The National tribune., 1904-08-11

The old Captain took his quid of to-
bacco out of his mouth and stood ref1ec-
lively rolling it between thumb and finger
Ia habit he haG as he answered.:
81 have a Wagon Master-or at least
a man drawing the salary-but he amt
worth -, and never will be, in that
capacity. He's a son-in-law of mine; a
gOod-enough fellow-that is, good
farmer or something Of that sort-but
he's out of his element in this teaming
business, and has just fairly run my train
into the ground. Yes, on the whole, /
guess | may safely say l need Wagon
Master, and need one bad" And looking
me over, he added: "You couldn't have
brought a better endorser. Although
Shorty has only been with us short
time, he is fast proving himself first
class officer-one of them old Regulars,
you know, that knows everything about
military service-and what Shorty says
goes. / think you would suit me, but
maybe the job won't suit you. It's hard
it you won't want to have anything to do
with it. Come, go up to the corral with
me, and I'll show you the layout, and then
if you think you can reconstruct the raw
hide outfit you can have the job"
But, Captain" l interposed. 81 don't
want to rob your son-in-law of his posi-
ton"
man. Hes no earthly account there. The
| longer he stays with it the worse the out
fit gets, and he's got to get out when l
can find man who can run that train.
| He's just letting the teamsters run the
! whole shebang and him too. I'll find him
some sort of a soft job about my Office.
| He'll he glad to give up that train. It's
a devil of an outfit; and them teamsters
they're pizen. Have you got good six
shooter"
told him had.
| Have you got the nerve to shoot some
Of them Internal rascals if they undertake
| TO run over you!'
| | told him that had been used to com
manding such fellows, and thought if he
would give me good backing could man
age them.
You bet I'll stand by you," replied the
old man, land give you all the help you
want if you'll only just fetch 'em 10 time
and make 'em do their duty-show 'em
that you're going to be Boss. But you'll
have trouble with 'em. They're hard lot
lnjins, niggers and no-accOunt white men
You see we can't discharge man very
often here, because we can't find one to
take his place. You'll just have to keep
'em and punish 'em like they do soldiers
when they don't do what you tell 'em. II
give you the whole force of the provost
guard, if it's necessary, to enforce your
orders. Lindley Chats my son-in-law) is
afraid of 'em, and lie just lets 'em run the
shebang."
soRRY-LooKING OUTFIT.
! When we reached the camp it made me-
feel almost sick of my bargain, to see
what a ragged, rawhide outfit it really
was. The wagons were scattered about In
the utmost disorder, as if each skinner
had located his wagon to suit himself
which was really the case-some of them
facing one way, some another, no sem
! balance OF any alignment or parking. Some
had bows and sheets, some had none har
, ness scattered here and there on the
ground; most of it had been thrown dowr
just where it was stripped off the mules
as they stood in team at stopping, without
the traces being unlocked from the single
trees mules-a hard-looking lot of half
starved things-tied here and there, some
to the wagons, some to trees, some staked
out on bare ground. The wagons nearly
all needed repairing, harness ditto, and
half the mules barefooted Out of the %
teams | don't think there were six ir
serviceable condition.
The teamsters-a motley looking lot-in
stead of showing some Difference to their
Quartermaster as we passed among them
paid no more respect to Capt. Thomas, a.
he expressed it, than if he was a com
mon Justice of the Peace"
When he asked one of them, as we ap
preached group who were y playing cards
swered with an Indifferent Don't know,
as they went on with their game.
After looking the outfit over the old