The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-26
POWER OF 4 GIRL 8 LOOK
SEVENTEEN CHINAMEN AND COL.
BILL MEESBY'S RISE IN
LIFE
OF BULLWHACKER
Red-Haired Girl who Perked Up
Her Chin-COI. Bits Wife
Recognizes Her Hus-
band.

HARDWOOD, and read about them troubles
over in China, I'm always reminded Of
three things: A red-headed girl, some
Cinnamon Of our own and the rise in life
of Col. Bill Meesby,' writes a Helena,
Mont, correspondent Of the New York
Sun.
Now, Bill started out as bullwhacker.
He used to make the trip from Corlnne,
Utah, to Helena, about 600 miles walkin'
beside the rear bulls, and the three
months trip always ended in his bein'
hot, dry and thirsty. Then he'd load up
Ike a camel, and with barrel or two Of
red-eye inside his blue shirt, and broke
of course, he'd plant himself beside them
rear bulls again and take the back track
for Corinne. How much longer he'd "a
see-sawed between the camps there's no
tellin', only one day a passenger in the
up-coach, happenin' to peek out of the
coach as the coach was passin Bill, put
a new notion into his head. This passen-
ger was a mere slip of girl, who was
on her way home from the States, and
her hair was as red as BilPs nose. And
seem Bill and notin' his apology for
clothes she perked up her chin and made
a face at him.
Now this was somethin' altogether new
to Bill. He'd seen a good many red
headed women In his lifetime. but none
that went to all the trouble that this one
did. And he began to get crimson and a
bit bewildered. When, finally, he came
to himself the coach had disappeared
and the bulls were beginning to Skinny to
one side where there was less dust and
more grass. Then Bill roared out:
Well, by thunder! If tibet want i'm
pudence for ye! And no girl with hair
the color of a burnt gingersnap is goin'
to poke fun at me! Git up there, Brig
ham. and We'll try and run over the whole
Internal outfit
And when Bill said Brigham the
bulls Strengthened up and pulled like vigl-
lantes at a hangin, for Bill. bein' smart
er than he looked, had named 'em all
alike, so that when he called out they'd
all start forward like as II he was after
EN- with a brandin iron But, Of course,
1T was no use. The coach made a mile
to Bits foot. and he soon had to throw
up the sponge Then gradually getting
over his mad, he. curious enough, got to
think1n. Now what was it, he asked
himself, that she could have noticed about
him that so evidently disagreed with her
taste? Was it his big boots? or his
patched trousers? or his ragged blue
shirt? Or was it his white felt hat with
its fiappin' wide brim and his hair grow
in through the bullet holes in It? 1t
couldn't have been nothin' of all
this. Why, he was the best dressed bull
on the road Then, maybe, it
was just because he was bullwhaclSer.
And 1t was at this point in his thinlxin'
that he stuck.
If L am goin to be a mark for every
red-headed girl that comes up the stage
line he said, then I'd better throw up
the Job And so decldin, he only hung
on till the wagon boss found a suhsti,
tute and then. takin' his pay OUT in soda
crackers and bacon, struck across the
mountains for to try his hand at pros
Dectir'
Now Bill knew about as much con-
cerniE prospectin' as ] do about the
Forbidden City in Pekin. Yet havin'
traded his bull whip for d pick and
shovel. he went around punchia holes IL
the earth like an old hand. But, of
course, he found nothin'. All the same,
he'd lay awake nights, prospector-like,
and figure out that the next day he'd
End gold enough to open a bank And
when he did sleep, he'd have the red
ne AIDED girl maxim faces at him ali night,
and a-teldn him that he was the most
y orthless fish she'd ever seen in the
pond.
''One mornln' in peekin' round a cliff,
he seen I gu!ch just below h:m-one of
these twisted gulches that don't show
much of itself at a time. And as il
looked like it. might have pay in it. Bill
got down and went to work. After he'd
picked away for awhile, it occurred to
him that he was bcin' watched. On look
in round, he seen some Cinnamon bob
bin about behind the rocks Bill thought
they was actin sort of queer, but havin'
such 4 contempt for the whole race of
Eigtafs, he didn't waste much time in
eyein' 'ern, and went on with his work
Pretty soon, though, there was loud
ld-y from. every point and the Cinnamon,
surrou1din' Bill on all sides, closed Ia
on him.
Now, although Bill was surprised. he
was nevertheless on his guard in min
ute. And singiin' out the one closest to
him, he said:
You come step closer. and Iii part
your hair in the middle with this pick.
What the devils the matter with We,
anyhow"
There was some more sing songing
at this, and then one Of the heather said,
in putty good English:
What for you come here? You pros
peetin'?"
well" said Bill, '"twouId look that
way to man UP tree. You don't sup
pose L come 10 plant a vineyard do ye?''
a" You go way. said the Chinan,an.
This all belongs to US. You go wayne
no hurt you. SaVvy?'
You hurt me?' said Bill. why, you
couldn't hurt a green bug! 70 just try
it on-aTfd the next census of China will
show loss OF about seventeen killed
and missinr
The Chinaman looked Bill over for
minute and then said somethin' that
sounded to B,ll like the b-a-a of a sheep
There was a rush from the rear anu
then. before he could make more'n one
swipe with his pick. he felt tap on the
back of his head that toppled him over
When he come to, he found himself cart
ed up the gulch and slowed away in Il
log hut about forty feet up on the hill
side. And here. all fastened ia, he could
feel his bump and cuss at his leisure.
'DowL below the Cinnamon were all at
work. Bill could see EN- through a
crack in the logs. And at noon. and
again at supper, they got out their rice
chop ticks, and drunk their tea and CHAT
tered away as If he wasn't in the neigh
borhood. Then they worked away again
till after dark.
By thunder" said Bill beginnin' to
see the drift Of things, If don't believe
they're leaVln me to feed off the smell
OF this cabinl''
And so they were. Bill stomped and
kicked and thumped at the door all
night, roarin' out at the top of his voice
all the time he was dom it, But 1t
didn't do no good. The Cinnamon didn't
even appear to have heard a thing, for
they come pilin' out of their bunk house
the followin' mornin' all lookin' as fresh
and innocent as a boy with a stolen
cookie. So lndin himself wastin'
strength for nothin'. Bill next put in his
time tryin' to dig his way out lie had
to work with his hands, since the China
men had robbed him of even his uuIil
toothpic<, and so he knowed that he had
a couple of days job ahead. But he went
at it, and on the afternoon of the third