Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-01-31

\ With thelL 9"D
/. Arrping eagerness came o'er
..nI to know, perchance, if in
yoar heart .oro+ fono for
thoughts of me
having 1 could ask for moth,
/ Ing more, .ob . n.,.+
1' / haroored hope and pryed
that it might be.
E LAST OF THEM.
s.,in at the beginning, I must
h. had a very poor opinion of
f., Rafin until | met him. In
hoard Of him quite accidental
r5ickasaw, where Tom Pepper,
|, tbe old time drummers-he's
those six years-told me what
H. or rather what he didn't
/ about Bifin. 1t was in the old
ssforo the Government was half
| to open up the Kiowa and Com
| country. and the few travelling
fqbo got into the traders had to
in nv wagon. The Rock Island
surveying, | think, but there
4 mile of road west of the
ssaW line.
case that Pepper made out
1t Biffn came pretty near being
Rrze hard luck story, with Baffin
victim. Baffin was a trader in
DAYS and might nave prospered
we're not everlastingly burning
What struck me as singular was
4 N spite of the numerous fires
Il followed his wanderings, Baffin
j carried any insurance, never
ID over his losses and never re-
: bed his debts. But fire was not
Nsily cause of his misfortunes.
lEer he bought a few cattle they
get string halt or MANNED on
&s0dyS barb wire fence. II he put
i crop herd of ponies was sure
aie and destroy it. III luck, &C
pig to Pepper, seemed to follow
b till every white man in the res
l except himself believed that
fHrg trader had enemies among
nianS.
EeTer as I was not looking for
and had mind to prospect a
the Wichita hills l put down
address and set out on horse
& C.OudChief, near which Baffin
ael running a small post. His
vas about four miles up the dry
The Wichita River. and there l
nm one March evening about
.I before shutdown. In spite of
@FlPtons Id had of him, | was
surprised to find him such a
--l looking fellow. He was sit
4a heg in front of his log house
-' MS pipe and gazing at me
as | came slowly out of the
-noeE When I got into the
: Ut stood up, the shadow of a
-o'tEtng across his swarthy
'-o said; How do, sir. Won't
i-S III He was very tall, more
set' his hair and eyes were
1l'A and brilliant; he wore a
.'lA nuStache, and though the
: vas cool he was in his shirt
M True frontiersman, he said
,~S, though he was hospitality
n.y., @a Seemed glad to hear me talk.
~ sure that I took a great
!. n, nm from the start, and I
~. nAso NE, because he finally
\, W. an almost talkative mood
I'M rs a few Indian egends of
,,, s'.sS which I cannot remem-
\ hug %, heard anywhere else.
stho- w" OeiOFe ne asked
I'm !, singular question, Did
=, ~ any Comanche villages on
up and when I said no |
n ~ seemed rather relieved. We
,o NY store that night, I on a
N .S5 aock that made a very
a ~ ne on the counter with
a.. I, bundle of brown wrap
ss,,,. me only other occupant
rtSs,, was an old Indian squaw,
IN oso and very silent, who
,,a,. ,'' On the simple house
ID , much as it suited her
s, ,sy IN the early morning
b ss out wholesome break
ass ,a,ner cordial handshake
sastf,aa' ,eF three proftless days
sso9sSs l came back to find that
as,s ny n which I had so lately
y y,.. mad been burned in NV
no SS'a!ng but a few mounds
s s.esring ashes marked N4 tbs
as ~ va WAS gone, nor was there
lsssa NE IL at hand. In Cloud
a. tb about t,5 him, but nobody
%, sn r-ao that he had been
Sog,ss..' ns the night and that
b 5:aa5 cart from some
b piT. and started for the
b. T rsst Country. I met him I'm
= but tba at Taloga and once at
1ass,bsrr GaSh We got along ia
a5o9, 3 De always evaded any
p IN ~, MS mtsfortunes. He
r. s,s me idea of trading for
sa, SAo at that time showed ed
4 interest in mining. !
>5sp, Knew a3 warning him of
S3s NINA ynance of finding any