The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-29

Then Scotty began a toe balancing
act and seemed to be doing q long dis
lance smelling stunt Suddenly ne
broke away, walked about hundred steps
to a rock. that looked pretty much ike
any other rock Whereabouts. In two
minutes he was back with his arms Iull
Of canned asparagus, mushrooms,
boneless turkey and enough other dell
cacies to make French menu strictly
The clairvoyant was just about as
much surprised as If she d found
mine<I guess. How did you know
they was there?' she asks Simply by
ruling the spirits of the desert he said
When they had picked the last bone
of the homeless can Of turkey the clair
voyant leaned back with sigh and
champagne and some Turkish cigar
cites this would remind me Of that
dear Los Angeles.
Gets Champagne, Too.
I'll have to crowd the spirits pretty
hard for that, lady Scotty said, but
I'll try. He did his toe speciality again,
drew circle in the sand. talked to him
self in a long sing-song voice for about
minute and then made a bee line for
another rock. Came back with two
quarts Of champagne, French, too, and
enough cigarettes to watt the clair
voyant lady to d9eamland.
when the clairvOyant recovered her
conversation tongue she said: My one
dread is that I may meet Walter Scott
out here What's the matter with
him o asks Scotty. innocent as goat
Why haven't you heard of him p she
saws. surprised Hes the noted des-
perado of Death Valley. There are
countless skeletons out here she went
on, waving the hand that wasn't glued
to the champagne glass, and Walter
Scott knows about them All, that man
could tell an awful story.
eff a0v man named Walter Scott
tries to harm you, lady. says Scotty,
Just call on me for protection. You
needn't be afeard Of him With that
Scotty pulls two revolvers and as it
was getting dusk he crept out from the
campfire like a cat about to spring.
The clairvOyant began to tremble at
this and told stories about Walter Scott
enough to freeze a fellows blood
The nest morning Scotty had to
leave them. You've been awful kind,
says the lady Whom have to thank
for these favors?' If anyone asks you
just tell en- you had supper with Wal
ter Scott he says. and the clairvoyant
nearly fell over. And tel EN- he amt
such a bad fellow after all
It had this story first from Scotty
himself and thought he was drawing
on what might have been, but the clair
voyant happened along our way later
and didn't change detail
Fun With BlindfOids.
s'That other one about Scotty and
the two tenderfeet is also worth tell
ing. The tenderfeet were camPed
above Benefits Wells, and sorer,
more Disguised pair of prospec1ors
you never saw. They were from
Frisco. Didn't understand desert
regulations and were out Of water
and grub. That's the way they were
when Scotty and Bill Keyes found
them in midsummer. They were cuss-
ing the desert across and I'D and
down. Said they wouldn't give foot
of the Frisco water front for all the
gold there was in the bloOmin' coun-
try.
90 Tell you what I'll do says Scotty.
winkins at Bill Keyes.
50 First, I want to tell you that I've
got rich mine out here. richest in
the world. Second I don't want any
one to see it but myself and Bill here.
The third man that lays his eyes on
that mine dies the death of chicka-
walla. As for water and provisions,
you can have all you want. If you
want to go to my camp, just say So.
They said 50.
We'll. now he went on, there's
one condition. If you go you'll have
10 be bltndfolded and the man that
pulls off the blind gets a bullet. see?'
They studied the proposition over for
a few minutes and then reckoned
they'd go.
so Scott and Bill puts them on
burros and ties handkerchfefs over
their eyes. All right, Bill?' asks
Scotty. All right says Bill For
ward. then Scotty commands, and a
bullet for the one that uncovers his
eyes. You'd better believe those fell
lows didn't remove the bandages.
The trail leading to Scotty's camp
is mighty steep, both going up and
dropping down Bill Keyes followed
the burrOs on foot, and Scotty went
ahead They hadn't gone twenty yards
before big voice shouted, Halt
Who goes there p it asks Friends
says Bill. Give the countersign or I
will shoot comes back Bill nutnbled
something that sounded like a mixture
of Indian and Chinese, and the voice
hCllered, Advance
That was Scotty, who had run
ahead and mounted on eminence He
kept this uD for the three miles of
the trip, and, by changing his voice,
he made those tenderfoots think a
whole regiment was guarding that
pass.
But say the hardships of those two
Frisco gents must have been some
thing horrible. Bill picked out the
rough places and had the burros
playing leapfrog over rocks and sliding
down cHHs But the tendcrfoots hung
on Ike death. because they were
afraid If they lost their hold their
bandages might come off
When Scotty got them into camp
he fed them like kings and let them
lave their badly chafed limbs in that
bathtub he took from the Confidence
mine The boys told me about it after
ward.
Shows Supreme Nerve
"Talk about nerve, Scotty has got
4 that Ever heard about the rattle
snake biting him and he walking two
miles to camp plumb blind and finding
the trail with his feet? A side-winder
/ struck him on the outside of the arm
4 below the shoulder. A side-winder is
one of those rattlesnakes that run
along like wheel
This RATHER got Scotty when he was
two miles from camp, as I said In
stead of saying goodbye and bear
{ me away on your snowy wings Scotty
I pulled out his knife, cut into the bite
/ and sucked at the wound. He got
some Of the poison out al right but