pleasant to see the other feller's fire, but he looked mighty crusty and didn't have word more to say.
 "After supper lit piece of candle and read newspaper that I'd brought from town, but got sleepy pretty quick and spread my blankets in the bunk. I shut the door and put prop agin it--not that I was afraid but I fest happened to think that didn't really know anything about the other fener.
 '1 was of to sleep in minute. and the next thing knew was seein' big glare of light and feehn' things gettin' pesly hot. l jumped up. and, Lord! if the whole end of the cabin want in a blaze!
 "'Gosh all hemlockt' I says. He's bad man. and is tryin' to burn me up, sure as the devils an Injun.'
 But just then heard an awful ham, merlin at the door and the other feller hoHerin':
 "'Git up. you blarsted fooll Do you want to be cooked alve7 Turn out, and be alarmed to you.''
 ''rhen jedged that the fire had caught in the old dry chimney. bounced up and grabbed the coffee pot and threw the grounds on the confia- grafton, but it didn't do mite O good, so kicked away the prop and ran out, kinder singed picked up long stick