The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-18

OF the loads would go off at once, when
she'd kick like a Texas steer. There
was much talk of bear around, and we
were always going to buy real gun,
some Gay. but we never got at it.
well, we prospered pretty WELL con-
sidering how little we worked. A large
part of the time was taken up with
playing monte with the herders, and
still more in arguing questions about
religion and things like that; but we
had a decent cabin built-with the kind
assistance of the herders-and as we
struck a rich little streak that run out
Ten dollars per man a day with no
trouble at all, we were In clover.
AT last our stock of grub ran low,
and Jones slid up to Salmon City to
load up again. 1t was quite trip. and
as 1 didn't think it was square to work
while Aggy was away, I took up with
the herders. They were the decentest
1olk I ever struck. Play little music
On the guitar, sing songs that always
wound up just where a white mans
songs would begin, and tell stories and
smoke cigarettes-that was the layout
for them. Old Cap Allys was a Chris
tan, and he wouldn't let a man herd
sLeep all day by himself-surest way
to get crazy that ever was invented
so he sent the boys out three in
bunch.
Those fellers had the darndest lot
or fairy tales 1 ever did hear. And SUI
perstitious! Great Jupiter! Any little
blame thing that happened meant
something: this thing was good luck;
that meant bad. and if you tried to
josh them out of it, they'd shake their
heads and look at you as if they
thought you weren't truly religious.
'One Of their yarns was about FL
Diablo de Fuego. The Devil of Fire
which Miguel said ran in his family.
Seems that when anything wrong was
about to happen, this blazing, ripping
monster showed up as a warning. I
told Nee that 1 thought the monster
was misfortune enough without any
thing else, but he was scandalized.
PsSt!' says he. DO not spik sOoch
teeng as dthat! Ay di mi! Jesu-Ma-
ria mi Christol Jesu, muy dolce V pO-
quito. Dthat mex heem ARRIVE dthat
constant, eef djOo spik weez dees-
rrreespeckH
All right, Nee says I. Wen let
her go at that-todo el misno por mi,
sabe? But hoW's the bear CROP
Gay, cara. Is plenty goddam
ba-are" says PeDe. Keel three-four
snip las nighi That mex that two
mus sect COP for watch. an ali ship
mus be in close corrrralI! 1 speet on
the soul Of that ba-are"
Cad that wasn't cheerful news a
little bit. If there's anything in this
world 1 more than don't like, it's a bear
he's so darn big and strong and I'M
reasonable, and unless you can catch
him sitting, you can pump lead into
him until you're black I'm the face. and
it's all one TO him. Well, thought 1
might as well camp with the herders
until Aggy came back.
When he did show up he was rather
under the influence of strong drink,
and from the looks of the wagon he'd
brought with him, 1 should say he'd
bought about everything that was
movable in Salmon City. I amt easily
astonished, but L must admit that some
of the truck got the best of me. 1 kept
asking, What in - is this, Ag? and
he always answered. Ask the driver
Well, now if there was any choice be-
tween the two, the driver was drunken
than Aggy. so you can imagine what a
lot of satisfaction 1 got. There was one
thing that 1 simply couldn't make head
nor tail of. and / stayed with him until
l got an answer on that.
Why, it's an alcohol cooking stove. >
says he, great medicine-nO trouble to
cook now at all. Just light her. says
he, waving his hand, and whoopi away
she goes! Where's that can of alcohol
Here she is! Have a drink, Hy?
Il took a small swig of it in a little
water to please him, but there weren't
stimulants enough in the country to
raise my spirits that night. 1 put all
the plumber that could lift up in the
cock-loft, and the rest 1 left sitting
around
I don't exactly know where you fell
lers are going to sleep, says l. trying TO
be sOurcastic. Pity you didn't order a
folding bed, Ag.'
=" I did, says he.
"a folding bed?' I repeats, not be-
lieving my ears.
"'And a piano. says he. What is
home without piano? Answer: It's a
place that can't hold the forte-dam
good joke-keno-go UP to the head,
Jones'
We'll. says I, after some other
things, who's going to pay for all this? p
God knows says he, waving his
hand again. Good night and with
that he fell down between a new bu-
reau and patent portable blackemith's
forge. and putting his head on a corcer-
tina, went sound asleep.
Il couldn't follow suit FOR some time:
it's one thing TO come home full of
bulge and animal spirits yourself, and
it's quite different to have your pard-
ner work it on you. At last, however,
/ concluded it would be all the same the
next century, and turned in, but / was
so ratified that forgot the bears. and
didn't lock UP with the usual care.
1t must have been about in the