The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-21
A BLUE DUCK INCIDENT.

| tHdI lHe SHOW StdTleu CoiIiiii6 uoWH III
 October and kept at that sort of thing
 until the following May. The days of
 the weeks of that long period were
 quite regularly divided as follows
 three days snow, three days blow, one
 day freeze. We had nice thermometer.
 It fell to 20 degrees below zero about
 October 20 and remained between there
 and 40 six months.
 But Blue Duck made no complaint.
 Its six hundred souls were there to
 conquer the soil and the elements, to
 build in the heart of once glacial
 plain the greatest wheat and COW
 city in the world. Even Colonel Pat
 Donan when he came to see us said
 after view of our mud, fiatness and
 monotony: "trhe spirit of the Pilgrim Fathers is
 here Here, where the glowing rorn- ing sun kisses the dewy petals of the
 wild prairie rose; where the whisper of the grasses is a song of courage and
 love for conquering man; where the
 glorious stars shine on happy homes
 and contented hearts, I am satisfied, nay, I know, is to rise another Athens,
 second Rome, Paris of the West, SlNIlS lOISFtI SuCCuiSlll tO liAS
 effete East and golden grain to starv-
 ing Europe
 Of course, this was on the Fourth of
 July and under the circumstances we
 forgave the brave colonel for compar-
 ing us to Greeks, but that is what he said
 We accepted the winter that. settled about and on us with philosophy. At first the snow laid only two feet in our two streets but in less than month 1t was six feet deep and then ten and the shacils disappeared from sight and we dug rude tunnels and made our way about through the blizzards holding to ropes and crawling on our stomachs. One night it was cold "Gentleman" Ed and the town editor left their hunks to sleep in a horse trail with the Indian ponies to gain additional warmth from them.
 When in two months there was noth- ing to be seen of Blue Duck but stove pipes it became serious proposition how to keep the streets open Every body was tired of shovelling, cutting, picking and chopping snow. Backs ached hands were blistered. eyes blind tu. put IL Ndo lAiPoSSipiO to pCA t'iI the snow to wholly have it's way in drifting. Some of it must be thrown aside. The town debated the situa- ton.
 It was Gentleman Ed that suggest ed happy way out of the labor. Blue Duck, whIch was always idolizing some l thing or other, laid new tributes of re- spect at his feet after he made a certain | speech at Rebers hurdy-gurdy. Bob" Smith had been singing Annie Laurie" Ben Bolt and some other songs to | us when Ed called for silence.
 "Ill tell you" he said how we'll | open this town What about Henry | Ward Beecher Red Wolf? Why | shouldn't he dig this town for us? Who | gets liquor and ham of us right along | for nothing? What do you say?''
 Blue Duck understood and prepared. |
 Ten miles above us on Flat Creek was the winter and summer camp of about | twenty bow-legged. goggle-eyed, half breed Indians, ostensibly wards of the government, but certainly lazy, un- clean, good for nothings. They hunted small game in summer and in winter begged their food in Blue Duck. They had never been known to work. Their did that. Gentleman" Ed pro- posed that Blue Duck should surround the camp bring the bucks over to town, give them shovels and make them open our half-filled tunnels and keep them open for the season. In return they were to have food and two drinks lay,
 Henry Ward Beecher Red Wolf was he leader of the half-breed band. His lame came to him through the fact hat once on an eastern show trip he lad shaken hands With the great preacher. He was so proud In Indian way of this fact that he clung to lis heavy title through all misfortune md if living must have it still. It was lpon him and his that Blue Duck, law ully or unlawfully, proposed now to lescend with the gift of work.
 When will we start?" some one sked Gentleman Ed.
 Now" was the prompt answer. Blue buck arrayed itself. Blue Duck picked ID Winchesters and six-shooters and adhered at Reber's. The moon was , ut that night and the black frost. The rairie snow was packed and frozen . olid, One hundred men were told off for f he work and sedges and horses pro- ! ded them. It was ? in the morning 2 then they got away for straight ten lile dash to Flat Creek.
 T think" said "Gentleman Ed, the oble red man is going to learn some hing"
 Well. it was not Q difficult task to urround Red wolf'sE Ecamp in the bot pms. Before half-breed knew we 'ere there they were rounded up, sep I, rated from the squaws and papooses q nd blanketed for the journey back. f You're going to work, Henry Ward eecher Red Wolf" said Ed, ''so just og-trot ahead of the horses and don't 'ok back at my gun It's skitt!sh." It was after dawn when the twenty frightened bucks and their uards came into Blue Duck and head ] l straight for the one hotel. Prepara- ons had been made there for the ar val The half-breeds were given lenty of hot coffee and fat pork and le reasons for their roundup careful explained to them.
 Each buck was given a shovel and a ck, and it was excrutiatingly funny to ,e them handle the implements. An ,1;o, u-itL q rhoyeI r1Ilch resepohlac !