Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-20
w0MAN's WIT.

No; I don't believe that Cap'n Jens.
kins ever took stock In second sight,
the seventh daughter Of seventh
daughter, or none of them fool fads.
Still, helm man Of destiny, like Cae-
sar and Napolyun, he materially used
to lay great stress by his dreams, be-
levin that guardian spirit whisper
cl to lin In his sleep.
When the Cap'n wuz a-ranching
down to'ards Yuma, an l wuz a sorter
foreman for him, there wuz a rush in
to the Pinal kentry ownr to pocket
find witch panned out bout $4,000.
This wuz til only strike ever made
in them diggin's, but tn excitement
kept up for bout three months, during
witch time Cap'n jenkins made big
money buyln' goods, wares, an mer-
chanJlsc from them miners as wuz
a-comin' out, and selling the same to
them as wuz a-goin' in. He also KEEP
q sclec' stock of wines an likkers in
lobe cellar.
'Mongst the queer characters that
came an went durin' tn excitement
wuz one John McDougall, nlcknamed
Baron McDougall. He owned silver
mines in Arizona an big cattle ranges.
He always Travelled with a body
guard of three renegade Cheyennes,
witch he had enticed away from their
reservation years before.
l like McDougall for his vim an
energy, in spite of bis evil reputation.
He used often to come to the ranch,
an took a great fancy for Mrs. Jen-
klns, who wuz a-stoppin' there then.
He cid talk on sny subjec, an 'twuz
plain to see that he'd been, sometime
an somewhere, man Of parts an ed
dication. His friends feared him an
his enemies hated him like men hate a
rattlesnake.
Wa'al. to come back to the Cap'n
an his dreams. He wakes up one
mornin' an says to his wife:
"Jane, l had a queer dream last
night. l drempt that there wuz a man
standin' under that pepper tree yonder
a-tannin' buckskin. An he said to
mother man that wuz a-lookin' on:
Bill, go up to tn house AM ask Mrs.
jenkins for the tea leaves out of her
tenpot. ! want to set the tan on this
hide so we kin cut some gloves out Of
IT, l saw 1t ALL says the Cap'n, ''as
plain as day."
An Mrs. jenkins says to him, "Cap'n,
there's somethin' a-goin' to happen"
After little the dream wuz forgot.
But bout a week later, as we wuZ all
a-scttin' in the shade takin' our noon
in, a Teller come runnln' into camp, all
dirt an sweat an half crazy, an said
that McDougall WIZ after him an wuz
a'goin' to murder him. Quarrel over a
mimi deal. This Teller Mcdonald had
found a mine, an McDougall, follerin'
his usual custom, had jumped the
claim. After a little show of fight Nc
Donald had guy 1t up, but McDougall
wuz a-goin' to kill him for not lettin'
90 quicker.
l can't say that I admired Melon
AIDS 'pearance. 1t seemed to me like
'twuz a Scotch fight, anyway, an l
wuz for a-lettln' it alone. But the
Cap'n begun t arrange his plan Of
campaign right away. Sent half
dozen Mexicans out to scout for Nc
Dougail. Put guns into a tent that
WIZ handy by the house an cut some
sits In the canvas.
II McDougall wuz to come I wuz to
60 inside the tent with four or five Of
the hest men, an we all TO cover Nc
Dougall an his Inguns with our rifles.
The Cap'n wuz to meet him unarmed.
But, II the Capn raised his hand an
snapped his fingers, we WIZ to blaze
away an to wipe McDougall an his
braves off'n the planet.
Nothln' come Of the matter for two
or tire. days. In the meantime some
Of the Cap'n's men, who had been
away on a hunt In the mountains
come back with fine buck, witch they
preceded to skin an dress, an we
toasted Oh venison.
But what should Mcdonald do hut
90 an tan the hide? He WIZ a-work.
In under the pepper tree near tn house
an he said to young Teller a-standin'
near, "Billy, 20 up to tn house an ask
Mrs. Jenkins for the leaves in her tea
pot want to set the color on this
hide, an we'll cut some gloves out Of
IT,
Jest then Mrs. Jenkins happened to
come to the door an heered the re-
mark. She pinted her finger at her
husband an said: "Your dream" An
he plnted his finger at his wife. at the
same instant, an said: my dream"
Then the Cap'n walked up to McDon.
aid an held out his hand.
"McDonald," he said, "your fate ID
linked with mine. You an air spir-
tool afiinities, dreamt bout you be-
fore | ever sot eyes on you. You're
safe here now. Mcdonald. I'll fight
for you to the last drop in my veins"
"Twa'n't many hours after this cpl.
s0de when a scout come a-runnin' In
q