The National tribune., 1902-08-07

[ draft on any mems strength As they
, were too mad to stop swearing, they had
t TO quit running.
Shorty chuckled with delight. as he sped
/ the horses along the road. He had struck
, Il piece of good smooth track, clear OF
teams and men, where the driving was
easy.
''Hi-yi!" he called in to ST, "ain't this
, Just great! Beats all to nothing floating
down river i'm a mud-scow. Got hold OF
! something now that's got some so of IT
self in it. No following current or get
ting up an elbow grease breeze. Gc
anywhere you please with this. L III going
to do all the rest of my soldering just
this way. Wen mount a field-piece on
the deck up there and be a land gunboat,
battery and scouts, all together. Won't
that be immense? When l was a kid,
WAS crazy to grow up and he Il stage
driver. Remember what monarchs of all
they surveyed those fellows used to be!
1t ticl:led me to death to be allowed to
catch the lines when they throwed them
down when they stopped and stalked into
the tavern to make some man proud and
happy by taking drink with him. Great
Jehosephati Il Colonel wasn't in it with
those fellows. To think OF my being at
last Chief Engineer of stage-coach
equipped as man-of-war. Whoop-ia
Git up, there!'
Further on the road became heavy and
Shorty turned out from the highway into
the fields and open pine forests, as he
would have done if they had been on
horseback. This was not so bad, because
the main roads i'll the South have every
where on either side trails made by trav-
elers avoiding some mud-hole, wash-Out
or overflow i'll the principal highway. As
all the roads are very bad, it was only Il
difference in the degree of badness, one
place and another.
Shorty was not so careful in selecting
his route as he should have been, and did
not reflect that there are places horse S
| legs can 20 which wheels have difficulty
in. Soen he had his team leaping across
wide gullies, with Pete and Sandy cling
ing on to the top for dear life, and those
inside humping about like peas in blad-
der and mingling very violently and un-
cxpectedly with the provisions loaded in
| the coach.
Say. Shorty gasped 81, after rar-
ticularly heavy lurch, what on earth are
you trying to do? Trying to polish us off
like marbles in barrel!"
Trying to rattle some of the South
Caroliny mud off, like the new patent
wheat-cleaners,' grumbled Wash Lambert
But, there, some grOwn-up men don't
know no more about driving four-in-hand
than frog does about lime-kiln. Won
der he didn't upset us before he'd gone
mile"
1T ought to be near supper-time," said
81. .I'm so h9ler that l feel my consti-
tuition can't stand tlese outside dents it's
getting. I'll be ,;ermanently battered, and
not fit to be seen unless | git some filling
! inside of me to IesiSt the shOcks."
IF we'll only stop somewhere I'll get
supper quick enough. There's plenty of
the best here TO do it with" said Otter
5ein Kramer, Surveying the high-mix Of
good things to eat with the good boys
who wanted to eat them. It'll make the
| load good deal lighter if we distribute
part of it among ourselves"
Yes" said Shorty, halting for mo-
ment to survey the inside. Tom, take
that ham out Of your ear. You can't get
| it in, no matter if your ears are 80 large.
Abe, quit trying to pocket that bag of
yams. l see where they bulge. Monty,
cap. l see their legs sticking out. Harry,
you can't get lost behind that meal sach.
Them Injianny bOw-legs Of yOurn't beud
around it,
Shorty" said 81, that looks like
good place to camp, up there among those
old field pines. I've got all of your driving
that l think l can stand until I'm better
braced inside"
Il don't believe you fellows know
good driver when you meet him. That
was simply the neatest bit of driving ever
seen in South Caroliny," returned Shorty,
Indignantly. Not one Of the rest of you
can hold a candle to it."
well, you drive mp there on that rise
and halt, and We'll let Otterbein Kramer
go into battery. Mebbe Ill like your driv-
ing better when / don't feel as empty as
u rusty stOvepipe."
Shorty obeyed, and by really skillful
naneuvering worked his team in among
the pines until he came to good camp
ing place a mile or two from the main
road.
Very good place." commented 81, get
ting out, carbine in hand. and carefully
reconnoitering. The pines stood rod
or so apart, free from underbrush, and
giving long view in every direction save
one, which was closed by thicket of ce-
Kramer, there's good place to start
your fire, in the lee Of that thicket. Har
ry, you and Monty take your carbines
and scout around. Pete and Sandy, bring
wood and water for Kramer. Tom, you
and Abe help Shorty and me take care Of
the horses. Wash, You take the rest of
the boys and make camp"
In few minutes everything was in
state Of cheerful preparation for supper
and the night. A bright fire was blazing,
before which Wash staked down two forks
to support the pole from which swung
the kettles. Kramer had his ovens and
slillets warming before it,, while he mixed
and meat, and Sandy washed and pared
the yams. Pete was kept busy supplying
wood and water. 81 and the others un-
harnessed the horses, tied them in good,
comfortable place, sheltered from the
wind, rubbed them down as they had new
er been before in their lives, and gave
them a good, filling feed, eking it out with
some bundles of cOrn-blades put under the
seats by the prOvident bummers for the
officers horses.
While this was going on, Wash Lam
bert and his squad had cleared off the
ground, covered part OF it with cedar
brush on which to spread their blankets,
and stuck up cedar trees around so as to
form cheerful Enclosure about the fire.
Il want to be complimented on my
camp-making," said Wash, pointing proud
ly to his work, as they were all washing |
up and getting ready to enjoy Kramer's |
good things, the fragrance Of which was |
filling the cold night air. LET this be an |
Object-lesson to you tnjianny snOozers how !
to make yourselves comfortable. You have |
been wallOwingn in the mud so long that |
you have forgotten how to live like white |
men. All that it needs is mortgage and |
the December taxes to have all the com
forts OF IL first-elass home"
You've certainly done well, WASH"
said Shorty. Wonder where you learned |
it all? They say you fellows up there in |
the Wisconsin lumber camps became so |
civilized that you actually ate with forks,
and took off one boot when you went to |
bed"
s.yV.u ,ya J;in't hoyo D., live ~, ,,,,ccol,