Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-31
! The Daily Short Story
The Babe of Clearwater. {
By n. 1. CLEVELAND.

The men were on their way from
Flathead Lake TO Missoula. passing by
Clearwater i'm the hot OF the noon. Rio
! Grande Bill was in the party and Lasso
Mack and several others who had been
in Paris with Buffalo Bill. Another OF
the riders was a tall, heavily built,
German looking fellow. with long gray
hair.
The little cavalcade rode hard by the
| waters of the stream. searching for the
ford. Once NJ the spot. they plunged
in. watered their sun baked horses,
then pushed for the other side. As they
came To the top OF the bank. almost in
sight of 81. Clouds peak. a man came
| running toward them. "A nondescript
man. who held one hand high and said.
'Sh-h-h." with a pleading gesture. As
lie was unarmed. the riders halted. and
lie came up To them. almost GREATNESS.
| My wagons beyond there" he said.
| with a nod of his head toward a knoll.
and there's something going to hap
| pen. My woman's wrestling sick. Can't
| you tote by easylike:'
''Yaas." said Rio Grande Bill. But
what's going TO happen:'
1
| man. wiping the sweat off his red fore
| head and looking quite worried. He
| explained that he was a mover from
| the Ravalli country. bound for what
is now known as KaIispel. His wife
had been taken suddenly i'll as they
halted for the noon meal. Her sister
| was with her and aiding her. He
thought in a few moments everything
g..I,. - L L.. . =.
| anxiety. He had seen the horsemen
| coming. and he deemed il best that no
| outside noise should harass the already
strained nerves OF his woman" He
apologized for disturbing the gentle
men. but at such times strange things
must happen. He had never been a IA
ther before. and he really did not know
what to do. The German laughed and
muttered:
my soul is full of discord and dis
may"
II was Rio Bill who suggested that
n halt he made in the journey until il
Ice known If the movers woman" was
safely over her trouble. As Rio Bill
was captain of the party. the others ac-
quiesced. They dismounted ana stretch
ed themselves on the rivers bank while
their horses idly sraZed. No one talk
ed. The mover had gone back to his
wagon. I.asso Mack had drawn n deck
of cards from his shirt and was dealing
solitaire. The German lay on his stonI-
ach and poked finger holes in the sand.
Rio Bill mcnded his quirt.
Back in the wagon one woman was
bending over another. As for the heat.
IL came in waves. blisterinG the stream.
baking the land. making dreams OF cool
mountain waters wild fantasies OF dis
ordered brains. The mover" came
back from his wagon carrying a buck
ct. which he filled with river water.
Then he alphabetically passed the
waiting group and returned to his post.
Maybe he was gone ten minutes. hut
when he again returned there was
note of joy in his voice.
My woman's all right, "'he said. with
n sweep of his hat which took In not
only the group. but all the land. Her
sister SAYS as how you may see the kid,
you having been so kind as not 10 dis
turb my woman"
Rio Bill let the flicker of n smile go
over his face. Mack threw back his
long black locks of hair and gathered
together his cards. The German rose
and began to fleck dust from his rough
clothing. He drew his heels together.
betraying early training in the army.
He waited. too. for some one else TO take
the lead. Rio Bill looked sheepishly at
him and then. shaking a spurred boot.
advanced. The radiant father was
ahead. The knoll was passed. and the
rude wagon came in view. The front
covers were drawn closely, but the IA
Their headed for the rear end. \ feed
box was attached TO this. Ii was filed
with packed hay. and on that, shaded
from the sun 10y a bit OF tarpaulin, lay
the child. wrapped in an old tablecloth.
Back of the child and in the body Of
the wagon could be seen the face OF n
woman. pinched. drawn face, but not
unhappy Standing by the feed box
was n young woman. the sister.
Rio Bill looked down on the baby.
watched its fists dig into its closed
eyes, thought he ought TO say some
thing. but could not, dove i'm his pocket
for silver dollar. found it and laid it
i'm the box. Lasso Mack did likewise.
The mother put ont a brown hand. and
they awkwardly uncovered and grasp |
cd il.
Il thank you. gentlemen" said she. |
The baby cried. and her hand went |
down to it's face, and her voice cro0ned |
TO it,
The German came forward; the man |
who had once filed theaters and made |
even classic Boston applaud him until |
ceilings trembled. He, TOO, looked down |
upon the child and laid silver dollar |
by it. But he spoke also:
Alexander died, Alexander was |
buried. Alexander returneth into dust; |
the dust is earth; of earth we make |
loam."
No one understood him. but he bow
ed most gracefully to the mother and |
passed on to where the others were |
waiting by their horses. He had in
sense christened the child in his own /