Gilpin observer., 1900-05-24
BULLER IN AMERICA.
A STORY OF "A HUNTING TRIP
IN IOWA.
The Now Famous En.lishman Spoiled
Batch of Biscuits. But Aftsrward
Gracefully Redeemed Himself by His
Generosity.

A western man, living in Humboldt,
Ia. tells an interesting story of the |
time when General Butler. now fight |
ing the Beers in South Africa, visited |
this country and went on hunting
expedition in the west "Buller wasn't |
one Of your stuck-up Englishmen
that can't find nothing good enough |
for him." says the narrator, "and
eating and sleeping in country shan
ties was pretty tough them days
There wasn't a house from about
seven miles above Algona to the Min
nesota line except the sod tavern, as
they called it, and even that wasn't
no palace. Their house well was
right in the barnyard, but Butler
wouldn't allow nobody to kick or
make fun of the places where we
put up. He had an awfully easy
way with him that made the women
folks get over their first scare right
off. The last time he was here we
were up in Kossuth county, and we
thought we would make the sod tav-
ern for all night. We got there at
milking time. and went to the barn
yard, where the man and his wife
were milking. Says l. Can we stay
here tonight Wal, 1 guess So
says he. Then he hollered to his
woman, and she gave him such
dressing down as 1 don't care to tell
in the way she done it. She said
there want no flour in the house, nor
no meat, nor no tea, nor no coffee,
nor no sugar, nor no nothing, and
h M, m
Well, just as soon as I got my breath
l went back to the wagon and showed
Butler a house off west about five
miles, guess, and we drove over there
pretty fast. When we got up to the
door three pigs ran out, and pretty
soon a woman came from the back
room, and my, but she was dirty.
She had been chinking up the cracks
with mud, and the house just. did
look dreadful. Butler says: Can
we stay here all night?' Wall she
says. I guess you'll have to- for ther
amt no other place, but we hain't
got nothin' to eat but butter and
some biscuit can make, and we hain't
got but these two rooms and this one
bed.'
oO bulleT, ue DeSdH IlSHl OH "
clean out the kitchen, and he built
fire. and the woman tidied herself up
as we'll as she could and made big
batch of biscuit and showed Butler
how to twist hay a2d stuff the stove
while she slipped out 10 milk the
COW. The husband wasn't at home.
Pretty soon she came running in and
says she I guess you burnt the bis
cult by the smell outdoors And,
sure enough, they was black as coal
Well says he, you have got more
-four Make some more and l won't
burn them. But hold on he says,
let me count them biscuit before you
fling them away. All right and she
threw them out. Say, did you ever
sit around and watch a meal cook
when you was just starving, and then
see your supper turn into dead coal?
1t makes the sap run out of my
mouth now to think of it. Well. the
next pan came out all right. and the
next one. and the woman cooked a
duck and a couple of chickens that we
brought, and we just eat awful, and
as il we were all her own blood and
kin. When bedtime came we carried
in a lot of hay and spread it on the
floor, and with our blankets and big
supper, and being tired, we slept first
rate. The next morning when we
came to settle up, Butler asked how
much the bill was. She said: Well,
l dunno. 1t seems as If | ought to
have something, but you put in the
chickens and the duck, and all these
other chickens you are leaving me,
and you hain't made no bother, and
have told me so many things that's
a-goin' on in the world. But after
some urging she said mebbe two
shillin' apiece would be about right
and throw in the horses. Well, sir
you ought to have seen that English
man stare. He turned red in the face
and spoke up kind of sharp like, and
says: Woman, be you crazy? Two
shillln' apiece - chickens - ducks
throw in the horses and he pulled
out his wallet. Here says he. here's
Sc; that's for the men; and here's
another for the team, and here is 81
cents for the biscuits I burnt. and
don't you never keep hunter fol
less than a dollar, for II he amt rich
he's throwin' money away, and yor
might as well have some of it as any
body Well, sir, that poor woman
shook just like as If she had spell
She said she hadn't seen so much rea
money all summer. and she hadn
seen silver half dollar since the frs
year of the war My stars, but W.
thought lot of that feller. l hadn'
never heard him swear till that day
But when we left that cabin for a Ions
time he didn't seem to hear or set